If you have ever had the opportunity to see a Red Panda in real life you will already know they are possibly one of the cutest creatures on the planet! Not much bigger than a domestic cat, these adorable pandas with their cheeky faces, thick fur and long bushy tail are elusive, solitary creatures that live in the high forest regions of China, Nepal, India, Bhutan and Myanmar. If you would like to get a close up look of one of these cuties you can find them at Wingham Wildlife Park (Kent) ~ where this snap was taken. Alternatively you can also see them at Chester Zoo, Longleat (Wiltshire) and Whipsnade (Bedfordshire) to name but a few!
Although classed as a Carnivore, their diet is 98% bamboo ~ interestingly, the term 'Panda' actually derives from the Nepali word 'Ponya' ~ meaning 'bamboo/plant eating animal'. It is perhaps no surprise then, that another well known black and white, bamboo eating, giant is also called a panda. However ~ what might surprise you, is these two pandas are not actually closely related at all!
The Red Panda was actually the original 'Panda' (being discovered 50 years before its more famous black and white namesake). Although originally being classified as a bear it now has its own classification in the Ailuridae family and is the only living representative of this class. It has also been discovered that Red Pandas are linked to the much broader Musteloidea super family which contains raccoons, skunks, weasels, polecats and otters.
Giant Pandas on the other hand are classified under the Ursidae (bear) family. It is likely their similar habitats and diet have led these two different species to develop similar, biological similarities ~ the most notably being their 'pseudo-thumb' which is actually an enlarged wrist bone which helps them to grip, acting like a sixth digit ~ very handy for breaking and eating bamboo.
In this project we will create a full body portrait of a Red Panda with the aim of capturing the soft, fluffy fur. To begin we will work on the face to create the distinctive markings working into wet and allowing colours to mix on the surface.
I will show you how to add more detail to the eyes and nose by working onto dry. Then we will work onto wet to add colour and form to the body and distinctive, banded tail.
Did you know, these long fluffy tails are as long as their bodies and are used for both balancing whilst climbing high up in the trees (where they spend most of their time) and for wrapping around themselves to create a warm, snuggly scarf!
To complete the painting you might like to add a snowy background. To do this we will work onto wet to achieve a loose edge and then sprinkle a little salt to create a cold, snowy feel.
To find out more about this project, take a look at the short video below.
I really enjoyed painting the vibrant fur in this project and using a looser technique. It's a great opportunity to get to grips with working onto wet and for learning how to use water to push and move the paint to create different textures.
To find out more about these adorable mammals click on the link to hear a keeper from Chester Zoo answer some of the most googled questions. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=red+panda+video+uk#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:4d224ee2,vid:fjzQwfN0gA4,st:0
I hope you enjoy the project and I look forward to seeing some of your finished paintings on the forum.
Happy Painting!
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