How to get expression into my art??

Question

Okay, i love drawing... Mostly horses, but it seems everytime i draw them, there face seems so... dull? How would you put expression into there faces?

Here is an example:

http://i38.tinypic.com/ei2oao.jpg

Thanks!

morganluverX10

Answer 1

As someone who's drawn horses obsessively from the age of 5, I can tell you it's a common problem!

I think, looking at your drawing, that you first of all need to try to use more contrast. The tones are very flat and there's no suggestion of the horse's skeleton and musculature. A horse's emotions are shown by its expressive eyes, its nostrils and ears, the eyes and ears being the most important when conveying expression. Arabian horses have incredibly expressive faces, largely due to their large eyes and very mobile ears, so it's a good idea to concentrate on that area and make the detail as realistic as possible.

As for the horse itself, I think you need to spend some time looking at proportion, as its legs are very much too short for its body. The hocks are also very low and the front leg, which you've drawn bent, seems to have a very confused knee joint!

A good trick to judge whether you've got it right or not is to flip the drawing in a mirror (or photoshop). It helps to see it as others do, with fresh eyes as opposed to eyes that have been working closely on it for hours!

Good luck and keep drawing. Horses are one of the most enjoyable subjects around IMO :)

Answer 2

This is good work but i think you are right about the face looking dull i had this problem as well so don't worry! i discovered that drawing the eyes in more detail gives more emotion because as they say the eyes are the window to our souls.

try just drawning the eyes at all differnt angles, study photos and work off them. I filled up whole scrap books with eyes when i was trying to get it how i liked it.

I all so noticed there is no eye brow i know horse's don't have "eye brows" but they do have like a bumby bit and eye brows can really help inforce the emotion you try and get across with the eyes.