A Horse a Day Challenge #35 - The Horse in My Mind

I had planned all along to draw whatever came out of my head today. Then my mom saw that the Kennedy Center Honors were on tonight, and I definitely wanted to watch. So, I pulled out my clipboard, grabbed some pencils and went and watched. I'm so glad I did. We always enjoy the show. You get to see some of your favorites, and some you've never really heard of who are also great. It's a wonderful celebration of entertainment! I feel like I broaden my horizons some:-) And wouldn't it be awesome to be in the audience? I never have an urge to be in the audience of an awards' show, but that one would be the exception.

Anyways, I happily drew through singing and through commercials. Of course, what emerged was another Arabian horse. They just come naturally, and I so appreciate that they do:-)

Well, I can't believe 2008 is on its way out! It's been an eventful year for us, to say the least. Amazing, sad, hopeful, and ever onward... Right now, it's onward to bed - it's 12:50 a.m. here!

A Horse a Day Challenge #34 - Pegasus

Just realized I hadn't blogged yet! This drawing is for 12/28 & 29. It took two days to finish, so it can stand for two days:-)

I've finally learned from someone how to size my photos so they meet Etsy's specs yet aren't so enlarged they lose detail. So, for now, I'm copying and pasting the blurb for this drawing:

This little gem was actually completed late last night (it was drawn over two days). However, between the size and the contrast with the color (a blend of 5 layers of Prismacolor), I wasn’t able to get a good scan. Instead, I waited for the right light, and took photos outside today. The results are definitely better, but not as good as real life, I promise:-)

This card was a true challenge for me, as I wanted to see if I could fit a whole horse on a card. I knew it could be done, just didn’t know how small I could draw. I found out – pretty small! Although he appears much larger here, in real life from the tip of his nose to the ears measures just 1/2 inch.

I thought I’d add to my challenge by making this a Pegasus – the beautiful flying horse of Greek mythology. I’ve loved them since I was a child, and used to dream of riding one. I don’t think I’ve ever drawn one, though, at least not as an adult. So, here he is in all winged glory!

A Horse a Day Challenge #33 - Belgian Horse

I actually started on something else earlier tonight, and realized that I'd need more time to finish it. So, I did a horse I've been wanting to draw for a while now - the big, brawny Belgian:-)

Here's part of the breed info:

"The Belgian is a heavy draft breed, weighing around a ton and stand up to 17 hands (or higher). It makes sense that they’re amazing horses for pulling heavy loads. Even today, they’re still used for farm work. They’re easily recognizable, too – they’re usually sorrel (red/orange) with a flaxen mane and tail. They can also come in roan (solid color heavily mixed with white hair). In addition to their awesome power, they’re known for being kind and gentle animals."

A Horse a Day Challenge #30 - Kiger Mustang

I like thinking of more unusual horses to draw, and the Kiger Mustang definitely qualifies! Here's some of the info from his Etsy blurb:

"He’s a Kiger Mustang – a wild horse, but also an established breed. They were discovered in the 70’s in Oregon, and found to be breeding true through DNA (it also turns out that they’re closely related to the original horses brought from Spain to the U.S. in the 1600’s). The BLM separated them out into their own groups. They're usually dun colored (light tan to golden with black points) with a dorsal stripe down their backs and zebra-like stripes on their upper legs. We once pastured our horses with a mare who was believed to be a Kiger, and she was so beautiful! Heavy-set, but such a lovely color and had that really long black mane. She was very shy, but gentle and a pleasure to be around. Like my last subject, the zebra, I hope for the opportunity to see the wild Kiger mustangs. What a beautiful sight to see!"

Tomorrow I'll be working on some photos I took today of my mom's sculptures. She's just joined the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy, and is entering their next contest. I think this is so cool, and I know it's a big thing for her. In fact, I think it's the first contest she's ever entered her art in. I'll have to put some photos here, too:-)

I'm behind on real writing here, so promise to get back to it soon. This is supposed to be a multi-subject blog, and not just about the horse challenge. So, more to come soon!

A Horse a Day Challenge #26 - Gypsy Vanner Colt

Yay! A little earlier tonight! And another cute baby:-) I decided that I should do some of the other breeds, since I've given more time to Arabians than anybody. Since I love Vanners, I thought I'd try a little Vanner colt tonight. They're cute little fuzz-balls, so much different than Arabians, but just as adorable.

