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This is my very first portrait and wanted to share it with you to see what you think. This is a 46+ year-old pony named "Bobby" who is a stablemate and friend to my pony Trilby, and I did this as a Christmas gift for his owner. It has taken me months to do, because I was so afraid of really messing him up. Of note - he is blind in his right eye, hence the slight cloudiness, and his bottom teeth really do stick out like that.
I drew him on Robert Bateman, cover series 110lb paper, 11x14" and used Derwent and Lumograph softs.

Thanks
DeboraM

Hey Deb

i think your freind is going to be very happy with you

Well that's a very good one - if it's your first.

The horse's features look a little mangled, I'm not sure if it was a flaw in your technique or the state of the horse.

But regardless, it's a very nice piece of art (for first time).

Poor horse - I wish him good health.

Regards.

Hi Debora! This look very nice! I know you are just sharing but some folks tend to critique without knowledge of what the subject looks like or even providing advice for the future. So I always post the photo I was working from, especially with portraits, it help get valid critique. Since this is your first animal portrait I will offer up this. Hair be it animal or human does not topically need be be drawn as individual hairs. The idea is to capture the shades, tones and shapes along with some of the detail to look more realistic. Also fad out the focus as you move away from the main subject especially with animals. In this case the face should be in sharp detail and his neck be less so and out of focus as it leave the paper. This draws the eyes to the main points you want to illustrate. It also make for a faster portrait! All in all this is very nice and your friend will be as happy as a pony with a bag of sugar cubes! Great job!

Deborah,
What a nice gift, the owner will be thrilled. I think this is a fantastic animal portrait, the way you've drawn the whispy hairs coming off the snout and the mane. It looks a bit emaciated, but I don't blame him, poor old guy... I just looked up how old ponies live to, and it said 30-40 years with 50 being about the limit. So this ol' boy must have been very well cared for to make it this far. Hope he has many more healthy years, and hope you have a great holiday season. -Mindy

I think that you've done a wonderful job! I like the highlights in the eyes! Well done, especially as a first go!

Yes for a successful critique the pic shoulda been posted. It's true I don't know much about horses in old age but I got a sharp eye.

And remember if its fairly accurate it's good enough - never stress for your art to be exact - just puts extra stress on you as an artist; art is about creative realease not stringent results. It will get better by itself without straining on your part.

It is a good portrait (as it looks good to me) so I'm sure you did a good job in comparison with the ref pic.

Regards.

Thanks for the comments, critiques, and advice. I know it is not up to snuff, but hopefully the next one will be better. He is a bit rough looking, but he is like that in real life too. He has actually gained a bit of weight before winter, so that is good. He is one tough little pony, and still has a spring in his step.
I know what you mean about the hair, but I just can't seem to get it right. Back to the drawing board to practice more on hair. I think I draw very tight out of fear, and I don't know why, as paper and pencils are relatively cheap with respect to the other art mediums. I hesitate with my watercolor too and it shows. I thought art was supposed to be relaxing? LOL

Here are the reference pics - sorry I forgot them. (The grey horse is Zack, Bobby and Trilby's other friend who died suddenly of colic at the end of August. We miss him terribly and I am making him my next project. If anyone else would like to try to draw these guys, feel free. I would love to see what others can do with them. (Something to aspire to perhaps?) They are all my own pics, so no copyright problems there.


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Hi Deb! Hope those pictures where made small to post. You really need to work from very high resolution photos when doing portraits whenever possible, especially when starting out. It is hard to make up detail that isn't there!
As to your fear, I feel the same way! I started reading "Drawing from the Right side of the brain" the other day and now I think I under stand this feeling. Our logical left side does not like to let control go to the right side and is constantly getting in the way. You may want to stop by your local library and see if they have a copy, even if you just sit down and read the first couple of chapters it may help with this uptight feeling. I know it well and yes it is supposed to be fun and relaxing but that can never happen if the left side (logical side) of your brain is in control! Keep at it, it does bet better as time goes on!

Hi Debora! You've done a great job on Bobby the Pony. I think you are a very kind and generous person to give a gift to your friend that you have invested time and effort into - it has so much more meaning than something from a store. You have a very good eye for detail - I especially like the job you did with his nose - it looks very soft as a horse's nose should! From one horse lover to another - keep up the good work!

If you are learning on your own, an excellent book on drawing animals is Lee Hammond's Drawing Pet Portraits from Photographs (that's probably not the exact title, but you can find it at any bookstore or on-line or free at the library ).

