How to Pastel a Model Horse
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How to Pastel Your Model Horse
Ok, now you have all your supplies together and are rarin’ to go, so lets
get started! The first thing you want to do is double check that you don’t
have any little hairs or dust specks on your beautiful white horse! Once
they get under the sealer they can be a pain to get out!
Holding your horse by a leg or tail, spray your horse with a light even coat
of Testors Dull Cote. (First shake the can well for a full minute) This will
give your horse the “tooth” or texture it needs for the pastels to stick. Set
your horse aside carefully out of the way and let him dry for at least 5
minutes.
Since my example model is going to be a bay appaloosa, the first color he
is going to get will be a very light creamy yellow. I have a stick of pastel
that matches that description exactly, so as you can see in this picture I
take my razor blade and very lightly stroke the stick of pastel with the razor
blade. I keep shaving until I have a nice sized pile. ( you can tell I use this
color a lot, not much left to my pastel stick!) Micro mini sizes like this guy
don’t really take all that much, but if you are doing a Traditional size you
will need quite a bit more
OK, check your horse to make sure he is THOROUGHLY DRY!!! Be sure
to check in the muscle indentations and small cracks; the Dull Cote takes
much longer to dry there. It is dry when it is no longer shiny.
Dip the paintbrush into the pastels and start applying them to the horse. I
usually “grind” them into the horse using a small circular motion. You
don’t want to brush it across the horse, especially the face, as all the
pastels will stick to the higher surfaces and not stick down in the groove,
leaving ridges of darker color where you don’t want them. This is
especially important as you gradually darken the horse. Here is a picture
of the first coat going on our micro mini.
This first color is really light and can be difficult to see if the coat is even
and completely covers the horse. I will occasionally do a second coat just
to be sure.
And here is our boy after his first coat!
Before you spray him, be sure to blow or brush the loose pastels out of all
the cracks. I prefer to use a large blush brush, although sometimes there
are spots that won’t come loose without a good blow! Be careful not to get
any “droplets” on the horse, they will immediately darken the pastels in
that area! You can carefully daub any moisture off with a paper towel
and/or use more pastels to blend and dry the area out before you spray.
Now spray your horse with a light coat of Krylon Workable Fixitif. This will
leave him very glossy and “china” like. It dries pretty fast; you can test him
after a few minutes by lightly brushing the back of your hand on his legs or
some out of the way spot. It’s dry when no longer tacky.
Now you need to spray on another layer of Testors Dull Cote. This will
give him “tooth” again so your pastels will stick. Believe me, pastels will
NOT stick to the Fixitif! Once again, he’ll be dry when he looks “dull”.
In this next picture, I have added some mottling to his nose, around his
eyes, and genitals, since he will be an appaloosa. I took some black
acrylic paint, and my smallest paintbrush (mine happens to be a 10/0),
got the smallest amount of paint possible on the end, and very lightly and
carefully touched it to the model to get the smallest “dot” possible. I did
this multiple times, overlapping some of the dots in random patterns to
get a realistic mottled appearance. ( this can be kind of tedious, lol!) I
then let the black paint dry thoroughly. If you are unhappy with the way it
looks, or made a boo-boo and need to try again, take some rubbing
alcohol and dip a q-tip into it, and gently scrub away the paint and try
again! At this stage the mottling does look pretty weird, so don’t be too
concerned as long as all your little spots are about the right size and in
the right spots.
I then took another paintbrush, and lightly stroked my red pastel stick, and
very lightly touched it to the mottled areas of the model. You want to do
this very carefully so it doesn’t look too red, only lightly pink (just enough to
be able to notice it is pink there). Adding the mottling now will remind me
to avoid those areas as I add darker pastels to the horse. It will also keep
it from getting that “stuck on top as an afterthought” look!
Now you want to lightly spray your horse with Krylon Fixitif and Dull Cote to
seal in your mottling, and let your horse dry thoroughly. (see Picture 10)
Ok, our next step is to add some light orange to the mixture. As you can
see in the picture I have
shaved some orange pastel right on top of my pile of yellow (which I have
brushed back into the middle after putting that last coat on. It tends to
wander around the plate.)
PIC 8
Here we are mixing the two colors together so we get an even color for the
next layer.
PIC 9
And here is the mixture being applied to the face, be sure and get it into all
the dips and contours for an even color on the face!
