A banner and news

Once I decided that this blog is OK enough without a banner, but now... I just know it's too interesting to design them, so I made one. This blog has long name that's not too easy to fit there. I got a bit lazy and just drew the title and shaded a bit (with a tool I don't usually use for anything).

I just think... Cigar is a good mold. I like that I have one to see this physically. So of course Overkill (Sam model) is right dude for the banner.

Wonder if I don't have problems today when publishing this, because it's a tradition when I publish a new blog banner.


I also have a problem... It's about those photo stories I want to publish and have a nice stack waiting that happening. I want to improve with them, to make them better, more realistic, less stupid. I am too perfectionistic with my own works, and I count dolls and tack pieces as artworks too. Sometimes I just can't see a photo having any quality, if there's one or few pieces that make it all look failed - for me, having no skill with saddles. Also I wish my dolls could have real clothes, but I simply have no idea how to make any (I'm not a sewer). My dolls have rough anatomy because they're meant to work well and to be hidden under clothes. I could of course test to sculpt also lower pars of their limbs (except hands and feet that need to be all bendable), instead of gluing some soft materials there, but right now I haven't the right type of wire to make armatures, so I can't try.

Is it OK to say that don't read it wrong if you see some crazy looking dolls sitting on my models? They can be funny, but they also ruin the realism.

Lack of realism makes me easily not to want to publish things that generally could be worth posting. (Now don't ask why I then replace humans with rats and cats, haha.)

Photo stack: Juoru rides Vissy

Grrrr, imagination and the titles don't meet. But this is called as a photo stack instead of story, because I don't know a story for this. It's again just one moment I captured in many photos. These also aged fastly, because the bridle seen there are already retouched... And they were made just before these pics.

A black cat boy on Vissy (Cortes "C"). I left Asko visible in one photo as I somewhat think he kept a riding lesson for Juoru. If that explains the over-long reins...? I've made shorter reins afterwards.

That bridle has at least two or three different types of leather in it. The reins aren't from the same set but from some older. I also can say I stopped using blue-tack for attaching bits after finding glue that dries to be sticky enough to stay in place (and it doesn't harm the plastic, like I think blue-tack can do if kept on too long).

Those straps just look too clumsy now when I have improved quickly a lot in making bridles... Only the noseband is nice as it is OK to be wider.

This also could be an update for the first 'riding lesson' photo story. If this new one just could be a story...

Artistic info:
Here's pics of those bridles after two retouches. First, I added tongue buckles and a flash noseband, also changed shorter headpiece strap, and knotted the browband (it was ridiculously long). The flashie was made for another bridles, so it's metal pieces are 'silver'. I didn't care because the bridle is not the best I have made. At the second retouch I got the flash noseband off and straightened the bit mouthpieces and added glue to them, so they stick without help.

After the second retouch (flash noseband off). Ignore the crazy rider, hehe.

That browband doesn't really fit well there, after I added the knot...

I also injured a finger while making tack, so, using it felt creepy when I wrote the upper part and oldest photos. (Now when I publish this, the finger is fine.)

Photo stack: Asko and Dreamy

I don't really like adding names to the titles because I can have same names in several photo folders at my computer... But anyway, I've been abandoning this blog too long now. My Finnish blogs are quite dead too, not saying I could not use anything of these anymore. Let's go to the thing.

I took these photos some times ago, when I had just got my newest Breyers. This time it's Dreamy (Lil' Ricky Rocker) with one CM doll Asko. Breyer dolls don't work as nicely as those I have made by myself, so this looks a bit ridiculous, I think (and the doll was customized too long time ago, without any skill...).

Anyway. Did force Dreamy to wear a random thin halter that fits him. Hehe. He's perfect for this kind of art photos. (Now some serious photographers there rip their eyes off when they see my "art photos"... Hey, it's just a miniature studio!)

I think Dreamy is a easy horse, so it's just the look why he has chain around his chin.

Yea, the cheekpiece wasn't strong enough for the chain. Stronger halters can't be this flexible, I guess. Older paper-thin (thinned) leather, ha!

Me and the fact that I can't decide which of all places to focus is most important. So I take hundred photos of one thing to make sure I capture all needed.

Some of these got heavier editing to make them lighter. I personally am not a fan of heavy photo editing, after which people still call them just photos, since it's too different from what it was fresh from the camera.

And, as a nice (...?) plus, or bonus, some pics of Dreamy with Roz. And again, I can't focus on two things at same time.

