My last post I mentioned that I had three commissions I couldn’t show you. One of the surprise recipients got her painting early, so I’m happy to show you Emylou. I like this one so much I really didn’t want to let it go!
Emylou, watercolor on Aquabord™
I’m so happy with the results in this painting which is from a photo taken at the Kentucky Horse Park. The trees were perfect. The water was perfect. And the colors on the horse were richer and more glowing than any I have done previously on Aquabord™. I also used a different brush than usual on the horse, an angled shader in two different sizes. It gave a lovely streakless finish that was easy to lift off for the highlights. But in order to take advantage of the brush’s ability to lay down even color I had to mask out the harness and the front of the cart so those areas would remain white while I painted the horse, leaving clean areas to paint all the leather and assorted cart components later. There was a fountain on some sort of barrel type structure in the middle of the water (it’s the green part under the horse’s head, with a reflection underneath). It was splattering drops into the body of water, so I took a stiff stenciling brush, dipped it in masking fluid, and ran my thumb across it to spray fluid on the water area before I painted it. Paint then went over the mask drops with a 1″ flat brush. I was surprised that I could use such large brushes (the largest of the two shaders was 1/2″) on a painting that is only 5″ x 7″!
I completed the first of the three paintings before I did this one, but still can’t display it. Will be going on to the third one tonight!
Alli Farkas Artist Adventures 
Alli, this is spectacular! The colors, values, shadows, textures… they’re spot on!
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It’s been a learning curve for Aquabord™, that’s for sure. Always a big emotional surge when it all works out.
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I would quite agree – this is quite perfect. No wonder you don’t want to let this one go!
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Thank you Emma!
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This is wonderful! I especially like, weird though this is, the “movement” forward in the left front leg. Spot on….congratulations on a wonderful painting.
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Beautiful!
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Thanks Jo!
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Wow, so much fine detail in such a tiny space. It’s a jewel.
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No kidding on the tiny detail. I had to use a rigger to get some of it done because even my tiniest round watercolor brush was too big. So it flipped back and forth between a 1″ brush and a “0” size rigger!
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Your horse paintings just get better and better all the time. I love the detail in them and the light in this one on the horse’s coat is amazing! I feel like I could just touch it; so realistic! Nice break for you from Sky Pads.
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The new 1/2″ angled shader brush is responsible for that lovely light on the horse’s coat. And the fact that Aquabord™ lets you lift off just a little or a lot of paint, depending on what you’re trying to do. Years-long learning curve for me!
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This is really a lovely water colour painting. There is such a three-dimensional and tactile sense to it. No wonder you didn’t want to let go of it.
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Thanks so much Otto!
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