Overload

Have a problem... I can't finish anything! But I'm very good at starting things. I haven't finished a pony in over a year. So I'm hitting my head against the wall in a pile of never finished ponies. Oh well maybe I will just sell them all and buy a painted piece xD

The pile

At least his tail is back on! 

The next victim 

Stripping

No not that kind of stripping get your mind out of the gutter! (Joking) So if you have some old customs with scratched up paint jobs or you made a mistake that cant be fixed you need to remove the old paint. You can sand them but I prefer the soaking in Pine-Sol method. You need 60/40 Pine-Sol to water ratio in a container or bucket. You might want to do this outside and make sure you cover it, the smell is very strong. After a few days soaking give them a good scrubbing, depending on the type of paint used it can take up to 4 days in the Pine-Sol baths.

Results, before on the left and after on the right: 

Primer Woes

Been fighting with primer these last few weeks. It has been impossible to get the spray smooth and flat. Even after wet 400 grit sandpaper and "socking" my models come out with a rough texture. After doing some reading I came to the realisation that its just to warm outside for priming. Plus my technique is a little off, I have been spraying too far away from the model. The other night was a lot colder so at 8:30pm I was out in the yard priming!

Results:

Yay for Rust-Oleum Painters Touch! My foal came out so much smoother and I haven't even socked him yet. He still needs another coat or two of primer (the can ran out) but I can't wait to start painting.

Epic fail for Krylon. Maybe it was a bad batch because I know people love this primer but I could not get it smooth. In the photo he looks alright after an hour of sanding and socking but he is so rough in parts of his mane and tail. He will be stripped and I will try yet again with Painters Touch this time.

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing everyone a very happy 4th of July! 

I'm just going to keep cool out of this heat and maybe do up some tasty food.

Update

Quick update on the models I'm working on in the studio and good luck to all that are showing at NAN this weekend!

Still going cross eyed. 

Starting to build up neck muscle.

New tail is getting there. 

Can't wait to paint this gal!

Hard decisions

So after sculpting around 80% of a tail for my SM jumper, I look at it the next day and I like it but don't love it. I see that its not the smoothest and it doesn't have the right flow. I spend most of the morning thinking it could be fix and its not that bad but then I started to think about the old tail. I rush it and ended up hating it. So I made the decision to sand off most of the last days work. It was kinda a tough decision but deep down I know I can do better!

Next hard decision is with my Graylea Whisper resin... 

Braids? Mohair? Free Flowing? Long? Short? Hunter Braids?

Tools

I thought I would share my tools of the trade, for sanding and sculpting. First off is a set of bead files or bead reamers, these are great for sanding in those hard to reach places especially on stablemates. I found this set in the bead section of Michael's. Next is my set of small files in all different sizes and shapes, I love these for getting those pesky seams and logos off. Last but not least is my favourite sculpting tool, it is actually a pimple needle but it works great for creating hair texture in manes and tails. I love both the round and pointed end and would be lost without this one!   

Here are some photos with my SM jumper for size reference:

Bead Reamers

Small Files

Pimple Needle