Custom Mini Model Horses

Meet Pizazz! He's my first custom on the mini Brishon mold. Pizazz is a Gypsy Vanner in claybank dun with sabino markings. If you've worked in pastels you know that the color evolves from light to dark, so a bay might look like a palomino for the first layer or two, then maybe a chestnut before it becomes bay. And sometimes plans change. This boy was one of those models. I had a sandy bay sabino reference photo in front of me, but I changed course when his body color hit on claybank dun. I have a soft spot for claybank duns. My first job as a teenager was as "Hack Staff" at Camp Seven Hills, a Girl Scout Summer Camp in Holland, New York. That summer a big quarter horse mare named Dolly was one of the horses in my care. She was blind in one eye and had a mare-y attitude. She was the most beautiful warm dun color with a red mane and tail. I spent the summer doting on her and hoping she felt loved. So, long story short, Pizazz isn't bay. A splash of war

I hope all of you are safe and healthy, and I hope the model horse hobby is filling your time at home with a little joy. I've been working on finishing models that I've been meaning to get to for months or years. This is one of two models that I purchased to paint. She is a Hagen-Renaker Shetland foal. She is a little smaller than most Stablemate foals so she was a fun challenge to paint... plus she put a little "mini" into "custom minis." Meet Cupcake, a pintaloosa Miniature Horse filly! Cold Painted Hagen-Renaker Filly I couldn't resist this heart-shaped snip on this little girl. She's a baby silver dapple with both an blanket and pinto markings. QHICK TIP: Prepping china models for cold-painting is quite easy. This one came on a paper card. I carefully tore the paper away, then soaked her in rubbing alcohol. The glue on her feet rubbed off. Next, I filled any air-holes with epoxy. When that is cured (about 24-hours), I washed

Ahh, models whose hooves are supposed to be flat on the table... I talked about how I like my models to stand well in a previous post--using a table-height view and sandpaper. But then I looked closer at a few works in progress and found a model or two where I used different techniques. The first model that came up was the Breyer standing pony. She has four tiny hooves that try to touch the table, but depending on the model, they don't always succeed. Part of this is physics. A three-legged stool will be stable, whereas a four-legged one will wobble. Another issue the pony has is that her toes can be a little rounded over. Breyer Stablemate Highland Pony Hooves I didn't want to use my sandpaper technique on this model because I didn't want to lose too much hoof in the process. (And this model's feet are carved out, which gives them a little space to add epoxy.) So I added a small ball of epoxy to each foot. Then I placed her on a flat surface. I use old