Gaelic Princess

Gealic Princess it's a piece I've been working on for a long time now. You can see the unfinished version on my earlier posts. I've left it unfinished a long time ago and recently got to it. Here is the final version.
It takes a very long time to make something very photo realistic. I think I've spend too long in Photoshop using the airbrush and smudge tools along with texturizing and blurring things, the photo realism it's too much. To the point some folks don't believe me that I've painted this and they think it's a photo collage or that I've painted over a photo. That kind of bothers me since I've spent a looong time trying to make it look photo realistic. Yes I copied elements from different photo reference images but I didn't paint over them or photo-collaged it. A great artist friend of mine said, well...if you want to make it photo realistic and you achieve your goal don't complaint about people not believing you it's not a photo. He has a point. 
I think now that I have reached my goal in photo realism I might try a different style in my next paintings. A style where is less photo realistic and folks can easily see it's painted and not so photo looking so they won't be confused.
This digital painting it's being printed on a canvas gicle style, after that I'll paint over with acrylic and then texturize it.
I have only one painting left to do and then I'll have to look for a gallery that wants to showcase my art.
Until then have a good one folks, hope you like my original art.