Also - if you haven't read it already - I agree with airscapes - Betty Hammonds' "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" is an outstanding book. I read it 5 years ago when I re-started drawing - checked it out from the library and loved it so much that I emptied my change jar and bought my own copy. It's a good resource for anyone, whether you've just started or have been drawing for a while.

Thanks ncgirl - I am learning on my own and am a real beginner at this. You have just added another good book to my wish list with Drawing Realistic Pets From Photographs. I get all my books from Northlight and lo and behold it is on sale!
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was my first book this time last year, and I have done half of it so far. Like airscapes said, my logical brain is constantly in the way and taking over. I work with my left brain all day in my job and it is very strong by nature as well, so gaining control over it and letting my right brain have a turn is a challenge for sure. The drawing upside down really works well for that I find, as do contour and gesture drawing like in Nicolaides, The Natural Way to Draw.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have quite a few books in my collection and love them all. My favs are Drawing from Line to Life (Mike Sibley), Drawing With Your Artist's Brain (Carl Purcell), and Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil (JD Hillberry).

Like a lot of you here, when you have the time you don't have the energy and when you have the energy you don't have the time. My New Years resolution is to draw something, anything, even if it is just a quick contour sketch or practicing a technique, each and every day.

I also like your drawing ...I have not tried to draw from using my right side of the brain I do not thing .. I have to use it all lol or it just will not turn out .

I do think I will look up the book Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil (JD Hillberry) I think I would like that book .. I do not have a collection at all .. I wish to one day .

I know what you mean Kim - (although I can't imagine that you would need instruction on realistic textures, I've seen your work and it's amazing! ) I had a nice collection started thanks to hubby's fat overtime checks, but those days are over! Now for books I rely on the infamous change jar and an occasional birthday gift from daddy! In the meantime, I like to haunt the library for art technique books - sometimes if they don't have the book you're looking for, they can get a loan from a nearby library that does have it. It gives you a chance to preview the book for free, or.. if it only has a few tips you can write them down in a notebook (purchased during tax-free weekend - what a bargain! I am such a cheapskate).

I hear you there ! I always look for a deal lol ....hows your little studio ? is it done yet ? that would be such a nice place to retreat to .

No, it's not done yet - after hubby's accident progress on the studio slowed to a crawl. What he could do before either I have to do based on his instructions (some of the results are hysterically funny) or we have to convince someone to come in and help (right now that's our neighbor's 15-year-old grandson, a good kid and very willing to learn). This weekend we dug the trench to run electricity out to it, now we have to wait for dry weather so the 4 inches of water will disappear. It will get done eventually - I'm keeping a positive outlook!

Well I don't know what sides of brains I draw with - but after I seen your refs - the drawing is good to go!!

-Thanks.

Back to you Debora - I think you will really enjoy the Drawing Realistic Pets book. I've wanted Nicolaides' book for a while, but it's a little out of my price range right now - I should drop some big hints for Christmas ("deah Big Daddy...." )

In my mind however, the best book for any artist is a blank one. And a pencil to go with it.

I hear what you say about not having much time (same here) and I think your New Year's resolution is a good one (and a resolution you can start early ). Practicing every day, putting pencil/pen to paper is the best, quickest, and most effective way to improve. And you have the desire to learn, the drive to do the work it takes to improve and you seem to be open to constructive suggestions on your drawing - honey that's 90% of what you will need. Everything else will come in time. Your daily sketch books don't need to be expensive, contain masterpieces, or for that matter any finished drawings at all. You don't have to share your sketch book drawings with anyone, but if you look back on them, you will be surprised at the visible signs that you are mastering your art. Draw, draw, draw, read, read, read.

I'm off subject (it happens a lot) - but I was going to say that you have some excellent horse pictures - my favorite is the gray Arabian-looking horse. I love drawing animals, and love horses, but stink at drawing horses. I'm going to try drawing him - will have to guess at the tips of his ears, do they turn inward? Perhaps if you are going to work on another picture, we can collaborate on-line and learn a few tips from each other! Now to try and get the picture downloaded - wish me luck!

ncgirl - Thanks for the encouragement to keep at it. My sketch books are rather sad creatures. Lots of half finished stuff and nothing remotely spectacular. lol I have the necessary tools and am determined to put them to good use though! As for the Nicolaides book - I got it a a yard sale for a buck. What a find! The guy was an artist who was moving and downsizing and he had a ton of great art supplies for give-away prices. I will keep my eye open for another one for you.

I can send you the full size picture of Zack if you like to make it easier for you. I had to downsize them quite a bit to get them to upload. As for the ears - ones that curve inward are a sign of a really well-bred Arabian horse. I have seen some where the points almost touch each other. I plan on starting his picture this weekend. (The best laid plans of mice and men...) All those speckles and shadows are going to be a challenge, for sure!

