Speaking of dead bodies...

(shoosh, I like Halloween)

I unearthed this guy again.  He's been here just a few times before. 

His nick name might need to be Humpty Dumpty.  Since the most recent post back in August, he has lost his legs...




Got a little 'hole-y'...


No, I couldn't decide where I wanted that leg.


Got put back together again...


Legs everywhere!


Annnnnnd lost some limbs again...



The other two should come off again too.

I keep putting him down and picking him up and debating what I'm going to do with him.  I might have mentioned it somewhere, but my final goal with him was to get him cast in resin.  Thus why I continue to rip things off if I'm not happy with them.  If there's going to be more than one of him, he's going to be as perfect as I can make him darn it! 

However, I've hit a possible snag.  When I started him a few years ago, I believed it to still be an acceptable practice to cast drastic customs.  When I say drastic I'm talking about Orinocco and Calamity Jane levels of drastic, not todays accepted level of "drastic" which I wouldn't even think of casting.  Cue snag - apparently most artists and people (according to Blab) will not purchase a resin that was cast from a custom.

Thus I'm torn.  I finally believe that I have figured out the last big changes I have to make to my jumper and then I can move on to the detailing.  But I am hesitant to go any further if I can't (shouldn't) cast him.  I have trouble justifying all the work that still needs to be done just for him to be a OOAK custom.

So if I am going to go with the knowledge that people will not purchase a resin from a custom, I would need to restart from scratch.  I might have less issues since I've made most of the posing mistakes with this body already (hopefully), but allllll that time I have invested in him currently bothers me.  Again, I'm so close to detailing, do I really want to go back to nothing?

Bah.  As you can see, I've been thinking about this much to much.  I really want to work on him, but all of that holds me back. 

Too much deep thinking this late at night considering how early I have to get up.  Lighter post to follow, I promise!

 

Rising From the Grave

Wait, Halloween is over? 

Errr...  I'm still not dead.  Honest.  I might want to be, but I'm not.  As proof I shall leave you with a teaser photo of sorts, and promises of love and kis....I mean future blog posts to come!

I shall soon regale you with my tales of unintentional flying, missing body parts, Norwegians, the Staten Island Expressway and deadly trees!  Not necessiarily in that order.

And model ponies too, can't forgot the whole point of this blog.  : )


How about an overcooked cookie?


Crunchy!

 Christine why did you let me have soda?  Look'it what you've done!

Swirling Colors or Making Mud

Ever get that feeling you're just pushing paint around?  That's how I feel about Smittyn right now.  She looks like a hot mess.  I'm hoping this is just one of those ugly stages all pieces go though.  I also hope that I'll be able to figure out how to get her out of this ugly stage. 

Wet oils do not photograph well.  Hmph.

It might be getting cold...

But things are warming up here!  I finally decided to pull out my oils and get some real color on Smittyn and the CM Dainty Darcy.  They got their acrylic basecoats a while ago and because of the limited number of acrylic colors I have, they both ended up pretty blah. 

Now they pop!  As fickle as oils can be, I really do looooove the richness of thier colors.  This was something I could never get in pastels.  Maybe if I had tried pure pigments.  Hmmm....  Ack no! Distracted!

Photo time!

Darcy/Simba actually needs to be toned down again.  The real horse is not quite this bright.

Smittyn meanwhile is not quite accurate to my ref, but she is so luscious now.  Next I have to figure out how to make her actually look like a dapple grey and not just a pretty gradient.

Tomorrow maybe VL will get another coat of color.  : )

Recovery - 47 days

Aie!  Blog silence is deadly!  It might be summer still, but I've been experiencing a snowball effect of events and stuufs.  I've got plent of photos to cover a few days posts, so fingers crossed that I'll go back to being (moderately) consistent.

First off I hope all those on the East are doing ok after Hurricane Irene came through.  Our yard is backed up against a river, but thankfully it is about 30 feet below us.

Most of that used to be land.

And that was our dock. 

The family and I took a walk down one end of our road to see how the dam/bridge that holds the lake was faring.  Thankfully no one lives down by it.

I swear there is a bridge under there. 

 And then we hoofed it to the other end of the road with the bridge we use to get out to the main road. 


Ummm...I think we're stuck.

There was nearly two feet of water over the bridge itself.  And the trees on the left side of the photo?  That used to be someone's yard.  They were the "proud" owners of a lake on Sunday and Monday.  I didn't get a photo, but they had just emptied their inground pool just a few weeks before the storm to repair it.  The pool was totally filled with lake water.  Yummy. 

The photos were taken on Sunday and the water has receded enough that we can actually get out now.  And I can see our dock.


Sorta.


Thankfully, we haven't had too many issues in my town and most people have their power back.



..............................................................


