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DreamHorseStudios — Blackwater Echo
Published: 2010-12-22 04:37:34 +0000 UTC; Views: 1456; Favourites: 74; Downloads: 0
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Description
This lovely mare belongs to one of my very best friends, . Blackwater Echo ("Echo") is a 1995 Thoroughbred mare by Wonderloaf (a son of Affirmed), out of Shaken Bay (a Buckpasser granddaughter). Although she's royally bred from some of racing's greatest blood, she did not take well to the track and earned only $787 in five starts. Instead, Echo found her calling when she and her "mama" met several years ago and entered the world of show jumping and eventing. They had several successful outings and were jumping 3'6"-4' fences, but circumstances have changed and the pair now prefers to school at home.Echo was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma on August 11, 2011 and humanely euthanized.
Blackwater Echo ("Echo")
March 31, 1995 - August 11, 2011
Medium: Prismacolor Pencil
Time: 12+ hours
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Comments: 35
Thanks so much! I appreciate the 
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Thanks so much!
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Thanks very much!
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Thank you so much. This is still my favorite piece, even a year later.
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Great work, especially on the headshot up top. I like the way you've blended the browns of various saturation, it looks very natural and realistic. Love the sparkle in her eye too.
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Thank you so much for leaving such a detailed comment! It really helps me to know what others find interesting about my pieces so that I can keep that up in future works. The headshot is definitely my favorite part of this drawing, especially the eye, so I'm very glad you like it!
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No problem! 
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Wonderful picture - I can see from your gallery that your art has really improved - well done
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Thanks very much! I've come a looong way in my many years as a deviant.
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Oh my god..
Finally, a piece of art that actually does Echo justice! You haven't seen half the stuff I've gotten from people, lmao..
It looks so aboslutely amazing! I can't wait to get it and frame it and hang it up!
You're the greatest
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That's because I love my twin and her wenchmare! 
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Thanks so much, Katie! It's definitely my favorite to date.
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Gosh this is lovely! You did a really nice job with this, Lauren! The colors are perfect and you blended them so well. My only issue is the tail. It seems a little too together and lacks some natural flow.
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I spent some time looking at the original and the scan earlier today, found a few things I wasn't quite happy with, and went back in to fix those. The tail was one of those "problem areas" that got a little revamping with more definition and the addition of a few more flyaway pieces. The weather has finally cleared up, so I may be able to get a better photo (with the new fixes!) tomorrow. -crosses fingers- You'll have to let me know how you like the tail once I upload a new picture.
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lol Okay. And yay for nice weather! It definitely helps.
That is perhaps the one thing I hate most about drawing: finishing a picture and being happy with it, then looking at it later and realizing it's full of mistakes and spots that just don't look right.
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That's why I've held off on spray fixing this drawing for a little bit. The mats are waiting, too. I'm giving it time to sink in so that I can make a tweak her and there, if it so happens that I need to do that. I'm really pushing myself to a new level with this one and I don't think I'm going to be able to rest happily until I can call it well and truly done.
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IMO, this is one of, if not the best piece I've ever seen from you. With the exception of the tail looking a bit too together (maybe space the individual hairs out to show that they're moving and emphasize the overall "bounce" in the trot to give that extra hint of motion), everything looked so amazing. I can see motion, the proportions are pretty much perfect, and I can see the soul and spirit in the mare's eyes, everything we look for in a beautiful piece of equine artwork.
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The edges of the tail actually curl up a bit from the trot motion. Echo's tail is extremely thick and full, which is really quite surprising to see in a Thoroughbred, so it doesn't have quite the fanned out bounce you might expect. A reworking on the tail has allowed me to redefine the upturned hairs along the sides to give even more of a fluid impression. Do like.
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Awesome.
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I'm happy to see this all completed - the WIP you showed me definitely preluded to one of your greatest pieces yet! The profile has the deep soulful eyes that people love in their portraits, the gloss that makes it look alive.
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Echo's mane, especially in the winter, reminds me of duck fluff. I really wanted to get that feeling of downy softness when I rendered her, but keep enough life in her mane to make it look as if it really could be picked up and blown about by the wind that way.
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I've only got [link] to work from for the trotting pose, so I'm kind of having to make things up as I go along. I've finally just thrown in the towel on photo-realism and decided to go with my intuition on this one.
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This is really beautiful. You did a great work on the head close-up, Echo has got a really nice expression there and I like how you shaded the brown and how you added all that grey, it helps the bay coloring look a lot more realistic. The eye is absolutely gorgeous and I really like the clouds for some reason
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Thanks so much! The close-up is, admittedly, my favorite part of this piece. Part of me is wishing that I hadn't drawn the trotting part, but I'm trying my very best to go back in and push a little harder with the shadows so that things become more defined. Hopefully, a better photograph will make all the difference in the world.
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You're welcome!
And yes, some darker shadows would definitely help more on the trotting part. If you don't mind, might I suggest some more definition to the leg tendons and muscles? I think it would help a lot, seeing as the legs look a little flatter than the rest of the body 
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