Thursday 8 February 2018

Kaibab

The next release in the America the Beautiful series.

This model is a Collector's Club web special. If you are a member of the club login to your account at www.breyerhorses.com to be entered into the draw.

Priced at $185.00 if you are chosen.

I really love this one, I have a bit of a soft spot for the mould and I do love a good glossy :D

First Tack Pieces of 2018

Not exactly the most exciting of Blog posts but I finished off five halters over the last few days!

First up were four rope halters, I only photographed one as they were all pretty similar!

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Second was a black leather halter. This is to fit a slightly different mould, it doesn't fit Wolf perfectly, but she was the closest I had to model it!

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So yes feeling a bit more efficient at the moment. Just one more commission to finish off, a bridle, poor Wolf can't go back on the shelf quite yet she needs to model for that too! I also am supposed to be doing this 30 Day Tack Making Challenge but so far all I've created are two cheek pieces...

Leopard Spot Foal

This little foal already has a new home and was a prize for one of our competitions.

He shall be travelling shortly along with a couple of friends, we are just waiting on approval from the new owners of the other two.

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This little guy is a G2 Scratching foal and has been painted to a black leopard spot. He has lots of detail including mottling around the skin and genitals.

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And of course lots of shading as well as plenty of SPOTS

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Isn't he just the cutest little thing?

Model of the Day - Sgt. Reckless

Our model of the day today is the rather cute and very awesome Sgt. Reckless. A war veteran who was awarded two purple hearts and memorialised in this Breyer sculpture.

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Name: Sgt. Reckless
Show Name: Existencialist
Breed: American Quarter Pony
Colour: Chestnut
Gender: Mare
Scale: Traditional
Manufacturer: Breyer
Model Number: 1493
Model Name: Sergeant Reckless
Mould: Galiceno
Year Produced: 2012-Present
Face Markings: White Stripe
Leg Markings: 3x White Socks
Sire: None
Dam: None
Unique ID Code: 461
Best Live Show Placing: 3rd Place

Motivation to Create

It's just over a week until my first live show of the year and all those amazing plans I had? Yea they haven't happened.

My scene entry is still in pieces on my desk (and yep I'm working from the coffee table at the moment as a result).

Those horses I was going to paint? Well I mean some of them have paint on them....so that's an achievement right?

Those tack and performance entries I was going to create? Yep those haven't happened.

All those unpainted resins, all those primed bodies, all those ideas and do I have any motivation? Nope of course not!

The only time I ever seem to have motivation is when I get back from a live show, then I'm all like "I'm going to do this and this and this" but the reality is I go to bed and by the next day it's all gone.

So how are we going to motivate ourselves today?

Well first all all we are going to turn off Facebook and stop feeling bad about life because everyone else seems to have finished like 90 horses this NaMoPaiMo and you've like finished some commissions that should have been done in September and put two coats of paint on your model.

Your going to actually work on that scene entry not just stare at it. YOU WILL COMPLETE IT IN TIME FOR THE CF TOUR!

You are going to add those projects to your ToDo List that way you can't avoid them because they will be there every single day. No more "well they aren't on the list and it's faaaaar more important I finish rewriting all these document for BMECS" crap. NO! You WILL work on them.

You shall dream of glory, quite hard for someone who naturally doesn't actually give two hoots how well she does at shows and is just there for the bantz. I SHALL BE COMPETITIVE. Yea that's not actually working I'm just thinking about what cake I'm going to bake. I need to stop with this attitude.

I shall look at what I was doing this time previously (two years ago I was being PRODUCTIVE) and say...DO THIS!

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I shall remember how much I really really really want my new RubberNedz and how I am really really really skint and need to paint some horses to sell them and make money.

I shall remember that people do actually buy the stuff I paint as soon as I paint it and therefore if I could only just paint it it should sell and I'll be able to put that towards NEW RUBBERNEDZ and also a really nice new front door (but maybe RubberNedz first...).

I shall bribe myself with waffles. One waffle for every completed horse/tack piece/task. But first I need to buy waffles....

I shall remember that cleaning isn't that important and it is more important that I paint/finish that scene entry than clean the kitchen (incidentally I just spent half an hour cleaning the kitchen).