PIC 11
Once you get the orange/yellow mixture applied and have resealed him
using the Fixitif and Dull Cote, you can add some light brown to our
orange yellow mix. In this picture our boy has just been sprayed with
Fixitif after the light orangey/brown coat. You can see the shine he’s got!
PIC 12
In this next picture you can see he is starting to look a little more like a
real horse. He has had a several more coats of the orange brown, with
some more of the light brown added. As you can see, I have already
shaved some darker colors into the mix for the next layer. I want him to
have a more reddish tint to his coat so I have added my reddish
brown/maroon looking color, and some mid to dark brown pastels to the
original mixture. You want to be careful and not add too much dark color
all at once; it will make your horse look grainy. You want to slowly build up
your color values. It is better to add a small amount of darker pastel to
your mixture for each layer, sealing your work in every few layers.
PIC 13
And here is that next darker layer going on. You can tell that I didn’t put a
whole lot of the darker color in the mix, just enough to make it a shade
darker as it goes on the horse.
PIC 14
Here I have added more rust color, medium brown, and a touch of dark
brown. Be sure to avoid the areas of the horse that have the mottling on
them, especially so as we really begin to add the darker colors to our mix.
PICTURE 15
My next addition is a little bit more of my darkest brown added to the mix.
The picture shows it sealed in.
PICTURE 16
And the application of another coat with some more of my darkest brown
added. At this stage it could even pass as a darker reddish chestnut with
the addition of a little muscle shading! As my darker coats are being built
up I am beginning to gradually avoid the belly and the appropriate areas,
(such as around the muzzles, eyes, elbows, genitals, etc.) to create a
slight panagre look. Be sure and use your reference pictures here.
Some bays have this more than others, and I am not going very drastic
with him, just a little .
PICTURE 17
Our next step is to start building the muscle shading. Since our colors are
getting so dark, I just shaved off a small pile of black and dark brown
pastels for the muscle shading and put it in an out of the way corner of my
paper plate. This time I use one of my smaller paintbrushes to apply the
dust and carefully brush it along all the muscle indentations. (which can
be kind of tricky on a micro mini, especially on the face!) Be careful not to
get it everywhere! Caution: The muscle shading will make your horse
look a bit darker all over! That is why I started some of the muscle
shading before the horse was quite as dark as I wanted. I can always go
darker later. This stage really makes the horse “pop”. You will want to do
this in a couple stages, or layers. I put another coat- with a bit more of the
dark brown added to my separate mix- in the muscle indentations and
such. Remember to seal in your work!
PICTURE 18
And here is our boy with two more layers of pastels, adding more of my
darkest brown each time.
At this stage you can really see a big difference in the layers. Here I
decided to go ahead and paint my mane and tail black so I could tell
exactly how dark the body was getting. It looks different with different
mane/tail colors!
PICTURE 19
He is starting to get close to the way I pictured him, and here I am,
checking him against the reference pictures. I think I’ll go a little darker on
him.
PICTURE 20
And here is our boy with another couple layers of dark brown added to our
pastels. Now is time to add our black points on his legs and ears (on a
regular bay you would add some around the eyes and blacken the muzzle
as well). Take your black pastel stick and shave off a small pile of solid
black in an out of the way corner of your paper plate. The easiest way I
have found to apply the black pastels on bay points is to use a small
makeup sponge and smear it on. It usually takes two or three coats,
spraying in between to get it good and solid. Here is a picture of the
points going on. Isn’t he looking pretty? If your horse has no white
markings, make sure that you have the black nice and even in all the leg
indentations all the way to the hoof.
PICTURE 21
In this picture I have added one more layer of my brown mixture, with the
addition of just a little bit of black pastels. I’ve also done a couple more
coats of black pastels on his legs to make them more solid black. He’s
been sealed in Fixitif, which sure does make him glossy!
PICTURE 22
Almost done here! I have only one problem now. Since he has gotten so
dark you can’t even see the muscle shading any more! So I take my
small brush and a bit of the black pastel I used on the legs and very lightly
brush some additional shadow in the muscle and facial indentations,
until I can see the shading again. The base coat is now complete.
