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| Using red to paint this gorgeous fox red labrador in watercolour |
Original Watercolour
56cm x 37cm
©Kaye Parmenter 2014
I took a photograph of this Fox Red Labrador on a shoot last year. His owner mentioned to me that they have to be careful on shoots as, from a distance, he looks like a fox. I can imagine. The gorgeous red fur seems unusual to me, and it was the first time that I’d seen this breed.
I wanted to paint this lovely dog for my exhibition at the King John Inn, however I hesitated after picking up my brush – how could I paint with red to create this gorgeous colour?
My decision for palette lied with the siennas, Raw and Burnt, yellow ochre with the addition of “Light Red” for the darker sections. This was a brave selection as light red is an opaque watercolour and seems quite “sluggish” to me on the paper. I usually use this pigment for skies as, when mixed with Ultramarine Blue, makes the most fabulous grey.
So really, my red effect has come from Burnt Sienna and Light Red.
It would have been tempting to add a darker background, maybe a complimentary green, but there is something I really like about seeing the “red” emerge from a soft background.
This handsome chap was a pleasure to paint!
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