Project 12: Paint Horse
This strikingly patterned paint mare was part of a herd of paint horses on a farm in Kentucky. I spent the whole morning sketching and photographing the horses. They have been the subjects of several of my paintings.
Reference Photo
Materials
Paints
Burnt Sienna
Burnt Umber
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Yellow Light
Payne’s Gray
Raw Sienna
Scarlet Red
Titanium White
Ultramarine Blue
Yellow Oxide
Brushes
no. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 rounds
1 Establish the Form and the Dark Values
Draw the horse lightly in pencil, using a kneaded eraser to make corrections or lighten lines that are too dark. With Payne’s Gray thinned with water and a no. 4 round, paint the main lines and form.
Mix a dark brown for the shadowed parts of the red coat with Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue. Paint with a no. 3 round. When the first layer of paint is dry, add another coat.
Mix a bluish shadow color for the white parts of the horse with Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna and Titanium White. Paint with a no. 3 round.
Mix a warm pink shadow color for the nose with Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, Scarlet Red, Cadmium Orange and Burnt Umber. Paint with a no. 3 round.
2 Paint the Middle Values
Mix the red for the horse’s coat with Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Orange and Scarlet Red. Paint with a no. 5 round.
Mix the lighter blue shadow color with Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue and a small amount of Burnt Sienna. Paint with a no. 5 round.
Tip
It’s okay to make changes in a painting as you go along. Idecided that including the barn and fence that appear in the reference photo would have distracted from the openness of the landscape behind the horse.
3 Paint the White Parts of the Horse and the Details
Mix the pink for the horse’s nose with Titanium White, Raw Sienna, Scarlet Red and a touch of Cadmium Orange. Paint with a no. 3 round. Blend the edges where the pink meets the darker color on the nose with a no. 1 round and some of the warm pink shadow color from Step 1.
Mix the eye color with Burnt Umber and a bit of Burnt Sienna. Paint the eyes with a no. 1 round, adding another coat when it’s dry. Mix Titanium White with a touch of Ultramarine Blue for the highlight, and paint in a curved arc with a no. 1 round. Correct and blend with the dark eye color and a no. 1 round.
Mix a warm white for the white parts of the horse on a piece of dry wax paper palette with Titanium White and a touch of Yellow Oxide. Paint with a no. 3 round, switching to a no. 1 round for the smaller details. Use a no. 3 round with the neighboring color to correct and blend the edges. If the paint begins to dry on the wax paper, add water.
Tip
At times you will need to use your artistic license to make something stand out that blends into the background in your reference photo—for example, the right hind leg of the horse. Selectively darken the shadows and the highlights on the leg so it stands out from the front leg.
STURDY PAINT
Acrylic on Gessobord
10” × 8” (25cm × 20cm)
4 Add the Finishing Details
Mix a highlight color for the red parts of the coat with Titanium White, Cadmium Orange, Yellow Oxide and Cadmium Yellow Light. Paint with a no. 3 round, following the contours with parallel brushstrokes. With a fresh no. 3 round, blend the red coat color with quick, light strokes. Adding the red will also warm up the highlights.
Use a no. 7 round and a wash of Burnt Umber and water to paint a shadow on the horse’s belly and on the shadowed white part of the left hind leg. With a no. 3 round and the bluish shadow color, add a little more detail to the white parts of the horse’s head and body. Use a small amount of paint and fine, parallel lines. Soften with a separate no. 3 round and the warm white.