This one's on Etsy, too. Hope you like him, and his fuzzy little chin:-)

Going to try and make it an earlier night, so need to get on over to Etsy and Flickr.

A Horse a Day Challenge #25 - Arabian Filly

A new baby! And another Arabian, now there's a surprise;-) Wonder what I'm putting in place with the Law of Attraction? I hadn't really thought of that before now, which surprises me, but I'll be curious to see.

Anyways, I'm early as always - that is, if this was for Thursday, since it's 12:20 a.m. now. I was figuring out Auctiva today, and it took longer than I thought. I want to put my one lens on eBay soon, and try some other items. I've heard so much about how eBay has changed that I've been hesitant, yet I see some people are doing quite well (it's all in what you believe). We need more than one venue, so we'll be seen more:-) We also have an account with Artfire, and up and coming cool site, and will be opening a store there soon, too.

In the meantime, this little cutie's on Etsy, which is really the most amazing place for artists and crafters! Check out their forums sometime - so much good and friendly advice to anyone starting a business there.

Part of the blurb:
"This is my second Arabian foal, and is a sweet little girl. I envision her as golden chestnut with a flaxen (blonde) mane. I’ve always loved the chestnut color, maybe because I’m a redhead, too. And, of course, I love Arabian foals. There’s nothing more special than seeing them prance across the pasture, tail held high - so very proud of their tiny selves! I have to admit a soft spot for all foals and baby animals, like everyone. I just know Arabians best:-)"

A Horse a Day Challenge #24 - Appaloosa

I finaly did the Appaloosa! Took a while to convince myself - I actually thought spots would be harder than hair (like on the eyes), but they weren't. Well, except that I found they smudged really easily, so was glad for my battery eraser to clean things up. Plus, I could be a little creative with the pattern, which was fun. I knew I had to do a leopard spot Appy because you wouldn't know it was an Appaloosa from a graphite head drawing otherwise;-)

Here's a little of the text for Etsy:
"The Appaloosa comes in many colors and spotted patterns. They often have pink skin around their eyes and lips. They can be spotted all over like this (leopard spot), or have a solid color with a blanket of spots on the rear. Probably the hardest part of this drawing was not going overboard with the forelock and mane, because the “Appy” is known for having a rather thin mane and tail (and I’m known for drawing rather thick ones). The Appy was originally developed by the Nez Perce people, and usually the horse portrayed in art and movies featuring Native Americans. Nowadays, they are most often western horses, but can do many different things. They certainly brighten up any arena!"

Hope you enjoy him:-)

A Horse a Day Challenge #23 - Desert Fantasy

Okay, it's easier to fall behind than it is to catch up;-) So, only one drawing for tonight. This one's a horse of my own creation and imagination - the horse you'd love to see running across the desert towards you. The horse you'd ride for miles and miles... Of course, it's an Arabian. I did mention I was partial:)

This one is on Etsy, too. I've been wondering about the other "e", because I've seen some artists with quite a following. There's one equine artist in particular who commands awesome prices for her ACEO's, which are truly lovely. I guess I have a competitive streak, and would like to know how mine would do in the bidding process.

Additionally, I'm in the process of finding a charity to donate a portion of the proceeds from these cards (1/3). I've contacted my top pick, and hope to hear soon. I've been waiting to do a larger announcement, but thought I'd better mention it since I said something several posts back.

I would donate to the rescue that took our mares, but they've since stopped rescuing. Horse rescue not only requires a lot of time and money, but it also takes a lot of space. I think it's more overlooked than small animal rescue, but it's just as crucial. It's near and dear to my heart, and I realized I might be able to do something through these cards:-)

More to come!

A Horse a Day Challenge #21 - Burro Babe

I uploaded my photo here first, to get it up before midnight, and I'm now back to write. I was almost done when there was an interruption in the form of a loud boom and reverberation through the house. I went outside to look, as did the neighbors, but the fog is sooooo heavy, you can't see anything. About 20 minutes later, I heard a bunch of sirens; and so I'm sending out positive thoughts to all involved for whatever it was (guessing car crash). Definitely made my and my mom's heart jump!

After all of that, I scanned tonight's drawing: a cutie pie burro foal:-) I had both foal and donkey in mind tonight, so wound up combining ideas. I also fell in love with burro babies - especially the miniature ones. Too adorable!

