Year Review

I must say it has been a pretty good year over all, filled with lots of new adventures and firsts. A busy year settling into my new home and studio. Happy New Year Everyone!

New puppy.

Travel horse sure had a year.

My first traditional resin.

And I at least got one painted! 

Merry Chrsitmas

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and 

best wishes for the new year everyone! 

Burros and Sunsets

The BLM not only has Mustangs you know, they have Burro's! So cute and cuddly just wanna squish their fluffy faces. My puppy Lily was curious about these long eared creatures, as they were in her. She was a good dog and just sniffed there noses. The corrals are also home to spectacular views and as I left I was bless with a beautiful sunset.    

Wordless Wednesday - Mustangs

Took a trip up to our regional BLM Mustang and Burro corrals. These wild horses once roamed South California, Nevada and Arizona. There sure are all types, colours and sizes of mustangs (pretty sure someone released some drafts!).  While I don't agree with the methods used in rounding up these beautiful animals, its wonderful to see them all in good health.

Fixing a broken OF part 2

Now that you have removed your glued fingers from your eyes (Pro Tip: acetone nail polish remover works great!) It's time to sand and sand and sand. Start with a 400 grit wet sandpaper and let it soak in water for around 15 mins, this increases flexibility of the paper.

I always have a spray bottle filled with water which I spray onto the paper and model. Keeping everything wet extends sanding life, keeps away any dust and improves finish.

Then I do the whole thing over again with 600 grit making sure you use plenty of clean water to minimize friction between paper and plastic. Sand the joint area down to below the height of either side, this makes room for the epoxy.  

Next take a very small amount of epoxy and fill in the gap you made with the sandpaper. Level it out and add the details if any, that are missing. Once dry guess what you get to do again! Thats right Sanding!  Your not done until blood is coming from sanded finger tips, thats the price of a smooth finish. Once its baby bottom smooth its time for a fine coat of gesso and then paint. I used my airbrush to paint his now fully attached tail. 

If you have any questions feel free to comment or email them through to me. Oh here is some Thor again because who doesn't love the god of thunder.

Fixing broken OF part 1

Sadly one of my OF models decided he wanted to be docked, while he insisted I wasn't so sure. After some humming and hawing I decided I would try and fix his extreme hair cut. First time for everything right? The only good thing about my tail-less friend was his colour, I find the darker the better for repair work.    

Trusty dremel in hand, with a attachment that is long and pokey (yep thats it's technical name) . I started to make small indents into his tail and dock. 

The indents are for a small piece of wire, which will give the tail more strength. I have also rounded off both tail and dock to leave space for the glue and epoxy.  

Baking soda and super glue are a match made in heaven. This match forms one of the strongest bonds kinda like Thor and Mjollnir... mmm Thor.

Ok, ok back to tails. Put the glue on first then sprinkle the baking soda over the top. 

Pro Tip: If you blow off the excess baking soda into your eyes make sure you do NOT have super glue on your hands when you rub your eyes... 

Next post (after you remove your glued fingers from your face) will be sanding, sanding, sanding and some more sanding! 

Foaling

Just a quick update on my little foal. All her airbrushing is done, now she moves onto pastels and acrylic details. I kinda wish I left her palomino... oh well maybe next time!

Oh and make sure you check out She moved to Texas, its a wonderful blog and she is so kindly giving away some of her models! So make sure you check it out.

Airbrush Paints

For airbrushing I use cheaper acrylic paints, I don't feel the need to spend a ton of money on artist quality if I'm going to be watering it down. However I do use high quality paints for markings, hooves and details.

I like to have a thin mix of paint and water, to do many layers of different colours, to create depth. I don't like the paint too thick, it is more likely to splatter. It is a little tricky finding the balance that works for you and your airbrush.

Always clean your airbrush thoroughly! A dirty clogged up airbrush is the worst thing for your artwork. A good cleaning after each session is a must and soak it in a cleaner once a week or month (depending on how much you use it).

Airbrush Setups

A few people have asked about my airbrush, so I will turn the answer into a post. The first photo is my corner of the garage set up for airbrushing. I have the cardboard box from a big flat screen TV cut in half sitting on an old table. The cardboard is a little over kill because I only spray the smallest amount of paint but the husband is very insistent that the garage stays one colour. (I don't blame him, I'm not the cleanest of painters).

I always put clean newspaper down each time, this saves the cardboard and is easy clean up. Old dark magazines are perfect for testing light colours, the newspaper is fine for dark ones. Make sure you have plenty of paper towel on hand, its always useful. 

This is my airbrush, a Delta 81009 which was a christmas present form my parents. When looking for airbrushes look for double action one with gravity fed paint supply. 

I normally remove the end needle guard when painting, it just collects paint then splats it all over the model. 

This is my, though the husband thinks its his, compressor. Brought on mega deal on black friday last year. I don't know much about compressors really... just look for one with a moisture trap, this helps remove moisture and debris from the air.  

This foal is my latest airbrush victim. Trying to get that soft fuzzy foal colour right. 

Happy Halloween

My Nazgul and I wish everyone a happy halloween, 

may you eat all the candy you desire. 

Rodeo Time

Desert Empire Fair in Ridgecrest CA, held Bull Riding Extravaganza last weekend. It sure was a blast and the funnel cakes were amazing! The rodeo was filled with team roping, barrel racing, bull riding and Xtreme bronco riding. Please forgive the poor photos, I'm still learning how to take night photography and I didn't have a tripod.