Portrait of a Hare

Well as of tomorrow the half term is over and it's back to work. So I have made the most of my weekend by painting another Hare. Again, this was produced relatively quickly. I sketched the outline out in pencil yesterday, but the actual colour only took 3 hours to put down. I wanted to blend the Hare into the patch of grass it is sitting in, so I only added the hint of fur and the outline of it's long legs. The grass is also pale and very loosely applied to give a light and expressive effect. As with my last Hare painting, dark brown, black and white paint was flicked over a tan base to create the fluffy fur effect.
I much prefer this to the upright Hare portrait I produced last year. The pose is better and the ears are more pronounced and alert. Most importantly, I think this Hare has the 'flighty' look. He's been disturbed, is listening carefully, and thinking about making a break for it. The secret to achieving this effect to to paint a big bright eye, with a sparkling white highlight. It instantly makes the animal look 'alive'
Once Spring comes around, it would be great to go out and get some more Hare reference to help compose some more paintings. I would particularly like to capture some boxing hares, one of the best Spring spectacles. The only problem is trying to find such an elusive creature! The countryside around Brabourne in Kent where I grew up, will probably be a good place to start. Roll on Spring!