Tiger painting in oils - step by step - EDITED with dtube link at bottom

Ok so I'm painting on a 12" x 12" canvas which is quite small for me.
I start by sketching out a rough outline lightly in pencil.

Next I block in some dark green for a base layer for the background and the eyes.

Next is a yellow ochre shade for the main part of the face to get some depth. You will see as I work I put down various layers, this helps to create more of a 3 dimensional effect. So if you wonder why I keep going over certain areas, this is the reason.

Now it is time for some base black for the tigers stripes.

Lets get a base colour on the nose and also some grey for a background to the places which will be white. Using grey will hopefully make the white fur more 'punchy' once I get to that stage.

I use a rigger brush with dark and light shades of brown to get the texture of the fur.

Sometimes I turn the canvas around when working on detail depending on the direction of the strokes I want.

Now I am using a light grey for the lighter areas, still using the same brush.

Here, I'm adding more darks around the nose and other areas to define the shape of the head more and make everything a little less flat.

Here's a close up to give you more idea of the strokes I am creating.

Time to give the eyes more definition.

Now lets give the nose more definition and get a mixture of colours down. Sometimes I put the paint down in dots and then merge it afterwards.

Now lets blend them shades a little...

OK now lets get to work on trying to make the fur like you could actually touch it. Some thick lines and some thin lines. Direction is important here.

...and finally let's get some of those long whiskers painted in...

Yeah I'm fairly happy with result now, so I think I will leave it here.
Sometimes I overwork paintings and spoil them so I concentrate on knowing when enough is enough.
I leave the painting alone for a while and try to forget it then look at it later with fresh eyes.
I think I will award myself a 7 out of 10 for this one..
I hope you enjoyed, thanks for clicking.

You can now see the time lapse video on D.Tube at

Peace!