In the Studio

The Copperfox Welsh Cob has come a long way since my last post. He's not quite ready to paint yet, but he's getting close. Finishing up prepping is one of the most tedious times in the customizing process for me. All the pieces are where I want them, and all the sculpting work is essentially done. I'll think everything is good to go, only to find another tiny place that wasn't quite smooth when I spray the primer. 

In the Studio

Just thought I'd share a couple of pictures of projects I'm working on now that NaMoPaiMo is over. First up is the first of my two Andre resins (sculpted by Sarah Rose.) He's almost ready to start painting. I resculpting him slightly with a new braided mane and tail as well as shoes. I plan on painting him a very dark brown with some subtle dapples.

NaMoPaiMo - Days 6-17

Finally done with the dapples!

I'm sorry it's been a bit since my last NaMoPaiMo update. I've been spending most of the last week or so working on my entry's dapples, which, while important, are not the most interesting thing to see a bunch of in-progress pictures of. I ended up doing 1-4 layers of pigments depending on how prominent I wanted the dapples to be in different areas. After sealing with several layers of dulcote and giving him a full day to dry, he was finally ready for phase II of airbrushing!

Basic Technique for Light Over Dark Dapples Using Pigments

My NaMoPaiMo model in progress

 When they're well done, dapples can make a solid colored model a lot more interesting. There are lots of different ways to paint them, and for most models I'll use a combination of techniques. In this post I'll show you the basic method I'm currently using on my NaMoPaiMo model, which is a light-over-dark technique using pale pigments to paint dapples over a darker base color.

Quick Tips - Airbrush Thinner

Vallejo Airbrush Thinner

When I first started airbrushing, I just used water to thin my paint. This worked, but I was constantly plagued by several problems. I'd have to wait a long time between coats, because the water greatly extended the paint's drying time. Paint had to be applied in extremely thin coats or else it would start to sag or drip. But the most annoying thing was the tendency of the paint to bead up because it was just not sticking to previous layers.