Weekly Visual Library Building - 5: Horses
#1
Visual Library Building 5: Horses

This week I thought another applicable topic could be pack animals, more specifically horses. A lot of character illustrations involve knights riding steeds or travelling salesman with his trusty draft horse. These also feature quiet often in environments with a small figure in the foreground often accompanied by a horse for scale.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_anatomy

[Image: Horse_anatomy_head.jpg]
[Image: 599px-Horse_anatomy_hooves.jpg]

For living topics focus on:
- Anatomy and how they are similar/different to human anatomy. This will help you understand how to create your own, more realistic creatures from imagination.
- Visual Communication i.e. Dogs have their ears back when they are scared, cowed, or the hair on the back of their necks stands up when they are being aggressive. Some things may be subtle, some will be obvious.
- Colour/Patterns It's always good to have a library of natural colour schemes/ideas for patterns to suit the look you are going for. No one wants to see a menacing creature with bright pink plaid patterning...
- Movement because static drawings aren't interesting drawings, even creature concept art can look dynamic, and it really sets it apart from static art.

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And the boring stuff I will include with every post so that new comers don't have to go searching:
- Each week I will come up with a topic, it can be anything from boots to machinery.
- Find some images to study, but don't just copy them, maybe do some technical drawings, take written notes (I'm not asking you to write an essay, just things worth noting), some specific detail and generally just get a better idea about a topic.
- I think I'm going to put a new one up each Monday (NB: My time, Sunday for the western world.)
- It's not a competition, its really just about sharing knowledge, one person may pick up an interesting detail or a keen observation than another person may have missed. Just building the number of visual cues that can be extrapolated to design something interesting and new when necessary.
- One last thing, the drawings do NOT have to be pretty finished renderings. A quick sketch of a building façade with details marked and notes will have just as much use as a beautifully rendered copy of a photograph. The point is the content and thought behind it, not how well you can render.

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#2
Ok, so this goes on for a week? A week to study horses. This sounds like a real good idea. I'd like to take part in this every week if I can :)

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#3
Just a few quick studies. I focus on design differences between two horses temperament cold and hot blooded. Based on Clydesdale and Arabian Horse breed.

[Image: tumblr_mntvis5s5I1rw215do1_r1_1280.png]

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#4
So far...Motion next.





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#5
Awesome topic! I do need to practice my horses. Going to do some gestures today. Btw great tool here, you can select horses =D http://artists.pixelovely.com/practice-t...l-drawing/

Also best animal drawing book I've encountered (and since I mainly draw animals Ive looked at alot) 'the weatherly guide to drawing animals'. It has a great section on horses, and other animals, but the horse has a 5 turn around, construction, muscles, skelly, joint movement, and different walks etc. Great book to pick up, if you have a chance. Parts can be seen online I finally toss up the money and ordered, well worth it.

Anyway Keep going guys =D

sketchbook
Is 12% hippy
We got this!
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#6
Excellent Stuff everyone :)
Damian: Yep, I make a new one every week, but nothing stops you from posting in the past ones if you like them :) Just do what ever interests you, its all about you, not about whats current :)
Your horses look great too btw. I especially like the form of the greyscale one.

Madzia: That shape breakdown is great. Totally going to note that down for future reference :)

Wingal: Thanks for that link, I used some of them in mine and book marked it to use in the future. I'll also look into that book, from what I can see it has some really neat stuff in it.


Most of mine are just gestures, trying to get the feel of the horse and the motion. Also excuse the dodgy SB pages amongst them.

Visual Library - Horses - Page 1
[Image: 130610-10.jpg]


Visual Library - Horses - Page 2 and learning Gouache
[Image: 130610-11.jpg]


Visual Library - Horses - Page 3
[Image: 130610-12.jpg]


Visual Library Building - Horses - Page 4
[Image: 130610-13.jpg]


Visual Library Building - Horses - Page 5. These Gestures are great for learning proportion
[Image: 130610-14.jpg]


Visual Library Building - Horses - Page 6
[Image: 130610-15.jpg]

P.S. Horses actually have tails.. Totally always thought they were just hair on the end of a stump.. I'm an idiot lol.

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#7
Nice stuff guys! I still need to scan my horses and my castles. Did you do some imagination ones as well, its important so you know what actually sunk in. Plus is so dang fun!

sketchbook
Is 12% hippy
We got this!
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#8
Jaik, Nice body of studies! Maybe next time you could render one up as fully as you can, to try and get those details to sink in.

Wingal - None from imagination from me. But yes, hopefully on the next one. I struggled for time this last week. Work and all :(

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#9
Couple of mine were from imagination, mostly the ones that looked more like donkeys lol.

Yeah, I really should have pushed one or two digitally and rendered them out. Next time I guess :P

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#10
Great stuff guys, the body-in-a-box-approach is interesting!

I'm sooo late, sorry! But I really wanted to paint a horse, since I have drawn (very) few, but never, ever, painted one. Horses are really important in every fantasy/middle age topic...







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Every feedback is appreciated!
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#11
OMG that is a beautiful horse lyraina. DAYUM
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#12
Thank you :)

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Every feedback is appreciated!
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#13
That was fun, I look forward to doing more visual library excercises!




Pixellovely gesture drawings

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#14
I'm late, but what the hell. :3
This one is nice for me, having grown up with horses all my life and owning a stud in Australia with 12 horses, I know them like the back of my hand. Still having issues with them but whatever.

This horse is drawn off a friends horse who passed away a few years ago.

I tried drawing the hooves and they weren't working, so I erased them lmao... i've since practised them (again)

[Image: Chestnut-Horse_zps0dd3d7ea.jpg]
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#15
That horse is amazing. Really nice use of edges :) But dont be scared of feet if thats why you blurred out the bottom :P

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#16
(07-01-2013, 12:14 PM)Jaik Wrote: That horse is amazing. Really nice use of edges :) But dont be scared of feet if thats why you blurred out the bottom :P

Thank you :) I enjoy painting horses in my down time. I've practised hooves a lot and can suggest the hardened exterior now and shines from hoof oils (Which I like to apply cause hoof polish makes them look prettier :P) but when I did that, they just weren't working for me at all :(

But thank you :D I might try another horse today, now that I have finished my movie still study.
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#17
Here are my studies. mostly was thinking about proportion. Looking at How to draw animals by Jack Hamm. then two drawn from photos.



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