Painting a tiger

A tiger in pastel

Painting a tiger was exciting, daunting and quite riveting. My only regret is I didn’t tackle the task sooner.

It was certainly a challenge and I felt a great sense of responsibility throughout, as I was anxious not only to produce a beautiful pastel painting but to render justice to a magnificent creature.

There was a presence and stature that the picture had to convey. I found it became less of an image and more of a tribute as the painting developed.

There were so many elements that I wanted to capture and happily the very nature of the pastel medium allowed me to define the wonderful colours in the tiger’s coat, to say nothing of a wonderful facial expression.

I felt a strong emotional attachment throughout the process and as delighted as I am with the finished product, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed when our relationship evolved to a point where we went our separate ways.