- Then vs. Now | Part 2: Tack - - - - Soo I was looking through my old downloaded scratch projects the other day and came across what I think was my very first tack store back in like January of 2023. I would've been around 12, nearly 13, at the time and so I thought I'd put together a quick project similar to my other one with my horse art comparing how I've improved. As the owner of the most popular store in the horse community, I do think it's safe to say that I know my way around tack pretty decently, so I've also included some tips and tricks to improving your own tack art! - - - Tip 1) Avoid single-shape items So looking at various items from my old tack, one thing I notice a bunch is that many items (i.e. the saddle pads, masks/bonnets, and bridles) were all just one plain shape. Now, yes, getting the basic forms of tack is incredibly necessary in beginning to create an item, but to give it that extra edge of realism you really need to add some depth and visual interest - for example, the new saddle pads have gradients, different shapes, and designs. And with saddles and bridles, give them multiple shapes, make them feel 3D! - - - Tip 2) Depth, depth and more depth!! What I find really gives that realistic feel, especially with bridles and saddles, are gradients that create shadow and highlights. With the english saddles, I think the key progression within the three versions is not only the much more obvious cleaner look, but also the gradients I used in the newer version. It creates the illusion of a 3D object, and you can clearly see what parts are shadowed and what parts aren't. That extra addition of shapes and gradients is really what makes the newer version so much better. - - - Tip 3) Use a reference and make things clean I think a hugely important aspect of every kind of art is actually taking your time in the process of creating it. The results you get with an item made in 10 minutes is going to be far less superior than an item made in an hour or more. Taking the extra time to clean everything up, make sure everything fades into eachother where it needs to to create that seamless and realistic look and ensuring no edges between points sticks out really improves the item as a whole. Additionally, using a reference and even block shading is such a good way to ensure your colours and shapes are correct to a tee. I usually block shade a reference to start out with and then later on go and define shapes and colours further on my own. Making sure all the details are right is so important, and those tiny, seemingly "unnoticeable" things are what ties the whole piece together. - - - Hopefully this gives you some encouragement. The large majority of the horse community has only been here from a few years to a few months, and I see so many disheartened people who want to give up because their art isn't selling. I'm showing you my bad old art as proof that amazing art isn't something that happens overnight, it's something that took me three years to master. If this was helpful, please leave a comment, and if y'all are interested I may even release a full tutorial and/or guide on the best way to make tack! - - -
