Kathryn Hansen brings you some of her best work with the Great Horned Owl Tutorial & Artist’s Journal.
You’ve seen the richly detailed animal and pet portraits produced by some master artists, and you’ve wondered how they do it.
The Great Horned Owl Tutorial & Artist’s Journal shows you how one master artist does it.
It will also help you learn to draw high levels of precision and detail.
More about the Great Horned Owl Tutorial & Artist’s Journal
Kathryn Hansen’s goal with every piece—whether wildlife, birds, or pets—is to create “a work of art that inspires viewers.” She accomplishes this goal through close attention to detail, careful drawing, and one or two unique “methods” of her own. Her subject for this tutorial is a Great Horned Owl, among the most majestic members of the owl family.
But rather than do a “typical” owl portrait, she chose to focus on this owl’s face. She puts precision, as well as detail into every part of this up-close-and-personal portrait, and she shows you how to do the same! This is an advanced tutorial, because of the intricacy of the details and the time required to complete the project. This is no “quick tutorial!” But it is a great tutorial if you really want to create realistic art or if you love drawing birds.
Learn How to:
Draw up-close feather details Create a life-like up-close-and-personal owl’s eyes Draw spatial distance even in a close up drawing Check your drawing in progress and after it’s finished for accuracy And much more
Skill Level
This is an Advanced tutorial Advanced colored pencil tutorials from Colored Pencil Tutorials are designed to assist beginner and intermediate artists in transitioning to making their own art. If you enjoy doing tutorials but want to start making your own great art, this tutorial will help you. Any artist will be able to complete this project with sufficient diligence and determination. I also believe that you will learn valuable skills through the process. This is the type of tutorial you can do more than once, and still learn something new each time you finish the project.
NOTE: Before you move to advanced tutorials, you should have a clear understanding of basic skills such as layering and blending.
What You Need to Complete this Tutorial
Kathryn used Polychromos, Luminance, Pablo, and Prismacolor pencils and Bristol Vellum for this tutorial. She also used other tools. You will almost always get the best results by using the tools and supplies listed with this tutorial.
But you can substitute your favorite colored pencils for the pencils Kathryn used. A color chart for color matching is included with the tutorial. However, please note that your results may differ depending on the pencils you use and the colors you choose for your project.
You can also substitute another brand or type of Bristol, or another type of paper. If you use a paper other than Bristol, your results could differ.
Some of the other tools Kathryn used can be substituted for other brands of similar tools, and you do not need all of the tools Kathryn used. However, if you chose not to use all of the tools, the tutorial may be more difficult to complete.
Again, remember these supplies and tools are what the artist used. You are most likely to get the best results with them.
A complete supply list is available for free here before you buy the tutorial.
The Artist’s Journal Series
These tutorials provide the same great, step-by-step instruction you’ve come to expect from all the tutorials at Colored Pencil Tutorials. But they go a step further than the standard tutorials. They also offer personal notes from the artist. Notes that help you follow the artist’s train of thought in creating each piece. They include the successes they experienced as well as the setbacks they overcame. Recommended Companion Purchase: August 2021 CP Magic!, featuring an interview with Kathryn Hansen and another tutorial by Kathryn.
All tutorials are available as digital downloads only.
About Kathryn Hansen: A long-time California resident, Kathryn’s pet portraits and wildlife art lives and breathes. Her goal with each piece, whether her subject is her favorite (owls) or someone’s beloved pet, is to create a work of art that inspires viewers. She wants “each viewer to realize their connection to all living things, and to have a positive impact on this planet so that together we can help preserve the exquisite complexity of our earth for many years to come.”
