Study of a Crouching Fox, Facing Right 

John Frederick Lewis made this watercolor study of a crouching fox using graphite underdrawing. The wispy traces of graphite offer a glimpse into the artist’s process, a first stage of mapping out the animal’s form. Yet it’s the watercolor washes that truly bring the fox to life. See how Lewis has built up the fox’s fur with delicate layers of translucent pigment? The inherent properties of watercolor – its fluidity and capacity for subtle gradations – allow Lewis to capture the animal’s fur. This particular technique – watercolor over graphite – wasn’t exactly new in the 19th century, but it was becoming increasingly popular, in part due to industrial innovations in the manufacturing of paper and pigments. The availability of these mass-produced materials democratized artistic practice, offering a wider range of people the opportunity to engage with artmaking.