We jumped straight in with a study of a dapple grey gelding known by the name of Marble Arch. He's part Irish draught had has those lovely strong features. Difficult to see in the scan is his profile. He has a roman nose. I see this as being the major challenge in this portrait. Technical detail: Substrate: Hahnemuehle paper Nostalgie 200gr Tools: Derwent pencil 6B & 2B Started with the eye. Once I felt this was good enough to get stuck in I moved on to the neck. I picked up a 6B Derwent and started on the mane. Rendering the hairs with thick strokes to create shadow and depth. I then moved on to the neck muscle. Drawing the daple markings (with a 2B) and using them to delimit and highlight the muscle structure as well as create its complex colour structure. Dapled grey is one of my favorite colours in a horse. To render its just as in real life: tricky (stable stains feel very at home on a greys' quarters and belly) and difficult to get just right but when in tip top shape...
