Karen Thumm Fine Art

Part I; Learn To Draw Horses

PART I; ADVICE FOR BEGINNING EQUINE ARTISTS

 

progression from age 12 to adulthood

 

COMING SOON! NEWLY REVISED CONTENT WITH DRAWINGS

GETTING STARTED 

“How do you learn to draw horses so well?” I’m often asked. Sadly, there is no quick and easy answer.

 

Although there are several excellent books on drawing and painting horses, they aren’t the whole answer. What, then, is the path to becoming an accomplished equine artist?  What I’d like to offer you here is advice that isn’t in the books, the “Missing Manual” of a path to becoming an accomplished equine artist. 

 

There’s no way around it; learning to draw and paint horses well takes a lot of practice and study and the development of "a good eye”. Knowing your subject well is also essential. In other words, it takes an investment of time and hard work. Do not despair, however! It can be done if you're willing to put in the effort. 

 

How do you learn, you ask? Here are my suggestions:


THE BASICS

BECOME AN ARTIST FIRST AND AN EQUINE ARTIST SECOND

LEARN THE BASICS OF DRAWING AND PAINTING

I can’t stress this enough. Without this first step you will needlessly struggle, possibly for years, and possibly become discouraged. If you can, take art classes or workshops or lessons from professional artists. Start building a library of art books or borrow them from the library. Watch art instruction videos online or invest in art videos that you can watch over and over again. 

 

LEARN ALL YOU CAN ABOUT HORSES

In order to draw or paint horses well, you must know your subject well. Learn horse anatomy and acquire good anatomy books to use while you draw. Read about breeds, care, behavior, riding styles, tack and sports. Study horses from life and from pictures.Take riding lessons. Get a job at a stables where you can spend time up close with horses observing and maybe even grooming them. You can learn a lot about a horse’s anatomy just from grooming them; their hard and soft areas, bumps and curves. 


 DRAW DRAW DRAW

Drawing often, daily if possible, is the fastest way to advance. Draw from your imagination or use your reference materials (photographs, books, magazines, videos, live horses). NATURAL artistic ability is only a FIRST STEP to becoming a good artist. NONE of us was born being able to draw wonderful horses, so training is a necessary part of the process. Learn to really see every detail and relate it to the whole.

 

Practice drawing parts of the horse and horses from every angle; even from above. Draw them doing all the things horses do: walking, trotting, galloping, bucking, rearing, rolling, grazing or playing with one another. Draw them from different angles doing those things. Draw the tack. Learn the parts of a bridle and the different kinds of bridles and bits. Repeat for saddles: english, western, racing, etc.


 

 Sketch book sketches, no reference used

 

DEVELOP YOUR EYE

Developing an observant eye is critical to advancing in your drawing skills. What you don’t see in your horse reference you can’t draw on your paper. It can be an elusive skill to acquire and requires keeping an open mind to new information that enters your brain. Never assume you know all there is to know about the form of the horse for that will stop you in your tracks.

 

Draw what you see; not what you THINK you see is a good thought to keep in mind. You’ll find yourself exclaiming in a moment of awakening, “Ah Hah! So that’s how that part fits with this other part!” Or “I’ve never noticed THAT before!” And now you’ve taken another small step forward which could make a big difference in the quality of your drawings. 

 

On the other hand, knowing your subject pays off many times when there is obvious distortion in a photo or the photo is unclear or just seems "off" or awkward. Knowing what the horse SHOULD look like from that angle in that pose will help you correct what's wrong in the photo. 


Sadly, some “artists” reach a certain point and never advance any further. You don’t want to be one of them.


 HORSES DON’T EXIST IN A VACUUM 

Remember that real horses do not live in a vacuum. Build up your skills at drawing people, barns and landscapes along with the horses. The sure sign of an amateur equine artist is artwork that shows horses which seem to float in an empty space on a tiny bit of ground or horse heads and necks which end in a sharp line as if they’ve been decapitated. Your horses need to integrate with their backgrounds, whether it is a landscape or just a toned area. So, rather than just chop off the horse at the neck, blend the edges into the background for a much softer, more natural look. 


Study perspective so that you can draw barns well and give depth to your artwork. Your drawings and paintings will have more life and more appeal if you add backgrounds, humans and other animals to them.


 Sketch done from life in the pasture

 

HAVE FUN! 

 Amidst all this learning and practicing, be sure to retain the enjoyment of the drawing process in its pure form. Try not to lose your enthusiasm and don’t let others discourage you. There will always be artists who are better than you no matter how far you advance. There will always be people who will say unkind things about your art. Ignore them. There will also be plenty who will admire your work and praise your genius talent. 


