George Stubbs,
an 18th Century animal artist,
was famous for beautifully
drawing animals in great detail.
To draw animals especially,
he gave his heart
and soul to research.
He dissected a dead horse to draw,
and afterwards collected
those pictures and published a book
on horse anatomy showing
that he was an artist with a passion
towards researching pictures.
August’s artist nominated
for the Hall of Fame is
@shadowmare72 artist
who also researches the build
of horses and showcases
their dynamic figure in drawings
for us all to see.
The drawings express horses
and other animals
in a variety of colors.
The colorfully painted animals
are detailed with beautiful colors,
making them all the more attractive.
Also even in places,
you can’t see many animals,
you can almost imagine their
movements which is how dynamically
their postures have been drawn.
In addition we can also see
sceneries and portraits
and other various pictures.
Let’s find out more
about these works of art
through interviews.
Should we go meet the artist?
Q1. @PENUP
Hello @shadowmare72,
We are the PENUP operation team.
First, congratulations for being
nominated for August’s Hall of Fame.
Please give us a brief introduction
and tell us how you feel.
A1. @shadowmare72
Thank you PENUP for selecting me
for August’s Hall of Fame
and thank you to everyone
for all the nice comments
and congratulations.
It’s quite a surprise and honor!
I’m 48 years old and live
in the Midwest of the United States.
I work as an artist at a sign
company and design, signs, logos,
vehicle graphics and wraps.
Q2. @PENUP
Your first upload was
in September 2018.
And you’ve continued
to show us various coloring
and other works of art.
Could you tell us how you got
to know PENUP and how you started
uploading your drawings?
A2. @shadowmare72
I discovered PENUP
when I got my new phone.
At first, I mostly worked
on the coloring pages
as a stress reliever
while on my lunch break at work.
Through the coloring pages,
I learned how to use the brushes
and tools and once I felt
comfortable with them,
I started experimenting
with my own creations.
Q3. @PENUP
The diverse animals’ realistic
expressions are quite eye-catching.
We would like to know
what device and app you use.
A3. @shadowmare72
I use a Samsung Galaxy Note 9
and use the PENUP app exclusively
for these drawings.
Occasionally,
I’ll use a photo editing app
like ToolWiz to create the mirror
images, kaleidoscope effects
or add a funky filter on drawings
that I created in PENUP.
Q4. @PENUP
Through many drawings you have
showcased a variety of horses.
We would like to know
why you started drawing horses
and your thoughts on horses
as your drawing subject.
A4. @shadowmare72
I started drawing horses
at a very young age
and have always felt a strong
connection with them.
I was always that horse crazy girl
in school and I got in trouble a lot
for drawing horses during class
instead of paying attention
to the teacher!
I love trying to capture
their strength, beauty and grace
(and sometimes goofy side).
I think horses are pretty amazing.
Aside from being used
for recreation, sport and work,
today...they are also used
for different types of therapy.
The domestication of the horse has
also played a big role
throughout human history.
Horses were used as beasts
of burden, means of transportation,
aides in hunting and war,
quicker relay of messages and more.
As a side note, it’s really
interesting to see what a role
horses have played as art subjects
throughout history,
even back to cave paintings!
Q5. @PENUP
We can see various expressions
including characters from movies,
in these unique drawings of horses.
We are curious how you got
to draw these kind of pictures.
And also do you have any themes
that you would like
to express through horses?
A5. @shadowmare72
he Halloween/horror
movie character horses were
an idea I got from one of
the Halloween drawing challenges.
Many artists were drawing some
really great pictures of
creepy movie characters
and I began to wonder…
what would Frankenstein
look like as a horse?
It sort of evolved from there.
I really enjoy all the different
challenges and trying to fit horses
into them, somehow.
I think one of my favorite
challenges was the robot challenge.
I’ve never really spent time
drawing mechanical or metal objects.
It was fun and challenging to try
to turn a horse into one!
Q6. @PENUP
Seeing your sketches,
we can see your love towards art.
What kind of effort are you making
to produce these detailed sketches?
Also, it must take up a lot
of time to make these
many detailed drawings.
Please can you tell us how long
it takes to finish a drawing?
A6. @shadowmare72
In college, I was an Equestrian
Science and Art major.