Here's some of the blurb from Etsy, where all of these cards are available for sale:

"...They come in sizes ranging from miniature to giant. There are actually some rare donkey breeds that people are working hard to preserve. They’re known best as beasts of burden, but are also kept as pets nowadays. Having been around a few, I can say that they’re highly intelligent and have a definite sense of mischief."

A Horse a Day Challenge #20 - American Paint Horse

Yay, it's a little earlier tonight, and this is number 20!!! This drawing flowed much easier for me than last night, which was very nice.

Here's part of the blurb for Etsy, where it's listed:
"This is the colorful American Paint Horse. They come in many different patterns and can be any solid color with white areas. The overall look of the Paint is of a stock horse, reflecting their Quarter Horse heritage. They are versatile and flashy, yet calm and a great riding horse for all ages. They’re also fun to draw, because I get to “design” my own pattern:-)"

Special posts still coming - I just rec'd. the info for one, and am working on what I need for the other...

A Horse a Day Challenge #19 - About Face

For 12/10/08 This one took longer and challenged me, but I wanted to work through it and I did. I tried capturing a similar pose on the 9th, and didn't succeed. Face on has always been a tougher pose for me. I will keep doing it until it flows, though:-)

It's 1:00 now, and I still have to upload to Etsy and Flickr before bedtime, so that's all here this time!

A Horse a Day Challenge #16 - Horse Eye

This card is a drawing that I've wanted to do for a while. I had planned on a color drawing, and may do a larger version in the future. In the meantime, I was itching to draw a horse's eye, so I did! I've done a couple of different eyes in the past, but think this is the 1st black and white one. It was more challenging to me, but I also really enjoyed seeing how just the values brought things out as I went along.

As with all of them, this is available on Etsy - just click the banner on the top right corner:-)

More to come... soon!

A Horse a Day Challenge #9 - Welsh Pony

Wow! I'm actually earlier than I have been. I experimented more with the options on my scanner, and this one's a little better. The drawings are still much prettier in real life, though:-) Don't forget to check out our store on Etsy - they're all there, and everything's on sale through tomorrow (Cyber Monday)!

This little gem is a Welsh Pony or Cob, and is number 9. The Welsh Pony comes in four different types – from small pony to large pony/small horse size. The smaller sizes are a bit more refined than the cob types, who have a thicker set neck and body. No matter what size or body type, these are gorgeous ponies! If the Friesian is my fairy tale horse, then the Welsh Pony is my fairy tale pony:-)

Being 5' 10 1/2", I'm kind of thinking the Friesian's more my size, lol! However, these little guys make wonderful cart horses, so I'm sure I could still enjoy them;-)

A Horse a Day Challenge #8 - Friesian

And for 11/29/08 - it was finished Friday, but is now 12:23 a.m. - yikes! Available on Etsy, and on sale through Monday:-)

This card is number eight, and is a majestic Friesian. This is the horse I expect my knight in shiny armor to be riding when he comes to pick me up:-) The Friesian truly takes my breath away. Tall, solid black, incredible flowing mane and tail, high-stepping action with “feathers” around their hooves – they are a sight to see! They excel in many disciplines – under harness to dressage. And they look good no matter what they’re doing (even standing still).

**Please note that this card is much more detailed in real life - this is the closest I could get it.

A Horse a Day – A Challenge to Myself:-)

This is a combination personal and business post. I have decided to take on a challenge that I’ve been thinking about recently: I’m going to draw a horse ACEO (Art Card – 2.5 x 3.5 inches) every day. My mom is constantly telling me I should be doing my drawing, and I thought this would be a good way to do something and complete it:-) The drawings will be in graphite. The other medium I work in is colored pencil. If you know anything about colored pencil, you know it’s not the fastest medium – at least not the way I do it;-) Hence, my drawings will be black and white for now.

Above is my very first drawing. It’s an Arabian horse, and is much more detailed in real life - this is the closest I could get the scan. I plan to do different breeds, but my first is the breed that will always have a hold on my heart. This is where it gets personal… I know it’s still going to be long, but below is a very condensed version of the horse years. It’s still not easy to write, but it’s an important part of the tale and my daily challenge.

