Painting with Test Horses

Trying something new with painting? 

Use a test horse!

Using a test piece allows you to try out something new or practice something that will hopefully help you to not mess up the "good" one!

In this instance, I gathered some horses that were bodies or horses that never sold and sprayed them with primer to use as airbrushing test pieces. 

Now I can just grab one that is ready to be used as a tester whenever I have the whim to try, as they are primed and ready to go.

Test horses are great for trying different colors, as well as painting styles and techniques:

This test model was painted the same color on both sides, but I tried different shading techniques on each side.

The lighter colored layers show through more on this side.

My friend was teaching me more about airbrushing, and allowed me to use her airbrush, since mine was not cooperating. (So this was also a test model for trying a different airbrush.)

I decided to try a dark/liver chestnut on this side and went for a lighter chestnut on the other side, using the same colors.

I really liked how the light side of the horse came out!! 

Happy accidents can become inspirations, as the lighter chestnut color inspired the next horse that I painted.

Here you can see my "super fancy" cardboard box spray booth. :]

In the booth, I have a naughty pony and her trusty test model by her side!

I applied each color layer on the test model  first before putting it on the pony.

Here we are, a few paint layers in. 

I decided at this point to try a different color combination on each side of the test horse before painting the pony to see which color I preferred.

Here is the "red" side.

This is the "not red" side.

Both shades would make for nice chestnut colors.

However, I was going for a bay!

I chose the "red" side and added black points, to see how they would look.

I decided to stop for the night at this point, and I decided not to paint the face so that I could test paint it immediately before painting the pony's face the next day!!

Here it is after test painting the face.

I really like how the test piece came out!

When it came to painting the actual pony, I decided to go a bit darker and reduce the red shade of the bay, as I was going for more of an Exmoor pony color.

Here is Matilda, the finished pony!

She is my 2nd fully finished airbrushed model and I am still learning. 

She's not perfect and I learned some things to do differently for next time, 

but I think she came out really nice, 

thanks to using my test horse!!

Prepping: The Water Sheet Test

Prepping a model horse is the art of preparing the surface for painting.

I was washing some artist resin models, and decided to try an experiment of a cleaning test technique from another hobby of mine.

(This technique can be used in a combination with other resin cleaning  methods, too.)

The Water Sheet Test is a technique that comes from vitreous (kiln-fired) enameling in prepping the surface to receive enamel.

Above are copper pieces, with and without enamel.

The process of enameling requires that the prepped metal surface be very clean, in order for the enamel (essentially glass powder) to fuse to the metal at around 1500 degrees in a kiln.

I will be painting an artist resin model horse for NaMoPaiMo (National Model Painting Month), and experimented with the water sheet test when washing several resins, to see if there were similar results to cleaning copper for enameling.

The experiment worked!

Artist resins often have an invisible coating of mold release, which is something that is applied to the inside of the mold before resin is poured into it, so that the resin doesn't adhere to it and allows the resin to be removed easily from the mold.

Artist resins must be thoroughly cleaned before priming and painting, often done with Comet cleaning powder, water, and a toothbrush.

Step 1: Run water on the resin.

Step 2: Take a look at the resin. 

See how the water is beading and seems to be repelling from the resin? 

The resin needs to be cleaned.

Step 3: This artist resin cow has been dampened and sprinkled with Comet powder. I wet the toothbrush and make sure to scrub the entire resin, especially any nooks and crannies.

(Note: you may want to wear gloves and/or eye protection, as this cleanser contains bleach and other chemicals, and the Comet paste sprays everywhere from the toothbrush! )

Step 4: Rinse resin to remove Comet.

Step 5: After removing the resin from the water, notice how the water is *sheeting*.(covering evenly across the model and not beading up.)

This means that this area is clean.

Run the model under the water a few times to check different areas to make sure that water is sheeting across the resin.

If you find a spot like above, where the water is beading/repelling, wash that area with Comet again.