When a constructive critique is given, listen to it carefully, evaluate it and decide if it’s useful for you or not.  It’s okay to disagree with it as long as you haven’t dismissed it outright. Accepting critiques is difficult when your ego is fragile, but they can be a very valuable assist in helping you move forward, even when you don’t like the advice. I know. I’ve been there. 


 KEEP YOUR BEST DRAWINGS

 When I was about 9 or 10 years old, I sorted through piles and piles of saved drawings and kept the best of them. I did that for many years, and now I have a whole box full of them. I urge you to do the same no matter what your age. They are great for looking back and seeing how far you’ve come or just for bringing back memories of when you did the drawings and what inspired them. I treasure my box of old drawings and paintings that go back to when I was 3 or 4 years old. 

 

 

About age 8-9 from a Silver Comic cover


A FEW WORDS ABOUT TRACING

Tracing your reference photos is a very controversial subject in art circles. Some artists consider it cheating and dishonest while others defend it as just another useful tool in an artist’s toolbox. I’m of the latter opinion.

 

Tracing can be a useful tool, but DON'T BECOME DEPENDENT ON IT! Copy your reference photo freehand as much as you can. It’s the best way to train your eye and really learn to see what you’re drawing. While you’re learning you may do some tracing as well which will help you get the feel of the horse; just don’t get into the habit of doing it all the time. 


I sometimes trace parts of photos if I’m having a problem getting a body part correct. Seeing that body part as an outline drawing helps me to see better where my own outline drawing has gone wrong.

 

Sometimes accomplished artists trace a photograph if time is a factor, but otherwise they draw freehand. 

 

Chances are you're already drawing from your imagination. Great! Keep at it! As you learn more about horses and develop your eye to see details better your drawings will improve. Drawing this way also causes you to think more as you work out in your mind what goes where and what size it should be as you construct your horse on paper. It's much more of a challenge when you don't have a picture of a horse in front of you to copy. 


Once you’ve done your own outline drawing, there’s nothing wrong with projecting it or tracing it onto a good sheet of drawing paper. Another useful transfer method is the grid where you lay a grid of squares over your photo or drawing and create another for your drawing paper in the right dimensions. This is particularly useful if you’re enlarging the image you want to draw. 

 

 

IMPORTANT WORDS ABOUT COPYRIGHTS

Every piece of artwork and every photograph is protected by copyright from the moment it's created, including your own. It is a violation of copyright laws to copy without permission EVEN FROM IMAGES YOU FIND ON THE INTERNET. You can be sued by the artist or photographer for copyright infringement, and it could cost you dearly. 

 

There is one exception, however. When you're learning or drawing just for practice, it IS okay to copy as long as you never display, enter into art shows or sell what you've produced. It’s highly unethical to pass off copied works as your own original artwork.

 

Another option is to get permission from the artist or photographer  to make a copy of their work. Make sure you have that permission in writing, and be prepared to pay a fee for "usage". If you don’t know who the artist or photographer is or can’t contact them, DON’T copy.

 

There is a common fallacy that it’s okay to copy if it’s only a certain percentage of the image. This is not true. There is NO allowable percentage that can be copied legally. In a court of law, the rule says that if an ordinary citizen can tell you copied any portion of a photo or painting, it is a copyright infringement. You can be sued by the copyright owner if you don’t get permission, and it could cost you dearly in money and/or reputation. Artists and photographers watch each other’s backs when it comes to copyright infringements and will inform on you if they find you copying another’s work. Reputations HAVE been ruined as word spreads through the art community to watch out for So and So artist who copies from others. 


THINGS TO REMEMBER

 Remember that there is no one correct way to draw horses well. As you advance as an artist, you will develop your own style. It may be loose and painterly or it may be highly detailed. You may prefer bright, vibrant colors or more subdued hues. Your art may be highly realistic, somewhat abstract or full of fantasy.


Don't fall into the common trap of comparing yourself to other or more advanced artists. It will only discourage you and lower your self confidence. Keep in mind that a particular drawing may be THE BEST YOU CAN DO AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME, but remember that you will improve if you keep working at your skills and studying and observing.


If you take a look at the works of successful professional equine artists, you'll see a wide variety of techniques and styles. Study the works of those artists whom you admire, but don't hesitate to learn from other artists, as well. Remember that you will never stop learning and developing as an artist.


RESOURCES

 HOW TO BOOKS AND VIDEOS

Amazon.com is a good source for new and used books and videos. Dover Publications has a variety of inexpensive art books some of which are reprints of old favorites. Another good source of books and videos is ArtistsNetwork.com


Here’s a list of my personally Reviewed and Approved Books for learning to draw horses:


  •  

    ”Draw Horses with Sam Savitt" by Sam Savitt - a master horse artist gives excellent instructions to get you on the right track. A very good starter book for the beginning equine artist.

