# Lostastirrup's painting portfolio



## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

So i mostly sketch, but I've taken up acrylics because they're cheap and command more of my focus- and therefore are much more conducive to my mental health than pencil drawings. I thought Id put a few on here, as they tend to be horse themed and theres some crazy good artists on this forum to weigh in. So here are a few ive done recently, the less detailed ones are smaller and "sketches"- they only took me maybe an hour (grey arab, headframe, fox on a purple background), the more done or detailed ones actually got some effort put into them. 

Also Im a big fan of Bob Ross, I find him soothing, though I hate landscapes, and anything that resembles foliage. 

thats not to say I dont attempt landscapes... they are just more difficult for me.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I love, love, love the curled up fox! 



I need to get my camera back as I have trouble getting images off my phone.I don't usually do acrylics but did a couple recently and with everyone else sharing this seems like the place.


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

@QtrBel. 

I loved him too! Unfortunately I sold him at the end of semester, that's why I have the one with the flowers. Had to fill the wallspace. 

I'd love to see some of your acrylics. It's such a forgiving medium I've really enjoyed it. White fixes all.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

This is a personalized piece for a friend.


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## Tihannah (Apr 7, 2015)

Loved the first horse! Another fan of Bob Ross. I remember laying on the couch as a kid watching his show and his soothing voice and the sound of the brushes always putting me down for a nap. Lol.


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

@QtrBel. That's lovely. 

@Tihannah. That's my TB! He lives on my wall, based off a mahogany bay I used to ride, and still do when I go home.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

WOW! I am impressed! Hard for me to pick a favorite...


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

I started him last night. I call him "Mr. Studly. 


Hopefully will finish him this morning before work


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

I guess he's done. I think I'll go back and fix a few things but overall I'm pleased.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Wow those are very nice. :O Beautiful!!! Mr. Studly is the perfect name for him lol.


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

@PoptartShop


I think he's pretty handsome... my mother thinks the name is too risqué. ..
But she thinks ankles are too risqué.


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

This was a 30 minute painting limiting myself to black, white, brown and red for colors. I tried to challenge myself by adding a rider, if only a vague one.

I wanted it to look kind of like those old timey horse competition posters.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I don't have specific feedback on each of your paintings (though I am happy to do so if you wish), but I just wanted to say that painting is WAAAAAY harder than people realize, and your efforts are as admirable as a novice rider getting back on a horse that has tossed them, over an over; you are willing to struggle. and THAT is what it's all about; the struggle.


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

@tinyliny

Mostly this is just a place I put them. So e take minutes (like the last one) and some take the afternoon (Mr. Studly). Mostly I do this for myself and my sanity.


I struggle with flow. Getting tones to mix without jarring is difficult on the canvas,. However I try and save money by conserving paint, and often what I paint down is dry before the next stroke because of our climate. 

Do you have some tips for that? 

The sketches, I don't particularly care about critique for. They didn't take effort, so they are mostly irrelevant. The more detailed stuff- the foxes, Studly, and TB I would love to have some critique on. 

I never got anything formal for painting education, so I've a very pock-marked knowledge base. I'm bad at people and plants. There's a brain block there. And I don't actually know what I'm doing.


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## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

If money is an issue, you might consider trying digital "painting" software. While such programs lack the tactile feel of physical painting, they also have advantages.

After the initial cost of the program, cost should be very minimal. They offer a variety of "brushes", and some even let you design your own. You don't have to worry about paint drying too quickly. You can combine different media like "water colors" and "oil". You can undo anything you don't like. You can "paint" parts of the image on different layers so they do not effect your previous efforts unless you later combine the layers. 

Some programs such as Corel Painter allow you to experiment on how different layers react with one another before making a final selection. This program also offers digital watercolors where you can decide how you want your paint to flow. 

These programs may also offer helpful tools for things like perspective design.

While you can use a mouse with these programs, work becomes more "natural" when using a stylus either with a tablet -- hand/eye coordination may take some practice -- or directly on the screen with certain computer hardware.

Free tutorials as well as purchase-based lessons abound to help you learn how to use these programs as well as how to compose your work.

You can find some examples of what can be done on my .com website listed below. Some of these were completed by combining work done in several different software programs.

One advantage of using such programs is that you can "zoom in" to do detail work. This can also be a disadvantage as you may become too detail oriented. Another disadvantage is that you cannot view the entire image full sized if it is large.

You can have your finished works printed on various media including canvas. The quality of the prints depends on the resolution the works have been designed in and the quality of those doing the printing.


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

There is no way I'm not using real paint on real canvas or paper. 

Maybe it's just the instinct to not waste or our dry climate. Who knows.


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

I've been doing what I call "30 minute projects" where I give myself 3 colors and 30 minutes and paint on a small $0.50 canvas. It's kinda been good for me. To establish what I need to do and not dawdle with making obsolete layers of paint. Most of the time they are crap. This one was less crap. And it was also of my pony.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Wow you are all so talented! Then there's my art...


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

waresbear said:


> Wow you are all so talented! Then there's my art...
> View attachment 971737



I think you would surprise yourself. Like Bob Ross would say "anything you can practice you can do" I have a really good friend who teaches painting classes and everyone who takes them is surprised at the end by what they CAN do. It's just a matter of working at it and having a goal in mind.


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

So it's been awhile since I've put anything here... I had to go hunting for the thread. 

I guess I got busy with school. 

I haven't done a lot but here are two:

"Freno the Beautiful"

And 

"Henna Horse"


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

:rofl:, @*waresbear* !

I never cease to be amazed at the multi-talented people who hang out here. Love the curled-up fox and the dog and am blown away by what you do in 30 minutes, @*lostastirrup* . I used to paint Impressionist landscapes as a 14+ teenager; my first one was my best one because I didn't think about it too much!  As I got older, the left hemisphere started interfering too much. These days, I know how to bypass it again and not let thinking get too much in the way while doing something creative. You just have to go with the flow there. The last big artwork I was involved in was a sculpture of sorts - our house! ;-)

Like you, I was fine with horse faces - however, all my _people_ looked deformed. It may be whether or not there is love for the subject matter... Landscapes are great like that. Nobody can tell if a hill is 10% out, but with a human face - oh my, looks like post car-crash! :rofl:

Thanks for sharing, I love seeing real people's art!


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

Great work! These threads make me think I can possibly do something artistic and it turn out looking as I intended, until I try and it turns out looking like something even I dont even know what it is. Very talented!


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## Northerngal (Dec 27, 2018)

Love the corgi!! I have one that looks just like him


Those paintings are really beautiful! 


As tinyliny said "painting is WAAAAAY harder than it looks"
That's so true! But then again the reason I'm pretty good at sketching is practice. I never have time to haul out the paints therefore my paintings aren't terribly great :lol: 
It's so easy to just grab a sketchbook and pencils


Foliage is tough and tedious! I used to sketch only horses but I've upgraded my skills to people, dogs, and occasionally heavy farm machinery or aircraft, I guess I just sketch whatever interests me at the moment.


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

@SueC. Thank you. I will note that not everything I do ends up here. Some of it gets painted over in white so that is can have a more aesthetic future after I've botched it. 
@csimkunas6 you should give it a try- painting night formats or following a Bob Ross is a great way to get going. A lot of the time when you start a new style or shape it's hard to get your hands to do what your brain wants, but if you have someone to guide you through it's a lot easier at the start. 
@Northerngal that corgi belongs to a friend of mine. I ran out of Christmas money for gifts so she got a painting instead. The dog is a total ditz so the painting has some laughable "nobleness" that was fun. I wanted the farty sneezy dog to look like a conquering hero.


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