Before We Leave for BreyerFest

So tomorrow I'm leaving for BreyerFest. Hopefully I'll be able to get some shopping done at the CHIN, after we get there, if not definitely Friday. On Friday most of my day will be tied up by the Open Show. It's my first time and I can't wait! Hopefully I'll have a boatload of pictures to upload. Saturday I'll be wandering around, stopping at the C/Y show and hopefully Leslie Kathman's horse color seminar.

See ya there!

The Feather Fund

So on Friday I shipped out a model as a donation to the Feather Fund auction. Each year they gift a Chincoteague Pony foal to a deserving child, or children. Here's their story - 

GOD'S PLAN   by Lois Syzmanski 

"God works in mysterious ways.  He brought together a wonderful woman, a pony  foal and two young girls and everything fell into place on that fateful day, as if directed by God.  But the story didn't stop with just my two girls.  Read on, to learn more.  You will find that Carollynn Suplee is the reason we have the Feather Fund. We operate using the lessons she shared through her generosity, in Carollynn’s honor. 

 In 1995, I traveled with my husband and two young daughters to Chincoteague Island, Virginia for the Wild Pony Swim & Round-up, an event made famous by the Newbery Award winning book, Misty of Chincoteague.  We’d been going to the round up and swim for several years, but 1995 was different for two reasons.  This was the first time my eleven year old, Ashley would be singing at the Misty Museum in town.  There was another thing, too… my daughters, Shannon and Ashley wanted to buy a pony.  They sprung it on the drive down.   “We’ve saved all our money from working at carnivals this summer.  We have $500. Can we buy a pony?” Shannon asked.  
For years we had talked about buying a pony, but they went for high prices and we were a struggling medium income family.  A pony could teach them things that we could not.  My husband, Dan and I knew they wouldn’t get a pony for $500.  Still, we thought it would be a good lesson in perseverance.  If they didn’t get a pony, they would learn to save another year.  So we went to the auction with two children who had high hopes and $500 in their pockets. 
When we arrived at the Chincoteague Carnival grounds and took our seats, we realized something was wrong.  The firemen were scurrying around as if upset.  Then we heard that their public address system was not working.  My husband stood up.  “I have Ashley’s cordless microphone, amps, speakers, anything they need in the car,” he said.  “Maybe we can help.”  When he went to talk to the fireman Ashley tagged along.  Ashley is not one bit shy, and in no time at all she had struck up a conversation with fireman, David Savage.  “We came to buy a pony,” she told him proudly.  “Do you think we can get one for $500?”  David Savage shook his head.  “They usually go much higher,” he said, “but you never know.”  Dan hooked up Ashley’s cordless microphone and amp for the firemen, and the auction was ready to go.   
Ashley stood up to yell, “$500!” each time a foal came into the auction ring. The auctioneer would laugh at her and say, “There’s that gal starting us off at $500, who will bid six?” and someone always did.  By pony # 40 both of my girls were in tears.  “We’re not going to get a pony,” Shannon, my shy one, said.  
“Maybe next year,” I reassured her. 
Then we saw David Savage walking toward us.  He was pointing and making his way through the crowd with a young woman and her husband.  The woman was smiling.   When they reached us, the fireman introduced Carollynn and Ed Suplee. Carolynn’s enthusiasm was infectious.  She practically bubbled when she said, “We want to help your girls buy a pony!”  She nodded and the brim of the floppy hat on her head bobbed. 
My husband shook his head.  “No. Thank you, but we can’t let you do that.”  How could we take money from a stranger?   Carollynn persisted.  “We came to Pony Penning to buy a pony to donate back to the island, but we arrived too late.  The firemen told us all the ones to be donated back had been sold.”  She smiled.  “We came because I have to give something back.  Then, Mr. Savage told us about you.”  She smiled again.  “We want to help buy your pony.” 
We continued to shake our heads and say, Thanks, but no thanks.  By now the crowd was listening.  
“I have to do this,” Carollynn insisted.  “I know God wants me to do this.” 
My husband and I were confused.  Carollynn took off her hat.  Her hair was thin, just growing back in.  “You don’t understand.  I had cancer, a brain tumor.  I didn’t think I would live through surgery.   But God sent me a sign that I would be okay.  During those weeks before surgery, I started finding feathers.  Everywhere I went I found feathers, even in odd places.  I began thinking that He was trying to tell me something.  One day, we were visiting the Grotto of the Lourdes in Thurmont, MD.  I stepped up to read the bible in the garden.  It was open to Psalm 91 and marked at verse 4.  It told me that the Lord would cover me with feathers and protect me.  Then, I understood what he was telling me.  I was safe in his care.” 
