Snowy Red Fox In Watercolors: Step-By-Step Guide For Painting Fluffy Fur

1. Welcome to the class: As the last leaves of autumn fall, the first frost starts to paint the world in a delicate shade of white. In this enchanting season of quiet and stillness, the wild animals of the forest once seamlessly blended with their surroundings now contrasting vividly in pure, untamed snow of the frosty landscape. Hello, my name is Evgenia. And today we will be painting a captivating red fox covered with the speckles of snow. Throughout this class, we will paint the red fox with its fluffy fur contrasting with the white of snow around it. We will capture not only the physical beauty of the fox, but also the spirit of nature in the heart of winter. In the class, I will show you how to adjust and turn the mistakes into possibilities. I've been professional artists for many years, focusing exclusively on watercolors. I've always been captivated by the magic of this medium. I started to paint when I was a child, but as I grew, I had no idea how to improve or how to create effect that I wanted. I didn't know any of the techniques or how to use them. Now I've taken part in exhibitions and been fortunate enough to win rewards from such highly regarded organizations as International Watercolor Society, HelvetArt; Light, Space, Time. Art Show International and Royal Talens. Watercolor can be challenging to manage for those who start to use this medium. Which is why it's my intention to help you to enjoy watercolors and to learn it in an easy and fun way. In the step by step lessons, you can see the hand and brush movements clearly from different points of view. We will explore versatile and fundamental watercolor techniques that you can use in all your paintings and sketches. Also, we will discuss the materials that will enhance your watercolor experience and will help you to enjoy the process greatly. If you find this class too easy or too difficult, you can choose from my different classes available for learning varied watercolor skills. The approach of my classes is to start with an easy wash. As we proceed with the painting step by step, we will add more details completing the artwork. If you have any struggles or difficulties along the way, you can start a discussion and I will read and respond to all your questions. Remember to hit the follow button next to the class title, just below the video. By doing so, you'll stay updated and be among the first to receive updates on my upcoming classes and exclusive giveaways. Also, you can see my latest free watercolor tips and tutorials by following me on Instagram and YouTube. Are you ready to start this creative journey together? Join the class and let's bring your artistic vision to life. 2. Your project: Before we begin with the class, I want to thank you for joining me today. Your project will be creating a snow covered Red Fox. In the resource section, you'll discover my completed painting as a helpful reference, along with pencil drawing that you can trace. You have the freedom to select your own fox to paint or to closely follow my painting as a guide. Additionally, you'll find a reference photo and a selection of other images that can serve as inspiration for your very own fox painting. It's a great pleasure for me to give my students feedback. After you put so much effort in your artwork, why not share it? You can do it by taking a photo of your painting and share it in the Student Project Gallery under the Project and Resources Tab. I'd love to hear all about your painting process. If you had any difficulties or what was the most enjoyable part of the painting process. Upload your artwork by clicking 'Submit Project' in The Project and Resources tab. Upload a cover image. It can be your artwork photo, but it will be cropped. No worries. You can upload a full photo further. Share your thoughts about the class and your painting process. Under the field where you write, you can find three small icons. Click on the first one 'image', and upload your artwork. You can see your photo appearing under your text. Scroll to the top and click on the button "publish" to share your project. If you have any struggles or questions during the class, please start a discussion and I will be sure to answer your questions. I highly encourage you to explore the work of your fellow students in the student project gallery. Viewing other creations can be truly inspiring. Also to receive support can be incredibly reassuring. Therefore, please consider engaging by liking and leaving comments on each other's projects. Join me in the next lesson to explore watercolor materials. 