Emily-Rose Alcock Art

The other day I was at the zoo with my family and the last enclosure we visited were the Tigers. I find these beautiful giant cats so captivating. When they look at you, they hold so much confidence, beauty and elegance in their gaze. That’s what I wanted to capture in this painting.

My aim was to have the Tiger look directly into the viewers eyes. To create the vibrant glassy appearance I layered several shades of a caramel coloured watercolour and used a watercolour pencil to outline the black of the eyes and the white spots of light. Contrast is really important with tigers eyes to emulate the intense focus they hold in their stare.

This was by far one of the most tricky animals I’ve painted due to numerous layers of watercolour I needed to layer to represent the richness in the colour of its fur and the intensity and variety of its stripes.

I love the feeling when I step back and look at a finished piece, not even realising how many hours have flown by since I began painting. Ordinarily I’ll complete a painting in as little as one and a half to three hours depending on its complexity, and whether I am happy with its progress.