Horse Portrait

[Kacey88]

My sister is a very talented artist and really enjoys drawing horses. I told her she could save up some money by drawing portraits of people's horses. Here is a sample of her work:

What do you guys think? She mainly draws in charcoal/pencil etc. How much do these type of portraits usually sell for? Would this type of work interest you guys? We have no idea!

(By the way, this is not an advertisement of any sort, just want opinions! We don't even live in the UK!)

 

[Kacey88]

Anyone have any opinions/feedback on her sketch?

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

I wish I could draw like that! I'm still at the pre-school stage of art!

I would say the proportions seem a little out- it looks like it may have banged it's cheek, and it's ears seem a little small and shrivelly, and its nose looks like a sea horse! i wouldn't commission a drawing based on that picture but if she enjoys drawing then she should keep going for fun- the more you practise at something the better your eye gets!!!!

But I can't comment as even my stick men go on strike...!!

 

[Wagtail]

She needs to practice lots and build up a portfolio so that she has plenty of work to show people. It would be useful if she did a few free portraits for family and friends so she could get some recommendations.

Based on the picture you have used, she needs to decide on a style. At the moment it is a cross between detailed and impressionistic. If she wants to go for detailed then she needs to increase it tenfold. If she is looking more to paint a representation of the horse and show it's movement, then less detail and more flowing strokes are needed. Not bad at all though for an early attempt. The more she does, the more she will improve. Google some other horse artists and look at the standard she will be competing with. It is extremely high!

 

[Kacey88]

Thanks guys! She intends on doing loads of free practice work (lucky for me!) so I might place a similar thread in a few months with her progress.

 

[FionaM12]

I agree with the above comments. Do you mind me asking how old your sister is? And was this copied from a photo?

She has a lovely style, but for portraits you need accuracy and at present she lacks that. If she works from photos, she'd be best to draw a grid on the photo and scale it up to copy to the size she wants, so that she gets things like the cheekbone the right size and shape etc.

The eye is excellent. Eyes are very hard to get right and this one is very good, in expression and detail.

Tell her to keep at it!

 

[Kacey88]

I don't think it was copied from a photo. And she's 27! I think she drew it in school though. She hasn't drawn in ages. Also, I know the horse looks a bit "sea horsey" but I think she was going for a very dramatic look, if that makes any sense. Her first step is to draw her own horse from a photo to see if she can really capture her properly. I think she has amazing potential and I'm jealous that I didn't get the same arty gene!