Franklin

8x10 Watercolor 

Franklin was an amazingly fun horse to paint and is one of my favorites.

He was one of many horse painting commissions I created for Christmas presents in 2022.

Using my iPad, I create an outline, keeping track of important details.

Often I start with the eyes, but with Franklin,

his tongue was really important in showing his personality.

Slow adding layers of colors.

Because watercolor paints are is a transparent medium,

I like to add layers to give the painting more depth.

I am constantly checking my progress with the original photo.

I wanted to make sure I got that rubber band correct.

This was when I decided I didn’t want to add a lot of detail into the mane.

 I wanted it to just fade off into the background.

Added dark areas to the tiny part of Franklin’s forelock

More dark layers.

Starting to look more like the reference photo.

More details.

Whisky mane hairs.

Around 11:00 am as the sun finally peaks over the mountains.

I finished painting.

Supplies used:

Arches 140 pound cold pressed paper

Mijello Mission Gold Paints

Your insights fuel my creativity. Leave a comment with your thoughts!

Do you prefer to see the finished artwork upfront, or would you rather wait until the end?