From 1981 until June 2003, my mom and I owned and were owned by Arabian horses. I was 12 when we purchased Farrahdette, a purebred Arabian mare. We’d had a sort of mutt horse, but had been boarding at a place that had Arabs. One thing led to another, and we purchased Farrah from a local breeder. At the time, the cost was huge to us, and we had some help for a down payment, and did the rest on terms. We were and always have been a little nutty when it comes to animals:-)

So, I grew up with Farrah. My mom’s and my life revolved around horses. We didn’t show, though we went to a lot of shows just to watch. We bred Farrah three times, each time learning more. We were never rich financially, but I feel I was blessed by having horses in my life. I know we gave up a lot to have them. My mom was a single mom working hard to raise me and to afford the horses. It may not have made sense to others, but it was the world we chose and it brought us joy.

We cleaned extra stalls and did whatever we could to take off on boarding costs, because we had three horses most of the time. At one point, we rented a one room cottage (one small room plus a tiny kitchen, bathroom, and closet) because it had a six stall barn. That was fun;-)

Anyways, I can look back and say it was illogical – all the money we spent over the years on the dream of the horse. Yet, I still wouldn’t change it. Well, except the ending – for sure I would change that.

Horses really were our everything. I’d been drawing them long before we actually had them. In school, if I could put horses into my assignments I did – even Spanish class. The only place it didn’t work was math; no wonder that was my least favorite subject, lol!

Up until 2003, I didn’t know how to identify myself without horses. It almost killed my mom and I to learn how. I don’t think that’s an exaggeration. After we had to give them up/lost them, our downward spiral sped up to an alarming rate that culminated in losing just about everything else.

For some reason, after 9/11, Oregon became the state with the worst economy in the nation. My mom and I had left really unsatisfying jobs just prior to 9/11 to try an endeavor similar to what we’re doing now. I’ll be writing a post on my new views about the economy and all that at a later date. However, at that time, we couldn’t find stable work, or work that had paid as much as we’d been making (which wasn’t all that much).

Our self-belief kept going lower and lower. Our creativity drive went lower, too. And, of course, our bank balance went out the door. We hadn’t had any sort of savings, so things really just went south. We had two car loans, rent, bills, and three horses to pay for – doesn’t work too well without income.

You’d think that we would have sold the horses right away, but we couldn’t bear to. We let a lot of other things go before the horses. Even though keeping them had become a huge burden, we didn’t want to let go. How can you let go of an animal you grew up with? How can you?

Well, if you know something has to be done, but you don’t do anything about, the Universe responds to your energy and things start happening anyways. We could no longer pay the board for the horses after May 15, 2003, the people we boarded with were not sympathetic (they didn’t have to be, but it would have been nice). We had until June 15 to find a solution – I believe I waited until close to the beginning of June to start looking...

June 14, 2003, Farrah and her daughter went to a horse sanctuary in central Oregon. Her son, Deringer, was given to a private individual who was recommended by another horse person. That person chose to sell him not too long after, and wouldn’t divulge to whom. When I allow myself to think about it, there’s still a wound in my heart from that one.

The whole experience still has pain attached to it. In the ensuing years, I’ve been able to shed a great deal. However, writing this proves that there’s still some there. This is, quite possibly, the hardest thing I’ve ever written.

After the day we lost the horses, we lost ourselves. Nothing much mattered anymore. We tried to stay afloat, but didn’t succeed.

I don’t know if this will sound odd or not, but I honestly felt I no longer had the right to anything horse. How could I draw horses anymore after I’d betrayed ours? I couldn’t.

It took a lllllllloooooooonnnnnnggggg time before I allowed myself to acknowledge that while I no longer had my horses, horses were and always will be part of me. I know my mom feels the same. It’s in our blood, there’s no other way I can describe it.

While we don’t have horses anymore, I think we’re still owned by them. By the spirits of the ones we had, by the beauty of those we see now…

And, so, I’ve given myself permission to draw horses again. I’ve even done some colored pencil drawings in the past year or so. I’m making a commitment to do more, and to honor every part of myself. It’s the only way I can go forward…

Note: Farrah passed away on June 1, 2006, at the grand old age of 29. She was still at the sanctuary in Oregon, and had been well-loved (we're so grateful, because finding placement for old horses is hard). April (April Ballerinah) was adopted by a family, and became the daughter's horse. Deringer’s fate remains unknown…