PICTURE 23
Now is the fun part of adding the markings and appaloosa pattern. Be
sure to use your smallest brush for this step, to keep it in scale for such a
small horse. Refer to your reference picture often to make sure you get it
right! I usually block in the general shape and little “hairs” going off the
blanket with a slightly watered down acrylic paint mix. Once I am happy
with the pattern (If I don’t like my first try I can simply scrub it off with some
warm water under the sink) I then use watered down Gesso and apply
many layers until it is smooth and solid white looking.
PICTURE 24
Now here I am adding the black appaloosa spots on top of the blanket.
Be sure and make them small enough to be realistic, nicely rounded, and
in a nice varying pattern. Once you are happy with the blanket pattern and
spots remember to seal it in!
PICTURE 25
I use el cheapo brands of acrylic paint from Wal-Mart to do my detailing,
such as manes, tails, eyes, and hooves. For a great article on how to
paint eyes, check out the March/April 2005 issue of Just About Horses.
There is an excellent tutorial in that issue by the talented Jenn Danza. If
you are also looking for instructions on how to paint hooves, she has
three great tutorials in the July-December 2003 issues. They are well
worth the investment. Last but definitely not least, sign your work! I
usually use a black colored pencil sharpened to a fine point (or a white or
silver pencil on a really dark horse). Believe it or not, I can actually fit my
full signature and date on the belly of a micro mini! You may want to
practice getting it small enough on a sheet of paper first. Be sure and let
the sprays dry very thoroughly, so the pencils don’t gouge all your hard
work! (it can take off all those carefully applied layers clear down to the
primer if you aren’t careful :gasp: !!) After signing it, seal your horse with
Dull Cote one last time. Now take your clear nail polish, and carefully
brush it on the hooves and eyes, to give it that final finishing touch. I have
a special bottle of polish that I use. I have taken the brush in it and cut off
about three fourths of the bristles with a pair of scissors, leaving the
brush small enough to work with micro minis and other small models.
And here is the finished product, details and all!
I sincerely hope you have enjoyed this journey in the creation of a
pastelled model horse. I hope it inspires you to jump in and try this
awesome medium! It sure has been fun sharing!
Happy Pastelling!!!
Ok, now you have all your supplies together and are rarin’ to go, so lets
get started! The first thing you want to do is double check that you don’t
have any little hairs or dust specks on your beautiful white horse! Once
they get under the sealer they can be a pain to get out!
Holding your horse by a leg or tail, spray your horse with a light even coat
of Testors Dull Cote. (First shake the can well for a full minute) This will
give your horse the “tooth” or texture it needs for the pastels to stick. Set
your horse aside carefully out of the way and let him dry for at least 5
minutes.
Since my example model is going to be a bay appaloosa, the first color he
is going to get will be a very light creamy yellow. I have a stick of pastel
that matches that description exactly, so as you can see in this picture I
take my razor blade and very lightly stroke the stick of pastel with the razor
blade. I keep shaving until I have a nice sized pile. ( you can tell I use this
color a lot, not much left to my pastel stick!) Micro mini sizes like this guy
don’t really take all that much, but if you are doing a Traditional size you
will need quite a bit more
OK, check your horse to make sure he is THOROUGHLY DRY!!! Be sure
to check in the muscle indentations and small cracks; the Dull Cote takes
much longer to dry there. It is dry when it is no longer shiny.
Dip the paintbrush into the pastels and start applying them to the horse. I
usually “grind” them into the horse using a small circular motion. You
don’t want to brush it across the horse, especially the face, as all the
pastels will stick to the higher surfaces and not stick down in the groove,
leaving ridges of darker color where you don’t want them. This is
especially important as you gradually darken the horse. Here is a picture
of the first coat going on our micro mini.
This first color is really light and can be difficult to see if the coat is even
and completely covers the horse. I will occasionally do a second coat just
to be sure.
And here is our boy after his first coat!
Before you spray him, be sure to blow or brush the loose pastels out of all
the cracks. I prefer to use a large blush brush, although sometimes there
are spots that won’t come loose without a good blow! Be careful not to get
any “droplets” on the horse, they will immediately darken the pastels in
that area! You can carefully daub any moisture off with a paper towel
and/or use more pastels to blend and dry the area out before you spray.
Now spray your horse with a light coat of Krylon Workable Fixitif. This will
leave him very glossy and “china” like. It dries pretty fast; you can test him
after a few minutes by lightly brushing the back of your hand on his legs or
some out of the way spot. It’s dry when no longer tacky.
