the movement of horses

Bolting horse. I just wanted to give a feeling of speed, and the sound you get when a horse gallops - at once very light and very hard. They appear to move so lightly, you forget the amount of force that is going through their legs into the ground.

Hindquarters. I just wanted a feeling of strength in this sketch. In a way it's quite still, despite the whispy tail. 

Playful horse. Sometimes horses express a lot of contained tension when they play - they pinch their lips and their nostrils together and flatten back their ears. Their movements become very grounded. It's as if they're winding up to let loose. And they soon do, with a big buck or a gallop!

New sketch book

I was given a beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright sketchbook after house/horse/dog minding for friends. I'm starting to fill it ...

sketchbooks

Sketchbooks are places to let your imagination wander but also places in which to work things out. Above are some dog drawings I did after looking at Durer and some other artists. I felt myself getting a little tight and rigid, so I focused on shapes instead, and brought back the feeling of flow.

Below are some sketches by my husband, James. Here it's pretty clear what he's working out - what's going on beneath the surface?