Southern Farm

Southern Farm

Sunday, September 12, 2010

White Horse

White Horse 12x16 2010

I usually have a good idea of where I want to go with a watercolor and what I want to say. In this particular painting, it was the white horse that spoke to me. I knew I wanted to dramatize him running and I wanted a painting, not a copy of the reference photo. I often start out with the bones of a good painting only to get lost in the middle and end, especially the background and foreground. To this end, I decided to paint this in my weekly watercolor class where my instructor could suggest ways to improve. I'll list a few of her suggestions. (1) To make the white horse stand out, you must make the background darker. The horse and background behind the white one must be dark. (2) Don't make the other horses too important by adding too much detail - in them or their surroundings. (3) In reverse, make the white horse very important. (4) Before you call it done, wait a day or two, then really scrutinize the painting. If something bothers you, it needs fixing. Don't be afraid to "scrub" out, redraw, fix. I'm pleased with the results.