Brain died.  I completely forgot what I was planning on saying next.  Maybe I'll remember later.



Derp.

I Has a Shiny!

Sixty shinys to be exact!


Oooooooooooooooo

 Is it just me, or is there something a little off about the way they look?

Creepy unhappy button





Creepy unhappy Aku from Samurai_Jack


Oh yeah.  I totally see the similarities...

Huzzah! - 58 days

My taffeta came!  And I was up way too late last night cutting it out!  I must say that the color is simply gorgeous. 


The color is slightly washed out but still oh so pretty.


I'm hoping to start sewing up it today.  Fingers crossed that the buttons come today too.

In other news, my countdown for the show may not be over just yet, in case you couldn't tell from the title.  With a lot of encouragement and a little bit of help from my friends I may get to Intersport Live yet!  I'll have to pick and choose what pieces I'm going to finish now, but I think this may just work.  So to make this post appropriate, how about an update on VL?  He got another layer of oil on all of his body but his hindquarters.

He's getting a little smoother but still needs a lot of work.

I think I need to tone down the red, he's getting a lot brighter than my referance horse.


Oh yeah, way too bright.

And now to sew my day away.  XD

Grinding to a Halt

My model show plans have currently come to a complete standstill.  I was hoping to attened Intermediarie and Intersport Live out in Harriburg, Pa in October.  In between waiting for models to dry I've been looking up the class list and working on assigning things.  Everything was going smooth, one or two models in most classes when I got down to the halter classes.  Original finish, tons of options.  Customs, considerably less choices.  Artist resin?  I'm screwed.  Most of the models I wanted to finish for the show are resins.  And nearly all of them show in the "light breed" classes.  With a max of two horses per class, this puts me in a serious pickle.  I have six "light" breeds.  Four of which I was using in performance.

Now, I have a very limited show string (typically under 20 horses) so when I do go to a show, I want to put horses in as many classes as possible.  Much as I hate to say it, this show already put a limit on my classes by not allowing cross entering between english and western divisions.  But by having such a severely limited custom and artist resin halter division, it's no longer financially worth it for me to attend. 

Bummer.  I was really looking foward to my first show in two years.  I'll just have to keep a vigil on the NAMSHA website to find anoter relatively close one for the future.


Fat Ratties make everything better.  In case you were wondering, these two weigh over a pound each now.



Brotherly Rattie love.  Awwww.



More on my plate - 61 days

Like I need it.  I was expecting my muslin today so I could do a mock up of my Ren Faire dress.  Thus after being a chauffuer (again) I spent most of the day preparing for that.  It never came.  According to the website, now it won't be here until Friday.  Darn it!

So instead of being a sensible person and picking up one of my in progress models for the show, I decided to add another to the queue.  Seeing as I won't be getting the money together for Mindy Berg to paint her anytime soon, Sheba's Jewel has now been added to my list.  She got her final prepping today and is going to get her final primer layer in a few minutes.



Oh! And Dinky got his first layer of primer today too.  This would be more exciting if I hadn't forgot I need to fix his ear still.  Oops!  And now I think I will actually put the second layer on VL like I was planning on last night.



Shades of Bay - 62 days

After a super slow start this morning and afternoon with an appointment, being a chauffeur, readin and re reading the instructions for the Ren Faire dress pattern (it came today, yay!!!!!), and looking for 46 buttons for said dress (which I failed in finding), I finally was able to get some paint on Smittyn and Darcy/Simba.  Both of them were only basecoated in acrylics, too late to pull out the oils.



Somebody needs some shading.

 



I must say that I've been using Carol Williams book for my oil painting and she really does have the formulas spot on.  If it wasn't for her book, Smittyn would just be a dark bay instead of a rose grey.  Make that will be a rose grey, right now she's a mess.  But the colors are pretty.  XD



Most frightening base coat ever. Wait, that was two posts back. Lol

 


I can't decide between a dark tail or a two tone tail, thoughts?

Hmmm... VL is dry enough to put another coat on and I wouldn't have to mix the paints.  Plus one for oils.  

Less Than Productive - 63 days

I had the best of intentions.  Honest.  Yesterday I was good, I finished prepping and did a final layer of primer on the Smittyn and the CM Dainty Darcy.


Painting time!

Today I was going to get at least their acrylic base coat on.  But that didn't quite work out.  Instead I headed to Hackettstown to visit my two friends there and hopefully work on some models that needed custom work done still.  It it so much easier to drag my epoxy and sculpting tools around intead of my huge tackle box of paints.  Well, I never did get around to working on the models, but we did do a photo shoot.

Did I mention that I did have the best of intentions?

Look!  It's a fleshed out version of this guy from Danielle Feldman's blog!

Vacuum pony!



You can't tell me you never did this in school.  XD




Ok, maybe you never had the decapitated horse head...