Here is the same area after rewashing, and you can see how the water is sheeting across the model, instead of beading/repelling. 

This means that the surface is clean. 

(It doesn't hurt to wash the resin a second time to ensure that it is completely clean, or use other known resin cleaning methods.)

Video 1: Watch as the water repels off of the chest.

Video 2: After cleaning with a toothbrush and Comet, the water sheets across the chest instead of repelling.

Another quick view of the water sheet test:

Water beading/repelling after running resin under water. 

Needs to be cleaned.

Water sheeting evenly across model after running resin under water, following a scrubbing with Comet.

Continue prepping and priming to let the painting begin!

Make Those Black Marks Vanish!

I've been collecting Breyer horses for 30 years, and have not found a good solution to remove marks from models that I find when hunting at antique stores, flea markets, etc....

Until now!

I have tried this method on several models in the past month or 2, and have had very good results with quickly removing general marks from being played with.

I have even successfully tested this on a SR buckskin Lady Phase that I purchased at a thrift store years ago, who appeared to be hopelessly in fair/body condition, due to tons of black marks that would not budge with soap and water. 

She is now in good to very good condition after washing with this!!

Disclaimer: You may want to test a less noticeable spot first to make sure that you do not damage the paint.

Grey horses from around the 1990s seem to have delicate paint jobs, so I do NOT recommend this for those.

Be gentle on lightly shaded areas, as well.

Super tough marks may require more work to remove, and may not go away completely, but may be improved!

Meet #710 American Indian Pony from 1988-1991 that I picked up at an antique store today for $20:

He was well loved and had marks on him from being played with.

A better view of his marks, especially on the right hindquarter.

Mid-bath, I decided to photograph the marks on his right side before I washed them.

Ingredients:

-paper towel or soft cloth

-baking soda

-a few drops of dish soap (Dawn was used)

-water

Steps:

-Pour some baking soda into a dish, or right into a corner of your sink where water won't wash it away easily.

-Fold paper towel for strength and put a couple of drops of dish soap on paper towel.

-Wet the paper towel and rub the soap around slightly

-Dip the soapy part of the paper towel into the baking soda powder. 

-Get several drops of water on the baking soda on the towel to make a wet paste- *should not feel gritty*, as that would be abrasive to the paint!

If it feels gritty, add a little more water!

-Gently wash model, especially in places where it has marks. Many marks will be removed quickly with gentle cleaning!

-Dip paper towel into baking soda and then add a little bit of water as many times as you need to, to keep cleaning.

-Wash model with dish soap when finished.

Here he is after his short bath!

Marks on right side are gone!

Left side marks are gone, and I discovered 2 spots that I missed

I noticed that I missed cleaning these marks above the shading on his left hock area.

This is a thinly shaded area, so I tried to be very gentle.

These marks were stubborn and did require gentle scrubbing, however, I did slightly rub off a little bit of the thin shading. There is some of the grey paint in that area of shading, where the baking soda did not harm other areas of strictly brown overspray.

You can slightly see the marks, as I did not want to scrub harder and remove more shading.

He now looks great, with the exception of a few areas of paint loss from when someone played with him- just some old battle scars, at this point.

Happy horse washing!!!

Tack Tip: Keepin' It Smooth

Is your sandpaper "organized" like this?

Glorious grocery bags stuffed with a variety of sandpaper grits, where you have to dig like an archeologist to find that piece of 320 grit you are after? 

After 20-something years of digging through bags, I decided, "No more!"

All grit families are now in their own clearly labeled bag! 

(ex: 100's bag contains 100, 150, and 180 grit) 

Other types are in their own bag: sticky-backed sandpaper made for orbital sanders and emery boards for fingernails.

Emery boards are great for removing the rough edge on Rio Rondo photo etched buckles after cutting them off of the sheets!

These are called "sanding sticks", from metalsmithing class. These could also come in handy for some model horse aplications.

These are created by taking a straight (not warped) wooden paint stirring stick and wrapping and entire sheet of sandpaper around it. 

