Playing with Color

I just couldn't resist...I had to put some color on the border! I thought I would work on the border when I had the horse finished, but I just couldn't help myself!

My original plan was to have the animal prints in the "saddle tan" color, but my husband mentioned that it would be kind of neat if I could make them look like indentations. I played with the deer track a little, still needs some more work, but I think I can get that look.

Muzzle

I have been working on the muzzle and the eyes, more to do on both, but I am happy with how it is progressing.

I was asked today "why the animal tracks?". I wanted to give this painting a Native American "flavor" and all of God's creatures seem to hold special meanings to the Indians. I pulled a book out of my library the other day "Horse Color" ( a complete guide to horse coat colors ), and found it interesting that the Medicine Hat Paint and the War Bonnet Paint were thought by some tribes of American Indians to have supernatural powers, many believed that warriors on "medicine hat" paints could not be wounded in battle!

As I read about this particular coat pattern, I think that Doc would actually be considered a "war bonnet" paint. The medicine hat, though predominately white, does have some body patches called "war shields". The war bonnet paint has very little, if any, markings on the body.

Laying down the base colors

I wanted the background to be a "saddle tan" so I have used Raw Sienna. I then put my first coat of white over the face and body of Doc. He has one blue eye and the other is half brown half blue!

My initial "gut feeling" on the blanket pattern is Turquoise/Yellow/Red with paw prints in the Raw Sienna. I am laying out some colors on a piece of scrap canvas to see if there might be another combination I like better....so far I am sticking with my gut.

Painting Doc

So I have been "slacking" for about a month now! Actually, I have been looking for "inspiration" :) , going through alot of photographs...looking for something to catch my eye.

Labor day weekend my dressage instructor had 2 of her students come up and spend the weekend at her place with their horses, one of which is a Medicine Hat Paint (Doc). Looking at the photos I had taken of him gave me the idea of doing something with a little Southwest or Indian twist to it. This painting is on an 18" x 24" x 1" canvas, and I am going to put kind of an Indian blanket style border down the left side. When I first drew the border out it looked a little plain so I decided to put some animal tracks in it. This should be fun!