Zebras and Horses

Yesterday I finally felt well enough to go visit my horse. I haven't visited him since we went to Mexico, and it was very reassuring to see him doing just fine, just the way I left him: hairy, happy and begging for cookies. This is probably why I chose to do this zebra picture next....horse on the mind. I now do sketches or value studies before painting in watercolor. The pastel classes emphasize this, so, I'll do it for everything now. It is also giving me some time to figure out how I will do this painting and practice the animal so I don't struggle with it later. So why not do my horse? I already did a few years ago. I did this for myself to memorialize my favorite horse buddy. For those of you who get the Arabian Horse Magazine, you may recognize this picture of years ago. I admit it - I used the cover of the magazine to help me with the pose and tack, but turned a grey horse into my own chestnut guy and changed the color of the tack. I no longer use other people's photos, as it is plagiarism, but I was a student at the time, and this was for myself. After losing a previous horse suddenly, I realized how important is is for me to paint my own animal to remember all the good times we had, long after they are gone.