Good art is not an inert piece of decoration that matches the sofa. It has the unique ability to convey emotions and stories that the viewer can relate to.
Many of us have a pet or if not see animals in nature or captivity and we often assign human qualities to their appearance or behaviour. Therefore one of the most natural ways to achieve personality in your work is to capture the character of animals as your subjectmatter, giving them distinct temperaments that connect with you from the canvas. For source material, lets explore ideas such as observing human traits, focusing on expression and body language and even psychology to make your animal characters feel authentic.
The Power of Personification
Personification (noun): the attribution of human characteristics to something non-human.
Personifying animals allows artists to create stories within their work that connect deeply with their audience. By giving human traits and emotions to creatures, you can generate empathy and inspire imagination about their stories in the viewer. For example, an owl traditionally evokes wisdom, while a fox could represent cleverness and playfulness. This is all very nice, however they are rather obvious attributes and is possible to conjure much more complex and sophisticated emotional expression with just a tweak of the features or body language of a subject.
You may want to portray a bulldog to portray patriotism or a bull to embody power, but wouldn't it be much more fun to show a more atypical attitude in your personified animal, for example in my "accusatory owl" (pictured above), who is definitely taking no prisoners! Associating unusual attributes like this not only makes your art visually interesting but also add layers of meaning that the onlooker can identify with.
Use colour and line to evoke mood.
Color is fundamental in art for conveying emotion and personality. Bright colors can magnify the expression of your animal characters. For instance shades of blue can convey calmness or vibrant reds and oranges can suggests warmth and energy.
Playing with your color palette is essential. Use contrasting or complementary colour to create a dynamic feel to your work. For instance, painting with opposite shades on the colour wheel such as warm purples paired with cool yellows can create a striking visual impact.
Also think about how you are using line in your work, you can draw with a variety of tools, a paintbrush or other materials such as pencils and oil pastel. The type of line you use can express different emotion, for instance a wavy line seems gentle, but a jagged one suggest anger or aggressiveness.
Observing Character in People Around You
When I started out as an artist I supported myself with a side hustle as a Caricaturist entertainer, so it is unsuprising that character is an important element of my work today. As a Caricaturist, I only had a few minutes to capture the essence of the person in front of me and put it on paper so I needed to be able to get the measure of someone's personality in a few seconds.
People watching is one of life's great pleasures. Take time to sit and watch people's interactions and how they present themselves. Everybody is signalling who they are to everyone else all the time - what clues do people's clothing, the way they style their hair or the way they hold themselves give you and what elements of this do you want to capture for your work? For instance, Accusatory Owl (above) is staring straight at you, meeting your gaze fearlessly and standing straight on to the viewer...it's probably best not to mess with him...!
And what about the inner world of your subject? What is going on behind their eyes, what have been their experiences in life for better or worse, in short, what makes up their psychology? Do you think "Accusatory Owl" is pretty annoyed about something? What's his story and why is he looking at you that way?! You can bring similar expression to your own work.
Capturing Expression and Body Language
Just like humans, animals express feelings through their body language. We all understand when the family dog is looking sorry for itself or the cat is upset and becoming aggressive. Recognizing and remembering these signals and translating them into your art will give you a library of source material.
Using varied poses enhances the story you want to tell in your painting. For instance a deer with it's back turned is relaxed, but a coiled snake is on the defensive. With practice, capturing subtle poses can make your work truly resonate with viewers.
Don't Forget About The Environment
The setting surrounding your animals can profoundly influence their portrayal and deepen the narrative. An animal's environment can reflect its disposition. I love to paint flocks of sheep or herds of cows standing around in fields. In their natural environment I convey them as an alliance but able to express their individual personalities within the group. When I paint birds by the seaside, they are often more watchful in their more inclement and wild environment.
Let's look at some examples from my paintings:
From top left to bottom right: "Foxes" curious about each other with unthreatening flowers, "Flock" of sheep, thinking they might have heard something, "Unimpressed Owl" - he can't believe you just did that!, "Aghast Greenfinch" ..OMG!, "Moroccan Goldcrest" with his yellow Fez and "Blank Blue Tit" - just having one of those vacant moments!
To Summarise...
Bringing character to your paintings by personifying animals can result in captivating and memorable artwork. Through thoughtful use of color and line, observing human traits, and capturing expression and body language, you will gain a comprehensive reference of expression to help you bring personality to your paintings.
Moreover, the environments you create and the psychological depth that you include can add layers of meaning and connection to your work. As you embark on this artistic exploration, remember that your goal is to evoke emotion, provoke thought, and tell engaging stories. With practice and observation, you can unleash the vibrant personalities of the animals in your paintings and bring your artistic vision to life.
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