Sta.sh
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 think that you, or anyone else you know, deserves a feature, let me know and I’ll feature them here! I hope you enjoy this issue, and thanks for reading!
*MichelleWalker
Issue 1/Issue 2/Issue 3/Issue 4/Issue 5/Issue 6/Issue 7/Issue 8/Issue 9/Issue 10/Issue 11
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 really stunning gallery with some breathtaking photos of beautiful horses. Definitely one to watch!
Suggested by ~Lol-Horse
This artist has a really unique and quirky style. Her art is gorgeous, so stop by and see for yourself!
Another artist with a very unique style! Her art is interesting and full of colour. Take a moment to swing by her page!
Featured Digital Equine Artist
With the ability to digitally paint almost photo-realistically, this talented artist has some gorgeous works in her gallery!
Featured Traditional Equine Artist
This incredible artist has a gorgeous gallery, with one of the most delicate and beautiful styles I’ve seen in my time on dA.
Featured Equine Photographer
This talented photographer has a gorgeous gallery with some truly inspiring equine photos.
Featured Equine Photomanipulator
Another incredibly talented artist, you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference between fantasy and reality!
An Interview With...
Every issue of H.A, I will be interviewing one of your favourite equine artists! This issue, it is
Hello and thank you for joining us! Could you tell us a little about yourself? Hi! I'm Ashley but many of you call me Cricket
. I'm 21 years old and from the sunshine state of California! 
I absolutely love drawing animals, and have been drawing since I was able to hold a crayon. Currently I'm unemployed, living off of commissions here.
Cool. How long have you been drawing horses for?Well I know there must be some age old doodles from when I was little... but I didn't really start seriously getting into equines until about 7 years ago, when I made a "Uni" on Neopets.com.
Wow, really? Can you tell us why you enjoy drawing them so much?I'm very much in love with the characters I've created. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, or can't think of what to draw, they become such a comfort. Plus, who can resist those deep wise eyes and the elegant grace to the equine form? hehe
Do you have a particular way of drawing horses? Oh yes! I try to stay away from line art, because my hand isn't very steady and I'm just not a neat person.
I always start with skeletons, or very rough sketches. Then with the airbrush, I go from there. I shade as I go, building up tones and detail. For some reason I always draw eyes and ears last! 
Interesting. Can you share with us what your very favourite piece in your gallery is? 
It's really hard to pick, because there are so many that I love for many different reasons. They all speak to me in different ways. What I love about this one is that it sort of broke everyone's conception of my character, Delirium. She has a wicked, melting glasgow smile, and looks so freaky! Sometimes I really love tuning into that darker side of artwork. Overall, the picture turned out exactly how I wanted it to, and even took it's own direction. I'm very happy with it.
Looks amazing! Do you have an OC (original character)? Can you tell us a little about him/her?Oh my gosh, I have SO many OCs! But only three of them are in my gallery right now. I suppose I'll pay tribute to StormCry.
StormCry was my very first equine character! In Dec of 2010 he'll be 8 years old. He is a very complex character, and I've made his life far from easy. Weather reacts to his emotions and he is the lead stallion of a rather large herd (that a few of you are a part of!). Unfortunately, out of all my characters, he seems to have gotten the least attention over the last few years
Awesome! Is there any particular part of equine anatomy that you find difficult to draw?For some reason, only recently EARS. I have no idea why; they didn't before! I've been struck with the ear plague
. Good to know we all have trouble, then! So what would be your favourite part of drawing? HAIR! Oh I love love love drawing hair. I feel confident in my hair texturing style, and it's very relaxing working with all those wisps and strands. I feel like hair is what really can bring the image to life (or at least in my images where the manes are rarely just hanging down haha).
And where do you get your inspiration from? Everything. From the sound of the wind on my walls in the morning, to the dreams I dance in late at night. The way my cereal looks when I'm almost done. A few words from conversation. From people HERE who have shown me so many wonderful techniques and styles, and offered help in all shapes and forms. I'm critique friendly
That’s interesting. Is there any particular medium you would like to try? I'm actually very tired of Digital drawing, and would like to combine traditional graphite work with some digital elements
. I've yet to find a way of doing this that I'm pleased with though. I might scan some of my acrylic paintings though! You’ve been an inspiration to a number of budding equine artists out there – can you share some tips to those just starting out?References can be a huge help when you're starting out! Really give an image a good look; all the lumps and bumps and angles and colors. Also, don't overwhelm yourself with trying to be "the best" or as good as someone else. Everyone has a process they go through; try to enjoy it every step of the way. And celebrate when you make a breakthrough!
Thank you for your time. Any last pieces of advice you can give to your fellow equine artists?Draw draw draw! Don't ever stop doing something you love
. If you're waiting for your sign, your chance, your reason, THIS IS IT!Equine Fiction
Comic
There are many wonderful horse-related comics and fanfiction around dA, so if you have one, please let me know and I’ll feature it here!
"Meadows of Heaven" by
is shaping up to be a great comic indeed! The colours are nice and vibrant, the characters are unique and the backgrounds are well drawn. 
Here's the first three pages:
Themed Features
February’s theme: Fanart.
February’s colour: Brown.
February’s breed: Halflinger.
Photography Corner
Showcasing some of the finest and most majestic images of equines from talented photographers and photo-manipulators around the world.
:thumb64868368: 
:thumb138944741: 
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? Then drop me a note with a link to your journal, a brief description and a date for the deadline and I’ll feature it in the next issue!
Special FeatureThis issue, I'd like to do a special feature to let you all know about an exciting contest that *Atterimus and =SarahScala are hosting! The theme is "Nightmares" and you can read all about it here: [link] There are loads of awesome prizes up for grabs, including subscriptions!
The closing date is April 17th 2010, so there's still plenty of time to get creative and enter this awesome contest! Help Desk
Helpful Resources
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 stock artist’s rules, and always remember to link back and credit the photo you use. And
to this issue is the “Group” section, where I’ll feature one of the many exciting equine groups around dA. Want your group featured in a future issue? Just drop me a note! Featured Stock Account
This excellent stock account has loads of great action shots of horses, as well as lots of other helpful photos of dogs, cats and birds. Her photos are all very clear and are great for downloading for manips or references.
Featured Group
This is a brand new group, founded by
The group's mission is to help all equine artists with anything they might find difficult, such as drawing, lineart, tablet issues, backgrounds etc. We're all a friendly bunch, so don't be shying in joining and letting us know if you're having trouble drawing anything! 
I'd love to see another article come out soon!
xox love and hugs oxo
~Applebird123~