Project 17: Arabian Filly
The model for this demonstration was my Arabian horse, Poey, when she was about ten months old. At this age, she would race around the field, frisking, frolicking and arching her neck. I found this pose particularly appealing as she playfully pranced around with a wisp of hay in her mouth. Poey is a gray horse, but at this stage she looked like a bay.
Reference Photo
Materials
Paints
Burnt Sienna
Burnt Umber
Cerulean Blue
Raw Sienna
Titanium White
Ultramarine Blue
Yellow Oxide
Brushes
no. 1 and 4 rounds
no. 4 and 6 filberts
1 Establish the Form
Draw or trace your sketch onto the panel with a no. 2 pencil. With Burnt Umber thinned with water and a no. 4 round, paint the main lines and shadowed areas of the filly. For broader areas, use a no. 6 filbert.
Tip
To make a small correction, such as painting too far over a line, use a moistened, clean no. 4 round to remove the paint while it is still wet.
2 Paint the Darkest Values
Create a warm black mix with Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue. Paint the darkest areas with a no. 4 round, using a no. 6 filbert for the broader areas. For good coverage, paint a second coat after the first has dried.
Mix a blue-gray for the horse’s shadow on the ground with Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber. Paint with a no. 6 filbert with sketchy strokes.
3 Paint the Middle Values
Create the reddish brown mix with Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Yellow Oxide and Titanium White. Paint with a no. 6 filbert, blending with the warm black and a separate no. 6 filbert.
Mix the bluish shadow color with a portion of the blue-gray plus Titanium White. Paint the bluish highlights on the black areas of the coat, mane and tail with a no. 6 filbert, switching to a separate no. 6 filbert to blend with the adjacent color. Use no. 4 rounds for smaller areas such as the head. Use smooth strokes that follow the body contours.
4 Paint the Lighter Values and Background
Create the warm tan color with Titanium White, Yellow Oxide, Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna. Paint with a no. 6 filbert, blending with a separate no. 6 filbert and the adjacent color. Use no. 4 rounds for smaller areas.
Create a hoof color with a little of the warm tan plus a little Ultramarine Blue. Use no. 4 rounds to paint the hooves with warm black for the shadowed parts and hoof color for the lighter areas. Blend where the two colors meet.
Make a medium brown halter color with a little of the warm tan plus Burnt Umber. Paint the halter with a no. 4 round, using a separate no. 4 round and warm black to refine and add shadows.
Mix a smoky gray background color with Titanium White, Cerulean Blue and Burnt Sienna. Begin to paint the background with a no. 4 filbert, using dabbing, semicircular strokes.
Paint around the filly’s outline with a no. 6 filbert, using smooth, careful strokes, then blend outward with dabbing strokes. Use a no. 4 round for tighter areas, such as between the legs.
Tip
If you need only a small amount of paint on your brush, such as for the halter, dip your brush in the paint, then touch it lightly to a paper towel. You will learn how to get just the right amount of paint to do the job.
POEY THE PRANCER
Acrylic on Gessobord
8” × 10” (20cm × 25cm)
5 Finish the Background and Add Detail to the Filly
Mix a dark smoky gray background color (use the Step 4 colors with less Titanium White). Paint the top part of the painting with a no. 4 filbert, using a separate no. 4 filbert to blend with the smoky gray. Use dry brushing to blend the edges of the colors. Use the same technique to add some darker smoky gray to the other parts of the background with a light pressure on your brush, blending with the smoky gray using dabbing strokes.
Re-establish the filly’s outline with a no. 4 round and the appropriate color. Re-establish the filly’s shadow on the ground with the blue-gray and a no. 6 filbert. Blend the edges with smoky gray and a separate no. 6 filbert.
Mix warm white with Titanium White and a small amount of Yellow Oxide. Use no. 4 rounds to paint the filly’s socks on the right front and left rear legs, blending with the bluish shadow color and warm black.
Use warm black to add detail to the bluish shadow and reddish brown areas of the coat with a no. 4 round with small parallel strokes. Blend with the adjacent color. Use no. 4 rounds to add detail to the warm tan areas with reddish brown. Add detail to warm black areas with the bluish shadow color.
Paint flowing lines from the mane and tail with warm black and a no. 4 round. With a no. 1 round and the bluish shadow color, paint a highlight in the eye. Add highlights to the muzzle, ear and chest with warm white and a no. 4 round. Switch to a no. 1 round to add highlights to the hooves, except for the hoof in shadow. Blend all highlights with the adjacent colors.
Create a golden color for the wisp of hay in the filly’s mouth with Titanium White and Yellow Oxide. Paint with a no. 1 round. Use medium brown to paint a few strands in shadow. Paint a few strokes of hay on the ground around the filly’s shadow, using the blue-gray to paint shadows in the hay.