Study of head and neck of a horse

Hi everyone! My name is Isabella, and I'm so excited to show you a really cool drawing today! It's called "Study of the Head and Neck of a Horse," and it's by an artist named Sawrey Gilpin. He was super good at drawing horses! nn (Pause for children to look at the drawing) nn Does anyone know what a study is? It's like practice, but a really special kind of practice. Artists do studies to learn how to draw things really well. This drawing is small, isn't it? It's only this big (gesture to indicate size). But look how much detail is in it! nn (Pause for children to observe the detail) nn See how Gilpin drew the horse's muscles? He used his pencil to make light and dark areas. The dark areas are like shadows, and the light areas show where the light is shining. This makes the horse look three-dimensional, like it's really standing right there! Can you see the shadows? Where do you think the light is coming from? nn (Pause for children to answer and discuss) nn Look at the horse's neck. It's so smooth and graceful, isn't it? It almost looks like it's about to move! Gilpin was really good at showing how things move, even in a drawing. He didn't just draw a horse; he drew a living horse! What do you think the horse is about to do? nn (Pause for children to answer and discuss) nn The background is very simple. It's just the color of the paper. This helps us focus all our attention on the horse. It's like the horse is the star of the show! What do you think makes this horse special? nn (Pause for children to answer and discuss) nn This drawing shows us how much artists can learn by carefully looking at the world around them. Gilpin loved horses and wanted to draw them perfectly. He spent time studying their bodies, and this drawing is the result of his hard work. Isn't that amazing? What other animals would you like to see drawn like this? nn (Pause for children to answer and discuss) nn So, next time you see a horse, or any animal, take a moment to really look at it. Notice the details, the way the light falls on its fur, the way its muscles move. You might be surprised at what you see! Thank you for joining me today! I hope you enjoyed learning about this amazing drawing!