When Trekell Pro Team Artist Kai Lun Qu painted his newly rescued cat, Gigi, he approached her coat as larger masses of color and value rather than thousands of individual hairs. Using Trekell Opal Flat brushes, Kai builds the portrait from simple shapes to selective details that create the illusion of fur.
Fur can feel overwhelming to paint when you begin by thinking about every individual strand. In reality, we do not usually perceive an animal’s coat that way. From a normal viewing distance, individual hairs combine into larger shapes of light, dark and color.
For this portrait, Kai painted Gigi on Trekell’s Limited Edition Kitty Panel from the Gore Store Collection. By beginning with a simple drawing and gradually refining larger shapes, he created a convincing portrait without getting lost in unnecessary detail.
Watch the full painting demonstration below.
Begin with the Simplest Version of the Subject
Kai starts Gigi’s portrait with a basic drawing that captures her overall character and proportions.
At this stage, he is not trying to describe fur, whiskers or tiny changes in color. He is establishing the simplest version of the subject first, creating a foundation that can support everything that comes later.
From there, Kai begins laying in the local colors of the larger areas of the portrait.
This approach makes the painting more manageable. Instead of trying to solve the entire portrait at once, he starts with the broad structure and builds from there.
Think in Masses, Not Individual Hairs
Fur is made of countless individual strands, but that does not mean every strand needs to be painted.
“Our perception of fur is that it is many small strands of hairs grouped together,” Kai explains. “But optically, those small individual strands are impossible for the human eye to perceive from a comfortable distance.”
At that distance, the hairs visually merge into larger groups of color and value.
“What we think is thousands of individual strands end up looking like bigger masses of colors and values,” Kai says.
That observation changes the problem completely. Instead of asking how to paint every hair, begin by asking where the larger light and dark masses are, how they relate to one another and how they describe the animal’s form.
Build from Large Shapes to Small
After establishing the local colors, Kai begins adding medium and smaller shapes of light and dark.
These shapes gradually give the portrait more specificity. They help clarify the eyes, nose, face and changes in the direction of Gigi’s coat without covering the surface in individual hair marks.
In the demonstration, Kai describes this stage as the point where the added shapes begin to “capture the essence of her portrait” and make Gigi look more like Gigi.
The key is that smaller shapes build on top of a strong larger structure. They refine the portrait rather than replace its foundation.
Use Darks to Judge the Rest
As the painting develops, Kai establishes the dark shadows around Gigi’s face and the dark background behind her.
This immediately helps her face come forward, but it also gives him a clearer reference for judging the remaining values in the portrait.
Once the darkest areas are in place, it becomes easier to see whether surrounding parts of the face need to be lighter, darker, warmer or cooler before the final adjustments are made.
Value is always relative. A light area can appear brighter next to a dark background, while a middle value may look darker when surrounded by a lighter area. Establishing the dark end of the range gives the other values something to be compared against.
Let the Brush Help You Simplify
Kai uses Trekell Opal Flat brushes for his oil paintings. The shape of the brush supports the way he approaches fur because it encourages him to think in larger, connected masses rather than tiny individual strands.
“Using the flat brush allows me to paint only those big mass and not be tempted to try and paint each and every strand,” Kai says.
The broad face of a Flat can lay in larger areas of color and value efficiently. Its edge and corners can also create more controlled marks as forms become smaller and more specific.
There is no one correct brush size for painting fur. The right size depends on the scale of the painting and the area being worked on. The goal is to choose a brush that helps you make the mark you need, rather than automatically reaching for the smallest tool available.
Create the Illusion of Detail
Painting in larger masses does not mean avoiding detail altogether. It means using detail intentionally.
Kai adds only a few smaller shapes, especially where light meets dark. Those marks can suggest changes in the direction, thickness and texture of the fur without requiring an artist to paint every individual hair.
“With only perhaps a few smaller shapes we can put here and there where light meets dark, that creates the illusion that there is more details, or in this case, individual hairs,” Kai explains.
Once the larger masses describe the animal’s form convincingly, the viewer’s eye fills in the rest. A small number of well-placed marks can suggest a much more detailed coat than is actually painted.
Save Whiskers for Last
Whiskers are among the final details Kai adds to the portrait.
By this point, Gigi already looks like Gigi. The larger shapes, local colors, values and shadows have already created the likeness. The whiskers add specificity, but they are not responsible for making the portrait work.
This is an important reminder when painting detailed subjects. Fine details can strengthen a painting, but they cannot replace strong structure, value relationships and larger shapes.
Paint the Idea of Fur
A convincing animal portrait does not require painting every hair you know is there.
When painting fur, try simplifying the process:
- Begin with the basic structure and character of the subject.
- Establish the larger areas of local color before adding smaller shapes.
- Look for masses of color and value rather than individual hairs.
- Build from large shapes into medium and smaller shapes.
- Establish dark values to help judge the rest of the painting.
- Use a brush that encourages you to work at the appropriate scale.
- Add smaller marks selectively where they help create the illusion of detail.
- Save whiskers and other fine details until the larger portrait is working.
The goal is not to show the viewer every strand of fur. It is to give the eye enough information to understand that those strands are there.
The Takeaway
Kai Lun Qu’s portrait of Gigi is built on simplification. He begins with a basic drawing, establishes larger areas of local color, gradually introduces smaller shapes and uses dark values to judge the rest of the portrait.
His approach to fur follows the same principle. Instead of painting thousands of individual hairs, he paints the larger masses we actually perceive and adds only enough smaller detail to create the illusion of more.
The next time you paint fur, resist the urge to reach for a tiny brush and start painting hairs. Step back from the reference first and look for the larger shapes.
There may be far less to paint than you think.