3. Materials that enhance your painting experience: Let's discuss general watercolor materials and how they can enhance your watercolor painting experience. We'll begin with the drawing. I recommend using a soft pencil as such, allows for easy erasure of pencil lines later in the process. Having both a regular eraser and a kneaded eraser is valuable. The kneaded eraser in particular, plays a crucial role in softening the lines before you start painting. This preparation makes it simpler to erase the lines once your painting is complete. For watercolor paper, I recommend opting for thick paper with a weight of 300 GSM. While the best paper is typically 100% cotton. It's worth noting that there are variations, even within this category, based on different brands. The ideal approach is to experiment with various paper types and select the one that suits your preferences. It's important to know that you don't always need to use 100% cotton paper. Occasionally, it's enjoyable to experiment and learn on acid free paper made from cellulose or a blend of cellulose and cotton. This choice can be budget friendly while still providing you with the opportunity to explore various techniques. However, even in this case, I recommend choosing thick paper with a weight of 300 GSM to ensure a sturdy surface for your watercolor endeavors. To transfer a line drawing that you find in the resources tab, you can use an artist's graphite paper. It's important to use wax free graphite paper specifically as using carbon transfer paper is not suitable for transferring a drawing to watercolor paper. If you are interested in exploring three alternative methods for transferring a pencil drawing onto watercolor paper, I invite you to check out my other class, 'Dreamy Landscape in Watercolor, Mastering Wet Techniques For beginners'. I stretch my paper using 'graphic stretching art-board'. To secure the paper, I use an artist's tape, for more details on the various tape types for stretching the paper. You can refer to my other class, 'Clear, transparent water with shells and starfish, Mastering drawing with water technique'. Let's move to the watercolor supplies, starting with brushes. I personally prefer using synthetic brushes because they are vegan. I appreciate the idea of not harming animals. Generally, it's often believed that the highest quality watercolor brushes are made from squirrel or sable hair. They are resilient and hold water and paint exceptionally well. However, modern high quality synthetic brushes have nearly identical capabilities to natural hair brushes. For example, Escoda offers a series of synthetic brushes called versatile, that possess the same qualities as natural Kolinsky sable brushes. Davinci brushes have the Colineo series. Isabey offers a beautiful Isaqua series. In the exercise lesson, you'll learn more about specific brushes I use in this class. Ideally, you should have two water jars, one for washing your brush, and the other for obtaining clean water for wetting your brushes, paper or watercolors. However, I must confess that I sometimes use just one jar for convenience, so I can concentrate on the process without worrying about which jar my brush goes into. Nevertheless, I always make it a point to change my water regularly to prevent mudding my color mixes. You can use either watercolor cakes or tubes for your painting. There are various watercolor brands available, and they offer both student grade and professional grade watercolors. Your choice between the two depends on your specific needs and budget. If you are just starting with watercolors or working on practice pieces, student grade paints can be a cost effective option. For the colors used in this class, you can refer to the color palette lesson. To paint watercolors with ease it's a good idea to keep several paper tissues or a cotton cloth within reach. They're very useful for dabbing your brush or paper as needed and for thoroughly drying your brush. If you want to truly enjoy your watercolor painting experience, I recommend using a ceramic mixing palette. It can also be ceramic plate. Plastic, or metal palettes tend to disrupt the smooth laying of watercolor strokes, causing the paint to form separate drops and pulls. A ceramic surface is ideal for watercolor painting. Using a ceramic mixing palette will enhance your watercolor experience. The mixing process feels exceptionally smooth and creamy on ceramic. A natural or a synthetic sponge is essential for making adjustments to correct small mistakes in your painting. Additionally, for some artworks, you may require masking fluid, a white gel pen, or a fine acrylic marker or white gouache to add small details that can significantly enhance your piece. A spray bottle is also useful for evenly wetting your paint without creating water pools on it. Now that you've gained insights into general watercolor materials, let's move on to the next lessons. In the upcoming lesson, you'll learn about the specific color palette used to paint the fox. And you'll also engage in a few watercolor exercises to help you feel more at ease and boost your confidence. 4. Color Palette and Color Mixes : In this short lesson, we'll explore the colors and color combinations that you can use to paint the fox. Let's begin by creating color swatches to showcase the limited color palette for this class. The first one is yellow ochre, a warm, earthy yellow. Indian red, one of my personal favorites and a highly versatile color. If you don't have Indian red in your palette, you can mix it from basic colors. To achieve a hue resembling Indian red blend burnt umber and alizarin crimson in varying proportions, adjust the ratio to attain the warmth and intensity you desire. Burnt sienna, a warm, reddish brown color. Lamp black, a deep black hue. Payne's gray, another valuable color. To mimic Payne's gray combine lamp black and ultramarine in varying proportions. Adjusting the ratio to achieve your preferred intensity. Alizarin crimson, a vibrant rose-red that is a staple in most color palettes. As an alternative you can also use rose color or madder lake. Azo yellow deep, a yellow shade that tends towards orange. If this particular yellow isn't in your palette, you can substitute it with an