Shetland pony portrait

I have just finished yet another horse portrait! This is 'Nayeli' (a native American word for 'I love you'), a cute little Shetland pony mare. She was drawn in pastels. Her young owner is over the moon happy with this portrait. :o)

I've got a rare bird portrait commission coming up next (yay! I love budgies!) and one of a dog.

Shetland pony portrait started

Despite the lovely sunshine which made me want to go for a loooooooong walk today, I started working on the head study of a black Shetland pony mare called "Lisa". No charcaol this time - this one is being drawn in pastels.
If you look at the scan, you can see that drawing a black animal doesn't just mean using a black pencil. Far from it! You will only achieve a rich black if you apply lots of layers, starting with purple or blue.

Friesian stallions

I have just finished the portrait of Tsjerk and Feitse:

Next up is a Shetland pony mare in pastels and a group portrait of 4 Thoroughbreds. I'll keep you posted! :o)