Calm inside the storm

I'm so happy with this! It's not very special or anything, but I went through it in one day (which is kind of a big thing for me personally, I tend to work on drawings for several weeks) because I suddenly realised it's January, so this show ends. I have a partly lined reining entry and colored show jumping entry for this show as well, but decided to go with the dressage one because of the scenery. For the two others, finding another show should be easy. I enjoyed every little bit of drawing this so much and I don't even know why! This has to be one of (if not THE) best rider I've ever drawn. Damn happy with Virginia here. Also experimented with the horse body shading here, basically melting my 'standard' method (black&white) with color shading - was a little rough at the beginning, but eventually it started to work out, so I might just have found the perfect combination. (both to work with 'complex' color horses and making the black-white method look smoother)

I have to admit I wasn't super fond of Cold September at first - she was created in one day (idea, reference and all) because I needed a fitting Anda mare to breed Coldalo'naj to. That day I also liked her, but the next not so much anymore. I rarely ever come up with a character and actually create it the same day, simply because I always keep adjusting the original idea for a while. I figured I'd change her design a bit, because it was 'too much'. The white ear, the spots, the tobiano, all together, I don't know but it didn't fit her in my eyes. However, the tobiano had to stay for the genes and her foal (Cazedra'naj) got birdcatcher spots too, so I'd be weird to suddenly leave them out on September now. I figured I'd redesign her while drawing this entry. I left the white ear out and then thought it'd just remove the tobiano marking on her shoulder, because I didn't like it on her reference. After a bit of hesitating I drew the shoulder marking on a different layer, just to be sure I wanted to remove it, but then I suddenly loved it. I have to say, while drawing this I fell in love with this girl and even especially that shoulder marking. Expect more of her.

Ok pff I'm talking a lot here. I just feel so strangely positive and happy, so that's probably why. I'm going to sleep now and then work on another entry, for the WRC annual competition. Damn myself and the "oh, no hurry, it ends in January" and not do anything all December, then suddenly it hits me I should've started earlier because IT'S JANUARY ALREADY. DB Anyway, today was a good day. This drawing also adds to that. I never had this kind of thoughts or feelings, but something is just telling me 2014 will be a good year. I don't know what or why, but I hope it's true.