Project 13: Draft Horse

Nelly is one of our Belgian draft horses. She is a big, strong mare with a beautiful flowing mane and tail. Nelly is smart, too: when a horse fly is bothering her, she will run toward the nearest person and then quickly position herself so the selected person can swat the pesky fly.

Reference Photo

1 Establish the Form and the Dark Values

With your pencil, lightly draw the horse onto the panel, using a kneaded eraser for corrections or to lighten lines that come out too dark. Use Burnt Umber thinned with water and a no. 5 round to paint the main lines and shadow areas.

Mix Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue for the dark shadow color. Paint with a no. 5 round for the darkest shadow areas, adding another layer after the first coat is dry. Switch to a no. 3 round for smaller areas.

Mix the black for the nostrils and muzzle with Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber. Paint with a no. 3 round.

2 Paint the Middle Values

Mix the red coat color with Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Orange and a small amount of Titanium White. Paint with a no. 5 round, using a no. 8 shader for the broader areas. Use dabbing strokes that follow the horse’s contours.

Mix the bluish shadow color for the white parts of the lower legs and around the nostrils and mouth with Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue and a small amount of Burnt Sienna. Paint with a no. 3 round.

3 Paint the Lighter Values

Mix a blond color for the mane, nose and lower front legs with Titanium White, a small amount of Yellow Oxide and a bit of Cadmium Orange. Paint with a no. 3 round, using flowing strokes for the mane.

Mix a color for the shadowed parts of the hooves. First, create a warm gray with Titanium White, Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue. Take a small portion of this warm gray and add more Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue. Paint the shadows with a no. 3 round. For the highlighted parts of the hooves, mix a bit of the warm gray with some of the blond.

For the shadowed part of the blaze, mix a bit of the bluish shadow color from Step 2 with some Titanium White and a touch of Burnt Sienna. Paint with a no. 3 round.

4 Add Detail

Re-establish the eye’s shape with a no. 1 round and the dark shadow color. Mix a small amount of this color from Step 1 with some Burnt Sienna. Use a no. 5 round to detail the horse’s coat with parallel strokes that follow the fur pattern. Use a no. 3 round with the red coat color from Step 2 to soften the edges.

With your palette knife, transfer a small amount of the red to a clean spot on your palette, then make a glaze with water. Paint a thin wash over the blond mane, muzzle and lower legs to make these areas glow in the late afternoon light.

Use a no. 3 round to mix some of the dark shadow color with a bit of the bluish shadow color. Use this to paint darker detail on the hooves and lower legs, using a no. 3 round to blend into the neighboring color. Mix some of the red with Burnt Sienna for the details in the dark shadows of the horse’s coat and paint with a no. 3 round.

Mix a highlight for the eye by mixing a bit of the bluish shadow color with a touch of Burnt Sienna. Use a no. 1 round to paint the curved arc. With a no. 1 round, tone down the bluish highlights around the nostrils and chin with a thin glaze of the dark shadow color. Use a separate no. 1 round and the bluish color to soften.

NELLY

Acrylic on Gessobord

10” × 8” (25cm × 20cm)

5 Finish the Drawing

Paint the white, highlighted part of the horse’s white face marking with Titanium White mixed with a touch of Yellow Oxide and a no. 3 round. On a dry palette, mix a highlight color for the horse’s coat with Cadmium Orange, Yellow Oxide and a small amount of Titanium White. Use a no. 3 round to drybrush the highlights with small, parallel strokes.

Add more detail to the mane and tail with separate no. 3 rounds for the highlight color, red coat color and dark shadow color. Add some highlights to the nose and lower legs with a no. 3 round and Titanium White mixed with a small amount of Yellow Oxide.