Advice sought for horse tones
- Thread starter Banjer
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kagemusha
A Fixture
It really depends on what type of horse you are trying to depict...bay...chestnut etc. etc.
Best advice...do a Google image search and grab some ref pics.
Ron
Best advice...do a Google image search and grab some ref pics.
Ron
kagemusha
A Fixture
I assume your using oils?...well...if it were me doing it...I would go this route.....
Prime in matt white
Same as before...a good solid layer of burnt umber...wait 20 minutes...now draw a clean flat brush across the surface...to remove most of the colour...but making sure it stays in the shadow areas (muscles etc.)
Apply a layer of burnt sienna across the mid/hi's by dry brushing method...so you don't go into the shadows...this will blend into the 'staining' left from the burnt umber.
You can add extra warmth to the hi's with some orange...or conversely...a light grey if you don't want the warmth
For the darkest areas of the hocks and knees etc. ...I would 'stipple' in some mars black
It's difficult to suggest a fixed colour for the hi's...as in the pic...simply because this is reflected light from the oil in the horse's hair.
It really comes down to what is right for you mate.
Ron
Prime in matt white
Same as before...a good solid layer of burnt umber...wait 20 minutes...now draw a clean flat brush across the surface...to remove most of the colour...but making sure it stays in the shadow areas (muscles etc.)
Apply a layer of burnt sienna across the mid/hi's by dry brushing method...so you don't go into the shadows...this will blend into the 'staining' left from the burnt umber.
You can add extra warmth to the hi's with some orange...or conversely...a light grey if you don't want the warmth
For the darkest areas of the hocks and knees etc. ...I would 'stipple' in some mars black
It's difficult to suggest a fixed colour for the hi's...as in the pic...simply because this is reflected light from the oil in the horse's hair.
It really comes down to what is right for you mate.
Ron
yellowcat
A Fixture
- Joined
- May 8, 2009
- Messages
- 992
Hi Bill,
My approach is similar to Ron's. I prime the horse white. Instead of first layering the shadow with burnt umber I base coat the horse with burnt sienna. Leave to dry. To lay down a flat coat, please refer to my thread on non gloss oil painting - https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/non-glossy-oil-painting.202823/
Second coat burnt sienna. Leave to dry. Third layer an almost dry brush glaze of burnt umber for shadow. Leave to dry. Next is the Indian red for highlight. Again dry brush glaze. A touch of raw umber or black for the knee, hock and hoof. Final touch up with burnt sienna, Indian red and burnt umber.
Felix
My approach is similar to Ron's. I prime the horse white. Instead of first layering the shadow with burnt umber I base coat the horse with burnt sienna. Leave to dry. To lay down a flat coat, please refer to my thread on non gloss oil painting - https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/non-glossy-oil-painting.202823/
Second coat burnt sienna. Leave to dry. Third layer an almost dry brush glaze of burnt umber for shadow. Leave to dry. Next is the Indian red for highlight. Again dry brush glaze. A touch of raw umber or black for the knee, hock and hoof. Final touch up with burnt sienna, Indian red and burnt umber.
Felix
ivopreda
PlanetFigure Supporter
maybe that palette can be useful...
it's for a dark bay... but white where used only for the whites not for highlight browns.
it's for a dark bay... but white where used only for the whites not for highlight browns.
Thanks guys,
I have to get out of the white to lighten,black to darken mindset and start using the correct colour or mix for the contrasts.
Burnt umber and burnt sienna work very well together in this instance. I used orange for the high highlights as I don't have any Indian red and getting supplies is difficult due to lockdown. Mail order is currently about two weeks and I am not that patient.
Cheers
Bill
I have to get out of the white to lighten,black to darken mindset and start using the correct colour or mix for the contrasts.
Burnt umber and burnt sienna work very well together in this instance. I used orange for the high highlights as I don't have any Indian red and getting supplies is difficult due to lockdown. Mail order is currently about two weeks and I am not that patient.
Cheers
Bill
kagemusha
A Fixture
As long as your happy with it Bill 
Landrotten Highlander
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2017
- Messages
- 855
How about mixing some yellow into your reddish-brown hues? This should make it a bit more orange in tone.
