Tip Tuesday: Medallion Process

I started a new medallion today, one I hope to cast once he is complete! I have sculpted medallions before, but I haven't taken any to the level needed for a successful casting run, and they were just left as OOAK pieces. I thought I would share my process with you, as part of my 'Tip Tuesday' feature. A late Tip Tuesday, obviously!

I start by finding inspiration. Today, I wanted to recreate a gypsy vanner stallion that lives at the yard I used to work at, Dylan. I looked about my files for some photos of him with his head in the position I wanted.

I crop the files to focus on his face, filter them to black and white (which makes it easier to see the shadows and volumes), and print them out for easier referencing. I then get my idea down on paper. I trace his silhouette and features from my computer screen, making sure it is the size I want my medallion to be. I decided to try a background or 'frame' to add interest and make him more sturdy.

To begin sculpting, I lay a transparent sheet (such as a polly-pocket wallet, a large baggie, or the like) over the sketch and apply my material, in this case 'SuperSculpy', onto the plastic wallet, covering up the sketch and making the shape of the horse. This photo is maybe an hour into the sculpt, he has the basic contours, but no features or detail. There's no point adding wrinkles and whisker bumps when there's nothing correct to put them on. I use my fingers to push the clay into place at this stage.

I then just keep applying the sculpy and building him up. Study your references really hard, and then study them some more. Below are some images from about 3 or 4 hours in. They are all taken a few seconds apart, the only change is the direction of the light source. Move your work into different lights, it'll pin-point areas you need to work on and help make sure it looks good from other angles and positionings. 

I'm going to work on him some more throughout the week and I'll post 'Part Two' next Tuesday. He may even reach the finishing stages!

Little Paint Jobs

Finished up these two before the weekend, and showed them at Sussex Showdown. Neither placed, but it was a very large class entitled "AR All Foals" full of gorgeous little ones, so I'm not too fussed. The little dun was intended as New Forrest pony, and the silver dapple as a gypsy vanner. Please click to view the images larger.

Sussex Showdown 2014

The trouble with live showing, is now I have a much larger list of 'I want one of those!' models. There were really too many gorgeous horses today. Liz Hibberd did a superb job, the show was organised, ran smoothly, and had a wonderfully calm atmosphere and cheery laughter. I met some brilliant people and had a all-round wonderful day, even if I didn't win anything in the raffle! I forgot my cakes as well, but that just means that that's all I'm eating this week!

You can see all my photos here, but I thought I'd pop up some of my favourites onto here, enjoy!

Smaller than Minnie-Whinnies, this set up was pretty incredible!

This girl was beyond words, what a stunner!

This guys mane was so beautiful, so much movement!

This chap's eye is just mind blowing! So so real!

I've been swooning over this customed baby since I first saw it online, and he's even better in the flesh!

And you can't go to a live show without buying a little something .. I nearly brought a much-wanted copy of Clare Stokes' 'Hamlet', but ended up letting a new friend buy him. I then moved my eyes onto Kelly Savage's 'The Babysitter', which was a very very VERY bad idea for my bank account .. Now then, roll on the next live show!

Sussex Showdown Results

My personal results from Sussex Showdown Live, 27th July 2014.

Class 31 - CM British/ Irish Native - GM Prinny, schelich CM by Christine Sutcliffe - Unplaced
Class 34 - CM Other British/ Irish - GM Steve McQueen, CM by Christine Sutcliffe - 3rd place, SC qualified
Class 45 - CM All Foals -  - Unplaced
Class 73 - AR Iberian - GM We Need To Talk, Unbridled Joy by Clare Stokes - 6th place

Class 82 - AR All Foals -   - Unplaced

Class 85 - CTF British/ Irish Native - GM Thistle, Julip new forest pony - Unplaced

Class 92 - CTF European Pony - GM Ginge, Julip Lipizzaner - 3rd place, SC qualified

Class 99 - CTF All Foals - GM Prudence, Julip foal - Unplaced

Fun Classes-

Medallion - GM Toddy, Clare Stokes' 'Todd' by myself - 6th place

Other Animal - Yard pups, 3 Julip dogs - 2nd, 3rd, 5th places

CM By Owner - GM Vince, HA 'Churchill' by myself - 2nd place

Decor - GM Kauri, woodgrain PS weanling - 1st place

Ready to go!