Now you need to spray on another layer of Testors Dull Cote. This will
give him “tooth” again so your pastels will stick. Believe me, pastels will
NOT stick to the Fixitif! Once again, he’ll be dry when he looks “dull”.
In this next picture, I have added some mottling to his nose, around his
eyes, and genitals, since he will be an appaloosa. I took some black
acrylic paint, and my smallest paintbrush (mine happens to be a 10/0),
got the smallest amount of paint possible on the end, and very lightly and
carefully touched it to the model to get the smallest “dot” possible. I did
this multiple times, overlapping some of the dots in random patterns to
get a realistic mottled appearance. ( this can be kind of tedious, lol!) I
then let the black paint dry thoroughly. If you are unhappy with the way it
looks, or made a boo-boo and need to try again, take some rubbing
alcohol and dip a q-tip into it, and gently scrub away the paint and try
again! At this stage the mottling does look pretty weird, so don’t be too
concerned as long as all your little spots are about the right size and in
the right spots.
I then took another paintbrush, and lightly stroked my red pastel stick, and
very lightly touched it to the mottled areas of the model. You want to do
this very carefully so it doesn’t look too red, only lightly pink (just enough to
be able to notice it is pink there). Adding the mottling now will remind me
to avoid those areas as I add darker pastels to the horse. It will also keep
it from getting that “stuck on top as an afterthought” look!
Now you want to lightly spray your horse with Krylon Fixitif and Dull Cote to
seal in your mottling, and let your horse dry thoroughly. (see Picture 10)
Ok, our next step is to add some light orange to the mixture. As you can
see in the picture I have
shaved some orange pastel right on top of my pile of yellow (which I have
brushed back into the middle after putting that last coat on. It tends to
wander around the plate.)
PIC 8
Here we are mixing the two colors together so we get an even color for the
next layer.
PIC 9
And here is the mixture being applied to the face, be sure and get it into all
the dips and contours for an even color on the face!
PIC 11
Once you get the orange/yellow mixture applied and have resealed him
using the Fixitif and Dull Cote, you can add some light brown to our
orange yellow mix. In this picture our boy has just been sprayed with
Fixitif after the light orangey/brown coat. You can see the shine he’s got!
PIC 12
In this next picture you can see he is starting to look a little more like a
real horse. He has had a several more coats of the orange brown, with
some more of the light brown added. As you can see, I have already
shaved some darker colors into the mix for the next layer. I want him to
have a more reddish tint to his coat so I have added my reddish
brown/maroon looking color, and some mid to dark brown pastels to the
original mixture. You want to be careful and not add too much dark color
all at once; it will make your horse look grainy. You want to slowly build up
your color values. It is better to add a small amount of darker pastel to
your mixture for each layer, sealing your work in every few layers.
PIC 13
And here is that next darker layer going on. You can tell that I didn’t put a
whole lot of the darker color in the mix, just enough to make it a shade
darker as it goes on the horse.
PIC 14
Here I have added more rust color, medium brown, and a touch of dark
brown. Be sure to avoid the areas of the horse that have the mottling on
them, especially so as we really begin to add the darker colors to our mix.
PICTURE 15
My next addition is a little bit more of my darkest brown added to the mix.
The picture shows it sealed in.
PICTURE 16
And the application of another coat with some more of my darkest brown
added. At this stage it could even pass as a darker reddish chestnut with
the addition of a little muscle shading! As my darker coats are being built
up I am beginning to gradually avoid the belly and the appropriate areas,
(such as around the muzzles, eyes, elbows, genitals, etc.) to create a
slight panagre look. Be sure and use your reference pictures here.
Some bays have this more than others, and I am not going very drastic
with him, just a little .
PICTURE 17
Our next step is to start building the muscle shading. Since our colors are
getting so dark, I just shaved off a small pile of black and dark brown
pastels for the muscle shading and put it in an out of the way corner of my
paper plate. This time I use one of my smaller paintbrushes to apply the
dust and carefully brush it along all the muscle indentations. (which can
be kind of tricky on a micro mini, especially on the face!) Be careful not to
get it everywhere! Caution: The muscle shading will make your horse
look a bit darker all over! That is why I started some of the muscle
shading before the horse was quite as dark as I wanted. I can always go
darker later. This stage really makes the horse “pop”. You will want to do
this in a couple stages, or layers. I put another coat- with a bit more of the
dark brown added to my separate mix- in the muscle indentations and
such. Remember to seal in your work!
