Saturday, November 14, 2015

Jezebel Waiting for the Barn



Late in the afternoon the donkeys wait to be let into the barn. I sit up on the fence, because otherwise Jezebel will put her head in my lap to get attention.

At 43 years old, Jezebel is the oldest jenny. She has her own stall in the barn because she is on a special diet. 
Donkeys' proportions are different from those of horses: large head and ears, small hindquarters, big long belly, and small hooves. They also have a black marking called a "cross" running perpendicular to the back and down along the withers.
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5 comments:

Tom Hart said...

Beautiful painting, James and a nice tribute to Jezebel's good, long life. Are her raised hips and somewhat swayed back typical also? Or maybe due more to her age?

James Gurney said...

Thanks, Tom. Yeah, she's a little swaybacked but not bad for a girl her age. I think the raised hip was just a goof in my drawing. I think the croup should really slope back at more of an angle from the point of the hip to the dock of the tail.

F. Emmanuel Laverde said...

James I painted a donkey also recently, what a coincidence!
http://naturesketchers.blogspot.com.co/2015/11/donkey-sketch.html

Tom Hart said...

Nice sketch F. Emmanuel! James, in comparing the two backs, I don't see that you goofed in the drawing. To me, the backs look very similar, suggesting that the shape I was wondering about is a species trait.

F. Emmanuel Laverde said...

Tom, it must be the species and sketch position considering that my litthe donkey is only 8 months old.