# Will I EVER get better?/My art Journal



## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

Hi!

I think I am totally rubbish 'cause no one wants to see my drawing but I'll give it one more go.

This is my 2nd attempt at Drawing Lila-a horse that I mucked up while colouring:










Referance:










Other-1st-try:










I would love some tips by the way and please write at least 'Hi' so I know you have looked:-(OK?

Phantom


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Don't get down on yourself! Don't have any tips. I can't draw at all, my 5 yr old daughter has more artistic ability than me! Just like anything else, keep at it & practice makes perfect


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Hi phantom,

You will get better. Of course, you will. Anything that you do a lot of you will get better. You must draw a lot! I always recommend to people to draw a ton, and not worry about the finished product. Be prepared to draw and throw away many pictures. You will have 9 failures for every success, at least at first. Speed up! Dont try to "carve" your picture, as if it were stone. Just feel the shape and line and lay those feelings down onto the paper. Quick!, like 1 minute. If it's wrong, start again.

As for drawing from the photo, especially in a difficult perspective such as you have chosen, try using tracing paper for a bit to help you learn how to translate the shapes you see in 3D into lines on a 2D piece of paper.

Do not compare yourself to others who have many more years experience.


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

Thanks!


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## chanda95 (Apr 6, 2011)

To be honest...you ARE getting better. I can see the improvement in your most recent drawing. Tinyliny has great advice. It takes time and practice. Please dont get discouraged. Look at each piece you do as a new skill learned..  _Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

OK. Any tips on colouring?


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## lildonkey8 (Dec 12, 2010)

It's great. You _*will*_ get better.


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

Phantomstallion said:


> Hi!
> 
> I think I am totally rubbish 'cause no one wants to see my drawing but I'll give it one more go.
> 
> ...


The problem with your drawing is you are looking AT the horse not IN the horse.

You are lacking depth perception and just trying to do the outline without looking at the the basic shapes that make up any drawing.


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

You are going to get tons of different advice because everyone has their own style. The best thing you can do is draw and draw and see what works for you. Pick up drawing books and practice from them. Sometimes you can find them cheap on ebay or at garage sales or some libraries carry them or can get them for you. 

My initial drawing would look similar to your first one. You have the basic overall shape and proportions going on. That is a good thing because a lot of people can't really *see* the outline and proportions. This is why a lot of art books tell people to use spheres and other basic shapes to start a drawing with. You don't really need too because you have the talent to see it and apply it to paper. You will even get better with proportions the more you draw. I would suggest starting the outline a big lighter so you can change and adjust it easier as your drawing progresses. 

Now you need to finish it. Add detail. It takes time and patience to add the detail. Look at the shading and highlights. For example - the eye is never a solid color. Depending on the lighting there may be 2-8 shades that make up the depth of the eye. Shading is what changes a plain 2-D circle into a 3-d sphere. Learning to see those shades and highlights and apply them will be what adds the finishing touch to your drawings.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

[saying Hi because I know nothing about art xD But I looked! xD]


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## Cheyennes mom (Aug 6, 2010)

hello!
I see improvement  The ears are much better in the second attempt! 

For colouring I like to do my strokes the same way that the hair goes. 

I'm just starting, but I thought I could give you what I've got lol


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## fuadteagan (Jun 10, 2010)

Please post more. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Sometimes I sit in my room and spend 4 hours drawing a horse's eyes! If you want to get better you need to practice. If you need to practice you have to draw more and if you are you should have more drawings to post. So, show us your progress!


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Phantom, whatever you do don't get yourself down, and DONT compare to others. 
If you don't mind me asking, roughly how old are you?
Developing drawing skills takes a lot of time and practice. Start by going to absolute basics. 
Draw a circle on a piece of paper - now turn it into a sphere by shading. Practice this until you can make your circle look 3D. Shading and tonal work is a very big part of effective and visually pleasing artwork. 