The crowd around us was quiet, still listening.  
“When you get something in life, you have to give something back,” she said.  “I want to give back to you.”    “I don’t know.”  My husband was practically speechless.  People around us wre reaching for tissues.  I wiped tears from my eyes.   
“When Mr. Savage pointed you out, a seagull feather drifted down right in front of me," she said.  "Then I saw your daughter’s shirt, and I knew.  I am supposed to do this.”  I looked at Shannon’s shirt.  It was an Indian design with feathers on the front. 
The crowd started to shout, “Let her buy it.  Let her buy it!”  
My husband relented, and suddenly this lady who I was hugging, and her husband, and my children were bidding on a tiny brown pony foal with four white stockings!  
After it was over, we hugged.  We’d purchased foal # 42.  We walked over to the pens to see the colt.  Ashley said, “Can we name him Ocean Feather, or Sea Feather?” 
We were all smiling and crying at the pony pens.  Then we saw the colt.  He turned, and Ed put his arm around Carollynn.  “He has a feather on his neck,” he said.  
We all looked, stunned.  The colt we thought was solid brown had one white body marking on his neck, shaped like a jagged feather! 
Everything had fallen into place as if planned by God: The microphone not working, so Ashley could talk to the fireman; Carolynn and Ed arriving too late to purchase a turn-back pony; Carollynn talking to the same fireman that Ashley spoke to; and the feathers…. the feathers.  It was meant to be.    But the story doesn’t stop there.  Carollynn and Ed returned each summer to the island to buy turn back ponies or ponies for children.  Carollynn would pray for direction, and somehow she always chose a child who had a need… a child who would learn so much from a pony, like my children did.  On those years that Carollynn didn’t feel directed, she and Ed purchased a turn-back pony for the fire department.   In 2002, Carollynn did not feel directed toward any child in need, so they did not purchase a pony for a child.  After the auction, she headed to the car to get carrots for the ponies.  She ran into a young girl, crying, her arms around her mother.  Carollynn stopped to talk. 
“Did you want a pony?” she asked the little girl.   
“The child, Alissa Swenson, nodded.  “We came here to get a pony.  My dad and mom and I planned the trip, but…”  
Alissa was sobbing.  Her mother, Lexy broke in.  “Ron, her dad, got cancer and died before we could get here.  I promised her we would still come.  I found Chincoteague on the map, flew in to Norfolk and rented a car and got us here, but  we live in Wisconsin and I can’t afford to ship a pony home.” 
“I guess you learned about Chincoteague from reading the Misty books?” Carollynn asked. 
“No,” Alissa said.  “I read a book you probably never heard of, called Sea Feather.”  It was the book I'd written about Carollynn and Ed and Sea Feather and my children. What are the odds? Carollynn’s face lit up.  “You know Carollynn in the book?” she asked.  Alissa nodded.  “That’s me,” Carollynn said.  "I’ve been praying for you. I'm your pony fairy,” she said.  Carollynn told Alissa she would get a pony foal the following year.  She said to go home and prepare a place for it and they would meet again at the 2003 auction.  What are the odds that Carollynn would run into Alissa?  50,000 people attend Pony Penning, yet Carollynn ran into the one child who had come from Wisconsin after reading a story with Carollynn in it!  
Carollynn’s cancer came back in March of 2003.  By then, Animal Planet had heard about the story.  They decided to come to Pony Penning and film Alissa getting her pony.  Carolynn was in a wheelchair and not doing well at all, but she was there at Alissa’s side as she purchased the pony she named Chincoteague Miracle.  She nicknamed him Lucky. 
My dear friend, Carollynn died in October of 2003.  Before she passed, her husband, Ed and I talked to her about starting The Feather Fund, a nonprofit organization to carry on her work.  She was a true angel, one I just had to tell you about. 
Since 2004, the Feather Fund has placed more than two dozen ponies with children. If the child parts with their pony they must offer it back to us at a reasonable cost so we can place them in loving homes. 
The Feather Fund has become a very large family. Every year pony recipients make the journey back for Pony Penning, to welcome new award recipients to the family and celebrate together. The reunion picnic continues to grow, like the love and lessons that Carollynn Suplee offered." 

