Horses and A Day in the Life

It has been almost a month since my last blog post. How cringeworthy! Meanwhile, I have been working on several customs. All of them have been traditionals. These first four are all from the same customer. The custom Brunello and the Dark Bay Idocus with four socks don't have their final gloss coats in the pictures. Unfortunately, I forgot to take final pictures before sending them off. The foal is still "under construction" at the moment. She still requires a couple of back socks and a blaze. I will try to get final pictures for her. I also finished a Silver Dapple PAM And a small Bay Lying Foal As well as a custom Shagya Arabian I feel very productive. That's seven customs in less than a year. They aren't LSQ but I am learning. For example, I learned that if I sprayed every layer of my white paint (just as I spray every layer of pastels) with a matte spray, it doesn't collect the dust. I feel like Columbus discovering America all over again.

I have been working on a lot of customs lately. I have been able to try new bodies and colors (and find out which horses I would like to add to m herd without having to pay for them). The nice thing about commissioned customs is a lot of horses cross my desk, so I can decide which ones I like and son't like without actually having to keep them. Meanwhile, here are the progress pictures of all (most)   some  of them. You can see the re-sculpted Brunello in his new base coat sitting behind the PAM. For my horses, I use a base coat of acrylic. My favorite color is Brown or Red Iron Oxide. I can use this color on virtually any horse from Bay, Silver, Chesnut, to Black. Next, there comes layer after layer of pastels and matte varnish. After that, comes the mane, eyes, and markings. These are my final stages of painting. After that comes the finish of the buyer's choice. While matte is by far the favorite, gloss finish is the more durable of the two. How ...

Earlier this year, before COVID-19, I had the opportunity to take care of the horses for a friend. He had two geldings and two mares. While he was showing me what to do, I had the opportunity to talk with him about my hopes of getting riding lessons and maybe actually owning a horse. Suffice to say, he ended up offering me riding lessons on his registered Tennessee Walker/Crabbet Arabian Cross Rolling Thunder. (The picture makes him look sickle hocked)  He also offered me the ownership of this mare in exchange for chores. I was naturally thrilled, but was bothered by the fact that I will soon be leaving home to finish my Bachelors Degree. However, he still offered the riding lessons and would teach me how to train Sweetheart, who has never had a rider or saddle on her before. The COVID-19 never allowed that to happen, but I still enjoyed taking care of his 30 y.o. Crabbet Arabian Hannah. She is Rolling Thunder's mom. It also afforded me the opportunity to...

Finished! Finished! Finished! I finally got my NaMoPaiMo horse done! The stand still needs varnished, and I think that the horse himself might be able to use a coat or two more of varnish. But, he could be called done as he is, I think. So, here are some pictures for you to enjoy. Introducing: Tala (Wolf)

Lately, I added a new horse to my herd. She is a big beautiful CollectA Belgian, with the sweetest personality for a model horse I think I have seen yet. My Breyer PAM is sweet, while my Ravel has an excellent personality, but I think this horse tops them all. Not only does she have a sweet personality, but she is BIG , and DRAFTY,  and HEAVY. I think this has to be one of my favorite additions to my herd so far. And of course, I couldn't have a new horse at the same time as new snow without trying to get some new photographs! Just look at this face, will you???!!!  What a good girl! I can't decide on her name though. I have a few ideas. I like the name Bella. I also like the name Mariah. What about Ellie? What about a good old fashioned Nelly ? I can't decide! Meanwhile, I have been working on looking to maybe  add a Peter Stone to my herd. I really love the Arabians, and my favorite has to be a Padron's Psyche. Image credit goes to the Peter ...

I have continued to work on customs since my last post. This one is a little tardy, but at least I have finally posted it! First of all, I have a little Mini Whinnie that has finally reached its final stages, and will soon be ready to be added to some collectors shelf. Unfortunately, the picture isn't that good. This is a better one, though still not the best since it was taken inside under yellow lights at night. At the same time, a Stablemate custom Unicorn has also been resculpted... And repainted to a glossy custom British Spotted Pony. Also, my NaMoPaiMo horse has already progressed satisfyingly far. While my Smarty Jones mold started out as a Buckskin Appaloosa, he will soon be a Liver Chestnut Sabino. So far, I am really pleased with the way he is turning out! What do you think? Which one of these guys is your favorite?

I was looking back at my photos and finding old customs that I have done in the past. Some are customs I have sold, some are customs I have kept, some are customs I hate, and some are just... customs. I will now review them, and tell you where they are now! All of these pictures are examples of past photography attempts, except for the overo Missouri Fox Trotter. This guy is sitting in a  body box with a broken leg after a tumble from a high shelf. He is also covered in a new coat of pastels where I let my little sister play on him. This guy still exists at my house. Right now he is trying to have his splashed white pattern finished.  This horse, too, is also sitting on my shelf. She will be donated to a local Mustang Center. This girl is a custom for my sister. She loves Black Tabiano Georgian Grandes, so I made on for her. This horse was sold a long time ago. I like to believe he is sitting on a shelf somewhere being loved. This was my first Traditional...