orange color. These colors form the foundation of our limited color palette for this course allowing you to create the charming fox with depth and character. You can access all the color mixes and color swatches in the Project and Resources tab. It's a helpful practice to place the basic colors alongside your color mixes to remember them in the future. A mix of Azo yellow deep, and burn sienna produces a warm, earthy hue. Combining burnt sienna and Indian red yields a rich autumn like earthy shade. To create a deep reddish brown blend lamp black and indian red. When you mix yellow ochre and lamp black, you get a greenish brown color that complements our other color blends. For painting the fur, you can dilute this color with water to achieve lighter tints. The mix of Alizarin crimson and lamp black has a slightly different appearance compared to the mix you get from Alizarin crimson and Pines gray. The latter has a cool, bluish undertone. You can also dilute this mix with water to create a light tint. Having these combinations nearby will make it easier for you to replicate the colors when needed and create a harmonious palette for your painting. 5. Exercises to boost your confidence: When you first delve into the world of watercolor painting, it can indeed feel a bit overwhelming. To boost your confidence, I highly recommend keeping a dedicated sketchbook where you can practice various techniques and color combinations. Let's make four brief exercises to look closer on the techniques we will use to paint the fox. To create the fur outline a fan brush is an excellent choice. If you don't have a fan brush on hand, you can use a very fine brush or even experiment with other brushes from your collection. It's crucial that the brushes are completely dry. Begin by sketching two circles with a pencil, then wet the first circle inside the lines. Pass over it with a wet brush several times to ensure the paper is thoroughly moist within the circle, select a color of your choice. For this demonstration, I'm using burned sienna. Apply the color along the edges of the circle. Now take a dry brush, and using gentle movements, pull the wet color into the dry area, creating a texture reminiscent of fur. Brush in various directions to enhance the realism. If you don't have a fan brush, you can use a very fine brush to paint some hair like strokes, although it may not offer the same playful effect. Feel free to experiment with different dry brushes to observe which results you find most appealing. This process will help you to get a sense of which brush types work best for your preferred style. Now let's move on to the next circle. Wet the second circle entirely. Prepare various colors on your palette, such as indian red, burnt sienna, and black. Playfully mix them to create a range of different colors. For this exercise, apply the colors to the wet circle without overly blending them on the paper. Simply add the color strokes randomly, allowing them to mingle with one another without producing harsh lines. Allow the circle to dry. In the meantime, if you'd like, you can further practice the dry brush technique to achieve a hair like texture by pulling the wet color into the dry areas. Now grab a fresh sheet of paper and draw two more circles For the second circle sketch weavy uneven shapes. Wet the first circle thoroughly until the paper is saturated with water. Use black or payne's gray, color to make several strokes within the circle. Observe how beautifully the watercolor flows on the wet paper. Add a few dots as well. Take a fine dry brush and gently pull the black paint in different directions. This technique is truly captivating. With a dry brush you can delicately adjust the strokes on wet paper. Feel free to experiment a bit more until you feel comfortable and confident with the process. Now let's focus on the other circle. In this exercise, we'll be painting an imaginary snow patches using wet water colors on dry paper. Lay down different colors alongside each other, allowing them to overlap slightly and fill the areas around the shapes. This exercise is an excellent opportunity to master your brush control and learn how to preserve the white paper to enhance the appearance of the shapes. Create a series of dots along the edges to make them look more ragged and realistic. Once you are satisfied with your work, allow the circle to dry. You can speed up the drying process by using a hair dryer. Next, let's work on softening the harsh edges. Wet your brush and gently rub it along the edges, then blot with a tissue. Continue this process to address other harsh edges until you feel confident in applying this valuable technique. This method allows you to infuse an artistic touch into your works and create softer, more blended shapes. To add the finishing touch to our imaginary snow patches, let's incorporate some texture. Snow is seldom completely uniform, often featuring subtle gray shadows. Take a bit of gray or black on your palette and using a wet brush, create a very light gray. Add some dots to introduce the texture, completing the illusion of a textured snow patch. With a couple of easy exercises we have learned a lot already. We have learned to create hair like texture for the fur outline. Created the fur using wet paper. Created fur with fuzzy snow in it. Well done! Now we can start patting the fox and have fun watching this cute snowy animal come to life under our brush. 