The paintings of Robert Bateman are a source of inspiration to wildlife lovers and art enthusiasts alike. Bateman's depictions of polar bears, wolves, moose and bald eagles are internationally famous because of the way that he captures the play of light and shadow as it is found in the actual habitats of wild creatures. If you're an admirer of Bateman's work, you may be wondering what techniques he uses to create such realistic images. Here are a few observations.
Achieving Realism
Bateman paints from photographs he takes himself. He transfers them to slides, which he looks at through a viewer while he is painting. This affords him the maximum degree of accuracy in reproducing the details of the photographs. He also has the advantage of having already captured the image once in its original context, so he has both images to mentally combine and reproduce on the canvas.
Creative Stages
Bateman starts each painting with a postcard sketch. He then prepares his canvas with the appropriate backing, selects a suitable brush, and creates an initial monochrome version of the complete image. Later he adds color, detail and shading, using liquid acrylics. The success of Bateman's technique lies partly in this "layering" effect, wherein the production of the images takes place through progressive stages of line, color and shading. Bateman has credited his training as an abstract painter for his ability to work this way.
Enchanted Images
The unique quality which Bateman attributes to his paintings is a sense of "air." This is often communicated to the viewer as an image of a plant or animal engulfed in mist or clouds. He creates these effects by hand applying a whitewash to the canvas with a sponge after the rest of the painting has been completed. The result is a more heightened, dramatic sense of realism than that found in many painters who are more strictly naturalistic.
