<sub>Hello everyone, and welcome to “Horsin’ Around”, a bi-monthly article that brings you the latest news in and around the dA Equine Community! I’d be grateful if you could give me feedback on what you think of it, and if you have any suggestions for future issues, I’d love to hear them. If you know of anyone that you think deserves a feature, let me know and I’ll feature them here! I hope you enjoy this issue, and thanks for reading!

~Boribaby</sub>


Love for the Underappreciated

_{A selection of artists and some of their works that I feel deserve more faves and views! Please spare a minute, go check out their wonderful galleries and show them your support.}



A talented young digital artist, *Geor18 has a beautiful gallery filled with equine and fantasy art. Be sure to stop by!




A lovely little gallery with some really amazing equine works! Take a trip to her gallery and see for yourself.




A great gallery with beautiful equine art and photomanipulations - a trip to ~Syeira's page is very worthwhile!



Featured Digital Equine Artist



An incredible gallery with almost photo-realistic paintings, this is one artist you'll want to check out! She has an amazing comic in the works too, so be sure to take a look at her beautiful gallery.


Featured Traditional Equine Artist



This artist has a simply incredible gallery filled with beautiful pictures of horses. She's talented with all forms of traditional mediums - paints, pastels, pencils - you name it! Go see for yourself!


Featured Equine Photographer



Beautiful photos capturing the bond between horse and rider await you in this wonderful gallery! Her work is simply amazing.



An Interview With...

<sub>Every issue of H.A, I will be interviewing one of your favourite equine artists! This issue, it is She's been a member of dA for three years, and has proven herself to be a shining star in our community, providing us with beautiful artwork and a personality to match. Her digital art is always a pleasure to look at! If you haven't already done so, be sure to stop by her page to say hello and check out her lovely work.


Hello and thank you for joining us! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Well thank YOU for interviewing me! Hehe so exciting! Well, my name is Dana, I'm 19 and I live in Johannesburg, South Africa! I'm at student at the moment, don't have a job just yet! Still on the hunt!

Cool. How long have you been drawing horses for?
Since I was little; my friend had her own pony and her mom ran the stables, so I've been drawing them for years really! And then thanks to Spirit in 2002, I got my butt into the digital side!

Wow, really? Can you tell us why you enjoy drawing them so much?
I think they're the most graceful and beautiful animals ever, and they're amazing because they have such different personalities too! So I couldn't help but want to draw them!

Do you have a particular way of drawing horses?
Well I start off with a good reference photo, and I draw a basic skeleton over it, and from there I create a basic lineart and so on! I have two printed and laminated pictures of the equine skeleton and their muscle anatomy too, just to make sure I understand what I'm drawing too!

Interesting. Can you share with us what your very favourite piece in your gallery is?

Wow, thats a toughie! I have to admit, I don't have an absolute favourite, it's between "Corinthian" and "Pleased to Meet You". I think I like "Pleased to Meet You" most because it's how I've always imagined my character, Caruso.

Looks amazing! Do you have an OC (original character)? Can you tell us a little about him/her?

Yes yes! Her name is Travieso, and she is an Anrastiollo mare (a breed I created myself), plus she'll become the lead character in my comic "Calling Home". Anyway, she's a lot like me in many respects, not typically girly, had a tough appearance but loves to be with friends. Her best friend is Caruso, who many think is her mate! But that's Reggie! She's inquisitive and playful and loves a good run around too, and she loves summer!

That’s great. Is there any particular part of equine anatomy that you find difficult to draw?
Ah yes, most definitely ears and hooves! And the rear end too! I tend to make my horses look like they have a boulder for a butt!

Good to know we all have trouble, then! So what would be your favourite part of drawing?
Probably adding shadows and highlights, working them in by hand before getting out the smudge tool! And then backgrounds too, I love finding an image to inspire me and then go and create that little world of my own!

Awesome! You’ve been an inspiration to a number of budding equine artists out there – can you share some tips to those just starting out?
Hehe the best thing to do is to find your own style, and to learn to draw something in a way you're comfortable with! So learn anatomy by simplifying the skeleton into a way you'll remember. And let others inspire you to do something, but never be afraid to try something new!

Thank you for your time. Any last pieces of advice you can give to your fellow equine artists?
If there's one thing you should always strive to do, it's to learn how to draw something new in each artwork! Whether it's a butterfly or clouds or water or trees, no matter how much trouble it gives you, it'll always prepare you better for the next time!

And never forget to credit someone if you've referenced! Hehe its very good practice and it shows you respect them!

Featured Equine Web Comic

There are many wonderful horse-related comics around dA, and I hope this article will help bring them more exposure!

A different, but very unique equine story, "Strife of Khthon" from =daggerwrist has good narrative and well-drawn scenes. Here's are a couple of pages from the Prologue:


Themed Features

September's theme: Water.


September's colour: Orange.


September's breed: Gypsy Vanner.</sub>



Photography Corner

_{Showcasing some of the finest and most majestic images of equines from talented photographers and photo-manipulators around the world.}





Contests

There's always a contest or two going on in the equine community! I've listed a few of the current ones going on at the moment, and ones ending soon. Are you hosting a contest and want it advertised here? Let me know!


Theme: Memorial Contest. Read about it here: [link]
Deadline: September 12th 2009


Theme: Design and name a villian for her book. Read about it here: [link]
Closing Date: September 31st 2009


Theme: Design a mate for her stallion OC. Read about it here: [link]
Closing Date: October 31st 2009


Theme: Halloween Costume Competition. Read about it here: [link]
Closing Date: Octomber 30th 2009


Help Desk

<sub>In this section you will find links to horse stock accounts and helpful tutorials.

Helpful Resources</sub>

Having trouble with a difficult pose? Stuck on how to draw from a certain perspective? Don’t fear! There are a number of wonderful stock accounts around dA with plenty of beautiful stock photos for you to reference. Always abide by the artist’s rules, and always remember to link back and credit the photo you use.



_{Helpful Tutorials}

Need help with drawing manes and tails? Can’t figure out how to colour in photoshop? Unsure how to shade? Then look no further! Here’s a collection of helpful tutorials for you to look at.