I shall remove the cat from my spraying box.

I shall stop pinning images of horses I want to paint on Pinterest and actually paint them....

But most of all I shall DO THE THING

(in this case the thing being that bloody scene entry that really MUST BE COMPLETED SHORTLY).

Solving Primer/Sealer Issues

One of the biggest problems a model horse artists face is that horrible moment when you have a perfect piece and then BOOM your sealer lets you down and you end up with a less than perfect finish like this guy:

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So how do we deal with issues with running/sticky primer? Sealer that goes all dusty? Things that just aren't working like they should do and come out of a can? Here are some top tips to solving your primer and sealer issues.

Shake it baby!

Sorry I couldn't help it....but in all seriousness you need to make sure that can is well mixed. Check out the instructions for the recommended time and then through in an extra minute or so for good measure. Think of it like a work out for your arms.

Temperature Matters

As with all things in cans (and a lot of other things) the temperature you keep them in matters. Just as the temperature you spray in matters. Too cold and things aren't going to work, too hot and things aren't going to work, too humid and seriously nothing is going to dry!

Cold seems to be the biggest factor here. I recommend you keep the cans themselves inside and if possible during the winter create a well ventilated room rather than outside. Obviously not all of us can do that but usually keeping the cans in the warm at least will help.

On that note there is an issue here and that is shop store rooms. I used to buy my sealant from the same store, always fine. They moved premises and I've had nothing but trouble. I'm pretty sure they are keeping it somewhere really cold and that's causing me issues. This is why the Chestnut Ridge stock of sealant and primer lives in my house not in the cold store room.

Distance

You don't want to be spraying too close to your model. Doing so will cause a liquid stream and you won't get the smooth finish you are after. This is particularly true of primers. Check your individual product for guidelines but I find about 30cm works well for the ones I use. I tend to prime more than one horse at once so I can do a full sweep!

Layers

As with most paints, particularly when priming, you want to use thin layers. Slowly build your primer up until you get the coverage you want. This will give you a nice smooth finish.

Let Things Dry

When priming make sure the model is clean and dry first. Then let each layer dry before adding the next. Priming on top of a damp surface will cause the primer to become sticky which is never good!

Equally when you are sealing your model make sure that the paint is dry first. I'm quite guilty of this when it comes to eyeballs, and you can tell! Where the paint is wet you get a slight white dusty finish.

The Model Itself

Quite a common issue is sticky primer that won't dry. What causes this? Well it could be many things but it is quite often the model itself.

Some plastics don't react well to acrylic primer (PVC is the obvious example). If this happens to you there are several things you can do.

Firstly strip the model and start again. You aren't going to make the situation better so its best to just start over.

Then let the model fully dry outside.

Now wash the model in warm soapy water and give it a good scrub with a tooth brush. Washing up liquid works well for this. That will usually help the plastic and the acrylic become friends. Lots of people will recommend other things such as floor wipes, window wipes, baby wipes etc. Find what is working for you and what is available in your country as the chemical make up of these things will be different in different areas.

















Stickyness will ruin a model, don't create a beautiful paint job over a non-perfect prime!

Make sure the model is nice and dry before priming again.

This same thing can cause issues with paints and with sealer but you will usually notice the issue first with the primer. It was a common problem for a while with certain Breyer models (Totilas and GG Valentine & Heartbreaker were the two most common at one time) but I've also had it happen once with a Schleich Shetland (the little rearing one). It's good practice to wash your models first anyway before you notice any issues, solve the problem before the problem is a problem and all that.

Dusty Environment

When you use any form of spray it will pick up and disturb dust and particles in the environment (Caesar floof for example). Make sure wherever your spraying is clean and dust free. This is particularly try if you prime and seal in the same area. Doing it outside is a good starting point but just beware of bugs, please don't mummify a small fly in the finish of your model horse...

And finally....ask for help!

We've talked about several of the common issues/solutions when it comes to primer and sealant problems but there are many more out there. If you are having issues then don't be afraid to ask for help (or google) there are loads of great suggestions out there. Remember we aren't the only hobby using these products, people use them for all kinds of weird and wonderful things, so definitely search the interwebs as you may find some ingenious solutions on some strange forum somewhere!