After a lot of last minute cerfuffle and confusing lift plans, I finally sorted myself out for tomorrow's Sussex Showdown, my first foray into the world of live showing! I'm really quite nervous , butI've got a scribbled over class-list to help me through the day though!

I spent the last two days sat at my desk, trying to finish these two cheeky things! In this photo their last layer of sealer is drying and I just have to gloss their eyes/hooves, I'll introduce them properly next week ..

I packed up my models this afternoon, about 14 of them. I've tried not to have as many to overwhelm myself, and the classes for them tend to be quite evenly spaced. This should hopefully give me time to take my camera round and get photos of as many gorgeous models as possible!

And uk.Moo.com did an excellent job with my business cards, which weren't meant to arrive till the 29th, but they landed on my doorstep yesterday! Pretty chuffed with that, as now I can take them along with me and share some out!

Now all that's left to do is charge my camera, write up some breed cards, and wait till morning, pack my lunch and then head out for the hour drive to Ashurst Wood. I might even use my evening to bake some fairy cakes to take with me!

Touch Ups

My Unbridled Joy resin, painted by Clare Stokes of Meadowview Artistry in 2010, was in need of some touch ups before I even thought of bringing him along to Southern Showdown, and I just throught I'd share some little before and afters with you all. It's just little things, like several more coats of white on his markings, hairing the edges of said markings, and repainting his pale hoof. I'm quite pleased witht he results, and I hope Clare doesn't mind too much!

Also, I added more layers and some hairing detail to his star, however I forgot to take a before shot. I think just needs the dust removed from all that mane and then he'll be ready for tomorrow!

Indecisive

"But muuuuum .. I don't wanna be palomino!"

Gosh, I'm a messy painter! He'll hopefully look a lot smoother ASAP.Also, I never want to paint a grass base ever again, I doubt this will ever end up looking like natural grass! I think he's asking to be red dun with no whites, well, that's what he was telling me this morning. Who know what he'll want by this evening ..

Works In Progress

Here are some updates on some of the pieces I have on the workbench right now. The HA foal will be palomino or dun, with appaloosa markings (either blanket or snowflake) and the Stablemate is having feathers added using Aves apoxie sculpt. This is my first time sculpting feathers, and I think it's going quite well. She still needs them added around the front of the hooves, which is why it looks a little funny right now still :D

Another sculpt?!!

So, I've decided to take up another project, alongside my two miniature full sculpts, pencil work, and current commissions (don't worry guys, I'm working on them, I promise!). Cue the entrance of a traditional scale sports-horse bust .. well, I need to practice sculpting heads, I guess. This post has a lot of images, so I made them quite small, though clicking on them makes them larger.

Today, I did the research, sketching and planning. This dappled grey I spotted at Brightling Horse Trials was my initial inspiration. I liked his positioning in the central picture, with the one shoulder pushed forward, neck arched, one are flicked back. His eager-to-please expression and wibbley top lip were also deciding factors. 

I then spent time searching through the rest of my picture on this computer, selecting those which would be useful for my goal. Photos that clearly show the neck and chest muscles, the wrinkles, the veins, and general bone structure and angles.

And then I set to work. I've put about a couple of hours into this chap, I should really have timed it to be fair. But this is just a practice run, so the positioning is pretty off, I was just testing the waters and seeing how well I could create the head. I think I did quite well for a first attempt, besides the fact he doesn't much resemble my original inspration. I was following Emilia Kurila's brilliant 'The Head Tutorial', which is kindly posted on Braymere Custom Saddlery's blog. That blog is on my 'check daily' list, and I suggest you put it on yours! Anyway, here is my first attempt at capturing the 3D the facial features of a horse. (He then proceeded to topple of the shelf I was photographing him on and smoosh most of himself. And that was the end of that, I guess!) Maybe next week I'll make a proper base and start sculpting it again for real.