6. Get started - preparing the paper to paint: Before we begin painting, it's essential to soften the pencil lines, ensuring a smoother transition from the drawing to the painted work. Our first step is to define the first outline. To achieve a realistic texture we will employ a fun brush, which will add depth and detail to the fur. We will paint the fur outline only on the body of the fox on two sides. Wet a generously sized soft round brush thoroughly. Now let's focus on wetting the body of the fox within the outlines. it's crucial to use an ample amount of water to thoroughly saturate the paper. Apply water with deliberate strokes covering just the body of the fox and the lower part of the head. In this close up video, you can see it clearly. Keep the tail and the upper part of the head dry for the time being. 7. Fur - step 1, painting the fluffy outline: Begin by mixing Indian red, burnt sienna, and a touch of black. Using gentle strokes, apply the color to the wet section of the first edge, similar to the technique practiced in our earlier exercise with the circular shape. With a completely dry brush, carefully guide the wet watercolor into the dry area. Keep your brush movements light and gentle, varying the direction to achieve a lifelike texture. If you find the color on the paper appears too faint, replenish it from your palette. Remember to use minimal water while mixing and picking up colors to maintain a higher pigment to water ratio on your brush. If you're uncertain about this, refer to my class "Snow in watercolor. Create a magical winter scene." where I provide a detailed explanation of the pigment to water ratio. Notice how the color blends softly with the paper without leaving harsh lines. For now, leave it as it is and focus on the outlining the fur. Let's repeat the process on the other side, gently brush the color, allow it to spread, and then pull the pigment into the dry areas following the early technique. The paws of the fox have an almost black appearance, so let's add some black along the edges. And once again, carefully pull the pigment to create a delicate, fluffy texture. 8. Fur - step 2, painting the fur: Allow the first layer to dry completely. During this time, let's closely examine the reference photo. Here I mistakenly used brown instead of gray to adjust it. The paper must be entirely dry for correction. To do this, moisten a natural sponge, wring it out, and gently wrap off the paint. Keep in mind that this works best on thick paper. Thinner paper may get damaged. It's advisable to do this correction only once in a specific area as repeated rubbing can harm the paper. While this method won't entirely remove the paint, it can have a significant effect in some areas. In this lesson, we will focus on painting the fur, and I'll provide tips on how to correct mistakes. Next, moisten the fox's body. Have a reference photo, or my completed reference painting nearby for color comparison. With a wet brush take a bit of black and try it on your palette to ensure it is a light tint of gray. Add gray color to the cheek. Use a dry brush to pull hair like texture from the wet pigment mix, burn sienna and azo yellow deep and apply it on the wet surface in the corner under the chin. Proceed with gray to color the fur In short strokes. If the gray mixes in the process with a bit of yellowish brown, it gives more to the variety of the fur tints. Mix some Payne's gray and Indian red, and add this darker color under the chin and a few color dots in various places. Because the paper is wet, the colors will blend seamlessly. Just like in our exercise lesson. Now take a dry, fine round brush and pull the dark color in different directions. Follow this by applying various brownish colors to the still wet body surface. Utilize different shades and mixes from our color palette lesson. Since the surface is wet, the colors will blend smoothly creating an effect of uneven, fluffy fur without harsh lines. The best approach for achieving a lifelike illusion of a fox's fur in watercolor is to employ the wet on wet technique. This method allows for a seamless blend of colors, creating a soft and natural appearance without any harsh lines. When painting fur it is crucial to incorporate various shades of brown to capture the richness and complexity of the fox's coat. To further enhance the realism and texture of the fox's fur, employ dry brushes to delicately pull the pigment and diffuse the darker shades into the lighter background. This technique is instrumental in creating a natural and seamless fur appearance, where the colors melt together harmoniously. Mixing different shades of brown, such as Indian red, burnt sienna, and perhaps a touch of yellow help to replicate the warm earthy tones found in fox's fur. Introduce some black into a palette as well as it will help create the necessary contrast and depth, especially in areas like the fox's paws. The combination of these colors will result in a fur texture with captivating variations and depth. With a dry brush softly blend some of the strokes to give them a more fur like appearance. While capturing the essence of the fox's fur don't hesitate to use rich dark tones, particularly in areas like the fox's paws. This will create a striking contrast and emphasize the fox's distinct features. Feel free to compare the colors with a reference picture, and add deeper tones on still wet paper in areas such as shadows behind the paws. Use a dry