This series of paintings started out with an idea to draw forest animals in my sketchbook. The idea slowly evolved into watercolor paintings in my watercolor sketchbook. As I painted, I added wispy strokes of purple to give each animal a winter feel. I wanted the paintings to look as if the animals were in snow on a cool winter day. When I finished this series over the summer I decided to just leave them all in the book. As the holidays are rolling around, people are liking the card series, so I chose to put these animals on cards for everyone in case they wanted them for a Christmas Card set or a gift. I hope you enjoy them!
The Fox was especially fun to create. He went through many transformations before I found him nuzzling into his tail to be the look I wanted for this composition. I love when our dog curls up on cold nights and covers his nose with his tail. I recreated this experience with the fox and added blue with purple to show the cold wind blowing through his fur. I closed his eyes to show how he was snuggling in for the night to stay warm. Another animal in the series that went through many transformations was the deer.
The Fawn was drawn and painted several times before I settled on this look for her. She was a beautiful and curious deer. I tried to capture this expression with cool and warm tones in her face. I wanted to show the variations of color in her fur and capture her white spots before her colors change in the winter. The whiskers off her face were an afterthought and I like how the whole painting comes together. Her eyes are big and beautiful to show the look deer give when they first see you and pop their head up. The other 2 animals are a badger and a possum. They luckily flowed out of the paintbrush on their first try!
I hope these cards bring joy to you or whoever you are gifting them to.
-Karen Hilliard