After finding out about this organization, and their annual auction, I decided to pick up on of my stablemates waiting for color and paint a model for their auction. I email the organization, and asked for ref pics of any unusual colored ponies on the island.

Surfer Dude's Riptide - a very pretty silver bay

My rendering of him

I definitely hope to contribute to this auction again next year! Hopefully a larger scale model too.

Here is their website

My Journey into Resculpting - Sculpting the Mane

So today I did the mane. Just like the tail I used the snake method to map out the direction and length of the mane.

Next I began sculpting in the hairs, first I would do some deep grooves, splitting the snakes in two or sometimes three. Next I would do some lighter grooves to add more texture.

My sculpting tool is the end of a paint brush

        

Every so often, I'll brush some rubbing alcohol up the mane to get rid of little balls of clay that will inevitably show up.

It is finished!

The way I do the forelock is the same way I do the manes only with thinner and shorter snakes.

  

My Journey into Resculpting - Finishing the Tail

So when I last left you I was letting the tail firm up before sculpting the other sides. But even as it was drying, I started disliking it more and more. The tail bone was too thick for my taste, and I didn't like how the tail was flagged. So I decided to redo the tail with a different set.

I let that sit over night to fully cure and started sculpting the hair of the tail.

Almost done with the front side

Done!

Then I noticed that one of the hooves was raised off the ground. I did a couple tests, setting the horse on the table tail and all, that had the hoof raised, and then set it on the table with the tail hanging off the table. That test revealed the problem - the tail was to long! So I took my trusty Dremel and cut about an inch and a half of the tail off. I fixed some of the hairs that had been distorted and finally the tail was done! Phew!

Next, I'm moving on to the mane, and fixing the feathers that were damaged when I cut off part of the tail.

More about my Journey into Resculpting - Ears and Tail

So after the apoxie firmed up, I attached the ears (sculpted by Kristian) to the horse. Unfortunately the horse fell over a couple times, so there was a lot of reattaching of the ears.

Finally attached!

Next I drilled a hole for the wire for the tail bone. After I super glued it in, I built a base out of apoxie and let it dry overnight.

Looking it over I realized I had to thin out the tail bone and add more fat to the chest.

I sanded the tail bone down a little more and started sculpting the hair of the tail.

One side down 3 to go!

In the next post, I'll show you the finished tail and move on to how I do the mane.

My Journey into Resculpting

 So today I decided to start a resculpt of Seabiscuit to a Welsh pony. I have very little experience in resculpting so do enjoy the bumpy ride it's bound to be!

The victim

The reference 

I started off by cutting off the ears, tail, and mane. Then I started to fatten him up!

Well now I have to wait for the apoxie to firm up, I use Magic Sculpt, next is attaching the ears, and sculpting  the mane and tail. Oh and Kristian Beverly of Five Paws Studio is now my sculpting guru :-)

Grain, Grain, Go Away...

