"Magic"

"Magic"

 

This drawing of a friends mare, whose name is "Magic", is a good example of how I draw a grey horse with a black background. A grey horse on white paper lacks punch (and I'm all about contrast)so I generally will do a full background when it requires it.  I use the same pencil that I use to do the rest of the drawing, but the softest lead, which also happens to be the darkest. It's time consuming, but kind of brainless work, so I try to just add a bit here and there when I need to take a break from the detail work of the horse itself. On the print you can see the strokes of the dark pencil on the paper, which provides a nice texture.

 

This drawing is a finalist in the Art Renewal Centers 2012/2013 Salon Competition. Over 2000 entries were submitted and they accepted the top 30% as finalists with the results being announced on April 30th. This is the first art competition that I've entered that has not specialized in Western or Equine Art, so I am thrilled to have been selected as a finalist.

 

Prints are available on my website.