[Equid Phantasm]

5-23-11. I put in a better mane today and found that on the mane I like using the dropper or drip tool better than smudge. It's still a little heavy on the mane because it's blackish grey on a grey, but I like how it turned out.

Just some basics. I was asked how to make something look rounded and I'm trying to show someone how to make the throatlatch and throat rounded as well. I"ve still got to fix the mane, it's sucky.

Basically long story short a bunch of different size smudges and I always add the hair highlights and the body highlights last because you can add more lights but it's harder if you do it first. If you do it last, it usually looks best, at least to me. It's important to smudge the direction that the hair lies. I got sloppy on the face and didn't even bother the ears, I was too tired tonight. I even missed an entire muscle in the neck... I think I started it but just didn't finish it... yeah, I'm aware. Hence the post in sketches. It was sloppy, I know and I also made dinner while I was doing it so the timer is off, but here ya go horse artists, best I can do for all those that keep asking me.

I took the writing off the picture, it looked too sloppy to me... here's what was there plus some tips.

1. Put down body color in large blocks filling in all the spaces except the nose and eye areas.
2. Put darkest color at joints of musculature and cheek, etc.
3. Smudge using size 7 or smaller in the direction of the hair flow. Decrease size of brush for more detailed blending.
4. Add the highlights last.
5. Smudge with largest size.
6. Smudge for definition using smaller sizes
7. I use a #1 brush for a final smudge and that gives it a hairlike appearance.

TIPS:

1, Remember, you can always add more of the light color to smudge in for highlights as I have done on the cheekbone and neck areas.
2. I always add the lightest high lights last and smudge them because it seems to work best for me, it's best if you experiment.
3. When I say smudge, I'm talking about a up and down motion in the direction of the hair, quick short strokes of the brush (mouse) will yield better results than swipes.

Remember folks, I just started using Oekaki, these are things I found out on my own because I'm sort of a perfectionist. I paint in reality so it comes by me more naturally than some. If you have any questions about how I did my Field of Dreams or others, PM me, I'd be happy to answer.

Equid Phantasm.