Sketchbook Sunday - September 23

Another busy week. I'm losing hope of getting the draft horse drawing done in time for the contest, but I'm still going to try. I finished the blinker, did the eye and that big section of his face, and am working on the bridle again.

And a sketch from this week - from another of my county fair photos. I really like how it turned out.

I'm working on my lesson on foreshortening. I've read through the lesson book but have no drawing to show of it yet... next week.

Don't forget to enter the name the drawing contest for a chance to win a print of the draft horse drawing when it's finished.

Name the drawing and win a print!

I'm still hoping to have the draft horse drawing done to enter in a contest before the end of September, and I don't have a title for it, so I need your help.

If you come up with the best name for the drawing, I'll send you a free print of it. The name will be chosen solely by what I like the best and what I think best fits the drawing.

The contest will remain open until the drawing is finished.

Here it is in its current state:

And the reference photo to give you an idea what the finished face will look like:

You can post your name ideas here or email them to me at black_unicorn11 (at) yahoo.com.

Sketchbook Sunday - September 16

Busy week. Between bottle calves, and new horses, and a show to prepare for, not a lot of time for anything else. I'll post more about the show later this week, but for now, a peek into my sketchbook.

Just the bottom buckle this week and started on the blinker.

The proportions lesson is finished. He's the final assignment. Starting now on foreshortening.

 I did a real quick sketch of a Border Collie puppy that I photographed this spring.

My new horses!

Back in May, I was offered a purebred Arabian colt because he's had surgery on his front legs and was unfit for showing. He's been weaned, and I brought him home yesterday. Just to be on the safe side, we kept him in the trailer last night, and he didn't want to be more than a couple feet from me, so this is the best photo I was able to get of him. His name is Encore, which is ironic because I was then offered another horse...

... Intrigue. He's five years old and also suffers from a cosmetic flaw as a result of an injury. The owners thought he'd be a good companion to Encore on the six hour trip home, so they offered me him as well. I am still absolutely floored!

Both of them are wonderful, level-headed horses that have been handled daily. Intrigue has had no training for riding, but he's ready to be started that way. I'm still evaluating what he does and doesn't know, so I can't say how soon I'll be riding him, but I'm hoping he'll be ready in the spring.

Can you believe it? How lucky can one girl be? I'll be sharing more about these guys occasionally as they're sure to play a big part in my life for the next 20-30 years.

Sketchbook Sunday - September 9

Busy week! I bought some baby bottle calves, and I've got to feed them twice a day. Plus, I arranged an exciting trip! I'll be leaving this afternoon and coming back tomorrow, and, if all goes well, I'll have some very exciting photos to share of my wildest dreams coming true! Stay tuned!

Draft horse - Did the cheek pieces on the bridle and halter and part of the chin strap on the halter. Still not happy with the chain, so I'll probably be tweaking that more.

Assignment for Art Instruction Schools. Just finishing it up and should get it sent off this week.

Some supplemental practice - sketching the photo of my sister that I entered in the county fair. The face got to be too round, but I'm happy with how the eyes turned out.

I also spent some time framing some prints for the show this coming weekend. If anyone is in the Willmar, MN, area, come visit me at Celebrate Art! Celebrate Coffee! on Saturday, Sept. 15.

2012 County Fair Photos - Still Life

These are the photos I entered in the still life category:

1st place! This photo was taken near Cumberland, WI, in August 2011 with my Fuji FinePix S700. It's my grandpa's grape vine, and I love how the light is hitting the grapes.

1st place! This is one of my favorite photos - I'm even using it as the desktop image on my computer! I took this on my first photo shoot with my Canon Rebel T3 in January 2012. It was shot through the hay hole in an old barn in Freeland Township, Lac qui Parle County, MN. It's a one-of-a-kind shot - the barn roof had collapsed, leaving less distance between the old hay pulley and the loft floor than normal, so I was able to get both in the shot without the pulley being so far away.

2nd place. This photo was taken in August 2011 near Cumberland, WI, with my Fuji FinePix S700. My grandpa's place is one of my favorite places to take photos! He had crazy amounts of apples on his trees last year - they were growing in clusters like grapes! I boosted the colors on this photo and added in a little texture.

2nd place. Here's another photo from my grandpa's place. This one was taken in May 2012 with my Canon Rebel T3. We walked out past the pasture, and these fence posts caught my eye. One of my favorite things about my Canon Rebel is the ability to play with aperture, and I love the results in this photo.

Previous county fair photo posts:
Animals
People
Landscape
Sport action

Sketchbook Sunday - September 2

Progress this past week:

The figure drawing assignment is coming along. I'm starting to put in the shading.

Starting to work on the long part of the chain on the draft horse. I also did the far rein and the halter strap and rings under the horse's chin.

Sketched another photo from the same event as the draft horse I'm currently drawing. I'm thinking it might be fun to have a pair of them - am I crazy?

These next couple weeks are going to be a lot of prepping for a show on Sept. 15. I hate to beg for sales, but I really need to print some more cards for this show, and my funds are a little low, so if you've been thinking about buying something from my Etsy shop, now would be very good timing!