I am up for some collaboration if you are. It will keep me motivated.

I'd also love to try Zack. I've not done very many horses - usually dogs - but would like to try. Could I get a bigger picture too?

This will be fun! DeboraM, I'll pm you my e-mail at home, you can send a full-size photo there. I tried to get the photo on the thread to download, no luck (I'm still on dial-up, it's temperamental on good days )

mumwond glad you are thinking about drawing zack too - I love his expressive face don't you?

Sure mumwond - the more the merrier. Just PM me your email address and I will send it.

Got Zack's picture safe and sound and have printed out. I'm currently digging through sketch pads to decide what size I want to draw him. Most of the time, when drawing animal portraits I'll use a grid to make sure I really nail down the likeness. I think with Zack I'll go out on a limb and draw him freehand. This should be interesting - I hope he looks like a horse at the end!

Got mine too. I'm at same stage as you, NCGirl. This might be interesting!!

I am glad you got the pictures okay.
I used a grid for Bobby and hated it. It took forever and then I had to erase all those lines. I am trying a new method where you enlarge the picture in Gimp with the scale feature in 10% increments, thus preserving the quality. You can do this in PhotoShop, but Gimp is a free version of that. I then I use my lightbox to trace the outline and bigger details. Works great. BTW I made my own lightbox out of an old lamp, cardboard box, and a picture frame with tracing paper on the glass. Got the idea online and it was basically free.
I have the pic enlarged and ready to print a color and a b&w version, and hopefully can get it on paper tonight. I am going to use the same paper as I did for Bobby to keep them the same, since they will be a set when done. Oh, and I flipped the pic so he is coming from the left because Bobby comes from the right. Somehow he looks different when you do that. Can't wait to see our WIPs!

I'm at the other end - I love using grids, and I think that I love them too much - it's actually hindered me from going into colored pencil, because the grids can't be easily erased. That's hard for someone like me who's all nit-picky and dependant on the grid. So, drawing freehand will be a challenge, but it's time I did it!

I'm going to do Zack in graphite pencil - he's a monochromatic horsey and I think he will look nice in graphite. Plus, I can really detail those spots out! I'm keeping the size pretty small - 5x5 at the largest - because that's the size frame I have. I'm not using any special paper, just the good old sketchbook stuff I have - I think it's 60 lb, but don't quote me on that. I did a quick thumbnail yesterday - what a disaster! I won't even post it - it is SO bad! Anyway, will start working on Zak at lunch.

Debora - very inventive and independent of you to build your own light-box! I've been pestering my husband to build one for me - but you have inspired me to do it myself! Are there plans on the internet with measurements and all?

My lightbox consists of holding the print out and paper up to the shade of a large table lamp! I don't get much detail. but it gives me the general shape and positioning of eyes and mouth. I'm trying an experiment with this one. I'm using blue mi tientes paper and coloured pencils. It would take forever to cover that with white/grey pencils, so I've filled the outline horse with a layer of white gouache, leaving out eyes and nose. It's drying just now, looking rather ghostly (and ghastly!) It will be interesting to see how it goes!

ncgirl - for the light box, the size of your picture frame with glass will determine what size of box you need. My frame is 12x14. First, fold the flaps down inside, or if your box is sturdy enough, just cut them off. Then cut down the long edges of the top of the box about an inch to set the frame in (upside down so the glass does not fall out). Cut a piece of tracing paper to cover the glass and tape the corners so it does not move. For the light, I had the guts from an old lamp. I poked a hole in one end of the box about half way up so I could screw it down tight with washers on both sides, of course with the cord on the outside of the box. Put in a light bulb, (the new compact fluorescent ones are cooler), plug it in, and there you have it. If you have one of those under-the-cupboard fluorescent lights with a plug they would work well too. I haven't done it yet, because I wanted to see how well it was going to work first, but I am going to spray paint the inside of the box white with high-gloss paint to reflect more light. Or your could line it with white paper too. Since it works so well, some day I will look for a wooden box at a yard sale or thrift store to make a more permanent version, but this is working well for now, and it is so much easier to work with than taping it to the window on a sunny day.

Mumwond- the blue background sounds like a really nice choice with the colored pencil. I would never have thought to use gouache with pencil - sounds really interesting. I don't have any gouache paints yet. Had to put a limit on things somewhere. Hmmm. . . art supplies or groceries - what a dilemma! Must put some on my wish list.

Groceries LOL cause you will not be able to do your art to the best without food .

