Thrill

"Thrill" by Claire Nobles

©2011

Medium: Watercolors

Size: 8x10 inches 

Prints available here.

I finished the painting! And I *told* you the elf was wearing pants! I feel so happy about this piece. I really challenged myself to make this painting work. I spent a lot of time using tutorials and reference photos in order to help this piece along. It was time consuming, but well worth it as I now have a much better understanding of horses and animals in general.

This is the first piece I have ever scanned in and corrected on my very own! The new scanner is finally working and I actually have an idea of how to use it! I have a few more pieces for you so stay tuned!

Prints are available for sale at my Etsy Shop.

The Elf IS Wearing Pants on that Horse!

©Claire Nobles, 2011

The horse and elf have been inked!!! My client didn't mind the elf idea at all and gave me the go ahead, next up will be painting!

I was having a few problems with the horse sketch and finally got down something I like and that looks decent to me. I had completely forgotten that my dad used to be a cowboy of sorts growing up and he was able to give me some really good pointers.

The background is still stumping me because I'd like them in a field, but I don't want it all grassy and cartoony and annoying, so I will probably do some yellowy orange sky and hint at some far off trees... 

My first title idea was "Rush," but Rush is the name of an awesome rock band and I would seriously have the "Tom Sawyer" song stuck in my head the whole time I painted it. So my second title idea is "Thrill" which I like much better. I know I'd be thrilled to be an experienced horseman(lady-man-elf) and to just ride around bareback all day in a magical field.... It'd be thrilling.... Hmm, so let me know if you guys think of anything else though.

I'd really like to point out that the elf is wearing pants... But they don't have color on them yet... Just wanted to point that out.... It looks kind of awkward and it was bugging me... And btw, doesn't she look so much better actually sitting on something!!

I will probably will be able to lay in a few washes of color this weekend and have an update monday or Tuesday night!

One last thing-- I'm having a sale at my Etsy Shoppe, 15% off everything in the store with the coupon code FRIENDS15 I may have a black Friday sale, but this 15% off discount is on until the end of the month!

Have a good weekend!!!!

Horses coming out of my pencil!!!

©Claire Nobles, 2011

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I won't be able to upload new paintings for a while even if I finish them. But I can show sketches!! This sketch is a commission that has a deadline, so everything else has taken a backseat until this project is underway.

The request is a fairy on a horse. It's being painted for the client's very dear friend as a gift, so there are a few specific requests.

I was online for over an hour today googling and sketching "rearing horses." The first few attempts to create the drawings were hilarious! I had a bunch of overweight fatty horses! The one above has gotten better from the first few, but he still looks a tad pudgy... I'll have to fix it. I'm used to drawing dainty whimsical unicorns, so it was funny to see that horses are really the opposite of dainty and much more powerful creatures (in a non-magical way). 

©Claire Nobles, 2011

The sketch above is a slightly more detailed version of the maiden. (sidenote: doesn't she look so awkward without a horse or at least a chair under her??) I decided to make her an elf instead because the wings of the fairy were getting in the way and not aesthetically pleasing and mostly because I realized "Why would a fairy ride a horse if she could just fly?"

Hopefully the client wasn't dead-set on a fairy.... She described her friend as a tough horse-riding girl who would never be caught riding sidesaddle in a pretty dress. I think an elf will go for her personality better. Just think of Arwen from Lord of the Rings.... She was bad-ass on her horse! 

Anyways, the elf is dressed in a riding corset, pants and hecka awesome riding boots. So she's pretty hardcore.

Also, since I'm on a horse kick, I will be attempting to get done another horse maiden, Epona. I blogged about this a while ago and just hadn't gotten around to sketching it out. That painting is for a friend who just asked really politely if I would paint Epona, and I couldn't turn her down. There's no deadline, but I'd like to do it simultaneously with my other horse painting. And now that I'm thinking about it I *should* add another unicorn into the mix... But I'm probably too lazy.....

Side-note, I told my watercolor classmate, Splotchy who owns a horse that I was going to draw a horse rider and she is practically asking every class about my progress. She said she'd give horse anatomy pointers too, so I'm in good hands... or hooves...? If I fail, blame Splotchy.