PICTURE 18
And here is our boy with two more layers of pastels, adding more of my
darkest brown each time.
At this stage you can really see a big difference in the layers. Here I
decided to go ahead and paint my mane and tail black so I could tell
exactly how dark the body was getting. It looks different with different
mane/tail colors!
PICTURE 19
He is starting to get close to the way I pictured him, and here I am,
checking him against the reference pictures. I think I’ll go a little darker on
him.
PICTURE 20
And here is our boy with another couple layers of dark brown added to our
pastels. Now is time to add our black points on his legs and ears (on a
regular bay you would add some around the eyes and blacken the muzzle
as well). Take your black pastel stick and shave off a small pile of solid
black in an out of the way corner of your paper plate. The easiest way I
have found to apply the black pastels on bay points is to use a small
makeup sponge and smear it on. It usually takes two or three coats,
spraying in between to get it good and solid. Here is a picture of the
points going on. Isn’t he looking pretty? If your horse has no white
markings, make sure that you have the black nice and even in all the leg
indentations all the way to the hoof.
PICTURE 21
In this picture I have added one more layer of my brown mixture, with the
addition of just a little bit of black pastels. I’ve also done a couple more
coats of black pastels on his legs to make them more solid black. He’s
been sealed in Fixitif, which sure does make him glossy!
PICTURE 22
Almost done here! I have only one problem now. Since he has gotten so
dark you can’t even see the muscle shading any more! So I take my
small brush and a bit of the black pastel I used on the legs and very lightly
brush some additional shadow in the muscle and facial indentations,
until I can see the shading again. The base coat is now complete.
PICTURE 23
Now is the fun part of adding the markings and appaloosa pattern. Be
sure to use your smallest brush for this step, to keep it in scale for such a
small horse. Refer to your reference picture often to make sure you get it
right! I usually block in the general shape and little “hairs” going off the
blanket with a slightly watered down acrylic paint mix. Once I am happy
with the pattern (If I don’t like my first try I can simply scrub it off with some
warm water under the sink) I then use watered down Gesso and apply
many layers until it is smooth and solid white looking.
PICTURE 24
Now here I am adding the black appaloosa spots on top of the blanket.
Be sure and make them small enough to be realistic, nicely rounded, and
in a nice varying pattern. Once you are happy with the blanket pattern and
spots remember to seal it in!
PICTURE 25
I use el cheapo brands of acrylic paint from Wal-Mart to do my detailing,
such as manes, tails, eyes, and hooves. For a great article on how to
paint eyes, check out the March/April 2005 issue of Just About Horses.
There is an excellent tutorial in that issue by the talented Jenn Danza. If
you are also looking for instructions on how to paint hooves, she has
three great tutorials in the July-December 2003 issues. They are well
worth the investment. Last but definitely not least, sign your work! I
usually use a black colored pencil sharpened to a fine point (or a white or
silver pencil on a really dark horse). Believe it or not, I can actually fit my
full signature and date on the belly of a micro mini! You may want to
practice getting it small enough on a sheet of paper first. Be sure and let
the sprays dry very thoroughly, so the pencils don’t gouge all your hard
work! (it can take off all those carefully applied layers clear down to the
primer if you aren’t careful :gasp: !!) After signing it, seal your horse with
Dull Cote one last time. Now take your clear nail polish, and carefully
brush it on the hooves and eyes, to give it that final finishing touch. I have
a special bottle of polish that I use. I have taken the brush in it and cut off
about three fourths of the bristles with a pair of scissors, leaving the
brush small enough to work with micro minis and other small models.
And here is the finished product, details and all!
I sincerely hope you have enjoyed this journey in the creation of a
pastelled model horse. I hope it inspires you to jump in and try this
awesome medium! It sure has been fun sharing!
Happy Pastelling!!!
Supply List for a Pastel Project
First, buy the supplies you will need or gather what you have on hand.
Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart will more than likely have most of the supplies
at decent prices – less stops to make means more time to pastel!