Hi LH,
The orange worked very well, nice subtle transgression with the burnt sienna but I would have liked to try the Indian red as well.
Bill
fogie
A Fixture
Notoriously difficult things to get right, Bill. Working from photographs is one way to go...but
the colours are always too intense and it'e difficult to simulate the subtleties of highlight and
shadow. A useful reference point was suggested years ago by Eugene Leliepvre - he laid down
accurate colours in a solid form which he emphasised had to be 'feathered' using the dry brush
technique. Here's a brown bay example..... if you want some more colours I'd be happy to show
them. Hope this helps
Mike
the colours are always too intense and it'e difficult to simulate the subtleties of highlight and
shadow. A useful reference point was suggested years ago by Eugene Leliepvre - he laid down
accurate colours in a solid form which he emphasised had to be 'feathered' using the dry brush
technique. Here's a brown bay example..... if you want some more colours I'd be happy to show
them. Hope this helps
Mike
kagemusha
A Fixture
Just out of personal interest Mike...how would you interpret the colours in the picture you provided?
Ron
Ron
fogie
A Fixture
Leliepvre's general principle, Ron, was to match the colour in the example on the areas of
the animal as shown - dark areas sort of on top, warm lighter area below, so forth - then
set to work with the fan brush in the direction of the hair growth to blend the highlights
and shadows.
Actual colours on the bay for me are essentially a blend of sienna, umber and red with a
touch of dioxazine violet (warm blue) for the darker areas. I habitually work with only
five colours so there's probably a shortcut to that for those who use a larger range of paint.
Mike
the animal as shown - dark areas sort of on top, warm lighter area below, so forth - then
set to work with the fan brush in the direction of the hair growth to blend the highlights
and shadows.
Actual colours on the bay for me are essentially a blend of sienna, umber and red with a
touch of dioxazine violet (warm blue) for the darker areas. I habitually work with only
five colours so there's probably a shortcut to that for those who use a larger range of paint.
Mike
kagemusha
A Fixture
So it was to map the various colour areas...makes more sense now Mike.
I am not a user of the 5 colour palette...as my personal technique is based on using only the transparent/lake range of colours...so my working involves a lot more than 5 at any given time.
Also...I tend to use greys a lot for highlighting...and avoid yellows...simply because I find that they tend to 'muddy' rather than 'warm' with my techniques.
As an aside...I usually pay a lot of attention to the belly area of horses...where you will find many shades of pinks and blues...but that's a whole other subject
Ron
fogie
A Fixture
Painting horses is an art form in itself, Ron, don't you think ? The clever bit is to avoid that 'chocolate-horse'
look and give the colour both depth and warmth. I too use glazing layers - not to the same extent, essentially
for shading. Yours is a pure and classical technique requiring a deep understanding of the medium - the
renaissance masters would be delighted......Rock on !
Mike
look and give the colour both depth and warmth. I too use glazing layers - not to the same extent, essentially
for shading. Yours is a pure and classical technique requiring a deep understanding of the medium - the
renaissance masters would be delighted......Rock on !
Mike
kagemusha
A Fixture
Very much an art form in itself Mike...and one I always enjoy immensely...more so...when discussions like this are prompted by a genuine wish to learn from a sound question.
Many thanks for your kind words...and yes...my classical training is at the heart of my techniques...although my tutor/mentor would not have approved of me breaking so many rules in refining my style.
Regards
Ron
Many thanks for your kind words...and yes...my classical training is at the heart of my techniques...although my tutor/mentor would not have approved of me breaking so many rules in refining my style.
Regards
Ron
fogie
A Fixture
There's always a dialogue going on in your head when you paint - is this the right
tone? Do we need a touch more of this or that?...so forth. The voices in your mind
are always those of your old tutors passing on the wisdom of the ages. Back in the
day, as young know-it-all upstarts, we thought they were boring old farts. Now
however we realise their messages were sound after all and remain with us........
Mike
tone? Do we need a touch more of this or that?...so forth. The voices in your mind
are always those of your old tutors passing on the wisdom of the ages. Back in the
day, as young know-it-all upstarts, we thought they were boring old farts. Now
however we realise their messages were sound after all and remain with us........
Mike
kagemusha
A Fixture
And there I was thinking the voices in my head were down to my meds not working
