When painting animals with acrylic paint you will create a more realistic appearance if you use several thinned layers of paint. You thicken the paint as you want more detail. Think of your painting as a step by step process that is a three-dimensional object. It is important to realize that from the start. The first few layers of your painting will have an "unfinished" look. Don't give up during this unfinished stage. For a realistic appearance you are going to need several layers.

In addition to applying several layers to achieve the look of fur, you need to use the correct colors. There are hundreds of color varieties depending on the amount of pigment you add. It is best to start with basic white, black, brown, red and yellow fur colors and build upon them.

You will need an accurate sketch or drawing of the subject you are going to be painting. If you can fee hand the drawing, great! If you are not so talented, that is ok too. Many artists use a grid to come up with an initial drawing. Either way, you absolutely need to start with a good drawing.

When you are satisfied that you have an accurate drawing go ahead and paint in the base color of the animal. The base color is usually light and gets darker as you build the layers. Don't worry about making it look like fur or hair at this point. Next, use a dark color such as black or burnt umber to fill in the outline of the eyes, deep shadows, or other very dark areas.

You will need to paint in the eyes, nose, mouth, paws, etc. If your drawing is detailed enough you should be able to do this by using a very small detail brush. Just outline everything and then fill it in with appropriate colors.

As you add layer upon layer to create the animal fur keep in mind the roundness of the shapes and the areas of light and dark. Start with a thin, watery version of the color and darken it as you work. Be careful not to end up darkening everything. Let some of each layer show through.

The final stages of the painting will show detail. Use a very small detail brush and paint in some hair or hair strands. A lot of times, just a few details of hair is all that is needed to send the viewer the message of fur. Don't forget to add whiskers, final highlights and shadows. Have fun and enjoy learning to paint animals.