Noted for his technique of painting fur, you will see how John achieves the feeling of depth through the use of different brush strokes, dry brush work, and impasto textures and how he creates the illusion that individual hairs have been painted.

Animals feature prominently in the paintings of wildlife artist John Seerey-Lester. In this video you will see him demonstrate the various techniques he has adopted when painting such elements as skin, fur and eyes in oil.

John demonstrates how to pat feathers in oil and the importance of accurate markings, how to achieve perspective by foreshortening of feathers and the correct use of light and shade to give form to a bird’s body.

In this video you will join John Seerey-Lester as he demonstrates his many field techniques, from location painting of landscapes, field sketching of wildlife using a spotting scope and the naked eye, to his use of video and DVD as method of observation.

Through a series of studio demonstrations John shows the techniques he’s adopted to achieve different snow textures in oil. He takes you step-by-step through his oil impasto technique.

Watch as John paints the various kinds of water in oil – from rapids to still striates, how he achieves the desired effect using step-by-step examples.

In this video John begins by demonstrating the many technique he uses to paint such things as rocks, stones, fallen trees, driftwood and grasses in oil that might eventually be included in a finished piece. Always conscious of scale, he carefully places these elements within a scene.

The placement of wildlife in a landscape is critical to the whole composition of a painting, and much thought needs to be given to its location. Watch and listen as John describes the thought process that goes into making such decisions.

John demonstrates the oil painting techniques that help emphasize movement and how the placement of other elements in a painting can either help or hinder the desired flow of action.

In this video you will see how John Seerey-Lester goes about selecting and painting skies as a wildlife backdrop. He prefers to paint studies of skies on location rather than working from photographs. John feels this is the only way to understand and capture the true colors.

John Seerey-Lester was trained in abstract painting and graphic design. He now applies these principles to his paintings of wildlife “The subject is immaterial – it is the design that counts.” Says John. “Many of my paintings originate from a pure design concept rather than an occurrence in the field.”

Watch as John creates a mood of drama or tranquility in his paintings though the subtle use of light and shadow or by introducing moonlight. John often obscures his subjects with mist, rain, or blowing snow, you will see how he achieves this with a dry brush technique.

Watch as world renowned artist John Seerey-Lester creates an acrylic painting from start to finish. You will see how John accomplishes composition, perspective, atmosphere and finally solves a problem to create a masterpiece.

Working in oil on top of acrylic, in this video watch as John Seerey-Lester creates a painting from start to finish, including the research undertaken in the wild. On the easel you will see how John accomplishes composition, perspective, atmosphere, and painting light to create a masterpiece.

See the challenges and solutions as John creates, from start to finish, this powerful portrayal of a spotted jaguar and a black jaguar.

Noted for his technique of painting fur, you will see how John achieves the feeling of depth through the use of different brush work and repeated glazes. John compares the coat of an animal to a landscape and says “it’s as varied and complex.”

To John, the most important aspect of an animal are the eyes: they are usually the first thing on which the viewer focuses. “Each wild animal has its own character, so it’s vital that the expression in its eyes brings out that individuality. In this video he shows you how to achieve the expression by taking you through a demonstration and later discussing where these techniques have practical application in completed paintings.

All birds have their own characteristics, and, in this video, John Seerey-Lester talks about the importance of observation and understanding bird behavior and feather formation.

In this video you will see John in a variety of habitats – from Alaska to the tropics- and will watch him as he puts his various techniques into motion. He emphasizes painting and sketching on location rather than using photography. Over the years John has found his field sketches to be a most valuable form of reference because they provide the artist with a much better understanding of his subject.

Through a series of studio demonstrations John shows the techniques he has adopted to achieve different snow textures in acrylic He takes you step-b-step through his multi-layered transparent glaze technique.

Watch as John paints the various kinds of water in acrylic – from rapids to still ponds and lakes. Renowned for his paintings of splashes of water, he demonstrates how he achieves the desired effect using step-by-step examples.

John Seerey-Lester concentrates on the small, seemingly insignificant elements of nature, like grasses and rocks, that help create a more authentic wildlife painting. John goes to painstaking lengths to study, sketch and paint the small aspects of nature in his field work.

Habitat and landscapes play equally important roles in all painting of wildlife. John Seerey-Lester spends a lot of time in the wilderness painting and studying landscapes. In this video he demonstrates the importance of value and color and how light and atmosphere can create interest.

John explains the do's and don’ts of painting wildlife in action with the emphasis on anatomy. You will see in this video how action in a painting can explain, in visual terms, an animal or bird behavioral characteristics.

Focusing on the use of color, John demonstrates how he paints the different cloud formations in acrylic - from the fully clouds of sunny days to the menacing and dramatic formations created by an approaching storm. You will see distant rain brush stokes, he achieves the many varied effects needed to successfully paint skies.

Good design and composition are the main elements that make a painting successful. Watch John as he shows how color, contrast and light can help or hinder a design, and finally by looking at some of his completed paintings, he discusses how these factors were used and brought together to create a successful composition.

In recent years John Seerey-Lester has become renowned for his dark and atmospheric paintings. Watch as he takes a well illuminated animal or bird and conceals it with his unique technique of multiple glazes; finally emphasizing and or introducing an interesting light source such as moonlight.