Why We Love to Paint Animals

Humans have been painting animals for thousands of years. The earliest cave paintings often depict animals, either revering them as sacred beasts or showing them being hunted for sustenance. Yet there is something so enjoyable about the experience that we continue to recreate the characteristics of bunnies, dogs and even elephants onto a canvas. But why do we love painting animals so much?

Animal characteristics are open to interpretation

Whilst animals are very much real, we can exaggerate or change their appearance in art in order to appeal to our creativity in a way that just wouldn’t work quite as well with other subjects like fruit. People often choose to paint animals for this reason because this adaptability allows painters of all skill levels to embrace their creative side and see where the canvas takes them.

It gets children involved in the experience

If you’ve ever tried to get children to paint then you’ll know that this activity can get messy and out of control pretty quickly! Children have a more limited attention span than adults do so activities need to be engaging from the get-go, and there’s no better way to win the hearts of little ones than by painting fluffy or cute animals. Painting with your children can be a wonderful and relaxing bonding experience that will help create long-lasting memories.

Painting animals takes away the pressure

If you’re a complete painting novice, then you probably won’t want to be painting life-like features straight away. Since we know that animals are adaptable and their features can be dramatised for creativity, this can take the pressure out of the painting experience because there are no rights or wrongs. Further to this, it is quite easy to turn realistic portraits of animals into more basic shapes that focus on their key characteristics which will simplify the experience.

When it comes to painting, it is important to follow your gut and paint whatever feels most natural to you. For some people, this is animals! Here at Paint Away Events, we hold a variety of exciting sip and paint events that are tailored with specific interests in mind. Whether you love painting animals, landscapes, or human subjects, get in touch with Paint Away to see what upcoming events we have planned!