In between commissions most artists hone their skills on something they either haven't done for a long time or something new. There are always new techniques to try, new pencils or surfaces to experiment with.
I hadn't done a horse for a while so found a lovely picture of a Palomino.
Excitedly I got started on it and as always I began with the eye. As I worked I realised there was something off about the inner edge of the eye. I zoomed in and there, having a feast, were four little flies: well they were swiftly ignored! As I moved down his nose, I was keeping a close eye on the direction of his coat. I paused and sat back. I zoomed in very tight and there was a whole patch of coat that was totally the wrong direction, in fact it was a perfect circle! I'd been looking at this image for days and not noticed at all. Needless to say, that error was ignored and the coat drawn in the correct direction.
The one thing I wasn't going to remove was the small flowers in the mane...not that anyone seems to see them.
The moral of this tale is that when you choose your subject, check it over with a fine tooth comb.
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