brush regularly to transform some strokes into lines enhancing the fur texture. When working on refining your painting, you may find it necessary to lift or adjust certain areas of color. To achieve this, use a wet brush that you've carefully squeezed with the tissue, ensuring it's damp but not excessively wet. Gently brush this damp brush on the wet colored surface to observe the color lifting, creating subtle highlights or variations in the fur. The contrast of black paws looks satisfying. I proceed with adding more color to the fur and diffuse some of my strokes with a dry brush. If you notice that some of the colors on wet surface have become lighter as the paper absorbed the water, don't worry. If the paper is still damp, you can easily add more situated color on top of it. The colors will continue to blend seamlessly on the still wet paper. This is what makes painting on wet paper so enjoyable. You have ample time to adjust your painting before it dries. Let's add more depth to the darker regions by introducing additional layers of black pigment refining and modifying the brush strokes using a dry brush. If your brush becomes soiled, opt for a new dry one. Be mindful that moistening your brush can result in lifting color from the damp surface instead of softly adjusting the strokes. That's why it's advantageous to have several dry brushes readily available before starting to paint. Add more intense colors to the body. Utilize a fresh, dry brush to adjust the strokes, crafting a texture reminiscent of fur. The technique for rendering fur on wet paper involves a sequence of actions. Step one, apply color stains. Step two, finetune and disperse the strokes using an entirely dry brush. Introduce a touch of yellowish hue to add vibrancy. Using a damp brush that I've squeezed with a paper tissue, I lift some color along the paw and in the fur. I also create lifted circular shapes in the fur to represent falling snowflakes. These snowflakes should appear slightly out of focus, but add life and variation to the subject. Once you're satisfied with the result, allow your paper to dry completely. After lifting the color, dub your brush on a tissue to remove excess of moisture and pigment. This process can be repeated as needed in various areas of the fur. Each time you lift the color, you'll notice how it results in distinct shapes and tonal variations within the fur, adding depth and dimension to your painting. These unique shapes and textures contribute to the natural look of the fox's fur and bring your artwork to life. In many cases, using a hair dryer to speed up the drying process can be helpful. 9. Fox's head - step 1, painting a snowy background: In this concise lesson, we'll start with the fox head. I'm about to introduce you to a different technique for adjusting dry paint. First, clean your brush and then use it while it's still damp to delicately stroke the paper. If it begins to feel too dry, simply re-wet the brush and continue stroking. This method allows you to gently lighten the paint without removing it entirely as we've seen before. You also have the option of using a moist sponge to lift dry paint. Notice how the paint has considerably lightened. Let's give the outline a subtle touch by gently stroking a wet brush along its edges. This imparts a distinctive artistic effect. Proceed with a gentle dissolving of the dry paint using a moist brush, and then dab the area with the tissue. Remember, don't exert too much force as watercolor brushes are typically designed to handle the delicate and fluid nature of watercolor painting. Alternatively, you can designate a separate brush for these adjustments, like an old filbert brush that I use here in the lesson. Now we're going to wet the fox's head and apply a diluted shade of Payne's gray or black. Keep it quite light. We'll add dapples of color to the wet surface, creating an uneven snow effect. While remembering that snow isn't purely white, it possesses subtle shadows as well. Let's introduce a bit more gray into the mix following this step. Allow the paper to dry completely. If you'd like to speed up the process, you can use a hair dryer for the task. 10. Fox's head - step 2, completing the head: In this lesson, we're going to witness our fox spring to life. We'll start with a classic water color technique known as wet and dry, where we take a color and apply it to the dry paper. Begin by adding a subtle streak of light gray on the ear. Then take a diluted watery mix of yellow ochre and black and apply it, making sure it touches the edge of the gray stroke. You'll notice these colors seamlessly merge into each other. Now as you follow the contours of the ear, use short strokes and damples to create a delicate raggish texture. To add depth and detail, place a drop of gray just inside the ear hole. Allow the watercolor to work its magic as the color slowly spreads and flows, enhancing the ear's realism. Now using a mixture of Indian red, black, and burnt sienna let's fill in the gaps between the snow on the fox's fur. Apply this with a series of short strokes, dots to ensure that the outlines are irregular and somewhat ragged. To soften the edges, clean your brush and with a damp point stroke along the edge of the previous stroke, clean your brush again and gently blend the edge of the brown color. Use a light gray to paint the mouth. With the tip of your brush create a line just under the nose. Then blend the color gently