How to Paint WHITE FUR in Watercolour

How to paint white fur in watercolour is a question I get asked many times, so here are some guidelines on the process involved, and the colours to use. I say colours, because we are certainly not talking about just white paint. In fact, there's a lot of work to do before reaching for the white, which simply finishes things off.
If you would like to learn more about painting fur in different colours, this is a good video to watch next: bit.ly/3XnBIks
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🕒 Timestamps 🕒
00:00 How to paint white fur in watercolour
00:23 Working out what colours to use when you are painting white fur
03:15 Applying the foundation wash
07:06 The first layer of coloured detail when painting white fur
11:56 The darker detail layer under the white fur
14:57 Finishing off the white fur with opaque watercolour white
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[@TheDevonArtist]

*Leave me a comment* if you found this video helpful, and If you would like to learn more about painting fur, this is a good video to watch next: bit.ly/3XnBIks

[@karencollier2465]

This was just the tips I needed.

[@TheDevonArtist]

I'm glad I was of some help to you Karen, thanks for taking a peek at my video here. Paul 🎨

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

This was definitely an eye opener for me to learn just how much colors underneath the white are present in various photos & paintings. I really appreciate you breaking down how to go about understanding how the colors look in the underpainting & how to go about achieving the best results when painting them. Thanks for sharing this informational video with us! 😃💕

[@TheDevonArtist]

You are so welcome Colleen, I'm glad you found it helpful to you. Paul 🎨

[@kascialelonek8757]

This was so helpful. I have been trying to paint a white dog and this answered all my questions. Thank you.

[@TheDevonArtist]

I'm glad this has given you some ideas on how to paint white fur. Just remember to look deep into your reference photo, so you can see those colours behind the scenes. 😉

[@redbird8257]

Wow! This was soooo very informative! I understand so much better. Thank you for sharing. 🐶🐶

[@TheDevonArtist]

Glad it was helpful to you, thanks for taking a peek. 😀

[@leahloving1580]

Thank you, Paul.

[@TheDevonArtist]

Very welcome Leah. 😊

[@MaryContrary1]

This is great. That's what is so hard about watercolor... learning to do the background first and seeing things differently. Thank you very much for sharing your gift with us trying to learn! 💕

[@TheDevonArtist]

Thanks Mary, there are so many different makes of watercolour white out there, it can be a bit of a minefield. Hopefully this has given you some ideas. Paul 😊

[@MaryContrary1]

@Wildlife in Watercolour can you recommend a good white please?

[@TheDevonArtist]

Hi Mary, there are 3 on this page: devonartist.co.uk/materials-i-use-or-recommend-for-realistic-watercolour/ and this video may help: bit.ly/2WIbJuz it shows you the sort of tests I do with any new white, it gives you a good idea of how they will perform for this type of work. Just make sure it is opaque, and not semi-opaque or semi-transparent.

[@rajannair7195]

Excellent. Video is so interesting, informative and helpful, Paul. 👌👍

[@TheDevonArtist]

Glad it was helpful Rajan. 😀

[@robertgeorge8166]

Excellent video some really good advice for this technique, thank you. My only personal critique would be the size of you work against the size of someone attempting to paint their animals! The work area to achieve this would be much smaller! Hope this critique makes sense without sounding offensive.

[@TheDevonArtist]

No offence taken Robert and I see what you mean, it's just a demo to give people a few ideas on how I paint fur, but to a larger scale, just so they can see how I do this. 😀

[@robertgeorge8166]

@@TheDevonArtist you offer some great painting tips ,clear concise and explanatory. thank you. I am going to attempt to utilise you tips in by my endeavours to achieve better quality painting. I very unskilled hobbyist.

[@TheDevonArtist]

That's very kind of you Robert, thank you. 😀@@robertgeorge8166

[@nirjamohunta4102]

Hi I wanted to learn white fur. Please send a link of your tutorial. Thanks

[@TheDevonArtist]

Hi, you have commented on one of my videos on how to paint white fur. I do have a playlist on how I use opaque white, which may help as well. kzbin.info/aero/PLKn1cBFaLRADK2hkSvsCYjX1X_Ai6wB7s

[@sarahstevenson2384]

Thanks very much for this video Paul, I never fail to learn something from you. I’m currently painting a boxer for somebody and the bit I am struggling with at the moment is the forehead where there are a lot of creases and shadows, but i think this video will help in terms of the layering (not the use of white). The other thing I struggle with is not getting my white to look chalky; is that because it’s too diluted?

[@TheDevonArtist]

Thank you Sarah, yes, white can be tricky to get right. In order to achieve a brighter white, I add only a tiny amount of water, just so it's paintable. The thing is, not all water based white work the same way. I have a little video on testing various ones, so this may help you a bit. bit.ly/3ZrV0Wt Keep those brushes wet and have fun with painting those wrinkles! Paul 🎨

[@grandmary42]

Loved this! What is that split brush you use?

[@TheDevonArtist]

Ahh, now THAT is my special 'replicator brush' or as I call it anyway. Here is a video about how I made this and a little about how it works.😊 bit.ly/3lKQ81a

[@grandmary42]

Thank you, very interesting!

[@user-in1sy2dt9m]

А я ломала голову,как же нарисовать белую собаку(шпиц). Спасибо ❤

[@TheDevonArtist]

Я рад, что смог вам помочь, спасибо.

[@dorindabalchin903]

Thank you for a very interesting tutorial. Can I ask, please, what the app is that you use to separate and identify colours? (0.46 on the video). Thank you

[@TheDevonArtist]

Hi, than kyou very much. I didn't use an app as such, this is some arty software I use on my computer called Paint Shop Pro. There are free alternatives for the PC as well, GIMP is a good one. www.gimp.org/

[@dorindabalchin903]

@@TheDevonArtist Thank you, I'll give it a try 🙂

[@user-hr3tx6uu9o]

I'm looking at my white dog as you're painting. He's part Great Pyrn & Samoyed. And no, he's not all white-- I see tan, gold and other colors mixed in. Thank you so much for this important lesson!! Clouds aren't all white either although looking at them, most people will see white ( unless they're thunderclouds or the sunset is on them,) and like you said related to painting white fur.❤