Painting Your Pet: A Demonstration with Helen Van Wyk

Video Description

Learn how to paint a convincing pet portrait as Helen Van Wyk demonstrates her practical, thoughtful approach to capturing a dog’s character, form, and texture. In this lesson, Helen works from a photo of a West Highland Terrier and explains what makes a strong start, how to plan ahead, and why placement and shape matter more than “getting the drawing right.” WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS LESSON • Choosing the right reference photo Helen explains why a clear, well-sized photograph is essential and how planning ahead eliminates common mistakes and excuses. • Background choices that strengthen the subject You’ll see why she places a white West Highland Terrier against a dark, warm background and how this contrast helps create a strong pictorial presentation. • Starting the painting with simple shape-searching Instead of worrying about perfect drawing, Helen focuses on placing the figure advantageously and using black and turpentine to establish the first silhouette. • Understanding the “lost line” for dimension Helen demonstrates how soft edges create depth, showing how the lost line makes the head come forward and the body recede. • Building shaggy fur with progression of application Learn how to begin the mass tone, why the silhouette should start smaller, and how to fluff the fur outward using broad strokes rather than tiny brushes. • Seeing paint, not subject matter Helen reinforces her core philosophy: painters don’t paint “dogs” — they paint shapes, values, edges, and strokes. When you learn the basics, any subject becomes possible. • Finishing touches: eyes, nose, and expression With small brushes, she explains how to paint what you know combined with what you see, how light behaves in a dog’s eyes, and how to suggest features without over-working them. • Correcting shapes by stepping back Helen shows how stepping back reveals proportional issues — adjusting the nose size, rebalancing the fluff, and strengthening shadows for clearer structure. ABOUT THIS LESSON This episode features Helen’s thoughtful, down-to-earth teaching style as she builds the portrait one shape at a time. Along the way, she reflects on her own pets, the usefulness of background shaping, and the painter’s continual search for beautiful forms.