What did I do before pastels? No, seriously… this is one of the later horses, as you can tell by the photos, and one of my favorites.

The basecoat for this model was the light yellow that still peeks through in places. All of the rest was very slow, very careful layering of tans and browns. The dappling, the faint pinking on the nose– I have to say I really love what you can accomplish with chalk pastels! Of course they take nigh on forever to do and only lend themselves to very soft colorings. For some horses I’d rather have the ‘pop’ of acrylics, but in certain situations I do love the softness.

I do need to take some time and link out to the other model horses artists out there– there are some flat out amazing painters out there. Horses sculpted and painted so realistically that on first look most people assume they are real. Which has led to some amusement value for the model horse tack makers, since their prices are often in line with the real thing. (Ah my hobby, how I love it!)

Medium: Acrylics and Pastels
Status: Painted in 2005 and Sold May 2005