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Nylak — Desert Rose

Published: 2007-02-14 03:55:16 +0000 UTC; Views: 10422; Favourites: 395; Downloads: 209
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Description The next in my series of horse paintings based on/inspired by songs, this one inspired by "Desert Rose" by Sting. ! This one took a lot longer than I thought it would.

Oh, and just so you know, I hate arabians. I don't like their concave faces at all, or their sort of slim, rounded physique. I really have a fetish for heavyset, powerful horses with sort of roman noses. Though their movement is lovely, I just don't like the look of the breed at all, aesthetically. :\ In fact, I find the more "refined" their features, the more I dislike them. I've really cringed at the sight of some well-bred arabs. God. I just hate their faces.

So if its conformation/face isn't particularly arabic, it's because I fucking hate arabs, and my subconscious refused to allow me to draw one true to the breed. >_>;

SO ANYWAYZZZ.

Next one will probably be a kiger mustang based on "Wild Child" by Enya.

Done on Adobe Photoshop CS. Clocked at 10-12 hours.





I dream of rain;
I dream of gardens in the desert sand.
I wake in vain;
I dream of love as time runs through my hand.

I dream of fire;
Those dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire.
And in the flames
Her shadows play in the shape of a man's desire.

This desert rose;
Each of her veils, a secret promise.
This desert flower;
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this.

And as she turns--
This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams.
This fire burns;
I realize that nothing's as it seems.

Sweet desert rose;
This memory of Eden haunts us all.
This desert flower;
This rare perfume, is the sweet intoxication of the fall...
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Comments: 56

KIING-LACURA [2012-09-05 13:41:55 +0000 UTC]

its so beautiful

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Alniyat17 [2011-05-20 04:50:05 +0000 UTC]

wow this is really beautiful. and i love this all the more because I have a bit of an obsession with arabian horses to differ from you btw i hope you do more avatar stuff! I have an unhealthy obsession with that too

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ms-tovo [2010-06-30 22:53:13 +0000 UTC]

wow. so shinny. Arabians are so beautiful.

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rabid-riolu [2010-02-23 15:10:30 +0000 UTC]

This is a stunningly beautiful Arabian. It somewhat reminds me of the horse from the children's book "King of the Wind" by Marguerite Henry (Well, the cover anyway. I never read it.)

I like Arabians, but I can see why others wouldn't

Anyway, fantastic job. You're very knowledgeable of horse anatomy, and the coloring here came out great.

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Serekka [2009-12-15 18:03:10 +0000 UTC]

Cool Art

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DreamerForLife [2009-11-21 00:25:33 +0000 UTC]

such a beautiful arabian

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FriesianWolf [2009-11-12 08:52:47 +0000 UTC]

OMG OMG OMG

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Dactik [2009-08-03 21:34:32 +0000 UTC]

Oh my gosh i love it! I don't hate arabians but i don't like em either.. i love this pic though, its gorgeous, and i have to say, when i first saw it, it did remind me of an Arab more than anything else..

I think its hind quarters and part of its body are a bit too shiny though, and it looks kind of "overdone" if you get what i'm saying.. still, its not like i could do better, this is awesome! (:

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Tania-S [2009-05-10 16:29:49 +0000 UTC]

Hi ^^
Your work are featured here [link]

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KirbyQueen123 [2009-03-22 05:08:13 +0000 UTC]

I like how the coat shines like that.. just enough without being over-done

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MalteseLizzieMcGee [2008-11-22 14:45:46 +0000 UTC]

I like how the landscape seems a combination between Monument Valley in Utah and some expanse of the Sahara, as well as the dramatic colours in which you have portrayed it. I agree with you about very refined Arabs, though the less refined ones aren't, since they usually only have a tiny dip in the face and are a lot bulkier than pure-breds.

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TheDesertPrincess [2008-09-24 17:59:58 +0000 UTC]

This is a wonderful work

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criollo [2007-10-25 18:20:41 +0000 UTC]

So lovely horse with a gorgeous background! Congratulations! love this

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WeirdoQueen [2007-09-05 16:40:12 +0000 UTC]

Whoa, someone pollished him! And I think he's fine. I love arabs (don't even try killing me; i'll just come back to life again), so his delicate-ness is fine. ^.^

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Freedom-Fighter [2007-09-04 19:02:54 +0000 UTC]

This is amazing! I love it! Great work.

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unconscious54 [2007-08-04 16:58:04 +0000 UTC]

Beautiful!

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simply-anarchy [2007-04-14 18:30:12 +0000 UTC]

wow that came out really really good!!!

(and i hate arabs too!! >< lol i have a quarter horse thoroughbred paint myself )

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teameggytoast [2007-04-04 09:32:48 +0000 UTC]

Stunning~! I love all the detail in the background o_o.

The pony (i know it's a horse...I call all of them ponies XP) looks too clean, he needs to roll in the sand =3. Hehe.

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ShadowZeCat [2007-02-27 07:22:03 +0000 UTC]

So beautiful, love the sand detail. That horse is just gorgeous, beautiful marking upon her head, it's called a star.. or a diamond, I think?

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Greeniepie [2007-02-24 15:54:55 +0000 UTC]

Wow. @_@ The arabian and the desert looks awesome. I love it. -faves-

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Shersepski [2007-02-24 01:00:41 +0000 UTC]

Oh, wow. That's gorgeous o.0
I'm not much of an arab fan either, I guess they are nice enough, but I find them a bit over-rated xD I prefer the heavier, muscular horses with a straight face.
But seriously, that is awesome :0 <33

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Tatooine92 [2007-02-20 23:43:57 +0000 UTC]

It's beautiful! Arabians used to be my favorite breed for a long time. They are elegant horses, but they're sooo difficult to draw! Congrats on capturing the breed so well.

