7. Paint by Number Horse

oil/panel 5x7 

Remember paint by number?  I loved getting those when I was a little kid.  And really, they are genius.

Very small variations in color and value are laid down next to each other, and if you got it right, it looked really great.  After all, isn't that what painting is about? Showing form by shifting value, color, and color temperature.

So, today's experiment, which was sort of fun really, was to pretend I had a paint by number kit.  I could not blend colors at all, but only lay down pieces of color next to each other to portray this horse.  Some pieces of color are very small... detail is still possible, though not much because I only used a #4 and a #6 flat, one of which was getting fuzzy on me.  If I had a larger painting surface (have I mentioned I don't like working this small?) and different brush sizes, this method could convey a very convincing image.  

Paying close attention to temperature shifts  and value is key to making this work. I think I'd like to try it again.

All you folks out there, give this a try!!! No blending, just lay down color, and then wipe the brush, and lay down the next color.  Pretty cool!!
PS  The background is just painted in regular method.  (in case you were wondering).