I know a lot of people find getting the right tonal values of a grey horse a bit difficult which is why I want to share some of the coloured pencils I used to draw this grey horse.

There is a wide range of colours in a grey horse, many that you perhaps wouldn’t expect, and it’s really important that you’re using them in your drawings to get the correct structure and values in your horse if you want to achieve a more realistic look. There are a range of warm and cool tones in grey hair and before I put any details in I will first create a base layer with either a cooler or warmer-toned grey.

Below I have listed some of the specific pencils I used in this drawing but I also used a range of dark blues, pinks and purple-toned pencils, particularly in the dapples on his neck.

Polychromos – Cool Grey 1
Polychromos – Warm Grey
Polychromos – Burnt Sienna
Polychromos – Black
Luminance – Raw Umber 10%
Pablo – Light Ochre
Pablo – Granite Rose

If you’re interested in the colours I used to create this coloured leather, I have listed them below:

Polychromos – Burnt Sienna
Polychromos – Caput Mortuum Violet
Polychromos – Black
Polychromos – Cool Grey 1

I then used a Slice Tool to remove the pigment to create the stitching which is a really simple but effective technique to use.

The main thing to take away is not to draw what you think you see, instead really look at the colours and pick out those pinks, blues, purples and yellows and make sure you add those in to improve the realism of your drawing and bring it to life. Particularly in the shadows, this is going to really make a big difference to your drawing.

If you’d like to see where and why I have used these colours in this piece and to hear more tips for drawing grey horses, make sure you watch the video at the top of this blog and if you’re looking for more colour recipes, you can download my free Brown Fur Colour Recipes here.