![Yelena Shabrova ! A sketch a day: running horse ~ pen and ink, colored pencil, 6" x 4"](https://i0.wp.com/shabrova.com/_v2/wp-content/uploads/2017-05-11_decorative__trotting_horse.jpg?resize=697%2C465&ssl=1)
running horses
A sketch a day: trotting horse
![Yelena Shabrova ~ A sketch a day: trotting horse ~ Faber-Castell colored pencil and ink on Canson drawing paper, 6" x 4"](https://i0.wp.com/shabrova.com/_v2/wp-content/uploads/2016-02-15_trotter_horse.jpg?resize=697%2C465)
A sketch a day: running horse
![Yelena Shabrova ~ A sketch a day: running horse ~ Faber-Castell colored pencils on Canson drawing paper, 4" x 6"](https://i0.wp.com/shabrova.com/artblog/wp-content/uploads/2015-10-16_running_horse.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1)
Running Free – finally done!
![Yelena Shabrova ~ Running Free - pastel pencil on colored paper, 12″ x 9″Running Free - pastel pencil on colored paper, 12″ x 9″](https://i0.wp.com/shabrova.com/wp-content/uploads/rf-big.jpg?resize=640%2C335&ssl=1)
This one was in the works since 2000. I vaguely remember being excited when I just started with it, but then life got in the way with moving and traveling to Russia, and when I’ve picked the pencils again I hit a creative block. No matter what approach I tried, no matter what part of the drawing I chose to work on – nothing felt right. So I would walk away and work on something else, come back, felt that the creative block was still there, and put the stubborn artwork away again. I am not sure what’s changed recently, but “Running Free” was completed with just a few short sessions. Maybe it happened because last time I’ve left it alone for the longest period ever.