STEP ONE
I prime the canvas with two to three coats of white primer sealer, allowing to dry thoroughly between coats. Meanwhile, I draw a series of thumbnails in my visual diary, brainstorming ideas for the composition. I then look through my photo library for reference on the computer or on the internet if I don’t have what I’m after. Once I’ve chosen them, I do some more quick thumbnails and then print out the images and make a mock-up of the composition.
It’s then back to the computer to adjust, crop etc., and then I print out sections of each image, tape them together and, using charcoal paper, transfer the outline of the animal onto the canvas. Using this process, I’m assured of getting the perspective and scale right. I
