Painting Pets with Zann Episode 2

Zann Artist on Hornby

I’m so excited to announce that a new TV show featuring my work will be launching on Shaw Spotlight Cable TV in the North Island region this Sunday, August 14th, 2022.

Episode 02: Painting Tiberius

How do you paint complex stripes like the ones on cat faces?

Painting tabby cats like Tiberius can be particularly challenging because of their natural camouflage. The stripes in their fur fool the eye in nature… and on canvas.

In this video I’ll be painting my own long-haired Tabby, Tiberius. We’ll dive into some tips and tricks to help you capture cat cat stripes by starting with big shapes. From there, it’s just a matter of working smaller and smaller until the details come together.

Please note: due to licensing restrictions, online show music may be different on YouTube vs broadcast. Alternatively, Universal Studios may run ads on the YouTube release in exchange for allowing me use these very lovely samples from their library.

Tips & Tricks for Painting Stripes

Zann shares a new way of looking at cat stripes (or any stripey fur, for that matter). It turns out you don’t have to start with the lines themselves! Sometimes, a nice blob of grey is the answer.

how to paint cat stripes tabby

More episodes of Painting Pets with Zann will be airing this coming Spring. So keep an eye out on Shaw Spotlight or the Painting Pets with Zann homepage!

Prepping canvas (or wood)

Today’s painting will be on a wood panel, so we’ll also take a quick look at some of the differences between painting on wood and canvas, and how to prep the surface.

painting on cradled wood panel with gesso

Tiberius: Stripes and All!

The final portrait shows some detail in Ti’s striped fur, but doesn’t go overboard. You can still see some of the texture from the surface preparation in the background. I like leaving brushmarks like that in because they’re just pleasing for some reason. Maybe it gives the eye something to puzzle over?

More episodes of Painting Pets with Zann will be airing this coming Spring. So keep an eye out on Shaw Spotlight or the Painting Pets with Zann homepage!

You can also find episodes on YouTube. Subscribe here.

Zann Hemphill

Zann Hemphill

Zann Hemphill is a practising pet portrait artist, writer, and video producer.

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Pet Portrait art of a dog and kitten by Zann Hemphill

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