Nothing is more aggravating than starting a project, and halfway through
finding you are missing an important item, lol!
Supplies
1) Pastels -These need to be the “soft” chalk pastels, not the oil ones.
These look like square shaped sticks about three inches long or so. I
would recommend getting an “earth tones” set, as it has many basic
horsey colors! I bought the Mungyo brand at Hobby Lobby for around
$4.50. Nice quality for a low price
2)Sprays
a. Testors Dull Cote- A very matte finish that does not react with the
Krylon spray. It gives your horse “tooth” for the pastels to stick to the
body. This can be found at Hobby Lobby in the model car section with
their other spray paints (the lid number is 1260) Some people have found
it at Wal-Mart. I use a lot of it when the dust really starts to fly, so I have
started ordering it from Hobbylinc.com , 15-20 cans at a time. Their prices
are good, and I can get it shipped to my door for around the same price
that I can get it at Hobby Lobby. It’s just a few cents more and I don’t have
to drive anywhere! For those who live in the UK, I have noticed that
Horsingaround.com now carries it.
b. Krylon Workable Fixitif- A clear shiny spray (this one does not
have a ball in the can) that “seals in” your work so you can apply another
layer to your horse. This can be found at Hobby Lobby, and at Wal-Mart in
the craft section with the drawing stuff.
3)Brushes- Pastelling tends to be really rough on brushes! I don’t
invest a whole lot in the ones I use to actually apply the dust. I get the
Plaid brand available at Wal-Mart. You can get a nice assortment for $3 or
so. I like the short flat ones (filberts?) of varying sizes for applying the
main base coat and blocking in major shading areas. I use smaller round
ones for shading around the details on the face and leg muscles. You
also want to have brushes used strictly for details such as the eyes and
hooves- you don’t want to use those for pastels! (It will ruin them)
4) Flat Razor Blades- I use these to shave the pastels into a dust that
can be applied to the horse. Be very careful using them and keep them in
a safe place! An X-acto knife (available in the craft department at Wal-
mart) works well also.
5) Paper Plates- I use these like little palettes. I shave my pastels onto
the plates. They are cheap, disposable and easy to find!
6) Latex rubber “doctor” gloves- I use these to keep my hands
clean when I’m working. They aren’t really necessary, but I got tired of my
hands looking bay! They keep the sprays off your hands, and the oils
from your hands from soiling your model as well.
7) Good reference pictures of the color or pattern you will be
working on- Horse magazines are a great place to find them. You can
also do web searches and print out what you find if you have a decent
printer. It’s important to have something right where you can keep your
eyes on it while you work!
8)Last but not least, a prepped and primed horse! My example
model is the EquinArt Creations micro mini cutting horse, "Sparrow"
sculpted by Maggie Bennett. You can use any size horse for this
technique. To prep a micro mini, please see the article on EquinArt
Creations Website.
To purchase a micro mini, click here.
First, buy the supplies you will need or gather what you have on hand.
Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart will more than likely have most of the supplies
at decent prices – less stops to make means more time to pastel!
Nothing is more aggravating than starting a project, and halfway through
finding you are missing an important item, lol!
Supplies
1) Pastels -These need to be the “soft” chalk pastels, not the oil ones.
These look like square shaped sticks about three inches long or so. I
would recommend getting an “earth tones” set, as it has many basic
horsey colors! I bought the Mungyo brand at Hobby Lobby for around
$4.50. Nice quality for a low price
2)Sprays
a. Testors Dull Cote- A very matte finish that does not react with the
Krylon spray. It gives your horse “tooth” for the pastels to stick to the
body. This can be found at Hobby Lobby in the model car section with
their other spray paints (the lid number is 1260) Some people have found
it at Wal-Mart. I use a lot of it when the dust really starts to fly, so I have
started ordering it from Hobbylinc.com , 15-20 cans at a time. Their prices
are good, and I can get it shipped to my door for around the same price
that I can get it at Hobby Lobby. It’s just a few cents more and I don’t have
to drive anywhere! For those who live in the UK, I have noticed that
Horsingaround.com now carries it.
b. Krylon Workable Fixitif- A clear shiny spray (this one does not
have a ball in the can) that “seals in” your work so you can apply another
layer to your horse. This can be found at Hobby Lobby, and at Wal-Mart in
the craft section with the drawing stuff.
