BEHIND THE SCENES: TRICKS AND TIPS OF THE TRADE
Take a deeper dive into the magic behind my artwork; from thought processes to techniques and more.
The start of things to come . . . watch the journey as these beautiful horses come to life
Photo Credit: (c) T J Allen Art
What’s the inspiration behind your current artwork?
I received two Christmas cards this year, each with a white horse on, which felt significant in its unusualness. I got a sense that I was being sent a sign, so my imagination was immediately sparked.
Horses were my very first childhood passion and I learnt to ride from the age of five. They were a big part of my life growing up so I’m extra excited to bring two gorgeous horses to life on paper …. and let the delight of my inner child loose at the same time.
What’s going to be new about this piece?
This will be my first ever duo. I want to have two artworks that are exceptional in their own unique way but that come together as a pair to create a combined narrative. My idea is for the pieces to hang side-by-side and literally ‘talk’ to each other, which is why I spent hours researching the right reference images. I visualised that I wanted a white (technically ‘grey’ in horse speak!) stallion and a bay mare to look as if they are about to greet each other. With horses, there is a certain poise with the arch of the neck, the alertness of the ears, the sparkle of the eyes and a subtle flaring of the nostrils that indicates a charged interest and frisson of excitement when they meet for the first time.
How is this piece different from the other animals you’ve created?
Horses have very short, fine hairs, especially on their head, so I’m having to use the pastels in a different way from how I created the long hair on the gorilla and lion or the fine feathers of the toucan and hummingbird. I'm having to create a smoothness that shows how the hair very closely follows the contours of the skeletal structure.
How do you know what to do?
It mostly comes down to gut instinct as I’ve taught myself how to use pastels as I go. Practice gained from each piece has given me the confidence to develop a sense of just ‘knowing’ what to do. The trick is to not overthink but to feel it. My knowledge and up-close encounters with animals also help because I know what their features are like and how the different textures of hair and skin appear – both in a visual and tactile way.
In my head, I very strongly visualise what I’m trying to create so it’s almost like I’ve imprinted it on my mind. This provides me with a guide that means I can ‘see’ the finished piece on the paper even when I’ve only drawn the basic outline. As I use the pastels to block in the base colours, I imagine the sensation of running my hands over the animal and use that to transpose the same shapes across to the paper. The key is to always get the correct direction of hair/fur so that it flows over the bone structure in the right way. I do continually refer back to my reference image but often go with the flow of what is already on the paper, especially if it is particularly complicated. For example, I know I’m never going to get every single wrinkle of skin or strand of hair perfect, so it’s often about using the base layers of pastel and following what they are naturally doing on the paper.
Photo Credit: (c) T J Allen Art
What techniques do you use?
I always start with block pastels to build up the tones and to add enough coverage of pastel to block out the paper. Due to the texture and lightness of the horse hair, I’ve incorporated a new technique using blunt pastel pencils to push, smudge and blend the different tones together. This creates a beautiful softness that contrasts well with sharper, finer details like those found in the bridle. I also use the pad of my ring finger or little finger to gently tap the paper surface. This softens the appearance and is a fantastic way to create dapples.
As with any piece of artwork, the magic comes when you balance out the highlights and shadows. You need dazzling brightness to add light and sparkle and deep, intense darks to add shade and depth. This is why I find it important to work through systematic layering of tones. Every time I add white, I follow up with black. Note: with pastels, it’s important to start with white first because it’s the only chance you’ll get at creating a pure white mark. If you add white over an area of black, you’ll end up (at best) with a pale grey, but it will never have the quality of an untouched white.
Work in progress . . . many hours still to go!
Photo Credit: (c) T J Allen Art
How do you know when you are finished?
When I've finished a section, I will always take a step back and see if anything seems unbalanced, for example, I'll check if any area looks too flat and needs a little added texture/lightness/darkness to pop out a little more.
I’ve heard many artists say that they often don’t know when to stop or that they go past a certain point and ruin their work (in their eyes). My process of working allows me to get into a zone where I feel very connected to what I’m doing. I am naturally drawn to sensing what and how I need to do something and the same goes for finishing. I get a strong instinct that whatever else I add is not going to bring anything more to the piece. In fact, there is a chance with pastels when adding more and more can end up in ‘muddy, undefined’ territory so it’s imperative to stop when the material has reached its limits..... this is learnt either the hard way of going too far or by simply practising and understanding/learning the range.