Theme: up or down the nose

[Hazel Grant]

Guess it depends on perspective. She's looking down at me as I look up at her. Taken today at a wild horse adoption center. Crop, topaz detail, PS oil paint filter.

[Dennis Bishop]

The composition is good, and I really like the perspective. I'd heal the dark line at the top right and back off the oil paint a bit, especially in the sky.

[Anita Bower]

Yikes! A little too close to a horse for my comfort level. Creative idea for this theme. I, too, would back off on the oil paint.

[Nancy Bell]

Cool! Great unconventional view! Good you have some of the eye visible. I like the focal point in the hair just above the "smiling" mouth, where the lines radiate outwards and visually fill the frame with the design lines as well as the reality of the head. I would also remove that dark smudge at the top right edge.

[Diane Miller]

That one eye makes it!! Wonderful! You positioned yourself just right -- not easy, looking up, I'd guess.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I really like this Hazel. I don't mind the oil paint, the whole thing is so crazy! I just might evict the one line mentioned by Dennis.

[Hazel Grant]

I decided to use a poster edge approach instead of the oil paint and think it is not quite so in your face with the brush strokes but now the nose looks out of focus, or have I just been looking at it too much? Took care of the upper level black spot.

[Anita Bower]

It does look out of focus to me also. I'd go back to the OP. Maybe lighten the eye just a tad to make it stand out more.

[Diane Miller]

Agreed, the oil paint did provide a pseudo-sharpening on the nose. Wouldn't have been possible to get both in focus without a quick focus stack. Maybe try some other filters? Do them on a separate layer so it's easy to reduce it on the sky, or use a different one there.

[Hazel Grant]

I'll keep working on it. love challenges like this because I learn so much.

[Paul Lagasi]

Lololol...I think I've seen this view of a horse before, very nice effect, perfect for the theme.

[Kerry Perkins]

Well, hello Mr. Ed! I've seen that look before, right before I got nipped on the head! Very cool perspective. I like the original but agree that a version of it with less definition of the brush strokes would be cool. If the oil paint effect is on a separate layer (it is, isn't it?), just lower the opacity a bit if you don't want to go back and redo the filter.