Several of my Equestrian courses
were centered around equine
anatomy and physiology.
It gave me a really good
understanding of how the skeletal
and muscular structures
work together.
Not only did this make me
a better rider, but also
a better artist.
It was a really great experience
being on campus with over
100 horses to observe and then go
to my art classes and try
to translate what I’d been watching
onto paper or canvas.
I still keep my Anatomy
of the Horse, by Geoge Stubbs
and other equine anatomy books
at hand for reference, when needed.
Over the years, I have spent
many hours observing horses
under saddle, in the barn,
turn out and pasture.
And though I no longer own horses
or ride due to a back injury,
I still love to horse watch
any chance I get, whether in person
or by watching online videos!
By doing this, it keeps their way
of moving and expression fresh
in my mind, and drawing horses
keeps me connected to them even
though they are not a huge part
of my life anymore.
The time it takes to finish
a drawing can vary greatly.
Some of the more sketchy,
loose style drawings may take
15-30 minutes while some
of the more detailed drawings
may take 3-5 hours
or more to complete.
I usually have several drawings
going at once and switch back
and forth between them.
Q7. @PENUP
Abstract paintings with horses,
to abstracts with lines,
dots, and facets,
are also seen. How did you get
to draw these abstract paintings,
and also what kind of
message do they hold?
A7. @shadowmare72
For the mandala/kaleidoscope style
pieces shown above,
I took drawings I created in PENUP
and used a photo editing app
to create the mandala effects.
I thought they looked really unique
and wanted to share them
with my PENUP friends.
As far as messages go,
I don’t think most of my works
contain any deep meaning or message,
but are more reflections
of the emotions
I’m feeling at the time.
The different colors
I use are also a mirror
to my moods.
I tend to use cool purples
and teals when I’m feeling calm
and relaxed...bright,
wild and clashing colors
when I’m feeling overwhelmed
and stressed.
Sunny yellows and oranges
when I’m happy...somber
or bland colors
when I’m feeling sad or down.
Q8. @PENUP
Apart from horses,
you’ve also drawn many different
animals, and it’s quite fun
to look for them.
What are your reasons
for drawing animals and
where do you get your inspiration?
A8. @shadowmare72
I really love drawing animals
and trying to capture their
expressions and bring out
their unique personalities.
I’m also a bit an introvert
and often find being around animals
easier that people...
which is probably why they are
the main subjects of my art.
I get much of my inspiration
from watching my own dogs
at play and sleep,
as well as the pets
of my friends and family.
Q9. @PENUP
The sceneries of cities
and nature have unique colors
giving it a dreamlike
and mysterious aura.
Did you draw places
that really exist?
Also what kind of emotion
did you want to send out
through these pictures?
A9. @shadowmare72
These are mostly made up
landscapes out of my imagination.
The emotions evoked vary
from piece to piece...
some are sunny and happy,
desolate and lonely, busy
and manic, peaceful and serene.
It often depends on how
I’m feeling while I’m drawing
the particular piece.
Q10. @PENUP
Here is the last question.
While using PENUP,
please let us know if there are
any improvements that are needed
or any stories you’d like to share?
A10. @shadowmare72
Overall, I really enjoy
the PENUP experience.
It’s fairly intuitive
and easy to use.
It’s been a great stress reliever
and outlet for my creativity.
Talking with other artists,
encouraging and supporting
each other has really been a bonus.
Some future ideas I would love
to see in PENUP are finer detail
with the brushes and tools,
the ability to save our drawings
at a higher resolution and possibly
the addition of being able
to work with layers.
How was the interview
with @shadowmare72?
It was through George Stubbs’
pictures that many English people
got to know about kangaroos.
Horses that used to be so
common place in the past
but are now so far off,
have been drawn by the artist,
giving us new information
about them.
For those of you who are
reading this, with sharing
information with others in mind,
how about observing something,
and taking something new
and putting it into a picture?
Through pictures like this,
you can share information
with others, and get to know
about things you didn’t know before,
and you can enjoy activity on PENUP.
With these new facts,
we hope PENUP is also filled anew.
Thank you.
Fun, Express, Share!
PENUP - Share your drawings!
https://www.penup.com
-The PENUP Team
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