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esonf60 [2007-02-19 15:03:53 +0000 UTC]

nice pic

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Hallybear [2007-02-17 17:24:05 +0000 UTC]

I remember that poll! I Looooove it!

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mJackson [2007-02-17 01:16:30 +0000 UTC]

gah, I am in love with your horse drawings!! You really should consider making a tutorial. I share your feelings towards arabs lol... my friend owns a couple and im just like UGGH everytime I look at them. ... NOT my favorite breed lol. roman noses and big feathery feet are much better

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wokejacqueline [2007-02-15 20:44:57 +0000 UTC]

Ooooh, that is so amazing.

I absolutley love that song; as a matter of fact, I'm listening to it now!

This picture embodies the song so very well. Excellent work.

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Ponei [2007-02-15 19:20:03 +0000 UTC]

I'm so fricking in love with your shading style. The shineyness.. You horses are always so gorgeous, you are so great. o__o I love the sand.. And everything. It's so beautiful. I feel like I could just crawl into the picture. x)

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whisperingwinds [2007-02-15 03:54:19 +0000 UTC]

Holy... That's it! I'm stalking you from now on!

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Spectrolite [2007-02-15 00:30:17 +0000 UTC]

Y'know, I've never been terribly fond of their faces either. Something about Arabians just tends to be...well...off...

Anyway, to the picture. You did a nice job with this. It fits the song very well in my opinion. And I just adore what you did with the little wave thingies and dunes in the sand.

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Hurrok [2007-02-14 23:54:08 +0000 UTC]

Shiney!

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harkened [2007-02-14 22:33:21 +0000 UTC]

nylak -huggles- yay! another big horse fan! I am all for the thick heavy set horses, they look healthy <3! this is so beautiful! the coloring is reallllly nice. -pokes-

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shekeira [2007-02-14 22:15:36 +0000 UTC]

I absolutely love this color of bay. Despite differences of opinions, you really did the breed justice. (Racing Arabs completely lack the showy-ness that you find in most.)

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Lyriael [2007-02-14 17:18:21 +0000 UTC]

A kindred spirit!

I've never liked Arabians much either, and I just adore draft horses.
"If it doesn't weigh a ton, it's just a horse."

But I do love the picture. Great composition, and I especially like the sky and how the style of the horse almost mirrors the rock formations. Very nice. ^^

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Lostvingiel [2007-02-14 17:02:23 +0000 UTC]

Wow! he is beautiful even if he seems to be in plastic! I love it.

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SRLucas [2007-02-14 15:24:18 +0000 UTC]

awesome! the horse looks almost like glass, and the background is amazing

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boundfaerie [2007-02-14 13:03:25 +0000 UTC]

Yeeea! That's gorgeous! I'm really grooving on the dust kicked up on the back of the hooves. Such little touches really make the scene. Brilliant!

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Ellakins [2007-02-14 12:42:13 +0000 UTC]

O_O

-speehless- wow!?

I know what you mean about arabians, i hate seeing the really refined ones, but i think the less refined ones are really beautiful

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Nyxen [2007-02-14 12:20:53 +0000 UTC]

Tsk, not liking arabs. Still... I forgive you. Awsome picture too. Shiny.

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lil-twilight-wolf [2007-02-14 10:46:38 +0000 UTC]

omg amazing me loves

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Natt2004 [2007-02-14 10:09:50 +0000 UTC]

Awesome work!

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Totalrandomness [2007-02-14 08:21:43 +0000 UTC]

oooh very nice and shiny! Love it. I'm not a fan of arabs either, you're not alone.

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tailfeather [2007-02-14 05:48:08 +0000 UTC]

Naaaaay, you removed my cactus-lover D: Ohwell, it's pretty anyway x] I love the face especially. Very detailed.

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Nylak In reply to tailfeather [2007-02-14 14:18:53 +0000 UTC]

Hahaha. *elopes with your cactus lover* >3

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tailfeather In reply to Nylak [2007-02-14 16:43:37 +0000 UTC]

D: Nooooo, my loverrr! How dare youu? ;____;

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Kiarei-star [2007-02-14 05:46:34 +0000 UTC]

This is.. joyinpixelform. Your coloring is the best.

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cooley [2007-02-14 05:40:47 +0000 UTC]

Wow, I can see you put a lot of work into this. I'm especially impressed by the detail in his face!

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DustysDarkRyder [2007-02-14 05:25:40 +0000 UTC]


Oh, oh! Shuuuuunaaaahh!
Nah, as an owner of a pure-bred Arabian, and a daughter of a mother who isn't fond of the breed, I do respect your opinion. Yes, there are arabians out there that are just to refined. The heads get too dished and the horses too lankey, but I'm in love with their temperments and just how much more loyal they are to humans (only because of an ancient past). The way they move is also another reason to fall in love, and I would never give up my mare, not even for the stockiest quarter horse, or most-money-earning warmblood.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in saying that, this image is one of brillent beauty.
I'm in love with all of your horse works (and most of the other pieces in your gallery ) and I can't wait to see more.

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WSTopDeck [2007-02-14 05:09:04 +0000 UTC]

Hey. Not all Arabs look like swan-necked, broken-nosed giraffe relatives. Different bloodlines have different looks. And Shagya Arabs tend to have a much more solid look to them See?---[link] [link]

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Maxrunn [2007-02-14 04:57:10 +0000 UTC]

pretty

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cruorvylkas [2007-02-14 04:44:11 +0000 UTC]

Beautiful.

And to me you didn't get it *that* far off from an Arab's face.

Definately fav worthy.

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