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.

Drawing the American Saddlebred - Thumbnail Sketches

While at horse shows I often try to spend some time in the barn area seeing the many different breeds of horses being prepared for the show ring, then watching some of the demonstrations and performances put on in the arena over the course of the weekend.

I make many quick thumbnail sketches of what I was seeing as well as taking photographs as reference materials for later when I no longer have a live model in front of me.


















Each drawing or painting begins with a series of thumbnail sketches to capture the movement which made an impression on me that I wish to share with those who will see the final painting.

After going through the thumbnails I had made of American Saddlebreds it was the sketch in the upper left hand corner that I decided I would like to develop further.


















Most of my working sketches are done on layers of tracing paper. First I trace the sketch that pleased me, making any changes to the proportions if I feel it is necessary at this point. I refine the outline from the rough shapes and give an indication of the main muscle masses, the various moving joints and add the hooves.

This is the basis for my first outline drawing.

The Ones That Got Away - A Work in Progress

How is it that it is always one of your favourite lures that snags on something submerged in the lake and it is lost? Although I hear many "fish" tales about how it was taken by a "big" fish that snapped the line.















This painting is about half way finished. The under painting has been completed and now the texture is gradually being put onto the stump. The lures need a little more light and shadows added to them.

I will post this painting at a later date after I have worked on it again.

Onions and Baskets - A Work in Progress

This is a painting I started back in the early part of the year with another piece that I completed (see post on 17 March 2010).

I have added the onions to the painting which are almost finished.














I still have to paint in the background, the wooden table and do a lot more work on the two baskets.

I will post this painting at a later date once more work on it has been completed.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and look at the artwork. I hope you will return often.

Morning Sentinels - A Work in Progress

These are the twin pines that are almost at the top of the hill at the back of my property. I have painted them many times, in every season and at different times of the day and night. Each time it is as though seeing their beauty and majesty for the first time.

The morning sky has been painted in using Antwerp blue and alizarin crimson. The clouds are a mixture of Antwerp blue, French ultramarine blue and a touch of burnt sienna.

The trees were lightly drawn in and parts of the treetop have been painted silhouetted against the sky. It should be interesting to see the final result.

I will post this painting later once I have completed the trees.

Trilliums - A Work in Progress

This is the first in a series of the Provincial Flowers of Canada.

The Trillium (Trilliium grandiflorum) was chosen as the provincial flower for Ontario in 1937. It is an official symbol of the Government of Ontario and is often used in heraldry in Canada. It also serves as the official wild flower for the state of Ohio.

These charming native woodland wildflowers are a harbinger of spring.

They start flowering for two to three weeks beginning in late April to mid May depending on local conditions.

The plant is most commonly found growing in rich deciduous or mixed upland temperate forests of eastern North America.

They're from southern Ontario, Canada in the north, east across to Nova Scotia, and south into the USA to the northernmost part of Georgia and west to Minnesota.

The simple elegance of these delightfully unusual single stemmed flowers, have a whorl of three leaves and single, large 2" - 4" (5cm - 10cm) three petal flower with slightly ruffled edges. They are white when they first bloom and often turn pink with age, making them one of the best-known and easily recognized wildflower.

I will post this painting at a later date when it is completed.

OSWOA - Nightshade

This is a painting I did as a demonstration piece for the Buckhorn Tuesday Painting Group in the early part of the year.

Everyone in the Group was required to bring in pictures of flowers already drawn and masked out on watercolour paper.

The background colours of aureolin, and greens made using mixtures of Antwerp blue and French ultramarine blue with aureolin and raw sienna were set in small containers. A dark was mixed using French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson and set aside.

The paper was wet and the pure yellow was poured onto the paper. The green mixtures were poured over the some areas of the background and rolled around being careful to leave areas of the pure aureolin.

As the paper started to dry and there is more control over the paint the dark mixture was poured mainly around the flowers and berries, then splattered over a couple of areas.

The painting was then set aside to allow the background to dry completely before the masking fluid was removed.

Once the masking fluid was removed the flowers and berries were painted by carefully building up layers of colour.

The OSWOA shown here is an original watercolour painting using Artist quality Winsor & Newton paint on 140lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. This one is priced at $50.00 and sold unframed.

If you would like more information about OSWOA please go to my post on 12 March 2010.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and enjoy the artwork.