Herd of Cows

After being couped up at home for so long, we took the plunge and spent the weekend at our vacation home in the countryside. It gave us a great breath of fresh air and ought to ease us gradually into normal life… whenever that would be! Furthermore, it helped clear my mind and gave me more inspiration in my creative work. I came across quite a few animals there be it on the farm, by houses as pets or just in the wilderness, and they could well be ideas for my upcoming whimsical-themed paintings! One of the animals I had in mind were cows. I somehow developed a fixation for them whilst there and began practicing sketching them yesterday evening at the cottage…

A Little Practice

Like one says, practice make perfect. Well even if it’s not perfect, that’s ok too! I am aiming more for cuteness and finding out what best suits my style. Besides if it somewhat resembles a cow, that’s what counts. I set about sketching away in my small sketchbook with lots of trials and errors. Starting with Juliette Crane’s circle and rectangle template, many versions were drawn. I found that the round head wasn’t for me as it somehow resembled a Corona virus! In the end, I found something that was comfortable. And of course kawaii!

Developing the Sketch

Once I was comfortable with drawing cows and discovering my style, I began practicing by repeating the drawing a few times on another page from my sketchbook. Then I decided to make a little painting out of it by adding flowers too! First I traced the graphite pencil lines with permanent black markers…

Add Some Colour!

I then went a step further and decided to use the watercolours I had brought with me! I just wanted to make them simple too. As there was no black in the paint pan, I went for the Payne’s Grey type colour for the cows. The horns were all painted in a mixture of yellow and orange with the flowers in magenta and purple/yellow. Finally, I added the green for the grass. How cute does the painting look now, and great practice too!

And now I have a bit more confidence drawing cows. From this I hope to be able to develop my drawings to other animals in this style. They will certainly add as a basis for my paintings, and I look forward to creating more kawaii creatures. I think Little One will be happy, as she loves animals too!