Whether you have done riding on a horse or not, you would love to see paintings or
 |
George Romney Horseman of Montacavallo Yale Centre for British Art, UK |
drawings of horses. There are real and historic reasons for it. The horse is one
of the most ancient means of transport, and above all, it is a great friend of ours in the time of
peace, in the time of war.
Let us join the horse in our creative activity. Pencil drawing, drawing with chalk, and crayon work are usual creative works. But what do we do when we draw a thing or a portrait? Practically, drawing is a conversion of an object into a linear format. Yes, the transference of a thing from one medium to another. It may
be transferred on paper or canvas. The object, here a horse, should be present before the
artist or not: that does not matter. You can draw with your imagination. What
you need will be an excellent good white drawing paper of 120 gms. The texture
of the paper can be of your choice. A set of artists' grade pencils is a must.
To have a good black and white photograph of the horse to be drawn will be a
great idea. so these would be your luggage.
Many artists prefer to have a sketch of the model before starting a final
drawing. It will help. In past, drawing or pencil drawing was considered a subordinate art. The artists of those days used to draw the model in pencil
or charcoal before painting the same on a canvas. The drawing preceded the sculpture; it preceded the construction of a building, too.
What is a pencil? Good question. The pencil was formally invented in the fifteenth century. Once graphite was mined in abundance from the seventeenth century, the artists had pencils of various grades at their disposal. The versatility of pencil drawing
helps infuse light in an art piece by shading work. Light and dark. Nowadays, pencil
portraits and animal drawings have captured a large-scale territory.
The pencil has almost replaced chalk, charcoal and ink. These were
essential materials for a primary drawing, the drawing which became the
primary work for a painting. Or a statue. Great artists like Leonardo da
Vinci and Degas utilised the great tonality of the pencil and its
shading ability. These qualities can help to create fluidity in outlines. Pencil's creative application would form an overall graciousness. These elements can be
infused into a drawing by using the toning and shading capability of a
pencil.
Look at the downward-looking eyes of the horse in the above drawing by Jeanne Rewa. The two horses. The shape of the head is big. It gives us a feeling that the animal is looking at the ground. All the small and directed strokes on the light and dark shadings lead our eyes to look downward, as the horse itself sees in that direction. Thus the artist here has succeeded in making the viewers feel what the artist felt while drawing the faces of the horses. This type of work infuses the soul in the drawing. It confers value upon the drawing.
How to Do a Pencil Shading of a Horse
One of the advantages of using pencils is the unmatched utility of a pencil in line drawing. After completing the lining work, the shading part begins. Once the shading is applied, the drawing becomes rich in volume and warmth. That is the charm of the shadings. The master artist Degas had done genius pencil drawings, as preliminary work for his oil paintings. Classic painters like Ingress depicted coolness and classic patterns in pencil drawings. Imaginative use of shading work is the platinum-grade benefit. Shading in pencil drawing is just like putting different tonal values of colours with the help of the tip of a graphite pencil. After that by selecting a proper colour and applying that colour in different tonal values, a painter would animate his or her mental images on paper and canvas. Thus pencil drawing with creative shading would become a strong base for a masterpiece painting in oil colours when it is enlivened on canvas.
The above pencil drawing of a pair of horses
is one of the finest illustrations of pencil shadings and line drawings I have
seen. It is done by artist Jeanne Rewa. By varying the pressure on the pencil,
the artist has put up the best example of the art of line drawing. The heads of
the horses are shaded with artistic precision. While introducing the light
falling on the different portions of the head and neck, the artist has taken
extra care. And the final product is before our eyes.
.jpg) |
| Study of a Horse Leonardo da Vinci |
Let us see one classic example of the drawing of a horse. Look at the
masterpiece given here. In this drawing, the master artist Leonardo da Vinci demonstrated his art in graphic representation. The master of all
the arts, Leonardo da Vici seems to have been at his best while executing such
type of well-defined work. In addition to being an artist, Leonardo da Vinci was a
master architect.
In this drawing of a horse, Vinci had done a masterly executed graphic
work. Look at the capture of the movement of the horse. How accurately it is infused in the art
piece! This Horse Head is drawn by Leonardo da Vinci by using
silverpoint on a prepared paper. The size of the paper is 120 x 78mm. The
remarkable aspect of this drawing is the element of the movement embedded in
the horse. Look at the raised leg. The horse is on the move. The rider is also
doing the remarkable groundwork. The shading applied at the head and neck parts
of the horse is important. It provides the horse with its accurate
shape.
Vinci was a master of oil painting, a genius in architecture and a superbly intelligent personality. But in this horse drawing, the master artist had depicted his unusual capability of observation and converting that view first onto paper and then onto a canvas.
 |
| Study of the Head of a Horse Pisanello, Louvre, Paris |
The master artists of the renaissance, and the artists of a later period, have exploited the characteristics of shading to its fullest potential. They did it by using charcoal, graphite or a pencil-like instrument. While doing a portrait, the use of a pencil provides artists with freedom and inventiveness. Pencil work can reveal the model's personality through the exact depiction of the gestures.
The drawing of a horse given here is done by the
master artist Pisanello. He had depicted his drawing skill. By
executing the visible ease of the whole scene, Pisanello had created the
likeliness of the wonderful creature. Standing peacefully. When we see the drawing, we feel that the
horse is waiting to be mounted by his master.
This drawing, the whole art piece is believed to have been done by using a
pen. The original art piece is presently displayed in the Louvre Museum of
Arts in Paris. France. The size of this art piece is 276 mm x 197 mm. This art piece is
done by Pisanelo in the year ca 1437 to 1438.
About this painting, once we look at the act of capturing the movement of
the nose and the eyelids of the horse, which are masterly made alive in the drawing, we can only say that it makes us feel that it is really a Master
Piece. The lining work is so noteworthy that the beginner must practice
copying this on his or her drawing paper. It would be as helpful as attending a
creative class lesson.
Now, look at this another superbly-shaded pencil drawing of a horse. This pencil drawing is
one of the loveliest illustrations of pencil shadings and line drawings I have seen. Such eye-catching pencil shading work can be drawn only after having a good experience
in drawing. Such an accurate natural effect can be put on paper by varying the degree of
the pressure of the pencil. Here the artist has put up the best efforts in line
drawing and shading with pencils.
The entire space of the body of the horse is shaded with artistic accuracy and precision. In addition, due care has been taken to depict the presence of light that is falling from behind. The drawing and shading are faithful records of the likeness of an object. Here the artist has recorded the exact likeness of the head of the horse, by using his impressive capacity to execute the potential of a pencil. Overall, the artist's efforts have created fluidity and a sense of movement in the final masterpiece.
.jpg){kind=link}