When you start drawing horses, as Spyder said, look into the horse, not at the horse. When I do my commission pieces, I spent hours focussing on the horse's eyes and trying to get a feel for the horse's personality. If you get the eyes perfect, the rest will follow.
Maybe try to start drawing as many eyes as you can. Just work on an A3 sheet of paper, and draw eye after eye after eye until you can see an improvement. Use the circle-sphere exercise above, to help you develop tone and realism to the eyes. Observe where the light in coming from in a photograph, and try to mimic that in your drawing. 

I also suggest that you practice drawing fur detail. Get onto your computer, pick any old horse and crop it down so that you just have a patch of clear fur, that has light and dark tones in it. Try to draw these views as many times as you can, to get a feel for tonal work and how the light reflects off a horse's coat to create shine. 

I think Tiny suggested this as well, but allowing yourself a time limit of 1 or 2 minutes to draw as much as you can is a fantastic way to get a grasp of proportions. You tend to overlook the finer details in your attempt to draw the whole horse in such a short period of time. The more you practice this, you will be surprised to see how much detail and correct proportion you are coming up with. 

Hope that's helped you a little, I need to head off and get some of my own commission work done now!


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

Thanks!:lol:


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

I am between 10-15. Why?


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Just so I can word replies to suit - if you're an adult beginner in art I'd word any help a bit differently 

ETA: hit reply to quickly! It's also good to know your approximate age to gauge your drawing skills, for between 10-15, you're very good!


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

I have a question to everybody; should I do Lila in graphite shading or colour?

Kayty; Oh Ok, that makes sense!


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

I'd go for graphite in the beginning. Graphite gives you a very good idea of how to use tones and shading to create a three-dimensional drawing. To help you even more - edit the photo you use on the computer to make it black and white. This will help show you obvious differences in shading. When you draw it, try to match the tones in the black and white photo.


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

I can't do that kind of stuff but if anyone on here can and would like to, I would be very grateful!


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

Is this what you ment by shading a sphere:










It looks a bit better in real life.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Phantom.

Good sphere. Now, just add a bit more to make it a tiny bit bolder; the dark area darker and the lightest area lighter. Most materials create a bit of shine reflection when light is shined on them. It's the bright spot you see on an apple, for instance. I call it the "shine spot". It is what makes an eye look real. try adding that to the sphere. It will be at the place which is closes to the light source .


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

How do you do _that_?

See? I'm a total newbie.:lol:


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

OK! I asked Marlea to change it to black and white and at the moment am working on this:










BTW: Nowhere near finished.

Would love tips on how to draw PROPER ears!!!


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

Phantomstallion said:


> OK! I asked Marlea to change it to black and white and at the moment am working on this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


LOOK at the ears. Again if you look at the whole horse and not worry if you have the outline you will do better.

This is what I mean. I threw this together in 3 minutes.


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

Spyder said:


> LOOK at the ears. Again if you *look at the whole horse* and not worry if you have the outline you will do better.
> 
> This is what I mean. I threw this together in 3 minutes.


What do you mean the _whole horse_?


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

Drawing in outline like you did just shows that...the outline.

It may give you a area to work in like paint by numbers but it does not actually see the horse.

If you ever get to the library go look up the book..The Agony and the Ecstasy ( not sure if I spelled this right).

It is the story of Michelangelo. The first part tells how he went to the morgue, cut out the innerds of people to understand how the body was made up. He "understood" the WHOLE human being and he knew the structure of the whole being.

Kinda gruesome but fascinating at the same time.


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

Thanks!

I love your sig BTW!


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## Annnie31 (May 26, 2011)

You have done a fine job of your horse head. You will get better, its a given. When I draw it becomes a bit fragmented, I like to perfect each item one by one. For example I would study the mouth of this particular horse..the details that give it character and proportion and try to perfect it, then move on to the eyes, the ears etc. Wonderful job so far. Keep plugging away.


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

Thank you so much!


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

I have an update on the horse's head, which by the way I have called Izzie










And I was doing a card for my BFF and I drew a pony inside so I'll post that too:










I didn't worry about the shading or anything in this one just so that it looks like a pony.


