# Tell me what you think about my latest horse painting!!



## peppyrox (Apr 23, 2010)

Hi everyone!! This is my latest painting of my horse Jack and me. I used acrylic paint and pastels on a canvas.Tell me what you think! Please be honest and tell me where it could have been improved. Please note that my hand in the painting still has not been completed, so that's why it looks a little odd.. 

My reference photo:








Half finished:








Jack's completed head:








Half finished chest:








Completed!!








Detail - Hooves:








- Tree:








- Face:








- Body:








- Me and Jack:









Sorry about all the pics!!


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## RedTree (Jan 20, 2010)

wow that is amazing


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Very nice!


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## MoheganSun (Dec 8, 2010)

Very beautiful! Horses are so difficult to paint in detail, and you managed to!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Peppyrox,

Do you want my honest opinion? As an artist? This painting has a lot of potential, but it lacks courage. The first photo show what looks like the beginnig of that but as you go forward, the overall effect becomes blurrier and less compelling. Can you look at it and decide what place is more important than the other and put more strength and empahsis there to help the viewer move into and out of the picture. A painting is not a photograph, so you can take liscence and direct the viewer through the artwork by emphasiszing some more and some less, using strong linear elements or areas that are much darker or lighter than others.
It IS a very nice work and I would never say this if I didn't think that you have the talent to strike out with a bit more bravery.


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## peppyrox (Apr 23, 2010)

Thanks everyone, and I agree completely with _tinyliny_ about the lack of courage. Painting is not 'my thing' though, I draw a lot more than I paint, but I wanted to try something colourful and this is the result!


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## PintoTess (Aug 18, 2010)

I like it! but the only thing that i can offer is that you could maybe, around the legs, paint all the way TO the leg, not about 1cm away from the leg? i mean the white bit on the side of the leg (sorry i am very bad at explaining). good work and keep it up!


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## PintoTess (Aug 18, 2010)

oh wait, is it just a sock on the hind leg?


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## peppyrox (Apr 23, 2010)

yeah it is  i must admit, it does look a little odd, but you can't have a three legged horse, right?


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## PintoTess (Aug 18, 2010)

no you cant! lol  at first i thought, dude, paint to the lg, but then i saw that it wa sa sock lol, maybe add the TINYEST little bit of grey into the side of it to look like it has a little chading and to make it look like its noit juts the white canvas  (sorry about my spelling, im typing too fast) lol


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## peppyrox (Apr 23, 2010)

I'll try to do something about when I get around to finishing the hand... maybe one dayy  lol


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## PintoTess (Aug 18, 2010)

oh no its still looks good! i have a feeling that if you try to fix it, it wont turn out lol  so when i was looking at it again, i noticed that it does look like the other leg.


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## jumping lover (Jan 5, 2011)

That is amazing!  I could never in my life draw something that goood!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Peppyrox,

I prefer drawing to painting, tho recently I am working in Sumi Ink, but it's like drawing in many ways. 
I would love to see some of your drawings. I really get a kick out of seeing other peoples' artwork.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

How long have you been painting as that is actually quite good & with more practive i think you'll go far with it. 
You've done fairly well with the shadowing & light areas, which i find is the problem with many people's paintings (the ones that dont do much of it). They tend to put down the obvious color but add no depth or blending.

The one thing i'll suggest is that you put down a base coat first and then add onto it so that you dont get the little white spots of the canvas showing through. I usually have atleast 3-4 layers on by the time i'm finished.


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## peppyrox (Apr 23, 2010)

Thankyou TinyLiny and Lilruffian for helping me and giving me some tips. That is a great idea to put down a base coat, and I will do that next time  I have not been painting for long but I have been drawing for 3 years - since I was 12, and I much prefer drawing to painting. Thanks again for your suggestions :smile:


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## Caitlinpalomino (Nov 16, 2010)

wow that looks great!!


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## Akuinnen24 (Jan 14, 2011)

I really like this piece, it may not be "photorealism" but it looks like that wasn't your intent. Instead, it has a soft and dreamy quality with pastel colors that reminds me of Impressionism. Impressionism is a style where the focus isn't on hiding brushstrokes and perfect accuracy, but instead on light and color. It's really impressive that this is one of your first paintings. 

A few pointers that I think you could try out next time is to not be afraid to go dark and to avoid using black. Unless it's night, shadows are never actually black and adding straight black often turns the color to gray (like the gray shadows on the face versus the more lifelike blue shadows on the jeans.) Instead, shadows are often a deeper version of the original color with some of the compliment color (the opposite color on the color wheel) mixed in. Shadows on days with blue skies are also often bluish because while the sunlight can't reach the area, some of the light from the blue sky usually can. 

That's all the advice I have, I think the best way to learn is by experience, you seem like you have a lot of talent so I'm sure you'll be able to keep on improving as you go.


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## peppyrox (Apr 23, 2010)

Thank you very much Akuinnen. I had a lot of hesitation about using the black because it is such a dominating shade to use, but my mum said it would look okay, so I did it lol :smile: I think I might have a break from painting and start focusing mainly on drawing for the timebeing because I think I enjoy it more. Thank you again


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## Akuinnen24 (Jan 14, 2011)

You're welcome.  It was my first painting teacher that had us never use black, I actually didn't even own a black tube of oil paint until a couple weeks ago, lol. Don't let all the critique discourage you though, painting is a little more difficult than drawing because you have to worry about color, but it's a great medium to work with. ^^

Another quick tip that works with any drawing or painting is to hold it up to a mirror every once in a while as you go. When you draw, your eyes get used to any flaws and after a while it's harder to notice when the proportions are off. Holding it up to a mirror reverses the image so you can see it in a way you haven't gotten used to and any mistakes will be much easier to see.


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## Marlea Warlea (Apr 27, 2010)

wow thats pretty good!!


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