Customer Reviews

Drawing and Painting Horses

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This has to be the worst book on the subject I have ever seen. Yes it is filled with beautiful color illustrations, but it does nothing to discuss actually painting the horse. It is more of history and anthology of equine art than it is a book of art instruction. It is vastly overprices and simply not worth the money. I found this book a huge disappointment and could see nothing of merit in it. The title is totally misleading.

If you plan to paint horses, you want to know how to paint a dapple gray, what colors are best for a liver chestnut or a bay. What colors do you need to use to paint a palomino. What colors for the shadows and what colors for the highlights. Nothing like this is discussed in this book. In fact only one demonstration is given and that is a pretty poor one at that - nothing about the colors used etc. The single demonstration is of a dapple gray painted in the standard side view with an insipid background. There is absolutely no discussion of the best colors to have on your palette for various breeds and colors. Also there is no information on the pony or the foal in that section where the author fleetingly mentions drawing and the proportions.

All in all if you want to learn to paint and draw horses this is not the book for you. If you want to look at pretty pictures, and quite a few pages on equine anatomy, then buy this book.

This book is a must have for any equine artist. Not your typical step by step book, Ms Oelke covers many things that make the diffenence between a horse painting and sporting art. Beginning with a brief history of the horse in art and the impact of photography she gets down to the nitty gritty of skeletal and musculature formation, comparative measurements, views from different angles, materials and the various elements that make up a well planned piece of art. Posing, preliminary drawing, various methods, developing a horseman's eye and working as a professional artist are also covered, unlike any other how to book. All this is illustrated with exceptional work by some of the finest equine artists which each serve as a lesson in themselves and an inspiration to anyone painting the horse. The lessons learned here apply to any subject matter which place this book at the top of the list.

This book approaches the art of equine painting from the point of view of an artist not just a copiest. Combining useful information on anatomical featues with directions on how to handel the subjects in a background.Ms. Oelke has produced a complete at-home course in equine painting and anatomy.All aspects of equine drawing and painting are coverd,anatomy,characteristic movement and suggestions on how to capture them in landscape.

All beginning artists, not only those who struggle with capturing equine form and movement, would benefit from this book. The chapter on selecting a medium is a particularly good primer on the qualities and characteristics of materials available to the initiate. Equine anatomy is comprehensively discussed, with clear, instructive drawings and interesting anatomical details which may help add realism to artistic renderings. The elementary concepts of equine movement are crisply defined, and the author's advice on the use of color and technique is helpful. Developing equine artists will find the book to be a great resource in refining their skills.

The book is a must have for anyone interested in creating or enjoying Equine Art. Author Barbara Oelke touches on the many aspects of creating a complete work of Art without going into dry, boring detail. The paintings and drawings she has included to illustrated her point are 'eye candy'!!

The best thing about this book is the outstanding collection of oils and watercolors showing what todays' and yesterdays' great equine artists can do: poses, settings, horses in the landscapes, a variety of moods, painterly and highly detailed approaches. Barbara Oelke includes her own preliminary, but detailed studies, and takes you through photographs of a work in progress. The collection of paintings shows that today is the golden age of equine art!

Having collected books on horses and horse paintings all my life,I feel well qualified to say that this is the best book on equine art to be published since George Stubbs in the 18th-century! Packed with superb paintings past and present, the author does not just tell you that these paintings are great, and why, but she shows you how to achieve similar effects yourself. The most beautiful and noblest of animals is shown in all its splendid manifestations, whether a thoroughbred race horse or a child's pony, a steeplechaser or a fox hunter, a cowhorse or a wild stallion, a show horse or a working farm horse, their variety is infinite, and this is a superb collection of the finest examples of the art.

But it is not just the horse itself that is so beautifully shown and explained. Equine painting is still painting first, and she shows you how to incorporate the animal in its natural surroundings to make a whole picture. Whether on a western plain, in the winner's circle, or grazing in a Virginia paddock, the horse stands on the earth. With the author's sound guidance in the most important aspects of any good painting - good drawing, basic anatomy, form, space, design, perspective, color, and light and shade enlivening the sleek texture of glistening coat and flowing mane and tail, she shows you how to paint or draw a horse in its whole context, as a complete picture, and not just, as so often happens, a colored silhouette floating insecurely in space, without solid connection with the ground or with the light and atmosphere around it. If you are an artist who loves this most beautiful of animals, you must have this book! It has only one fault: I wish it could be twice as long, for there is something valuable to be learned on every page.

I bought this book because I love Barbara Oelke's work. Unfortunately, not much of it is in this book. Though I realize the importance of the history of equine art and in understanding the anatomy of the horse, I think too much of the book is taken up with these subjects. There is some interesting and helpful information regarding the actual drawing/painting of horses as well as tips on proportion and background considerations, but overall I think Ms. Oelke could have put together a higher level of instruction given her equine knowledge and immense talent. Considering the cost of this book, I expected a more in depth discussion/dissection of her style of painting/drawing, as well as the works of other equine artists. The bottom line is if this is your first foray into the world of equine art then this book is a scratch-the-surface start a beginner is looking for.

Great job! I found just what I was looking for in this book. The detail has been very helpful and the examples included are a joy to view. I love it for helping with my painting. My daughter loves it for the works of art by the author and others she has included. Thanks

the art in this book, including that by the author/artist, is worth the price alone. I've not had the chance to try the drawing suggested, but the information offered seems really valuable. Worth having if only for the beautiful pictures of horses.