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## Marlea Warlea (Apr 27, 2010)

that horse is hard to draw  so it's pretty good

maybe try doing a horse thats side on... i love drawing portraits of people and the best one i've ever done was of my bro when he was playing his d.s!!


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## Marlea Warlea (Apr 27, 2010)

Phantomstallion said:


> I have an update on the horse's head, which by the way I have called Izzie
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
double post: sorry, the horse i was referring to in my last post was the one you posted in your first post (hope thaty makes sence lol)

'Izzy' has a very nice head, but maybe try making the neck thicker and larger eyes.

BTW completley in love with the buckskin pony (by far your best one!!)


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

Marlea Warlea said:


> double post: sorry, the horse i was referring to in my last post was the one you posted in your first post (hope thaty makes sence lol)
> 
> 'Izzy' has a very nice head, but maybe try making the neck thicker and larger eyes.
> 
> BTW completley in love with the buckskin pony (by far your best one!!)


Thanks. I try to make adjustment tonight. Have you changed the colour of the image I PMed you?


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## Marlea Warlea (Apr 27, 2010)

yes.... i'll send it now because i cant work out how to send it on PM


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## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

Great job so far! You have seen some of my drawings before and they are far from good, I would be the first to admit that! :lol: Any way, A few tips that make drawing easier for me: First off, you need to "Feel" the horse, understand his personality, make him who he is. Second of all, Like the people above me said, you need to do a quick sketch of the horses outline, dont take 10 hours on the outline. Another thing, I like"Dramatizing" my pictures, like I like drawing Arabians with their dish in their head and I like to make them look... Overly fragile... With a very nice dish in their head dramitizing them a bit. Third of all, Its way easier to look at a picture when starting off, then you can see the shading. So, here is a picture that took me less than 2 minutes. You start off like this, then, slowly erase the circles and shapes and start shading and before you know it you got a master piece. Try drawing Arabs, make them have a personality and a great big dish, make them look natural. One last thing, When the wind is blowing the horses hair doesnt just sit stiffly on them, it has movement, ALWAYS has movement, make the horses "Flow" (I was drawing the picture of the Arabian Stallion photo I uploaded) (Its a random horse off the internet, my favorite when drawing


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## Marlea Warlea (Apr 27, 2010)

pretty good but this is not the place to show off your work


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## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

Marlea Warlea said:


> pretty good but this is not the place to show off your work


Lol, sorry, I wasnt meaning it in that way! Didnt mean to make mine look better or anything. Sorry.


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## SkyeAngel (Sep 8, 2010)

Marlea, I think Gallop On was posting their picture to try and illustrate the point they were making, and to help Phantom. I actually think it was some very good advice, and Phantom may well be able to learn from it. I don't think Gallop on was trying to hijack the thread or show off.

Phantomstallion, I think you have gotten some very good advice so far. I think your drawings are good for your age, and practise is always the key. I am very confident that you will improve. 

I think putting the picture in black and white when you do the shading is a very good idea, I do that myself sometimes if i'm struggling with shading. Gallop on also has a good point about breaking the image up into shapes, it will help you to give a sense of shape without focusing too much on the outline. 

A couple of other things you can try are to try turning your refernce image upside down. I used to do that because then you have to draw what you see, not what your brain _thinks _a horse looks like.

Another very good technique I used to use is griding. If you can print a picture off and draw a grid over it (I think i used to do square inches) then grid up your paper you can draw each square individually. I don't know if I explained that well, if you want I can post a picture to show you what I mean. 

other than that, focus on shading in the direction that the hair would sit as Kayty said, and Gallop On had a good point about trying to create movement. Practise, practise, practise! 

You will get better, I know it. Good luck. Hope this helped.


