Deer Skull Oil Painting Tutorial
In this step-by-step oil painting tutorial, I’ll guide you through painting a white-tailed deer skull. No drawing skills are necessary and no solvents are used. If you'd like to watch this video on YouTube, click here.
You can view and download all of the files mentioned here.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:11 - Supplies
2:27 - Composition tips
2:49 - How to transfer the image with carbon paper
3:30 - Focus on shapes first
3:59 - Mixing colors
4:46 - Painting start
6:50 - Initial shapes complete
7:05 - Value check: black and white comparison
7:34 - Refined linseed oil increases transparency
7:45 - Semi-transparent layers start
8:22 - Paper towels absorb paint and create texture
8:38 - Transparent Oxide Yellow requires less dilution
10:15 - Foundation White adds opacity
10:58 - Paint around the lightest areas
12:00 - Add details while the paint is still wet
13:20 - Speedpainting top skull section
13:30 - Creating depth with layers
14:29 - Right eye details
16:02 - Speedpainting middle skull section
21:24 - Speedpainting lower skull section
24:37 - Antlers overview
25:52 - Pearling texture
26:19 - Antler color palette
26:50 - Antler time lapse
27:39 - Background main color mixing
28:24 - Background painting start
29:18 - How to create seamless texture against the antlers
30:37 - Background shadow color mixing
31:12 - Speedpainting background
33:56 - First layer of background complete
34:35 - Second layer of background start
35:39 - Soften edges with the round brushes
37:01 - Brightening the left side
38:27 - Memento mori
39:46 - Eyes final details
40:44 - Skull time lapse
41:28 - Finished painting
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Note: I own the copyright for all of the images used in this tutorial. You are welcome to use any of them for your own personal use but you may not distribute them or use them for commercial purposes.