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In the News

Drawing a ‘War Horse’

How do you capture the creation of a beast at the heart of the hit play? Post artist Alberto Cuadra, who spent three weeks from watching the Broadway show to completing an illustrated graphic, explains.

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They call him Joey

Joey is the name of the mechanical horse and bizarre theatrical conceit behind the play. But how to get at this image? "I always begin with ink and pencil, and from them I go to watercolor. Watercolor is a very simple way to add life to an illustration.''

Illustration by Alberto Cuadra / The Washington Post

'We searched for images ... Even before starting the graphic, I wanted to familiarize myself with the color and the shape...'' Cuadra said. He also went to Broadway to see the production before it arrived in Washington in late October.

"We searched for images ... Even before starting the graphic, I wanted to familiarize myself with the color and the shape...'' Cuadra said. He also went to Broadway to see the production before it arrived in Washington in late October.

Brinkhoff/Moegenburg / Brinkhoff/Moegenburg

Here's the ink-and-pencil process, which defines the form of the illustration. 'Actually, this is my first time drawing a horse ... which is not necessarily a horse,'' said Cuadra, who grew up in the Basque region of Spain and studied biology and journalism before becoming a full-time graphic artist.

Here's the ink-and-pencil process, which defines the form of the illustration. "Actually, this is my first time drawing a horse ... which is not necessarily a horse,'' said Cuadra, who grew up in the Basque region of Spain and studied biology and journalism before becoming a full-time graphic artist.

Illustration by Alberto Cuadra / The Washington Post

'After the ink and pencil, I started to apply 'washes' -- layers upon layers of watercolors.''

"After the ink and pencil, I started to apply 'washes' -- layers upon layers of watercolors.''

Illustration by Alberto Cuadra / The Washington Post

'For an illlustrator, it's rarely obvious from the start which way you will go. That's why you need to create alternatives. This was the photo reference I used for ...

Searching for the right angle

"For an illlustrator, it's rarely obvious from the start which way you will go. That's why you need to create alternatives. This was the photo reference I used for ...

Brinkhoff/Moegenburg / Brinkhoff/Moegenburg

...a second illustration, keeping the same style. The illustration takes a day, six to seven hours maybe. But the background splatters, or texture, takes much longer because I have to cover the main illustration with masking tape, painstakingly. I went (Jackson) Pollock on it.'

...a second illustration, keeping the same style. The illustration takes a day, six to seven hours maybe. But the background splatters, or texture, takes much longer because I have to cover the main illustration with masking tape, painstakingly. I went (Jackson) Pollock on it."

Illustration by Alberto Cuadra / The Washington Post

This photo was a reference for one of the secondary illustrations. The actors alongside a younger Joey are, from left, Catherine Gowl, Nick LaMedica and Laurabeth Breya.

A young Joey

This photo was a reference for one of the secondary illustrations. The actors alongside a younger Joey are, from left, Catherine Gowl, Nick LaMedica and Laurabeth Breya.

Brinkhoff/Moegenburg / Brinkhoff/Moegenburg

'For this, I just created an ink illustration for my picture. Very simple. I didn't want the secondary illustrations to compete with the main element of the graphic.''

My turn

"For this, I just created an ink illustration for my picture. Very simple. I didn't want the secondary illustrations to compete with the main element of the graphic.''

Illustration by Alberto Cuadra / The Washington Post

'This is another example I referenced for a secondary illustration.'

Pulling a plow

"This is another example I referenced for a secondary illustration."

Brinkhoff/Moegenburg / Brinkhoff/Moegenburg

'And here's how I envisioned it, simply.'

Plows into illustrations

"And here's how I envisioned it, simply."

Illustration by Alberto Cuadra / The Washington Post

'This is the sketch for the overall illlustration, a reference to share with my editors on how I wanted the graphic to be built. It's a basic pencil sketch with the elements I wanted placed in it.''

Putting it together

"This is the sketch for the overall illlustration, a reference to share with my editors on how I wanted the graphic to be built. It's a basic pencil sketch with the elements I wanted placed in it.''

Illustration by Alberto Cuadra / The Washington Post

The main illustration is an ink and watercolor piece created in a 25-by-25-inch rigid board. 'It took me around 20 hours to finish. To incorporate it into the graphic, I had to scan it into six different pieces, which were stiched together ... It generated a computer file of more than 1 gigabyte.'' <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/lifestyle/war-horse-poster/'>See the full illustration here</a>.

The centerpiece

The main illustration is an ink and watercolor piece created in a 25-by-25-inch rigid board. "It took me around 20 hours to finish. To incorporate it into the graphic, I had to scan it into six different pieces, which were stiched together ... It generated a computer file of more than 1 gigabyte.'' See the full illustration here.

Illustration by Alberto Cuadra / The Washington Post

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