  • "Drawing and Painting Horses" by Barbara Oelke - a very comprehensive book for anyone who is serious about their art. Includes some instruction on painting.

Look for out of print books on ebay if you can't find them on Amazon

WALTER FOSTER BOOKS

Walter Foster has published quite a few books on drawing and painting horses over the years; some of them are revisions of older books and contain some of the same information. These books are inexpensive and generally pretty good for young artists or beginners. You can find out of print ones on ebay. Here are a few of the better ones:

 

  • "Horses; Learn to Draw Step By Step" H11 very basic instruction but not as good as Sam Savitt's book
  • "Horses Heads" by Don Schwartz - beautiful instructions in oil and pastel
  • "Horses/Oil" by Cindy Larimore - comprehensive color instruction

CAUTION


There are many, many other books on drawing horses available, but so many of them are seriously flawed in one way or another that I cannot recommend them. You cannot learn to draw a horse accurately from a poorly drawn example, so stay with the books above, and you'll be better off.

Also explore how to draw or paint animals books. Many of them contain sections on horses. Books on wildlife painting instruction are excellent resources for equine artists as well since they often cover painting fur, eyes, etc and expressing mood and putting animals in landscapes.


 HORSE ANATOMY BOOKS

 

EQUINE ART WORKSHOPS 

American Academy of Equine Art - The Academy offers a series of workshops on different subjects every year including sculpture. Workshops are taught by equine artists at the top of their fields.

 

Taos Art School - Workshops in drawing, painting, sculpting and photography

 

 Pen and Ink Drawing From Photo

 

 

REFERENCE FILES

 Although the internet is a great resource for horse images, start shooting your own reference photographs. Today’s digital cameras make it  easier than ever with the advantage over the old film cameras of being able to see your images instantly. I recommend the single lens reflex cameras that have interchangeable lenses. Sooner or later you’ll want a zoom lens and a camera with a motor drive for taking action shots. 

 

If you know someone with horses, ask if you can visit their farm to photograph the horses. Many owners will be happy to oblige. Go to local horse shows or other horse events. County fairs are another good source for gathering references, and the horse pulls are great fun for getting photos of the big draft breeds. A local riding stable might also let you take pictures of their horses. Always be polite and respectful and obey any restrictions you are asked to observe like not going into horse’s stalls or pastures or not petting certain horses that might bite or kick. 

 

If you already have print photographs, you can store them in photo boxes. Digital photos can be stored on your computer, a backup hard drive or on DVD’s. I do all three. Divide the photos by subjects such as breeds, foals, ponies, jumping, pasture scenes, etc. Don't forget to include background photos, too, of pastures, trees, barns, clouds and other animals. As time goes on, your collection will grow and will become an invaluable tool for your art. 

 

A word about images you find on the internet. Remember copyrights. Use only images on websites that expressly offer images copyright free to use for artists. Remember, though, that many other artists use those same images to create their art, and you may find “your” horse drawing on the internet some day done by another artist - or two or three. My advice is to limit your use of these images as much as possible. As you build up your own supply of reference photos you will have less need to go searching elsewhere. 

 

 Pencil Drawing from my own photograph

 

 MORGUE FILES

 Artists also collect what’s called a morgue file of images that they’ve cut out of magazines, ad flyers and so forth. These are images which are protected by copyrights so cannot be copied exactly. They are useful for finding details for your art such as how a leg looks from a certain angle at a certain phase of a gait or where the shadows and highlights fall on the horse when the light is coming from a certain direction. These should only be used to give you general information unless you can obtain the permission of the photographer. They can be sorted and stored in file folders. 

 

 BREYER MODEL HORSES

The better Breyer model horses can be very useful “models” for your art. You can put them in any angle you want and control light direction, too. I have a small collection of Breyers that have been carefully selected for their poses and the quality of the sculptures. All are different: standing, walking, trotting, galloping, rearing, high stepping and so forth. They are of different breeds and include foals. The traditional size Breyers are the best in my opinion, and I have used mine several times to help with drawing problems. 


 FINAL WORDS

Remember to have fun and not compare yourself to other horse artists. Compare only where you are now to where you were weeks, months or years ago.  That’s all that really matters. Everyone’s journey is different, and yours will be uniquely your own as will your art. 

 

I wish you the very Best of Luck on your personal and rewarding journey. 

 

 

 If you want to learn how to become a professional horse artist, check out the next page;


 PART II; THE PROFESSIONAL EQUINE ARTIST