“The Black Panther”

( Day # 3 progress painting, 12 x 24 inch oil on canvas with embossed flower of life)

This is Day #3 of this process painting and its very satisfying to see that its done and complete. Im so happy with the results and this would partner the other painting that im doing together with this “The Tiger”. It was abit of a challenge as i try not to use flat black as possible as there would not be much contrast and shading if i use that method, so i only used flat black for deep shadows like below the eyes and beside the nose, inside the ear, and thats it, and the rest i just added phtalo blue and titanium white, and kept blending the colors, its was difficult to make a fur on a black background and i learned that by making it a little lighter wont hurt, the important thing is always know the direction of the fur and always follow the strokes.

i try to make at least 2 paintings a month for my collection while im making paintings for clients, and its like a break for me to be able to create an art that i find challenging and the ones that i have been wanting to have for my own.

Before I start with the process here is a link for my previous post regarding this painting:

Day #1 progress painting
Day #2 progress painting

Let me show you my process and hope you might get some tips or learn from it

• i always start by embossing my flower of life template with a thick gesso and let it dry then make a light sketch of the subject
  

• then paint everything black acrylics (dries really fast) and keep the subject untouched
  

• then i used linseed oil and painted the whole canvas, it is a medium the keeps the canvas wet and its easier to blend the colors, and while having a black background, if you use transparent colors like phtalo blue, its hard to see any difference, then like magic use titanium white in areas where you want it to illuminate and you can easily make the dark skies
  

• then blocked the the subject with its first layer where i just paint the shadows and the light areas, then made a far away landscape with a mountain and waterfalls
  

• painting the flower of life symbol with silver acrylics, then i painted the lanscape where he is crawling down from a cliff, and also added a bamboo stick
  

• i wanted a different contrast for where the light would be reflecting so used a red paint on my blue to have a magenta color for one side and blue on the other half, and made my second layering for the subject
  

• i changed my mind a bit and added another layer and just focused hues of blue and worked on the face of my panther
  

• i worked on making details with the eyes with yellow green and white, and making the mouth red with very sharp teeth using pure white, and also worked on the fur specially in the face, just always make sure to follow the strokes, direction is always a must even on the first layers
  

• then made my final layer for the body and the very sharp and shiny nails, i was so focused that i forgot to take a picture before a placed the leaves, but anyway, after finishing the shading for the body part, i just extended the tail so it would look like the symbol is far behind the background, and as a tip, in order to make an effect of depth, i painted a buch of bamboo leaves here and there, and thats it, just a very few touches of highlight and its done
  

Now combined with its partner i will call in “Yin and Yang Cats” thank you everyone for viewing and hope you like it. I will post make a post about the process for the “The Tiger” please stay tuned for more. Happy Caturday!!