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## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

Thank you SkyeAngel, that is exactly why I posted the picture. And great idea on turning the reference sheet upside down, I will have to try that! Also, the grid paper is a good idea. That why I use lined paper, its easier to keep the photo in proprtion than with a plain piece of paper. Very great tips SkyeAngel! Phantom, "practise makes perfect"


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## Marlea Warlea (Apr 27, 2010)

sorry about that 

i used to do the upside down thing too


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## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

Awe, I didnt know you drew! You need to show some pictured you have drawn!


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## Marlea Warlea (Apr 27, 2010)

they aren't very good


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## Pony10girl (Sep 1, 2010)

wow there ace much better than when i first started drawing horses 
dont forget practise makes perfect the more you do the better you become
heres a tip what i did to get the feel of the shape of a horse try traceing a few and get your hand use to the shapes


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

Thanks! I'll try and draw an arab this week. If it's any good I might give it to my best friend next time I see her. Thanks for the tips! I am rubbish at drawing the basic shapes and then the outline around it, like you did Gallop
I don't seem to get the hang of it.


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## lildonkey8 (Dec 12, 2010)

Well, one thing I forgot to tell you I did was this.
Invest in some tracing paper.
Trace the horse, DON'T WORRY ABOUT DETAILS!
Then, draw (without tracing) the horse you see on your tracing. 
THEN worry about details.
It makes you think about the main idea first, details later.


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## Cheyennes mom (Aug 6, 2010)

^^that's how I started too


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## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

I don't like tracing paper... I feel as if I am relying on the paper to draw a photo... But I guess its just a matter of personal opinion. Tracing might work for one person and not the other. It doesnt work for me but it might work for you! Give it a try!


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## lildonkey8 (Dec 12, 2010)

I do it than try to do it on my own...


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## ItzKayley (Jun 8, 2011)

To me it's good! I can't draw anything lol! I think I'll stick to editing photos and taking photos! 
Tips: I have none! I don't know a thing about art when it comes to pencil and paper!


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## HeatherMElmore (Jun 8, 2011)

Hey Phantom, 

I have been making creating since I can remember. I'm now 32 years old and I'm still hard on myself from time to time. I believe to some extent all artists are. Ask yourself it creating deep down makes you happy? Are you drawn to art? If so never give up. Talent is ever growing and ever changing. Just keep photos of your art from year to year and look back and reflect. You will see the changes if you are willing to work on it. 
I see here the developing understand of a horses structure. I wish that I had old draws from my younger days I could show you which looked much like this to what I have done now. 
Don't ever give up! Not if it is what you have a passion for doing. I promise with each drawing you will get better. I love that you are using photo reference. Try going to shows and taking your own photos to work from. Draw from life and nature. The talent is there... planted like a seed inside you... all it needs is help to grow. )


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## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

1. Turn the reference picture upside down. When you look at something in an abnormal way, your brain has to register it differently and as a result, you notice things about a picture that you wouldn't previously.

2. Once you think you're done the drawing, hold it up to a mirror. Mirror images show small mistakes that our brain wouldn't ordinarily perceive. Are the eyes slightly different in size? Looking at it straight on, you might not be able to tell. Looking at it in a mirror, you'll see the mistakes quite quickly.

3. Split your subject into geometrical shapes. When I'm drawing a horse, the head is made up of two circles (the forehead and muzzle) joined by a rectangle. The ears are two triangles. The body is two circles again (chest and hind quarters) joined by a rectangle. Each leg is two circles (knee/hock and fetlock) joined by ovals (forearm/stifle and cannon/shank). The hooves are squares. Once you have the basic shape, you can begin fleshing out the actual shape of the horse, adding curves, connecting the head to the shoulder, making the entire shape look less 'geometrical'. The drawing I did below is a good example... it's not quite finished, but you can kind of see how I used geometrical shapes to piece it together.


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## GeminiJumper (Jun 12, 2008)

The only thing I can say is just keep drawing and drawing and drawing! Do a quick sketch of anything that comes to your mind. Dream up something. At first, yes, the drawings aren't so pretty but the point is to keep the pencil moving. Don't slowly draw your horse, quickly sketch it out, letting the pencil flow over the shape of the horse. The horse is a living, breathing, moving creature! Let your drawings have life and fluidity to them! 