by brushing the edges with a clean damp brush For the cheek - we will work on it while it's wet. Start by brushing the area with a wet brush, then pick up some of the brown mixture to paint the cheek's outline. Quickly brush the rest of the left side with a wet brush. Add a touch of black to this area under the cheek. Under the cheek use a pale yellow to paint. And with a wet brush moist the right side, adding some gray color for a subtle stain in the fur. To further enhance the fox's fur color between the snow patches. Apply yellowish gray on the ear and blend it with your brush. Add some dark gray to the ear's edge and within the ear hole. After each stroke, clean the brush, dab it on its tissue, and soften the edges of the previous strokes. Painting between the snow lines using different shades will contribute to a more realistic fur appearance. Let's introduce some light gray to create shadows on the snow. Since pure white is rare, make a few adjustments and paint some additional brown between the snow patches for a more natural look. For a subtle accent on the ear, apply a fleeting touch of dark gray color. Color the nose black, and feel free to add more black if you find it too light. For the eye - paint the squinted look using black. Next, it's time to paint the whiskers. For this delicate task, a very fine hair thin brush is ideal. I prefer using a rigger brush, but you can achieve it with a fine round brush as well. Try to execute this in one smooth movement. If you are not entirely comfortable, practice making a series of quick strokes on a spare piece of paper before proceeding with your painting. Should you ever need to remove a stroke, simply clean the brush and gently rub over the pigment to dissolve it. Then blot the area dry with a tissue. With just a couple of strokes, add light brown along the mouth edge. Use a clean brush to spread and blend the color. And consider adding a bit more darkness to the edges for depth and definition. 11. Fox's tail: The fox is nearly complete, and I must say we've done an excellent job with the fluffy fur and the head. Now let's focus on the tail. Begin by wetting the tail and mixing some light gray. Start by adding some scattered gray stains into the wet area. It will add more texture and natural appearance to the snowy tail, as snow is seldom pure white. You may notice that the transition line between the body and the tail appears a bit abrupt. To soften it, we should remove some of the dry paint. If you don't have a dedicated old brush for corrections, you can use a damp sponge as an alternative. With a rich black pigment start by coloring the lower edge of the tail, allowing the watercolor to flow freely. Add a few scattered dots of black. It's essential to use minimal water while picking up your paint to maintain vibrancy. Next, take a dry brush and gently pull the pigment in various directions to create glimpses of black fur picking through the snow, just like we practiced in previous exercises. Did you happen to notice an outlined stain? It appeared after we removed dry paint, but forgot to blot the area dry with the tissue. No need to worry. We can rectify this by gently adjusting it with a damp brush and properly blotting it dry with the tissue this time. 12. Build up the volume and value - intermadiate level: If you already have some experience with watercolors or are eager to further experiment and expand your skills, this lesson is tailor made for you. We'll focus on building up the volume of the fox by adding an additional layer with darker colors. To begin moisten the body of the fox with a wet brush. You can use a flat brush or a soft, light round brush. It's essential to moisten the body as the head already exhibits a good balance in terms of dark and light areas- what we refer to as a value. We'll start with the chin. Apply a mixture of Indian red and black just below the chin's edge. Then using a dry fan brush, pull the pigment to create a ragged line of fur. Add more dark accents within the fur on the breast. Employ a dry round brush to blend these strokes into the background, similar to what we did with the tail. For the lower part of the breast use a brownish black shade. Use a series of short strokes to add darker accents to the fur. Repeatedly employ a dry brush to refine the strokes and achieve texture resembling fur. The paws are notably dark, almost black. If you notice that your paper needs more moisture at this stage, it's entirely safe to do so since the paper doesn't contain any color yet from this layer. Working on top of the existing layer always brings a sense of satisfaction as it adds more volume and details making the painting alive. Let's intensify the shadows with a bit more Indian, red and black. The strokes on damp paper will have soft edges and will add more definition to the fur. Apply the darker color to replicate the shadows observed in your reference photo. More black for the paws. Some Indian red and black mixture to intensify the shadows on the body. Focus on the back paw coloring it black to accentuate the light fur. Apply your brush strokes in various directions for texture and depth. Take a moment to soften the edges, creating a seamless transition between colors. For added depth add some streaks of Indian red in the fur, under the chin. If your paper is already dry at this point, apply fleeting touches on the fur with a dry brush, taking care to toch the paper very lightly. To