Drawing and Painting Horses - Hardcover

Dutton, Eva

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844485439 ISBN 13: 9781844485437

Publisher: Search Press, 2012

Synopsis

This is a hugely inspiring and informative guide to drawing and painting horses by expert equestrian artist, Eva Dutton. It begins with advice on materials for sketching and drawing, and for painting in various media such as watercolour, gouache, acrylics and pens, then moves on to finding inspiration, drawing from life and using reference material and anatomical drawings. It goes on to show how to develop from basic scribble drawings to shape drawings, then to adding shadow and tone, to portraying movement, getting proportions right and adding detail. Next we move on to painting horses, with advice on composition, backgrounds, coats, colours and markings, mixing colours and using different painting techniques. There are then five stunning step-by-step demonstrations ranging from a simple head and neck, through full horses depicted with various backgrounds and a horse cantering through water, to a beautiful, detailed painting of a herd of horses. Eva's exquisite paintings will inspire readers and her detailed instruction, from initial marks to final paintings, will encourage them to have a go.

About this title

Product Description

Drawing & Painting Horses Equestrian and wildlife artist, Eva Dutton, shows how to create wonderful, believable paintings.

Review

I've been writing about art books for more than thirty years (yes, it seems longer to me too) and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of books I've seen dedicated to drawing and painting horses. Some of this has to do with the fact that it's quite a specialised subject and partly because they're one of the most difficult animals to get right. Just getting all four legs in proportion seems to be beyond most artists. Stick to guinea pigs, they're just adorable little lumps. However, all those problems mean that pretty much anyone who does want to paint horses is going to need a really good guide and Eva Dutton is not going to let you down. Her thorough guide is beautifully and generously illustrated and deals with all the practicalities such as conformation (basically, what makes a horse look horsey) as well as the techniques you need to capture hair, manes, eyes, hooves and everything else, both static and in motion. Starting from basics and using simple block diagrams, Eva will show you how to get the shapes and structures right; this section is excellent on the practical, rather than the anatomical approach. From here, she moves on to things like motion and proportion and it's in these sections that you start to learn how to give your work the character that makes for life and reality. Further chapters deal with backgrounds, colours and markings, and a handy selection of brushwork techniques. The final section of the book is a series of five demonstrations that give you a chance to put what you've learned into practice. These are worth following as they give you a chance to work from a pre-planned image, rather than trying to get to grips with a moving creature before you're ready. This is a nicely thought-out and well-structured book from an author who is clearly comfortable with her subject.-Artbookreview.net --Artbookreview.net

Edition details

• Publisher: Search Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1844485439
• ISBN 13: 9781844485437
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 128