CHAPTER 6

COLORED PENCIL

Profile

1 Use an HB pencil to sketch the head, neck, ears, and eye. Draw the bridle, curving it to follow the shape of the head. Indicate the nostril and mouth.

2 Develop the facial features, ears, and bridle. Draw the mane and indicate some of the folds of the skin.

3 Fill in some of the shadowed areas using cool gray 90%; then layer indigo blue over some of the shadow edges. Color the iris with sienna brown. Using medium pressure, apply yellow ochre to the metal areas of the bridle, leaving small areas white for highlights.

4 Lightly apply dark umber to the bridle, leaving small areas white to suggest the shine of the leather. Use short strokes and medium pressure to indicate some stitching on the bridle where it stretches over the cheek. Then, using cool gray 90%, outline and shade the nostril and mouth. For the lighter areas around the muzzle, use cool gray 50%. Add a few whiskers on the chin with cool gray 90%. Use the same color to create more shadows under the ear. Apply henna to the corner of the eye; then add some color to the shadows under the cheek and on the neck with indigo blue.

5 Lightly apply burnt sienna over the dark umber in the bridle, using more pressure to create darker areas. Give the metal rings more form by adding some burnt sienna on the edges. Using cool gray 90%, outline the eyelashes and shade around the eyes. Next add dark umber to the shadows on the head and neck. Develop the hair of the mane and forelock using cool gray 90%, leaving areas of the paper white for shine and pressing harder for the darker areas. Fill in the neck with an even layer of burnt ochre, and use burnt ochre to outline the edges of the ears and the blaze that extends from the forehead to the top of the nose.

6 Fill in the face, layering over the shadowed areas and leaving the blaze white. Lightly apply burnt ochre to the gray on the nose and muzzle. Create darker folds on the face and neck by adding more burnt ochre. Next lightly apply ultramarine for the dark areas of the mane, leaving areas white for shine. Finally, apply a little cool gray 70% around the eye, nose, and mouth.

7 To deepen the color of the coat, add a layer of sienna brown over most of the head and neck, leaving some lighter areas to indicate shine. Go over the edges of these lighter areas with white to soften the transition. To add a glow of color to the shadow under the neck, apply Venetian red. Using cool gray 90%, add some darker strokes to the mane, and pull some of the strokes into the neck to lengthen the mane. Add darker strokes to the forelock. To deepen areas of the head and neck, apply circular strokes of sienna brown. Darken the nose and muzzle with another layer of cool gray 90%.

Horse & Foal

A camera is an invaluable tool for artists. Not only does it save you the hassle of working on site, but it can also help you frame and capture a fleeting moment from a comfortable distance.

1 Sketch out the composition with cool gray 50%.

2 Lay down an initial coat of henna, followed by burnt ochre to represent the lightest colors on the mare’s face and neck. Use light to moderate pressure to apply short strokes in the direction of hair growth.

3 To create a rich, smooth neck color, layer several colors and burnish frequently to blend. For all areas (except the extreme highlights), apply terra-cotta followed by dark brown, stroking in the direction of hair growth. Then apply Tuscan red and dark umber, paying close attention to the changes in value across the form. Burnish everything with white to achieve a polished look, and reapply colors to darken as needed. Apply a light coat of black grape along the base of the mane and burnish heavily with white. Use black for the dark shadows along the right side of the neck. (See detail on next page.)

4 For the jaw, apply another layer of burnt ochre and blend it with white. With a sharp white point and firm pressure, block in the extreme highlights of the neck.

NECK DETAIL Use a sharp white point to outline the jagged highlights in the middle of the neck, pulling out the raised areas of the coat. Define some veins with white, shadowing them with Tuscan red, terra-cotta, and dark umber. Burnishing with white helps create the look of a shiny coat.

5 Lay in henna and terra-cotta, blending with white and stroking in direction of the fur, leaving the highlight intact. Add a coat of dark brown above the brass clasp and blend again with white. Continue blending with henna, terra-cotta, white, and a touch of black grape in the purple area of the neck. Next develop the shadows of the halter and begin defining the face. (See detail below.)

FACE DETAIL Develop the triangular area between the jaw and chin, adding shadows with black and then layering with terra-cotta and chocolate, avoiding only the lightest areas. Burnish everything with white and deepen areas with brown as needed, using horizontal strokes and firm pressure. Add Tuscan red and black to enrich and darken the shadows; then highlight with a sharp white point. Using dark brown, block in the darkest areas with a light touch, and then cover the entire area with another coat of burnt ochre.

6 Complete the horse’s face, burnishing everything but the dark brown shadows on the far left, using a sharp white point and horizontal strokes. Starting at the base of the ears and moving down, use black to cover the darkest shadows along with dark umber, Tuscan red, black grape, and terra-cotta for the dark brown and reddish areas. For the lighter areas, use burnt ochre and henna blended with white. Use black for the eyeball and leave jagged spaces for the eyelashes. Use black grape for the purple skin around the eye and blend with white, adding burnt ochre, Tuscan red, dark umber, and black to the surrounding area.

MOUTH DETAIL Lay down a coat of burnt ochre over the light brown areas, followed by two layers of black over the shadows. Burnish the black with sienna brown; then add a layer of henna. Use white to blend and black grape to develop the purple areas, including the vein lines. Alternate between white, black grape, dark umber, and black for the lips, and apply jagged lines with white for the wrinkled texture. For the remaining contours of the face, use sienna brown, Tuscan red, and dark umber.

HALTER DETAIL Layer light aqua, aquamarine, and a burnish of white. Create the black stripes with black and use white with short, jagged motions to add highlights. Follow up with a light touch of henna to give the highlights a slightly pink hue. Fill in the brass areas with sand followed by white. For the brown areas, including the brass details, use dark umber. Use white liberally for blending and burnishing.

MANE DETAILS Block in the extreme darks with black (A), and then add black grape lightly all over. Follow with a burnish of white to blend the entire mane. Add streaks of terra-cotta, Tuscan red, and white for interest, blending and lightening with white and darkening with black and black grape. A light touch of black grape followed by a heavy burnish of white joins the mane to the back (B).

GRASS DETAILS Lightly lay in the blades with Prussian green, stroking along the length of each (A). Next add a light layer of chartreuse over the entire area. Darken random blades with olive green, followed by spring green. Apply a coat of Prussian green along the bottom border from left to right; then blend everything with white. To finish, streak in a few more blades with Prussian green and burnish again with white (B). The white pencil softens the grass.

7 Add color to the foal with sienna brown for the base and black for the darkest areas, working around the blades of grass. Leave a white speck in the eye for the highlight.

8 Continue to build the foal’s coat with sienna brown, Tuscan red, and dark umber; add black to darken and white to blend. For the foal’s front left leg, apply sienna brown, terra-cotta, and dark umber, blending with white. For the foal’s darker front right leg, apply a layer of black grape, adding black to the darkest areas, henna to the reddish areas, and white for blending. Complete the face using blends of the coat colors, darkening with black and blending with white. Use white to fill in the large white marking. Add the grass in the foreground. Erase any smudges, and spray with workable fixative.