Project 14: Appaloosa
I spotted this handsome leopard Appaloosa, standing next to a hay roll, while I was driving along a gravel road not far from where we live. Impressed by the horse and the composition, I stopped and photographed the scene for future reference.
Reference Photo
Materials
Surface
bristol paper
Pencils
no. 2 pencil
ebony pencils
Other Supplies
kneaded eraser
blending stumps
tracing paper
mediumr
1 Draw the Main Lines
Lightly sketch or trace the main lines of the horse and hay roll with a no. 2 pencil. Reinforce the lines with a sharpened ebony pencil. Begin to shade in some of the darker areas.
2 Shade in Darker Values
Add more Appaloosa spots to the horse’s coat and more shading to the hay. Using an ebony pencil, make short strokes for the spots and long, sweeping strokes for the hay. Add more shading to the horse’s body.
Tip
To see the dark values more clearly in your reference photo, squint your eyes and the dark values will pop out at you.
3 Add the Middle Values to the Horse and Hay
Shade in some middle value shadow tones and any other Appaloosa spots you missed in Step 2. Begin to use the stump to blend with smooth strokes following the direction of the penå curve in different directions to create the texture. Add shadows and sketchy details to the hay on the ground. Lightly sketch in the shapes of the trees in the background. Begin to shade in the trees.
4 Add More Detail
Shade the trees using vertical strokes with a fairly light pressure on the pencil. Gradually darken some of the shadowed areas, but don’t make them as dark as the shadows on the horse. This will make the horse stand out against the background.
Use a kneaded eraser to correct any mistakes or to lighten areas that have become too dark. Darken shadows on the horse and the hay roll.
LEOPARD APPALOOSA
Ebony pencil on bristol paper
8” × 10” (20cm × 25cm)
5 Finish the Drawing
Finish shading the tree trunks, then shade lightly between the trees, using parallel strokes. Crosshatch in different directions over the original pencil strokes, then blend with a stump.
Gradually darken the shadows on the tree trunks, then add some shadowy trees in the background. Lightly sketch in some branches.
Add more shading on the horse, using a stump to blend and soften. Make any corrections using a kneaded eraser. Add more detail to the hay in the foreground with sketchy strokes.