As others have mentioned, study horses! That's honestly the number one reason how I improved in my drawings. Instead of just thinking up how a horse looked, I went and flipped through books and looked online. Study the horse's body and what makes up a horse! I'll never forget the first drawings I did where I made the horse look like he had muscles! Quite a change from a flat horse. 

I wish you the best of luck! You are already off to a great start! Here are examples of how I improved. I, too, started off young; for me, I started dating my drawings around 11 years old. I'm now 21.


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## GeminiJumper (Jun 12, 2008)

Courtney, where did you inspire to draw that horse? He looks familiar. Was it possibly from this book?










Even if its not, to the OP, I found this book amazingly inspirational!! The author gives so many amazing illustrations on how the horse--and other animals--move!


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## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

Gemini, it very well could have been that book. I actually have a copy around here somewhere -- it's one of my favorite books to go to when I need some instruction.


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## GeminiJumper (Jun 12, 2008)

Yeah, I also have this book at home and love it.


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## GeminiJumper (Jun 12, 2008)

Spyder said:


> If you ever get to the library go look up the book..The Agony and the Ecstasy ( not sure if I spelled this right).
> 
> It is the story of Michelangelo. The first part tells how he went to the morgue, cut out the innerds of people to understand how the body was made up. He "understood" the WHOLE human being and he knew the structure of the whole being.
> 
> Kinda gruesome but fascinating at the same time.


Thanks to your suggestion, I myself am checking this book out! I hope its good!


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## JessPintoMare (May 15, 2011)

Hi! 
Bet that made your day didn't it? 
Anyways I can't draw worth a crap, or any type of artsy thing. I just wanted to say hi!


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## goldilockz (Aug 1, 2008)

I'm an artist by trade and I can tell you with all honesty that yes, you WILL get better. It is clear that you already have a good eye for form.

Art can be frustrating. But if you want to grow as an artist, you have to do some boring stuff, first! I recommend Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, as well as any book by Andrew Loomis if you can get your hands on it. Draw what you see, and draw boring things like balls and cubed objects. Draw what you SEE, not what you think you see. 

Do not give up. It takes years, but it's truly worth the effort. Feel free to PM me at any time if you want some advice or encouragement. I love seeing budding new artists and especially those with clear talent like you have!


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## goldilockz (Aug 1, 2008)

I want to give you some encouragement so I will post one of my latest paintings. Keep in mind, I used to draw EXACTLY like you when I was a teenager! You have UNLIMITED potential literally at your fingertips


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

Awsome!


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## GlowingEmber (Jun 15, 2011)

ok you have talent your second attempt looks great except this is what i'm noticeing , you ears are too small , your mane and fore lock look fine but if they are they don't look much like the mane and forelock in the picture , for this I would segust a thing my sister does , flip the reference pic and the paper your drawing on upside down this way you draw what you see not what you think it should look like ,but your horses nose looks better than any horse nose i've draw , so yea also don't forget to finsh the details like shading and such hope I didn't repeat anything I didn't have time to write my reply and read all of the other replys though i did read some, and don't give up you have talent if you keep trying you could be great


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

On holiday I got this great book on drawing horses and plan on trying some. I'll post my tries here.


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

Here is my try of the 'Head in Profile' from that book:


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## Cheyennes mom (Aug 6, 2010)

ooh that one's nice!!


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## Domino13011 (Aug 10, 2009)

That one is really good! You're already getting better


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## Phantomstallion (Jan 3, 2010)

It's not finished yet. I still need to do the mane and I might do graphite on it.

Thanks, guys:lol:


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

You need to study actual horses, looking at the structures in the head. I used to sit and draw just the ears or just the eyes then where they are in relation to the jaw bone, the angle, etc. Because I was never please with my work I switched to cartooning horses and have never looked back.


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