Custom Mini Model Horses

National Paint a Model Horse Month 2018 - Heart B Dyna portrait model

Mirado by Maggie Bennett, Cob by Sommer Prosser, and Running Mare by Kitty Cantrell I’m excited about the new Stablemate molds that are now a little easier to find! You may find both the Cob (in the surprise pack) and the Running Mare (part of a mystery foal set with the Andalusian and G4 Standing Foal) in stores, while Mirado is a 2017 Stablemate Collectors Club model. Mirado mold with Andalusian tracing At first glance, I thought Mirado was a little long in the back, but then I looked at photos of Andalusian horses and found him to be a wonderful fit for that breed. Here is a tracing of a real horse (in blue) over the model. Some thoughts on customizing this mold would be to look at his nostrils—maybe they could be more open because he is cantering; and his front pasterns might need a little cleaning up. Cob Mold with Glypsy Vanner Tracing  The little Cob horse is a cutie that we first saw as a Christmas ornament. I have traced a Gypsy Vanner horse over his ...

There’s nothing like painting a micro mini model to make a Stablemate seem huge! I chose a blanket Appaloosa pattern with large spots and two-toned legs—this being one of Maggie’s pewter models the legs weren’t as nice as her newer resin models, so I didn’t want to highlight them with white socks. You may have seen photos of my reference on Pinterest ( https://www.pinterest.com/sarahtregay/spotted-mule/ ). First, I “sketched” out the blanket shape in White Earth Pigment, using a silicone shaper tool dipped in the dust to draw it on. Any edits wiped off easily with a damp rag because I had sealed the basic bay pastel layer with Krylon Matte spray.  Once I had the shape I wanted, I sealed the pigment in place and began to paint in with white and black acrylics, and mixing pastel dust with acrylic medium to get a brown “paint” that matched my basic bay.  Here’s the little guy with his spots: Micro mini mule now with acrylic and pastel details. Since he is jumpi...

WIP... pastel layer in place

February is National Model Painting Month (NaMoPaiMo), sort of like National Novel Writing Month only for equine artists. The challenge here is to motivate artists of all levels to jump in and finish a model in a month—it isn’t a competition, more something you do for yourself with the support of the NaMoPaiMo community. Many thanks to Jennifer Bray Buxton of Braymere Saddlery for starting the event and group on Facebook. It is a hit with more than 1,180 members! Heart B Dyna the model dressage mule needs color! I’ve got a custom Stablemate mule I’ve been working on. She is (hopefully) going to look like Laura Hermanson’s lovely Heart B Dyna , the mule that competed at the U.S. Dressage Finals in 2014.