All Tacked Up And Nowhere To Go
A year ago last January, before the Pandemic hit and shut us all in our houses, I started this drawing. It was supposed to be just a sketch to test my drawing skills, but it was going so well that I kept at it until there was nothing more to noodle with. Stop! my brain said. Sign it and leave it alone. Knowing how wise my brain often is, I did as told.
The subject is a Friesian mare that I was commissioned to paint long ago. This was one of the references I took of Alpi and one of my favorites. What attracts me to this image is her wistful, pensive look. In truth, she was bored with the whole picture-taking thing and just wanted it to be over with.
The drawing was done in a Strathmore 400 sketch book, mostly with a 6B pencil. To challenge myself the image was not traced nor did I use a grid; it was straight raw drawing by eye from the small reference photograph. Much erasing was involved until I got as close to a perfect match as I could. After that, the real fun began in creating all the subtleties of shading in her dark coat.The goal was to create a soft and sensitive drawing that would show off this mare’s delicate head and gentle nature.
The drawing is small; only about six and a half inches square. Once framed, I think it will have a larger impact. Due to the pandemic, I had to put it in storage until it was safe to venture forth to the framer. Meanwhile, other obligations have gotten in the way, so Alpi remains “All Tacked Up with Nowhere To Go”.
