Thirteen Horses, One Client — A Journey in Paint

Thirteen Horses, One Client — A Journey in Paint

I love all animals, but horses will always have a special place in my heart. The same goes for painting them.

Growing up, I was your typical horse-crazy girl. I drew horses on everything and read every horse-related book in our elementary school. My teacher gave me a special spot on the classroom wall to post my horse drawings, as long as my schoolwork was done. So it’s probably no surprise that I ended up with horses later in life — and that I now find so much joy in painting them.

The 13 horses all started when I offered to paint a memorial portrait for a friend’s daughter. I had enjoyed the stories my friend shared of her daughter and her horse. I was heartbroken when I learned Cosset had passed and was moved to paint a memorial portrait.

Not long after painting Cosset, my friend asked if I’d be up for a few commissions — holiday gifts for her clients. We were about to have a large remodel started in our home and I didn’t  know if I could handle the timeline since our entire living area would shrink down to two rooms.  I said yes and added an extra painting as a gift to her.

As I neared completion of those first few paintings, she asked if I could paint a few more. One more here, two there, they kept coming — until I had completed ten paintings of horses. I handed the 10 completed paintings to her shortly before Christmas.

The latest painting I created for her was a memorial for a friend’s horse who had passed away. I was happy to pull out my paints and complete the 13th horse painting for her. I look forward to continuing our partnership with more paintings in the future.

Over the next several months, I’ll be sharing a closer look at each painting. I might also take a break from horses to share progress on other artwork. 

Below each image, you’ll see either “Coming Soon”—meaning the full post isn’t live yet—or “Full Story Here”, which links to the complete post. You can also find all these updates by clicking on the “13horses” label.

Meet the Horses

Cosset

The one who started it all.

Coming Soon

The Foals

A surprise gift — two babies captured together in one frame.

Coming Soon

Ellie

Mane full of hay and bedding.

Coming Soon

Nova

A quiet presence with a white star tucked under her mane.

Coming Soon

Smoke

Dark horse with gentle eyes.

Coming Soon

Franklin

Gorgeous and sassy.

Full Story Here

Calypso

Black pinto beauty.

Coming Soon

Riker

Relaxed and sprawled in the sun.

Coming Soon

Punky

A sorrel mini with a big attitude.

Coming Soon

Pinto Bean

Bright blue eyes, soft expression.

Full Story Here

Zeus

An Appaloosa with a story behind every spot.

Coming Soon

Krissy

Head high, ready for her close-up.

Coming Soon

Glacier

A final tribute for a beloved horse.

Full Story Here

Interested in a Portrait of Your Own?

If you have a beloved animal—or one you want to cherish forever—I’d be honored to create a custom portrait just for you.

For more details, check out these pages on my blog:
- Commission Information
- How to Pick a Great Reference Photo
- Find My Products

More stories are coming soon—follow along to see each painting and meet the horses who inspired them.

Series update:  This is a long-term project sharing all the stories here. I plan to share an average of one 13-Horses Series post per month, with the goal of completing the series by summer 2026. I’m excited to share this journey with you every step of the way.

The Swan I Almost Gave Up On

 The Swan I Almost Gave Up On

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!

Some images just stop you in your tracks — and when that happens, I often find myself wondering: Could I turn this into something lasting?

Debbie Anne is one of those photographers whose work carries that kind of spark. I’ve used her photos before, and when I saw this young swan taking a nap on a dark pond, I knew I wanted to try capturing not just her form, but her presence.

Photograph used with permission.

I’ve had the pleasure of using Debbie’s photos a few times before, and when I spotted this juvenile swan snoozing on a dark pond, I felt inspired to try capturing not just the image but the mood she’d created. If you want to check out her amazing work, you can find her on Instagram at debbieanne_photographer or on Facebook as Debbie Anne – Photography. 

For this piece, I envisioned the swan rendered in colored pencil with the pond in watercolor. That meant choosing Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper—a smoother surface than the cold press I usually use—so the pencils would glide beautifully and details would really pop.

I started by tracing the swan and transferring the outline onto my paper, so I could focus fully on building up the details.

I often blur my reference photo to focus on the tonal values rather than getting caught up in every tiny detail.

For this piece, I mainly used Faber‑Castell Polychromos pencils, along with a few other artist-grade brands from my collection to capture those subtle color shifts. If you’re curious about my full pencil arsenal, just let me know in the comments—I’d be happy to share a deep dive!

That’s when it hit me — because of the reflection, I’d actually be drawing two swans!

Layer by layer, the piece gradually took shape as I worked across it, weaving in depth and detail. It’s a technique I borrowed from watercolor painting, where you let one area dry while working on another. At one point, when I tested the watercolor pencil on the pond, I almost wished I’d stuck with the simple fade from dark to white. But I’m really glad I kept going — the finished piece ended up even better than I imagined.

For the pond, I used a Stabilo Aquarellable pencil, which delivers a rich, dark tone. Getting a deep, solid black with watercolor can be tricky, and I’d discovered this pencil was perfect for achieving that effect. After coloring the pond, I brushed water over it to activate the pigment. The black was beautiful, but it ended up looking flat and blotchy.

Then it hit me—the pond wasn’t black at all! In some areas, it was green. I wasn’t happy with that flat black, so I started lifting the color. With a wet brush in one hand and a paper towel in the other, I wet the black areas and then dabbed lifting as much as I could. Honestly, I wanted to cry—it was streaked and blotchy. At that moment, I was really glad this piece was for me and not a client—I’m not sure I could’ve shared this progress photo otherwise.

The artwork sat for a months, abandon and forgotten, until one day I came across it in a pile of partially completed artwork.

I then gradually built up the background by layering various shades of green, blending in deeper tones like indigo and black to create depth and movement. This layering gave the piece a rich, organic texture that reflected the feel of the pond in the photo. 

To finish, I splashed Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White, across the surface, capturing the delicate white flecks that float like little bits of matter drifting on the water.

This was a piece I didn’t like for much of the process. Many times, I was ready to trash it and move on. It sat for several months untouched. If this had been 2020, when I first started with watercolors, I would’ve torn it up and tossed it. But I’ve since decided that every artwork has a lesson to teach me.

Sometimes, the process feels messy and uncertain, and it’s easy to think a piece is a failure before it’s finished. But letting it sit, coming back with fresh eyes, and pushing through those frustrating stages taught me that growth often hides in the middle of the mess. With this one, I learned how to create an amazing dark pond—and that drawing two subjects isn’t so bad after all.

I still wasn’t totally happy with it even after signing my name. But my husband looked at it and was genuinely amazed. I left it on my desk for a few days, and when I looked at it again, I didn’t see all the “errors” I thought were there. What I saw instead was the journey.  She now hangs proudly one of our walls in our home.

Have you ever pushed through a project you were ready to give up on? I’d love to hear how it turned out—and what it taught you.

Supplies Used in This Piece:  Some links below are affiliate; I may earn a small commission at no extra cost—thank you!

• Arches Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper
• Mijello Mission Gold Watercolor Paints
• Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils - Pro tip: Artist‑grade pencils aren’t cheap—look for deals (I scored mine on eBay). Buying multiple small sets won’t save you money, since larger sets already include those colors—this seems common to all artist‑grade pencils.
• Winsor & Newton Masking Fluid
• Water Activated Tape
• Ruled Washi Tape (I used tape from TheArtistLife.com, they are no longer in business)
• Washi Grid Tape
• Artist Board 
• GatorBoard - Purchased locally at Blaine’s Art, mine is cut in half
• 11x14 Frame with 8x10 Mat