Custom Mini Model Horses

Most of my custom mini work is realistic with an occasional touch of whimsy with a cat or a bow, a rolling horse, or a misbehaving pony—so I finally tried my hand at some Halloween decorator customs. Boo with his cat Binx, and Jackie O. The idea began with tiny gaming sculptures that wear capes and cloaks. Would there be a way to have "fabric" sculpted on a model horse?  So... there is! I used Milliput in Fine White. This is a two-part epoxy similar to Aves Studio White or MagicSculpt White. I found it at Michael's and also at Great Lakes Hobby & Toy here in the Detroit area. I rolled the epoxy out like pie dough in between two pieces of sandwich bag plastic, using water to keep it from sticking too much. Sabrina and Silk   These sheets of epoxy became my models' sheets—their spooky Halloween costumes painted purple, black, and green with contrasting colors underneath. The sheets are supported and connected to the models on the underside with more Milliput. Sabrin...

With hobbyists painting models this February, I noticed several discussions about possible yellowing of primer, paint, and sealers. As artists we want our models to be enjoyed for many years to come. And, hopefully, their coat colors will remain true. I have been customizing since the late 1980s using a wide range of art supplies with a wide range of results. Although I do not have access to all of my work, I haven't seen any yellowing of the primer, acrylic paint, or sealer. Yet, I was curious about the discussions on Facebook. Was this an issue? Was it an issue with supplies that I used? Being married to a color scientist who works at a paint manufacturing company, my first thought was to run an...  ex ·per·i· ment noun   |   ikˈsperəmənt ,   ekˈsperəmənt   |   a   scientific   procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis,   or   demonstrate   a   known fact My subjects   Step 1: Prime four Breyers with...

I have been painting models since I was a teenager. I started with hand painting in acrylics and sometimes oils, but found my stride in college where I took an airbrushing class and made use of the airbrushing studio at school.  After college I moved to San Diego—a place with perfect weather if you want to airbrush outside most days of the year. Then I went back to school and the airbrushing studio for a second degree and many more custom minis. My move to Boise worked out well for my airbrushing in my garage much of the year, but the cold months weren’t so great. It was during this time that I became interested in pastels and packed my airbrush away. So long story short... I just got out my Badger airbrush after a ten year hiatus and a move to Michigan. And it still works! I, however, am a bit rusty and only managed to paint some base coats (and spill paint all over the garage floor.) Here’s a little pony I’ve been working on: Over the base coat, I’ve added a little Pan Pastel Gra...

My latest project is a Darley custom in fleabitten gray with a bloody shoulder. This mold is a pleasure to resculpt and paint—so many delicious details to highlight! My custom has a few changes to the legs, neck, face, mane and tail, but all are small in scope.  Aven Optiview 5D LED desk lamp My latest studio addition is a magnifying lamp because I am not as young as I was when I started customizing and neither are my eyeballs. I’ve used prescription glasses, reading glasses, head lamps, and my natural vision to work on models, but I thought I’d add another tool to my chest. I chose an Aven Optiview 5D LED desk lamp. It has a 4 inch lens which works well with minis. I like the enlarged view of the horses (about 225%) and feel that I have enough room to work underneath the lamp. Breyer Stablemate under my 5D magnifying lamp I’m painting the Darley custom fleabitten gray and the lamp is the perfect tool for the project. Flea bites are small on a real horse, and even more tiny on a mi...

I thought I'd share a bit of my process. I'm working in Pan Pastels. The model in question is a simple custom Morgan Stallion from the new standing Stablemate Warmblood mold. He has had some work done on his barrel and hindquarters. His mane and tail have been changed as well.  I prepped him with Rustoleum 2X primer in white and taped off some white markings with blue painters tape. Feel free to follow along and paint your own golden bay or liver chestnut.  A Pan Pastel Project Art Supplies Shopping list: A model with sanded seams and logo removed 400 Grit Sandpaper Masking or painters tape (optional) Rustolem 2X Primer Pan Pastels: 280.3 Orange Shade, 820.2 Neutral Grey Extra Dark (or other neutral grey), Layer 3: 740.3 Burnt Sienna Shade, 740.1 Burnt Sienna Extra Dark, 800.5 Black. Pan Pastel optional colors for shading mane, tail, and white markings: Optional fleshy pink pastel or paint for a pink nose or shading white markings. Krylon Matte, Testor's Dullcote, or other ...

Meet Harlem Road, an American Saddlebred Stallion!   I'm doing National Retro Vintage Month (NaReViMo)! Every August artists come together (on Facebook) to complete one custom in the vintage or retro custom style. Hosted by Sarah Minkiewicz- Breunig, the group can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/694618414328297 My project is a G1 Saddlebred, a mold that has always made me smile ever since I discovered Stablemates in the late 1980's. (And is also on my website's list of Stablemate molds in need of a custom: https://sarahtregay.com/smmolds.html )  I've moved the head a little bit, replaced the ears and added to the tail. Right now I'm in the prepping stage: G1 ASB in progress I'm trying out an old technique that I used to make new ears around 1990. I was an industrial design major at RIT and as part of the program we made models of products out of plastic. The plastic started out as flat sheets and could be heated to form different shapes.   I used...