3)Brushes- Pastelling tends to be really rough on brushes! I don’t
invest a whole lot in the ones I use to actually apply the dust. I get the
Plaid brand available at Wal-Mart. You can get a nice assortment for $3 or
so. I like the short flat ones (filberts?) of varying sizes for applying the
main base coat and blocking in major shading areas. I use smaller round
ones for shading around the details on the face and leg muscles. You
also want to have brushes used strictly for details such as the eyes and
hooves- you don’t want to use those for pastels! (It will ruin them)
4) Flat Razor Blades- I use these to shave the pastels into a dust that
can be applied to the horse. Be very careful using them and keep them in
a safe place! An X-acto knife (available in the craft department at Wal-
mart) works well also.
5) Paper Plates- I use these like little palettes. I shave my pastels onto
the plates. They are cheap, disposable and easy to find!
6) Latex rubber “doctor” gloves- I use these to keep my hands
clean when I’m working. They aren’t really necessary, but I got tired of my
hands looking bay! They keep the sprays off your hands, and the oils
from your hands from soiling your model as well.
7) Good reference pictures of the color or pattern you will be
working on- Horse magazines are a great place to find them. You can
also do web searches and print out what you find if you have a decent
printer. It’s important to have something right where you can keep your
eyes on it while you work!
8)Last but not least, a prepped and primed horse! My example
model is the EquinArt Creations micro mini cutting horse, "Sparrow"
sculpted by Maggie Bennett. You can use any size horse for this
technique. To prep a micro mini, please see the article on EquinArt
Creations Website.
To purchase a micro mini, click here.
Katrina Michaels is a model horse collector, artist, and an EquinArt
Creations "Ambassador" whose micro minis and minis have graced the
live and photo show worlds and the pages of EquinArt Creations' website.
In this article, Katrina will share with you her method for pastel painting a
model horse. This method works on all size EquinArt Creations models.
To see examples of Katrina's work, please visit our Micro Mini pages
(sales pages and gallery).
Article is copyright 2006 by EquinArt Creations and Katrina Michaels. All
rights reserved.
Creations "Ambassador" whose micro minis and minis have graced the
live and photo show worlds and the pages of EquinArt Creations' website.
In this article, Katrina will share with you her method for pastel painting a
model horse. This method works on all size EquinArt Creations models.
To see examples of Katrina's work, please visit our Micro Mini pages
(sales pages and gallery).
Article is copyright 2006 by EquinArt Creations and Katrina Michaels. All
rights reserved.
An EquinArt Creations Exclusive "How to
Article"
How to Pastel Your Model Horse
By Katrina Michaels
Article"
How to Pastel Your Model Horse
By Katrina Michaels
PLEASE READ - WARNING! - A word on spraying
Be very careful when using these sprays, they aren’t exactly the
best for your health! I NEVER spray inside the house. One day
I hope to build a spray booth with a fan to suck the fumes out,
but until then I spray outside on my porch. Some people say
they can’t spray in wet or wintry weather, but I manage to do
both and can paint all year around. I just open my back door
hold the horse out (but still under the eave of the porch roof so
he isn’t getting wet) and spray quickly. Then I bring the horse
back to my desk to let the spray dry. Just be sure to store the
sprays in the house so they are the same temperature as the
horse.
Be very careful when using these sprays, they aren’t exactly the
best for your health! I NEVER spray inside the house. One day
I hope to build a spray booth with a fan to suck the fumes out,
but until then I spray outside on my porch. Some people say
they can’t spray in wet or wintry weather, but I manage to do
both and can paint all year around. I just open my back door
hold the horse out (but still under the eave of the porch roof so
he isn’t getting wet) and spray quickly. Then I bring the horse
back to my desk to let the spray dry. Just be sure to store the
sprays in the house so they are the same temperature as the
horse.
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Picture 10 - Creating Appaloosa mottling.
Picture 8 & 9
Picture 15
Picture 16
Picture 17
Picture 18
| Oops! Problems? CLICK HERE for Emergency Fixes Tips! |
Picture 19
Picture 11
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Picture 13 & 14
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Picture 28
To purchase micro minis CLICK HERE.
| The story continues....Katrina will be showing this horse model at Peach Tree State Live in Georgia! Stay tuned for placings, show photos and details. |