Here's my version of Zack in coloured pencil on Mi Tientes. Measures about 8 x 9 Ins

That is really really good

Wow Mumwond - that is so beautiful. Well done!!

Norma, that is a lovely picture! I love his expression, your coloring and the background really makes him stand out! Alas, I did not do as well. After measuring and measuring and attempting a sketch I scrapped the first attempt and am currently working on a grid (I know - I'm weak! ). I'll post something as soon as I get it done. How I wish I had your talent!

I spent nearly two hours last night working with my printer to get the picture to print the right size. Geesh - I was about ready to go to the grid too, but finally won out and am ready to transfer to the paper. Preparation can be such a pain at times! LOL

I know right - I've tried to get started on Zack for the last two days, but there have been endless Christmas parties, luncheons etc. Now that I have a moment's peace (and have gained 15 pounds) I've started getting the main outlines set down and his features in place. I'll go out on break in a few minutes and do a lot of measuring to make sure the "parts" are relating to each other correctly. I'm using very light lines at this point - but I'll see if I can get it to scan and post what I've done so far.

Here we are at "stage one" - graphed and the basic outlines drawn in (very lightly though - I had to really increase the darkness on the scanner to get it to pick this up). We've had a nice rainy Christmas and my yard is a little flooded so I should have some more time to work on Zack this weekend!
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Okay - here goes the start of Zack. It has been a busy time over the holidays, but I managed to get him started. I am stopped at his ears and have done the left one at least 6 times already. Thank goodness I have found a Canadian equivalent to BluTak. I get it at Staples and it is called UHU tac, and boy does it suck up the graphite!

The plan is to get the ears and move onto the muzzle and mane before tackling all those spots!

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Looking good Debora!

Sandra, how are you making out? Have you found some more time to work on it. I like your large grid spaces and using letters. When I used a grid, I used numbers and my squares were a lot smaller. Maybe that is why it was so frustrating. I will try larger squares like yours the next time to see if it makes a difference.
I am so slow at this, so don't expect mine to be done anytime soon.
I like how fast Mumwond did hers and the end result is fantastic. I have to loosen up or something.

Me too, I find that I'm way too dependant on grids, I'm trying to not rely on them so much, although I'm sure I'll never stop using them. I do tend to keep the boxes larger and erase the lines after the basic drawing lines are mapped out. Then I use the photo and my very limited knowledge of shapes to work the rest. Here's my progress so far. You can't tell, but I'm working in pencil (lousy scanner).

Zack is about 1/4 done at this point. There's a lot of details toward the top of his head and I haven't even started working his mane in yet - and that's the most dynamic part of the drawing! I'm going to make his eyes very dark (9B pencil) so will put them in last and then work the background some more. Comments/criticism and just plain help welcome!

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Zack is coming on well, Sandra. You are working completely differently from me - I usually do the eyes first - I find looking at a 'blind' animal a bit disconcerting! Looking forward to seeing him done.

My husband says I should put some eyes on that horse too - he says the ghost horse is freaking him out. I was hoping for a snow day today and a day off to work on the drawing - but - no snow, no day off. Maybe this weekend I'll find some time.

I've finally finished my version of Zack, and I think I will title this work "How Not to Draw a Horse". He started out ok, but then wound up looking like a kid who had styled his own hair for school pictures. Where did I go wrong? Any suggestions or pointers are welcome - be brutal - I can take it.
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Well initially i thought wow brilliant

then i read your post and think hhmmm okl something must of gone wrong for the realisum of the picture

so i get the original up and put the two side by side ,, and i have sat here for a few minutes looking

and i still think its WoW Brilliant

Norma and Sandra .. I have been watching this thread a lot.. I love the way you two went about your drawings.. each one have developed in to a masterpeice.. This is what I love about these forums.. learning and sharing ideas.. not to mention the inspiration.. sometimes just hearing the stories behind a painting is just as interesting as the final draw.. ..Debora I am anxious to see your final drawing.. !!
Carol

Well done, Sandra. You didn't do anything wrong, he's really good! His hair is a bit of a mess because his hair IS a bit of a mess. I like the eyes - eventually!!

Very nice work Sandra...

It looks sooo nice Sandra what are you talking about? Better than what I can do that's for sure

Thank you Slaine, texaslady, Norma, and Roxy - You are all very kind, and very encouraging! I am truly finished with this picture, but I will try drawing another horse - they are such beautiful and spirited animals! Maybe the next effort will be better...

I'm looking forward to seeing Debora's finished version too!

Thank you NancyB too! I was too quick on the Post Reply button!