New Born

Pastel on Pastelboard, 15 x 11 inches

Yes, I know it's a bit twee, but a gorgeous subject to paint, nonetheless. With the sunlight behind the lamb, look at that crimson ear and the lovely highlighted fleece and the beard whiskers. This is another classic case of needing to observe the tones - we know the lamb is white, but because his body is mostly in shadow, it appears a much darker tone with lots of green, brown, pinks and mauves, and if that isn't judged correctly, the highlights won't sing at all.

The subject was a new born lamb I found on our trip to Skye last May. He and his mother were on the top of a rocky outcrop, next to the ocean. Here's a photo of the pair to give you an idea of the height they were: