What I Love About Animal Artistry

You know what I love most about AA resins? They are similar enough to china that they are tough to repair. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but I can repair them and most people are willing to give away a broken AA. That includes this little guy:

Ouch

First, something model horse-y and pretty...

I bought these two from Maggie Bennett at Breyerfest this year. There were my annual "I'm buying something for ME" treat. I find myself really drawn to paint them at the moment even though I have no shows coming up. Most of my live showing schedule went out the window for the foreseeable future with grad school. While I won't be driving to paint and sell whatever the hot new resin is this fall, it does give me time to refocus on what makes me happy. And that means little pewter ponies.

And then there's the new injury (pics after the jump.)

Fake It Till You Make It

Casanova’s pattern is halfway to completion.

That Swaps Thing

It has occurred to me that I never posted a full picture of my Swaps in progress. Bad me.

This angle is unflattering.

In between commission work, I'm doing a rough prep job on him before he goes off to his painter, Lauren Tapley (or Hoeffer...but she's still Tapley in my cell because I resist change.) She is currently thinking something in the dun family.

WIP: Post-Breyerfest Etcetera

I have big (as in drastic) plans for Giselle as soon as they release her as a regular run. I haven't been this enamored with a model (from a customizing standpoint) since Alborozo.

I'm starting simple and working my way up from there:



Update on Doodlebug. I'm thinking he'll be a blanket appaloosa and will be a sales piece.



The below models are color tests.

When I airbrush, I like to paint each layer on a test body first (usually a mini) before I apply it to the model I'm really focused on. That way, if something doesn't work I can adjust it before I start applying paint to a drastic custom or expensive resin. If things go horribly, horribly wrong they get tossed into a bleach bucket. I haven't sold any of these before because I usually don't take the time to finish them. However, I'm trying to make time to get these guys the details I think they deserve. They'll be listed to MH$Ps upon completion for under $50.

The bay was for Jessie's Girl. I painted King of the Wing in the same batch, but skipped the red layer and didn't add dark burnt umber and black to the body. Virtually the same mix, but two drastically different bays.



The buckskin was for the braided Alborozo I posted a few months ago.



This is a test of a new technique. I'm rather charmed by her so far and haven't decided her eventual fate or how to apply the technique in the future.

WIP: Apollo

It's a Friesian! What, you don't see it?



Now, before anyone announces that the head is too small--yes--it is. Most of the detail has been dremelled off, with the intent to replace it in a more breed appropriate form.

WIP: G4 Stablemates

I got my mitts on a few of the new G4 stablemates.

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship:

WIP: It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's...

You're never too old to read Harry Potter, right?

Every once in a while, I need a break from realism, so I make things like this. I'll try to dig up a decent photo of my green water kelpie at some point.


Click for big pic.

WIP: I survived...

...walking pneumonia! Trust me, a fun time was had by all.

I quickly discovered the "walking" portion of the name was, at best, an exaggeration. More like shuffling-between-the-couch-and-the-studio pneumonia. Needless to say, it put a minor crimp in my production these last few weeks.

However, I have at least a small amount of work for show for my time. It's Salinero! And bananas!



Not the best show of my photography skills, for sure. I'll try to get some photos of him in my studio as he gets closer to completion.

WIP: More Stuff on my Plate

I can't remember the last time I had less than a dozen horses in various states of in progress. I work faster since I can allow certain projects to dry while working on others.

Expect to see a detailed tutorial on braiding in the future:

WIP: New Formulas

Over the years, I've tried to perfect my color formulas. My only reference as a pony-crazed kid and an aspiring painter was old black and white issues of JAH, so it's mostly been a process of trial and error.

I rarely bother to write anything down as I've committed them all to memory, but until recently I haven't bothered to hold on to my mixes. Leftover mixed paint went down the drain to make way for the next layer. I don't even want to think about the money spent on paint I poured out, but the plus side is that I feel the constant remixing improved my formulas. I certainly haven't stopped tweaking, but I'm happy enough with my mixes to start holding on to a few. That meant more jars:


These jars represent three colors: bay, palomino, and "burnt orange" (more on this color's purpose in a later post.) To add insult to injury, I hope to buy several more this weekend. One of the resulting ponies:


Yes, after 12 years of airbrushing, I think I'm starting to get the hang of bay! I'm a little lost on this guy. I started out with good intentions to make him rabicano, but lost my momentum halfway through. I'm currently considering tobiano or minimal sabino, but I'm completely open to suggestions. He'll eventually end up a sales piece.




I'm hoping to complete this gal this weekend. I'm going to add a few white markings, but I was hoping to keep her simple so I could offer her at a budget friendly price.

Work in Progress (WIP): Fwuffy Pony

"Fwuffy" started as a experiment (messing with a different M/T style than I usually trend towards,) but I've been happy enough with him to move forward with prepping and painting. Ideally, he's the first of many new customs I'll be bringing with me to sell at Breyerfest this summer.