So if you have ever done a horse in pastels or pigments, unless you have been extremely lucky, you have had grain on your horse. Grain is usually caused by very small divots in your horse's primer or sealer. It can also be caused by going using a color a couple shades darker than the color you have already laid down or not allowing enough time for your sealer or primer to dry.

Grain from going to a shade of light yellow to a medium brown

One of the things you can do to counteract grain is to buff the horse with a clean (I can not emphasize how important the clean part is) white sock, this is often called socking. Once your primer is completely dry, I usually give it a day or if I'm impatient at least twelve hours, you rub your horse with the sock until it has a shine. This process is essentially the same as sanding with a high grit sand paper, without running the risk of sanding off primer. The sheen comes from knocking down the divots that create grain. 

The shine of a socked horse

Even with the sheen pastels or pigments should still stick to the horse. If they aren't, hit the horse with a coat of Krylon Matte Sealer (or something similar). Wait for the sealer to cure and buff, after buffing try applying the pastels or pigments again.

Another cause for grain is missing a part of your horse with the sealer. If you don't notice this and you lay down another layer of color, the parts that aren't sealed in will not get any darker. So my cure for that is looking your horse over after you seal it. If you see a lighter color then what you had just sealed in, hit that part of the horse with another layer of sealer.

My advice for you is if you are doing a lighter color, buff, buff, buff, and buff again! You should buff every time your layer of sealer cures. When you're doing a darker color you have a bit more leeway, but I still recommend buffing in between every layer.

If you have any questions, please ask! Also if you want to see any type of tutorials, just ask, I'm very easily swayed :-).

Studio Fun Day

So today was a fun day with my Friend Kristian Beverly of Five Paws Studio. We worked on customs all day! Woot!

Say hi!

I got a lot done today! I finished my last custom for BreyerFest "The Mad Hatter Theorem" a bay quarter horse on the cutting horse mold.

He is done in pigments and detailed in acrylics. He has a star and snip, and a sock with ermine spots. I consider him to be at least PSQ. I also have started two new stablemate customs who will be making appearances in a later post.

How I do a Bay in Pastels and Pigments Part 2

So in Part 1 I showed you how I do the base color and shading of a bay horse. In this segment I'll show you how I do the black points, grey points, and details.

Supplies Needed

• black paint (craft or artist quality)
• burnt sienna
• burnt umber
• black pigment or pastels
• titanium white pigments or pastels

First comes the black points on the legs. This first step is optional. First you take black paint (I prefer artist quality because I can get better results. You can use a craft brand too - whichever you prefer.) Thin the paint down to a milky consistency. 

Next paint the pastern and fetlock the darkest thinning the paint until you can barely see it below the knee.

Let the paint dry thoroughly and seal it in. This step helps achieve the look of the darker fetlock and pastern. It also makes the black look more blended. You don't have to do the step, but if you're like me and impatient to get on to detailing when you finish the base coat it speeds it up nicely.

The next step after the sealer cures is to start your first layer of pastel or pigment. I use two shades of black - Vine Black and Black for Fresco. Vine Black goes down less heavy so I use that near the top of the knee and the bottom of the forearm so it will blend easier. Black for Fresco is used on the fetlock, pastern, and canon where it is darker.

First layer of pigments

   

Fourth layer of pigments

 Final layer of pigments

Next I move on to the grey parts. First I put down a layer of of black pigment and seal it in. Then I put down a layer of white, the seal it in. Alternate until you get it solid and to the color you want. I use this technique for the eyes, muzzle, ears, and genitalia. If you get any black sealed in where you don't want it, just wait for the sealer to cure and sand off the black. Seal it and that should take care of any frosting that occurred because of the sanding.

First layer

Final layer

In order to get a soft black for the mane and tail, I mix together burnt umber, burnt sienna, and black acrylics. To shade in the crevices I use a mix of burnt umber and black.

Not the horse I've been using but I've used the mixture
on this horse

I will go over how I do eyes, hooves,and white markings in separate posts.