Drawing the American Saddlebred - Outline Drawing

Once this stage has been reached the entire painting from completing the sketch to the finished graphite pencil drawing should take approximately five hours or less for a piece this size 5-1/4 x 5-3/4"; provided of course I don't make a real hash of it (which I have been known to do on occasion).

Now begins the time consuming part of drawing as the sketch is gradually tightened up, the shapes refined and the details are slowly added.


















I begin by adding more detail to the large muscle masses of the hindquarters, forearms, shoulders and chest to use as reference points and make sure that the basic drawing continues to be in proportion.

Corrections are made as necessary on the diagonal set of weight bearing pasterns and fetlocks which are attached to the supporting legs, and have more stress placed on them than would normally be seen when the horse is standing motionless with the weight evenly distributed on all four legs.

I do not use an eraser on my sketch but keep working back and forth over the lines changing them as necessary reworking and refining.



















Then add the main tendons and muscles to the legs and chest; the indent where the windpipe runs down the throat and muscle lines on the crest of the neck.

After being sure to have the throat join in correctly under the cheeks, I work on the head adding the details to the ears and eyes making sure that they are positioned correctly. Then added the forelock and a little definition to the mane.

If at any stage the sketch gets to the point where I am having difficulty with finding the correct lines, I simply get out a fresh piece of tracing paper and take the outline of that lines I wish to keep and leave the messy sketch behind. Then I carry on with refining the drawing.