Husky Portrait in Casein

Casein gives you a safety net when you're painting animals because you can switch to a new pose halfway through. That's what happens during this portrait of Smooth, the husky. (Link to video on Facebook)

I start out with a sleeping pose, assuming he'll stay there longer. But the squirrels act up outside the window, and he lifts his head up to an alert pose that I like better.



Making a big change like this demands a spirit of faith and carefree risk-taking. No worries—it's just paint, and any mistake can be corrected.

With oil, it would be better to rub off a failed start, or else the paint would get muddy. But with casein, you can paint opaquely over a previous passage without lifting it up.



Smooth alternately goes to sleep, wanders off, and checks his food dish. But with a little encouragement, he comes back to the window. When he does, I make corrections and try to commit the details to memory.



I like painting animals because it keeps me on me toes as a painter, sharpening my attention and speeding my decision-making. For me, efficiency of technique and speed of execution aren't central goals of art, but they're a by-product of a heightened state of consciousness.
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I'm editing a 15 minute version this (very detailed step by step) that I'll release in a future tutorial on animal painting.
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