Friesians on the Brain

Title says it all :D

I have a Gem Twist body sitting on my desk. I was hoping to sell it, but so far no one has claimed him. A while back, I saw a Gem Twist model someone had transformed into a bowing Friesian.

*+. Light Bulb Moment!.+*

So, as soon as the three bodies on my desk/windowsill/dresser are finished, or at least past the prepping stage, I think I just might have a go at my first bowing Friesian model!

The Winds of Change

There has been absolutely no tack progress around here since...oh...last spring? I can't remember. All I know is that I seem to have lost all inspiration for tackmaking. But, I've been painting lately, so at least I haven't completely abandoned the hobby.

Please welcome Pendragon Studios!

The site is still a little rough, but you can visit it here:

http://pendragonstudios.webs.com/

I'm still keeping hte name of Noble Farms Custom Saddlery for the tack side of my "business," but Pendragon Studios will be the whole of my efforts, including the tack part - think of it like this:

So, you get the gist of it - I just need some change over here. (This is what a month-long break from school does to you.)

Also, I am thinking of turning my painting "skills" (or lack thereof) into a Pet Portrait service - for folks who want a 3D model of their horse or dog, I can paint them a model of their pet! I figured this would be a better way to reach out to the non-model-horsey people in my area, and keep from flooding the model horse world with my, uh, practice pieces.

Please let me know what you think in the comments below - and don't worry, as soon as I have extra money to spend on tack supplies I will make more tack!!

Finished Projects

I haven't shared any photos of my finished models as of yet, so I think today will require a little eye-candy:

The palomino is now complete! The photos will magically grow like those water towel things if you click on them...


And now..........DRUMROLL PLEASE.............






LANDCRUISER!!

I love him 8D I am really happy with how he turned out for my first drastic custom - maybe not LSQ, but I don't care!

That blue eye was fun to paint XD

New Custom WIP Pics

Yup, you got it - another custom in the works! I also have another one that is currently being "worked on", but his photos will have to wait.

For now, though, some pony cuteness is much needed:

Meet "Harrison Fjord", a Breyer Newsworthy jumper pony turned Fjord! He's had a little feathering added to his hooves, a new mane and a new tail. (yes, his mane is the classic "Punk Rock" look.)

Okay, I will give you a litte insight into the whole "punk rock" thing. My family would occasionally drive past a few places that had a Fjord pony out front by the road. Their forelocks and manes (trimmed or not) always made me and my brothers think of punk rock dudes - so, they became known as "Punk Rock Ponies". I crack up every time I think of the title XD.

Anyhoo, he has a small slot under his forelock so that the browband of a bridle can be slipped easily underneath the hair - cool, right? Mebbe not, but as a performance nerd, I just HAD to do it!

(as stated by Laura Skillern on her blog, "Don't Eat the Paint" - click to embiggen!!)

Unfortunately, while I held him by his tail for his prepping session, his tail - which must not have been well attached - suddenly did this to me:

In case you can't tell (or you've been staring at your computer screen for too long and your eyesight is all blurry) yup - that tail went CRACK and if it hadn't been for the armature in there, little Harrison would have gone SMACK into the cement I was standing on.
So, because the pony was about  to go from almost six feet in the air straight down to his death, I gave him the death grip around his barrel - which was covered in still-wet primer.
I was wearing a glove on that hand, but he now has giant fingerprints in his primer...

Can you guess what I'll be doing this weekend? Yup...more sanding.

On with his coat....

Okay, okay, so i knw everyone said that "his neck is toooo long!! Shorten it!", I had my qualms about hacking into him (again) and trying to make his neck shorter - I would mostl likely have caused myself not only more work (obviously), but hassle, stress, and it would have been a nuisance to try and make him perfect....

So, just a clarification - I know  everyone gave me advice (his neck is too long), and thank you for it! I really appreciate it - but, sadly, I decided to leave it - he is only my first drastic custom and I'm willing to let it be a flaw and learn from it next  time.

In the meanwhile...

His color looks more orange in that lighting, but I htink his neck looks less-long (:-/) with his main coat color on. (he'll be getting his pinto spots today).

So, if you're one of the folks who gave me all that wonderful advice, now that I have not heeded it you're probably cursing my name...if not, you will be soon.

ON with his head...?

Yup, you got it :-) If ANYONE has any critiques, PLEASE share. Thanks!

OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!

I know, sounds kinda garish, right?

If any of you guys follow the Don't Eat the Paint Blog, you may have found the helpful tutorial that was posted there. Well, actually, more than just that one - this one as well - that fueled me to take on this project...

Yup, that's his head resting on his croup... and his neck and ears are there as well...

Well, thanks to that wonderfully helpful tutorial on ears, I hacked off his old ears and made him new ones...

You like? I do!!! My first attempt at resculpting ears and my mom and I are both impressed!!

Tomorrow I have a book coming to me from Beau Cheveaux Creations that I will use to start the painting process on my JM custom, and I'm hunting for the third part to the neck-sculpting tutorial to finish this guy!!