There Is No "Easy Way" ... or ... Round 2 with the Portrait

I started this portrait again this morning.

I apologize for the color quality. The oranges - quin. sienna - are not coming through well at all.

This technique, essentially dry-brushing, is very time-consuming, but there is nothing like it to get clean colors, and depth in a very delicate subject. I am far from finished, probably several days or weeks of work, but I really like how it is coming along. The dry-brushing allows you to better maintain the clarity of the sensitive colors. I am glazing with pure colors - started with a thin wash of yellow ocher over everything, and am now using permanent rose, alizarin crimson, quin. sienna, quin. burnt orange and cobalt blue. I read about this technique several years ago. If you would like to see some work by a master of dry-brushing, I highly recommend you google Ottorino de Lucchi - brilliant!

And besides painting, His Imperial Highness is doing well in his training.  I must say, the same goes for training horses as for creating a painting. There are short cuts, but they just do not come to fruition in the end. With horses, "tricks" and short-cuts will take you to a point in the process where the horse is ill, lame, or just completely unwilling to work with you any more. It's sad. I am pleased to see Bruno willingly come in off the field in the morning when he sees me come out, dressed for riding.

Here's Scruffy, almost totally blind, but game to be out there -  playing, walking, and being a barn helper. 

And then there's Maggie - what a character! That's her best friend, Flossy, behind her.

Thank you dropping in to the Farm! Your comments are always welcome.