Today’s post connects with colored pencils indirectly, but it does address two things that influenced me greatly growing up. Horses and horse stories.
Let’s start with the reader’s comments and questions.
I have mentioned to you in the past that your horse art reminds me a lot of the art I saw on the covers of books I read as a kid. Specifically books like The Black Stallion series, or the Misty of Chincoteague books. I read every book I could get my hands on that was a story about horses, and your art reminds me of the beautiful art on those books, which is absolutely intended as a compliment! Your equine art is very nostalgic for me, and I can recognize it as being yours immediately.
So my question is twofold, being that you’re “horse crazy” too, did you read all of those books as a kid?
And, how did you come to your style, what were your influences, techniques, etc, that led to your personal style of drawing horses in particular?
What a fun way to start my day! Thank you to this reader!
Before I go any further, thank you for the very kind words. I in no way feel my art is equal to the artwork of Wesley Dennis (who illustrated the Misty books) or the many artists who illustrated the Black Stallion books. I looked on those artists as inspirations for my own art work.
Also, other readers have asked how I found my style, so I’ll address that question in another post this month.
Now, to answer the question about horses and horse stories.
Horses and Horse Stories
The Books I Read Growing Up
The answer to the first question is simple. YES! I read all the Black Stallion books and every other horse story I could get my hands on from grade school up. Thomas C. Hinkle’s books were high on my list and so were others, the authors of which I no longer remember.
Even after graduating high school, I continued to read. A few years later, I began buying library quality copies of The Black Stallion series; I currently own my favorites. I also have a hardcover copy of Cinchfoot, by Thomas C. Hinkle (which I read just a few weeks ago).
I also read many of the Billy and Blaze series and was captivated by C. W. Anderson’s illustrations in those books.
(As a side note, I looked on Amazon for the Billy and Blaze books and discovered that there are a lot of them I’ve never read. I may be making some purchases at some point down the road!)
I still enjoy reading those stories every now and again. The older I get, the more appealing they become!
Do I Still Like Horses and Horse Stories?
Absolutely. My tastes now run more toward mysteries, especially the cozy mysteries from decades ago (I’m an Agatha Christie fan) and the clean mysteries of Bruce Hammack.
But I still enjoy reading horse stories because so many of them were so well written and illustrated. What’s not to like? The older I get, the more I find enjoyment in those older stories.
My husband and I even have some horse movies, including The Black Stallion, Dreamer, and Seabiscuit. Although they’re not books, they are still horse stories and very enjoyable.
I believe that horses and horse stories will be a part of my life for as long as I live. That’s just the way God made me, and I don’t see that kind of innate characteristic changing.
This post is part of a series in which readers ask questions about my life as an artist, and I answer them. Most of the posts this month will concern one of these questions. If you have a question you’d like to ask, please ask it. It’s never too late to get your burning questions answered!
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