peggy by karen medhurst

A lovely drawing, I find horses far too difficult!!

Very good.

Thank you very much ladies,I may try another.

Hi Karen, thankyou for commenting on my drawing "Quarter Horse Portrait". You asked for a few tips, I hope I can help. Firstly, know your subject well, including anatomy. Photos are so deceiving and do not show much information, especially regarding form, they flatten it. I use tone(value) to describe form, building it up gradually using graphite pencils ranging from HB to 2B, as well as using graphite powder with a soft brush to deepen the darks. I have good quality anatomy printouts pinned to a cork board in my studio so I can refer to them constantly. I just keep working around the drawing, deepening shadows, adding the highlights, etc. until I am satisfied that I have described the form to the right degree, which you could do with "Peggy". Like anything else, practice is the key, training you eye and brain until it is all stored away. I have used a lot of really bad photos purposefully so that I would have to study anatomy so I would know how part of a horse or cow should look, even though I could not see the area clearly on the photos. This has helped imprint it on my brain. It can be frustrating, but it pays off in the long run. I hope this info has been of some help, there is so much more to it, but it takes time absorb it all. Best wishes.........Margaret.