complete the scene lift some paint here and there to represent falling snow adding that final touch of winter magic to your artwork. Just clean your brush, dab it on a tissue, and touch the wet paper surface to take some pigment away. 13. Bbackground - add an atmosphere to your painting: Adding a background is an optional step. However, adding a background can introduce a whole new atmosphere to your artwork. Mix some alizarin crimson with a touch of Payne's gray or black, and add more water to dilute it. For a warmer tone add a tiny drop of brown to the mix. With a large round brush follow the outline of the fox. Pause, rinse your brush and blend the color into the white background. You can also introduce more Payne's gray to the watery mix. As you move above the fox's head, allow your brush to gradually dry out and gently stroke it on the paper. This technique adds a touch of artistic imperfection to your strokes. Periodically moisten your brush and soften the edges of the previous strokes to blend the pigment into the white background. To add depth, use a bit of ultramarine to create some strokes in the snow beneath the fox. Finally, create a gentle light shadow behind the snow to make the foreground stand out and complete the background. If you prefer to keep your fox against a white background, you can move on to the next lesson for those finishing touches that will elevate your painting. 14. Finishing touches - enhance your artwork: We'll start by gently rubbing the paper to eliminate any pencil lines. Next, let's soften the stark edges of the snow. If you don't have a dedicated old brush for this, a piece of sponge works just as well. Softening the lines lends a more natural and captivating appearance to your artwork. With a fine brush, I prefer using a rigger brush, pick up some brownish color from your palette and paint delicate hair sporadically in the fox's fur. These intricate details provide definition, creating a striking contrast with a soft, blurred background. And surface focal points elevating your painting to a higher level and showcasing your attention to detail. Repeat this process with gray color. As an optional step, consider using a white gel pen or a white acrylic marker to add scattered white dots resembling falling snow. You may also opt for white gouache to sprinkle some snow flakes within the fur. For an added touch of realism, once more, let's soften the bolt lines of the snow on the fox head. After dissolving some pigment, gently blot it dry with a tissue. In this series of close up videos, you can observe the brush movements in detail. To complete the piece add tiny gray dots along the lower edge of the snow, simulating shadows. It's almost ready. Just apply some white flakes to the edges of the snow lumps to create a more jagged outline, adding that finishing touch to your artwork. 15. Concluding - in a nutshell: I'm glad to have you back. Let's conclude our watercolor class after putting so much effort and creativity to bring the snowy red fox to life. We've not only painted a fox, but we've learned to convey its velvety coat with intricate techniques and master the art of rendering snow in its fur. Through every brush, we've uncovered the secrets of expressing texture and depth, making the fox's fur look irresistibly fluffy. We've also mastered the subtle techniques of painting snow on fur. That added a touch of enchantment to our artistry. We've embraced the significance of small adjustments, realizing that they can transform a good piece into a masterpiece. These lessons have not only honed our skills, but have fostered patience and precision. Remember those early exercises on fundamentals of watercolor techniques. They strengthened our confidence, left the groundwork for this beautiful fox portrait and will serve as the foundation for your future endeavors in the medium. Watercolor, like nature itself, is a wondrous realm filled with endless possibilities. And I hope our time together has kindled the flame of creativity within you. I hope to see your artwork after you put so much hard work in it. And I love to hear all about your painting process. If you had any difficulties or what was the most enjoyable part of the painting process, share your artwork in the Student Project gallery by clicking on 'Submit Project' under the 'Project and Resources'. Every piece of art, no matter the level, represents time, effort, and personal expression. But most importantly, it's a part of your artistic journey. It's a visual record of your growth as an artist. If you have any questions, I'm happy to respond and to help, just post your thoughts in a discussion thread. If you prefer to share your artwork on Instagram, please tag me @magical.watercolor. I would love to see your painting! Skillshare would also love to see the artworks of my students. Please tag them as well @skillshare. Remember to hit the follow button next to the class title, just below the video. By doing so, you'll stay updated and be the first to know when I introduce a new class or announce a giveaway. Thank you so much for being part of this watercolor class and I look forward to witnessing the beauty you'll continue to create. If you enjoy the class, I would be really grateful for getting your review on it. I hope you have learned and discovered something more about this magical painting medium. And feel inspired to paint and experiment with watercolors. Goodbye for now and happy painting!