• How I’d advise painting furry volumes

As you know, there are a number of basic shading techniques in painting and drawing, and I like this one as the most appropriate for me — I find it one of the most rational by painting the fur — to start coloring with a neutral, halftone local color, then shade it according to the volume and lighting. Usually, this underpainting should be darker than fur, as it would be in the shadow. So, add the layers above to add the fur. All the brushes have a minor color and lightness jitter to make the fur more realistic.

• So, try at first to place basic shading with a simple brush you prefer to paint, usually, hard or soft, and then put the fur strands above, according to the form and lighting.

• After, it may be necessary to make some areas deeper (darker) — for example, shaded areas deeply among strands near their roots — or set some light and highlight accents in the lights.

• You can also experiment with layer’ and brush blending modes, such as Soft Light, Screen, Multiply, etc.

• As in painting or drawing at all, I’d recommend proceeding from common, main shapes to partial ones and details: firstly, specify the main big volume, lights, and darks, then put non-detailed fur strands using matching brushes, and then make the detailing with detailed fur brushes.

• In the end, I’d add some of the sharpest strands or hairs, maybe blur or darken some of the underlying strands, and light up some of the most visible, highlighted ones. Try to make some of them softer or sharper, darker or lighter in the finish or work, a kind of post-processing. Add some highlights, specular. The separated hair can be drawn by regular textured thin brushes.

• Brushes # 2, 3, and 8 have two options for each one, for left and right hair growth direction.