Girl stares to the sky and holds a horse. Clever.

Please understand the fact that I'm Finnish and not the best Finn with English language. Many, MANY, hmmm most of Finns are much better in this than me. And I even don't care that much, only stupidest mistakes need to be corrected.

Artistic info:
I have no idea what was happening in those photos, when thinking in story way. I simply wanted to capture a moment from many angles, to photograph a nice horse while he has halter and rope on. So there's no story in these photos. Others then can have.

The dolls are a couple. Yea. And Roz is really good rider. Compared to her, Asko can't ride at all. Rider doll that can't ride, very ironic!

The halter and rope are older; but they work, so I use them in photos. OK. 

...

I also mention that I have nice stack of photo stories to blog. Be warned. My photo stories are far away from normal, it's a thing I know!

If any non-Finns read this blog, please give me some critique of these photo stories. Or, THOSE photo stories, since these random stacks aren't always them. 

Traditional scale walker

I'm not going to tell much. It's just a toy horse (bad Breyer copy) that altered into a tennessee walking horse. Or something like that. Materials were airdry clay and acrylics.

I named him Rollo; the long, official name is long, and no one needs to use it, but I have that kind of habit to call my models stupidly.

Have his process from, first, what he originally was and how I resculpted then:

After I freed the horse from his ugly plastic tack and washed with water and soap...

Some days of his life had clearly been spent under the sunlight.

Compared to PAM. She looks like a horse next to that creepy toy.

First resculpts and first (brainless) paintjob. Was easier to photograph but I cursed that blueness while adding white base paint later. The green wire holds his tail chain in place while the glue dries.

Yet more clay on before base paint. Wrinkles, mane and tail.

The tail got sculpted almost completely once, that's why it looks rougher as I generally do.

Someone (me) wanted this model to be takc friendly! It's difficult for a person who loves sculpting manes.

Knife attacked his front (resculpted) hooves...

And after sculpting, let's see his painting process, starting from base white...

I don't love those hind legs, I don't. But I can't fix it now.

Yea, eyes sit too low!

...then come the actual colors (notice that I photographed both sides of same step)...

Digital design for color idea...

...and how the roaning/sabino modifies it.

First layers of brown, to see how I add the patterns. Not that much like I drew but hmmmm who cares.

Front end done. A good "why only one layer is not enough" -pic to show people.

Pangares added.

Colored area skin color added.

Then came the white hairs! I used three different paintbrushes for that, and almost killed my nerves, but I really wanted to do that pattern.

First amount of white hairs...

...second amount of white hairs...

...and a bit more white hairs. Also painted his white area skin color, and mane and tail (or started them).

Hooves painted (water-soluble colorpencils washed with varnish). Eye started.

Here's how I painted the eye whites, or, practically, how I simply started the eye:

Before painting.

Just bright red...

...that got smudged with white to create pinkish.

As finished, with varnished surface, eyes and all details:

Closeups for the eyes. They look better as I expected. And still they are nothing like I know good eyes to look... But at least the ugly barbie horse look is off. The eye whites are purposely very visible and reddish, and different from each other. 

Non-softened flash to show details of how I painted the irises.

Details of fur pattern and tail.Also need to note that I really wanted to keep pangare areas visible enough, although I know... Well, it's not so realistic, but model horses are a form of art... I also think that the rougher hair texture (as I have no brains for drawing each hair with a colorpencil or so) could just tell about the horse's worse living conditions.

And pics where Rollo is with his owner, an old (and very tall) double rex dumbo rat man. (I think I am going to fix the doll's arms once, I'm not pleased with them. Just fixing the proportions.) I am very poor with soft material, that explains the doll's look a bit (not face, that's the easy part).

Rollo got a halter. Not that weird, but that was my first ever 'real' traditional scale halter with leather. Tongue buckle added very recently as that stack of straps is so difficult to put on the horse (and doesn't fit anyone really)...

Professor doesn't see with that lighter eye, it's blind. But he his ears are working.

Nice horse, but still held with chain? Poor nice horse.

In the next photos Rollo wears hackamore and curb bit. My tack never looks as realistic as I wish, but most of the time I just try to make it WORK like real. Just like my dolls. The bridles were made from leftover pieces that I have too much for tackmaking... And is it needless to say that those are not Rollo's personal tack at all. (I also need to fix those stupid side reins once.)

Really that tack seen in the pics are different pieces that are made at different moments. Should do something better, yes, maybe at the future...

Well, what next time? Schleichs I have finished?