If you're looking at the eagle, above, and thinking "NO WAY. I can't paint with acrylics like that!" then you've been hit in the face with the pie. Translated, that means you are seeing the finished product, the pie, and forgetting that pies are a combination of simple ingredients.

Learn to do the ingredients- take a peek at the step by step- you'll be totally surprised at how easy it is to paint realistic polar bear fur (and other white animal fur or hair) in just 13 easy steps. This is VERY important for the holiday season goodies- all those white snowmen, polar bears, penguin chests...!

Let's begin. READ THIS! Many people assume white objects are boring to paint. Absolutely not, they are delightful blends of blues, purples, oranges, greens, and grays. If you aren't dishing out these colors, your recipe is flawed. When you go through our step by step process, however, you can see where we put colors and can take out the ones you prefer to omit. YOU choose the colors you wish to include and emphasize!

Everyone needs to remember one thing - take time and do the base coat correctly- if it isn't done properly, your pie is toast.

The top of the photo will be the animal's back. The bottom right corner is the middle of the haunch / flank. Adjust the brightness of your screen if you do not see the colors- and DOUBLE CLICK each photo to see each section labled clearly for you! (Click once to return to normal size.) Just get the principle of it- your strokes will vary.

P=purple, LP=light purple, VLP=very light purple. Obviously then, B=blue, LB=light blue, and VLB=very light blue.

STEP ONE, above. Paint the top (the animals back) with a solid strip of light purple, with a solid strip of light blue directly under it. Under that, make sweeping strokes with the light blue, leaving strips of white. When you get halfway down (the animals shoulders, or halfway down the sides) choose a lighter blue (LB) As you head into the lower sides of the animal (which will be the bottom of this picture) do very light purple (VLP).The important thing is the darker purple and blue are at the top. You can do it!

STEP TWO, below. Add the greens and oranges where shown. Note I did not put the orange (O) all the way across the top. The purple break in between the two orange sections makes for better contrast. Overlap the green and orange areas where they occur next to each other. Keep these colors LIGHT!

In this step,the important thing is to get some light green and light orange colors rolling (NOT STRAIGHT) across the middle, but NOT at the bottom right purple area. (VLP area, step one). You want that to be fairly free of other colors, that is the middle of the hip / flank (if a white horse.)

O=orange, VLO=very light orange, LG=light green, VLG=very light green