by Laura Beardsell-Moore October 05, 2022 4 min read

How each print is made

Each painting of hares is often the result of weeks of background research and planning. From time spent exploring and observing natural habitats, to waiting for a great photo opportunity - finding the right creature in the right moment is really important for my animal paintings. This  forms the first step of the process. 

It can be several months before the hare pictures make their way onto canvases, prints and homewares like mugs, aprons, cushions and tea towels. 

The first stage is finding them!

You can see my full range of hare prints and hare canvases on my collections pages. Click the images below for the full range or read on to find out about my painting process and inspiration!


The Suffolk countryside - home of hares

I live in a tiny hamlet on the edge of a small Suffolk village, surrounded by fields. Many of my paintings are inspired directly from the countryside around me. These Suffolk ‘ancient plateau claylands’ are created from flat chalky clay and offer great habitats for hares. I see them regularly when I’m out - especially during the mating season in late winter and early spring.

Hares love a mixture of arable fields, grassland habitats and the edges of woodlands. This is exactly the landscape that surrounds my house which means there is a good chance of seeing them. 

I walk the local fields with my dogs every day which gives me a great opportunity to see what creatures are out and about and what the light conditions are like for photography. I often take my camera with me but I can’t always get the right shot when my dogs are present so I’ll also try to get out on my own (the dogs can get a bit jealous when that happens!).

Hare in young wheat

[This hare thought I couldn't see it nestled down in the young barley]

The field right next to our house has lots of hares and even when they are trying to hide, I regularly see the black tips of their long ears poking above the wheat. Hares shelter in ‘forms’ - shallow depressions in the ground - rather than burrows but they are still surprisingly well camouflaged.

I have to be quick when trying to photograph them for reference images - when they decide to run they can reach speeds of up to 45mph!

Running hare in Framlingham

This photo was used as a reference for my recent painting ‘Harvest hare


My painting process

I use my own photographs where I can but I also use photographs from others who very kindly give me permission to use their images for my work. Professional photographers are often able to get zoomed images that aren't possible with my small bridge camera!

After observing and photographing as many hares as I can, I make some sketches and import the best images into PhotoShop. Sometimes, I play around with compositions and colours for backgrounds. At other times, I try out different backgrounds with oil paint on boards. 

I like to leave room for a bit of experimentation and serendipity (or happy accidents!) in the background during the painting process so it doesn’t look too stale or contrived. It’s important to me to try different types of background marks because they act as a counterpoint to the hares themselves which I paint in a more realistic way. 

 


 

Boxing hares print - 'Whiskers at Dawn'

In ‘Harvest hare’ and ‘Pepper’ the marks on the hares’ bodies spill over into and from from the background too. 

The time lapse video below shows my painting process for ‘Whiskers at Dawn’, the boxing hares painting.

Time Lapse video of Whiskers at Dawn

 

I laid down an imprimatur (first) layer of colour in a mid tone before drawing the composition. This painting had an imprimatur layer of yellow ochre and burnt sienna but sometimes I vary the colour a little depending on what I want to do. 

Where there is a lot of tonal contrast I will paint a tonal version first using only raw umber and a thinner. You can see this technique in the video above.

When the first layer is dry I paint over the top with the final layer knowing that the underpainting will give enough depth to the darkest areas and help draw out the drama.

Fine details such as whiskers are the last things to be painted. 

The finished painting!


What’s my motivation? Why I love hares:

From boxing hares to sitting hare poses, these magical creatures are an iconic feature of the British countryside. They have played a strong role in rural life and folklore through the ages. 

I think they are stunning creatures, with a sense of magic and mystery about them. I try to capture their sense of energy and otherworldliness in my hare paintings. Their angular features form distinctive shapes; their long striking ears are wonderful to draw and paint and their piercing eyes can help give an artwork a sense of intensity.

In my mind hares are inextricably linked to the landscape where I live. I love being out in the countryside and the restorative impact it has on my mental and physical wellbeing. It’s important to me to cultivate a connection with the natural world, which inevitably (for me at least!) leads to a love and respect for the creatures with which I share the landscape.

Hare numbers have declined over the past few decades because of habitat loss from intensive farming practices. I feel lucky to live in an area where they are currently flourishing and grateful to our local farmer for taking a sensitive and relatively progressive approach that works alongside the natural world.

Hare nestled in the barley stubble

 

Hare paintings available to purchase

My hare prints are available to buy framed or unframed on 315gsm paper. 

My hare canvas art features some of my most popular images faithfully reproduced on canvas. 

You can see my range of original oil paintings here.

Jasper running hare canvas

Jasper 'running hare'

'Together by Twilight' painting of hares, fine art print on paper.



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