Once the exposed sandpaper is used up, carefully rip the top layer off for a brand new layer to use! 

(It helps to label the grit on the stick, too!)

Instead of having a drawer filled with grocery bags full of sandpaper bits, I can now easily identify the grit I need and quickly pull a piece right out!

Sandpaper grits: 

Low numbers = coarse grit 

(ex: 80, 100)

Higher numbers = smoother grit 

(ex: 320, 400, can go up to at least 1500. 

800 and higher barely feel like sandpaper to the touch.)

Low numbers are often used for removing larger rough areas, and higher grits are for finishing and removing course lines left from the lower number grits.

Typical grits used in the model horse hobby are often within the 100 to 400 or 600 range (customizing, tack making, etc.)

To remove deeper scratches of 100 grit, it is a good idea to use a few different grits to end with a finished product. Next move to 220, 320, then 400 for a smooth finish.

Happy sanding, and don't forget your dust mask!!

Tack Tip: Dude, where's my dye?

Do you have to look at nearly every bottle of dye and leather finish to find the bottle that you are looking for?

There is a better way!

Label all of the lids, so you know what is inside! 

You can write directly on the white lids with permanent marker, and you can put a label or piece of masking tape on the black lids to label them.

On products that add color to leather, it is helpful to not only write the name of the color, but also what type of product it is- dye, stain, etc.

Now you will waste less time digging through bottles!

BONUS TIP: Take a Tandy catalog and pull out the page(s) with the leather dye colors. 

Keep that page with your dyes for a quick color reference chart!

Tack Tip: Test Scraps and a New Saddle

There is nothing worse than trying a new technique on a project and it just doesn't work.

When trying something new (or even if you're experienced at it), one of the best things you can do is practice on some scrap leather.

I haven't made a Western saddle since 2013, so I needed to practice carving.

(I carve freehand on things this small)

I had been doing full-sized carving for a while, so switching back to carving in model-sized scale was tricky!

The lower scrap was just coming out too large for what I wanted, so I tried again on the top scrap.

Success!

 Practice pieces have a second fantastic use- testing out leather dyes and/or finishes!!

It's always a good idea to test out leather dyes and such before putting it on a project, to make sure it is the color/look that you were hoping for. I needed a different shade of brown, and I really liked the test piece on the right for my new saddle.

Stitch marked edges.

Carved fenders

Carving upper skirt (my swivel knife is shown)

Ready for color!!

Assembled quickly in time for a show, and I will go back and add more small details in later.

Reserve Champion Ranch Horse at Mid-Atlantic Regionals (MAR) last weekend for Bar Skippin Star, who wore the brand new set.

Practice paid off, allowing me to figure out what I wanted and needed to do to create my project successfully!

National Model Tack Month - April 2017 & NaMoPaiMo

February 2017 was "NaMoPaiMo" / National Model Painting Month, where over 300 people joined a challenge to get a model horse painted within the month of February.  Over 200 people completed their declared horse to paint, and some people painted even more models!

The wonderful comraderie and learning experience from the NaMoPaiMo facebook group created interest in starting National Model Tack Month! Here is the facebook page that was started for the group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1864585590421445/

It will be a fun experience of learning and sharing techniques and ideas. If you are interested in participating in the challenge, join the National Model Tack Month facebook group! In March, declare what your personal tack making goal will be to make. In April, begin making tack! Sharing progress photos or tack making tips during the month is encouraged. Even if you are late to the tack making party, you can still join in on the fun!

My goal for the month is to make a traditional-sized fully carved Western saddle with no silver, except for possibly some conchos. I haven't made one since 2013, so it's a great reason to get me making tack again.

I participated in NaMoPaiMo as well. My goal was to try airbrushing for the second time (first time on my own), and try masking with blue painter's tape. I did successfully complete my model in February and I am happy with it! It's not perfect, but it is a large painting achievement for myself.

Here are some photos of my painting journey:

I think he just might need a new saddle... :]