Before Painting Your Horse Portrait

Materials

Oil Paintings

Oils are my medium of choice because they are time-tested and honored. The oil paintings of the Great Masters are still as fresh and vibrant today as they were the day they were completed. Colors are still rich and luminous.

The support for each portrait is also selected for performance and permanence. In a day when synthetic and synthetic blend canvases have been joined by other types of painting supports, selecting the best support can be confusing. Once again, I refer to the materials used by the Old Masters of past centuries, as well as modern day masters. Belgian linen has long been known for longevity.

My current supports of choice are quarter-inch Baltic Birch from Signature Canvas, Kansas City, Missouri. Baltic Birch can be custom cut for any size portrait and is available either hand prepped with acrylic gesso in the studio or with oil primed linen canvas. Many other hand made supports are also available from Signature, including custom stretched, linen canvas.

Prepped masonite panels are used for larger portraits and paintings. Available in 1/8" and 1/4" thicknesses, it is ideal for large works.

Oil paints have also been chosen with all the same considerations. The paints I use have been proven through the decades as reliable, color fast and richly pigmented.

My preferred oil paint is M. Graham Oils, which are ground in walnut oil and can be used exclusively with walnut oil. Walnut oil is well-known for its resistance to yellowing with age. It's only perceived disadvantage is that it takes longer to dry than linseed oil or other vehicles. For my painting techniques, that is not a disadvantage.

Colored Pencils

My preferred supports for colored pencil work are archival, museum quality mat board for larger images and Rising Stonehenge papers for smaller pieces. Both types of supports are available in a wide variety of colors and are acid free. Your portrait will be fresh and bright for years to come.

Prismacolor Thick Lead Colroed Pencils are the pencils I use most. For the early stages or for fine detail, I also use Prismacolor Verithin Hard Lead Pencils.

Both are light fast and time tested as fine art quality colored pencils.

Technique

The technique is basically the same for oil paintings and colored pencil paintings.

Every horse portrait begins with a detailed drawing. During the drawing phase, the overall design of the portrait is determined. Design includes the size and placement of the subject; establishing light and shadow and determining background elements. The drawing is approved by the client, then transferred to canvas.

Once the drawing has been transferred to canvas, it is 'fixed' with thinned paint.

Most paintings are then fully developed in half-tones using two or three colors that will provide a complement to the final colors of the background and horse. Details are placed at this stage. Lights and darks are established and adjustments can be made if necessary. Working out the details in this manner can take up to six weeks depending the size of the horse portrait, but the time is well spent.

This under painting is allowed to dry for a minimum of two weeks after completion, then colors are glazed over the under painting. At this stage, the painting process involves applying each transparent color, waiting for it to dry completely, then applying the next color. The result is a rich, luminous painting that cannot be duplicated by any other method.

When the portrait is completed, it is allowed to dry thoroughly before a protective varnish is added.

The portrait is then ready for framing to customer specifications and delivery.

However, some subjects require a more direct painting method. In this case, there is no under painting. Color, value and shapes are developed simultaneously. While this process may appear to be faster, it takes about the same amount of time.

The painting technique is chosen based on the subject, on painting location (in the studio or out of the studio) and on time considerations. My preference is the classical style of painting.