Art - a fun way to learn conformation!
© 1996-2005 Claudia Coleman and Kristine Carroll All Rights Reserved

Lesson 3 Light and Shadow

How many of you ever lie down beside your horse to sketch the view? I hope not many of because this is not a safe move. However, it would be an awesome perspective! You could find a sculpture in a park for the same effect, or draw your horse when he's standing on the van and you are on the ground. Boy, will he look big! A sketch from aerial point of view -- flying over the riding ring could be done from a giant crane, but all the horses would spook and that would be that. However, a perch in the hay loft or a grandstand would have the desired effect.

Why are views like these so shocking? It's because we generally spend most of our time in one position on planet earth. Where you can get greater ranges in perspective for your compositions is when the subject is actually in a gully below you or up on a hillside.

Perspective, Focal Points and Parallel lines

But how do we make sure our drawing is right? There are a few little mechanical drawing exercises you need to do to get the feel of perspective, and it is all geometric. I have drawn the basics of perspective showing the key elements: the Horizon Line, the Focal Point, and the Parallel Lines. The good old railroad track is the prime example of course. Two lines and the space between them get closer together and smaller respectively as they disappear into the distance. This visual effect happens because the earth is round! So grab a piece of paper and a ruler and draw a line bisecting the paper horizontally from side to side. Pick a point near the center of the paper on that line and make a dot ... the Focal Point...there. Think of the line... the Horizon Line... as the surface of the earth. The part below the line represents the land and the part above the sky. Presto, we have a painting going here! Now, somewhere in the foreground draw a box, it doesn't have to be square and it can go above the Horizon Line if you like as well as below. Now connect all four corners, using your ruler, with a line to the Focal Point. Now, draw another box within those lines to the Focal Point and it will look like the box is further away. This is perspective!! Lesson 1: Bones and Angles Lesson 2: Perspective Lesson 3: Light and Shadow and Weight