Rolling buddies!




My body!  It's come back from the dead for my head!




Yes, he has a spoon for a head.




Uhhhh....

Yeahhh....

These aren't even all the shots we took.  I think I need to stay away from these troublemakers until after the show is over.  Or at least until I permanately attach "spoony's" head. 

In other news, I will get back to the comments left on my blog shortly!  Thank you all! 



The Real Deal - still 65 days

Aren't you all lucky, two posts in one day!  : )

I did end up deciding to put some color on Vertical Limit after all.  Mostly because I still had the paint all mixed up and paint is a terrible thing to waste.  Or so I keep trying to remind myself. 

I always used to use pastels to paint my models, but after going to college and getting my degree in Fine Arts, my brain decided that oils would be more fitting.  I've been regretting that decision ever since, but I'm determind to get a better handle on it.  Eventually.  I'm sure it also doesn't help that I keep trying to do chestnuts in oils.  That color is the bane of my existance in any medium. 


WHOA! Case and point!


Now!  On to the main spectacle.

First he got three layers of the basic body color in acrylic.  I mixed in a little gold pigment for some sparkle, no boring chestnuts here!

NOT THAT SPARKLE!!!!



Not that you can see the sparkle here.




Streaky...blargh.



Next I blocked in him mane, tail, and feetsies.  I love the lighter legs that the chestnust have sometimes.



Umm...not quite that high.




Mmmm, creamy.

After those dried it was time to break out the oils and mix more colors.  Yay!



Whoa!  Crazy red!  And still streaky, but mostly becuase I put on suck a thin layer of oils.  At least I hope that's why.  He's still very wet so he's super shiny.  Honeslty, he's looks better in the photos that he does in person.  Or maybe the lighting in my room is just terrible.  I'm still trying to figure out the logic in painting my most expensive resin myself in a medium I'm only moderately comfortable in.  I guess I'll be debating that for a few more days until I can pick him up again.  Drying time of oils is a total killer.

Now I get to prep the rest of them.  : )

Test Subject - 65 days

I'm trying to be good and be productive, especially seeing as I unearthed another resin I wanted to have done for the show.  Eek!


Bad Smittyn.

So, seeing as I'd rather not break out the epoxy today, I broke out the paints instead.  And  as Vertical Limit is the only model fully prepped and ready to paint at the moment (the others need some final prepping and a coat of primer) I figured he would be the best place to start.



He doesn't look quite as splotchy in real life.



Which meant that I needed to work on my little test subject first.  Doesn't he just look... awful.  XP  Chestnut and I do not get along at all.  But seeing as this was just for me to get my acrylic base colors decent, I guess I can't complain too much.  Now to find out if I am brave enough to lay the base coat on VL himself or if I will chicken out and keep prepping horses. 

Countdown - 66 days

No, not unil the end of the world.  That's in 71 days if you believe that one guy.  FYI - I don't.

Back to the original topic - in sixty six days I have my first model horse show in two years!  YAY!  My two friends and I are heading to Harrisburg, PA to go to Intermediarie and Intersport Live.  I'm really looking foward to it but right now my show string is pretty sad.  As such, I'm hoping to finish up some customs and resins in time for the show so my string is... less pathetic.  Hoping being the operative word. 

So, I'm sharing my plans here so that I can have other people bother me to get things done as well!  (I'm looking at you my 30 watchers!)  (Wait, 30 watchers? when did that happen?!  YAY!  I love you guys!)

Here are the models I'd really like to get done in time.  I'm already looking at this list and thinking I am insane.

Paint the custom Dainty Darcy resin...



Yes, I missed my original deadline like whoa.


Paint up the Terrang CM as he didn't sell...


Now I really need to decide on a color.  Bay?

Paint up my Vertical Limit...


Om nom nom

But before I try my hand at the big man himself, I need to do a practice piece...


That needs a strip job... heh

I'm also hoping to paint up my Dinky Duke



Somebody lost an ear.  Darn it.

And maybe finish and paint up the stablemate ASB CM, though I was originally thinking of selling him/her unpainted...

Yes, he/she still looks the same as last time.  D'oh!

As if those weren't enough, I would really like to finish up my rearing Wixom



Yep, she still stands on her own!  And is still obscenely large!

Aaaaaand I'd love to get my jumper as close to done as possible so that I can get some feedback on him in person.


I finally think I've got those legs sorted out!

Phew!  Do you think I put enough on my plate?  It wouldn't be so bad if between the show and now I  wasn't also planning on sewing up an outfit for the Ren Faire in New York, trying to get decent at sphere play for said Ren Faire, possibly volunteering at a local horse rescue, and moving my horse to a new barn.

Somebody shoot me now.  Or beat me until I get it all done.