Choosing Colours for a Red Roan Horse

New Member Lara sent in this question regarding a horse she wishes to paint using Pastel Pencils:"Hi Colin, I have been a member for a short time but love the site and have been learning so much following along with videos and tutorials. I've been wanting to do a picture of my horse which is a red roan and have failed miserably at getting any color matched up to his coat. Could you please take a look at his picture and offer any advice you have on colour?"Thank you Lara for your question and the picture of your lovely horse. This is an unusual colour but I am sure we can find an answer to the colour tones. One thing I would like to point out is that it is rarely possible to match an exact colour of any animal therefore some compromise is advisable.If you are using Faber-Castell Pitt pastel pencils, I am listing the colours I suggest that you try. If you are using another make then I suggest that you look up the Faber-Castell colour chart to match the colours as near as you can. Try out the following suggestions on spare pastel paper first.Apply White (101) to the light areas and Warm Grey I (270) to the medium and darker areas. Then rub these applications in with your finger or blending tool - this will set the tone for the stronger colours. Try the following colours in the order I have listed them - Burnt Ochre (187), Caput Mortum (169) and Burnt Siena (283) then use Walnut Brown (177) and Dark Sepia (175) for the darker tones. Use just a touch of Black (199) for the very darkest areas.There will certainly be other pencils you will need but it is unwise to list them here these can be added as you proceed.