Animals With Expression Marjolein Kruijt

AA0244

Drawing and Painting Animals with Expression by Marjolein Kruijt

Marjolein Kruijt's deep and abiding love of animals is obvious in this book, which will teach you the technical aspects of drawing domestic and wild animals, such as different breeds of dog and cat, and long and short fur. In addition, it will help you to capture their inner nature.

Table of Contents

The artist 9

Materials 11

Workshop equipment 13

Charcoal and pencil 13

Ink 14

Pastel 15

Oil 17

Watercolour 19

On location 21

Where can you draw animals? 22

Why work from observation? 23

Which materials? 24

Basic techniques of drawing 25

Stuffed animals 30

Using photographs as inspiration 34

Your own style 37

Cats 38

Inspiration 40

Using space and backgrounds 46

Anatomy and coat 53

Capturing characteristics in your sketches 60

Dogs 62

Inspiration 64

Using space and backgrounds 70

Anatomy and coat 76

Capturing characteristics in your sketches 82

Wildlife 86

Inspiration 88

Using space and backgrounds 94

Anatomy, fur and feathers 100

Drawing at the zoo and on your travels 104

Demonstrations 112

Borzoi in oil 114

Collies in pastel 118

Maine Coon in watercolour 122

Norwegian Forest cat in pastel 126

Rabbit in oil 132

Dog in oil 136

Biography 143

About Marjolein Kruijt

Inspired by the essence of her subjects, Marjolein Kruijt specialises in capturing nature and animals on canvas, always aiming to capture their beauty and innocence. She received her degree in arts from the Royal Art Academy in The Hague, then trained as an art teacher in Amsterdam, HvA. She has worked as a full time artist since 1999. She exhibits internationally and has published a number of books.

Marjolein lives in Amersfoort, Netherlands

Press

Library Journal USA

Artist Kruijt approaches animals with admiration, pulling inspiration from their ability to be always in the moment. The value of working from observation, whether outdoors on location, in zoos, at home with your pet, or in a museum with taxidermied specimens, is emphasized. Photography is discussed as a reference tool, but readers are cautioned to be interpretive and sparing with its use. Early chapters discuss animal anatomy and behavior, accompanied by lots of successful sketches and paintings. The final section is full of step-by-step demonstrations. Tips, such as animal-specific color palettes, are provided throughout. VERDICT Animal lovers of all artistic skill levels will want to check out this guide.

Paint & Draw

Issue 10 - July 17

We've all heard that famouns showbiz saying 'Never work with children or animals'. But Marjolein Kruijt owers her livelihood to the latter, and begins her book to the 'inspiring beauty' of creatures great and small. Split into easy-to-use chapters, she includes a list of useful materials, as well as a comparison of sources of inspiration ranging from the excitement of location based sketching, to using photography for reference.

The text is punchy, with each spread dominated by photography, sketches and artwork relating to different aspects of animal portraiture. Much of the focus is on personality, with whole chapters dedicated to cats and dogs, as well as a more general wildlife section. But there are also plenty of useful tips on general topics such as colour, texture, composition and anatomy.

With 13 years experience, Marjolein also weaves in a few tales animal painting exploits. And to prove she practices what she preaches, the book concludes with walkthroughs of some of her favourite pieces. A great guide for any animal loving painter.

The Artist

Apr-17

This remarkably comprehensive guide is not for the beginner. Animas have a variety of facial expressions and getting them right is as important as it is in painting a human portrait. As well as form and perspective, the set of the face can make the difference between a successful and unsuccesful result. The variety here is astonishing. From domestic to wild animals and even birds. Most of the illustration is by example and there are few lessons and demonstrations, though there is a lot of discussion of different species and breeds. Media, it should be noted, are mainly pastels and oils, which may affect your decision on its relevance to you. The thoroughness and variety may outweigh this though.

The Leisure Painter

Feb 2017

Marjolein Kruijt's latest book looks at that most difficult of subjects capturing often unwilling subjects on paper. Although not for the absolute beginner because of inherent difficulty of the subject, Marjolein shows us how to draw both domestic and animals, with subtleties that help you capture their personalities. Using a variety of media, including pencil and charcoal, ink, pastel, oil and watercolour, Marjolein covers basic materials and techniques, how to make sketches of animals, use photographs as inspiration as well as how to create your own style. There's information on specific areas, such as including space and background, anatomy and coat, fur and feathers and drawing at the zoo, as well as step-by-step projects for you to work on.