Series One Stablemates

Here is a picture of the 9 Breyer Stablemates that I have re-painted thus far.

Change of plans

So I was busy yesterday working on these horses waiting for new legs, paint, etc and this guy was just staring at me. It was almost as if he was whispering- "cut off my head and shorten my back..".

So, what could I do but oblige him? This mold definitely had too long of a back for a Fjord and while I think his cresty neck is perfect for the breed he is transforming into, I thought I might as well put him on the bit so he would be the perfect performance horse. So, plans changed a bit with this guy, not to say I'm not happy with the results!

So after a little bit of plastic burning I was happy with the shorter back and although I didn't get pictures of the progress of the head I have a nicely crested neck with a head on the bit and ready for performance, a look overall much more characteristic of the Fjord.

I whipped out my handy Kragle (I am a big LEGO fan as well) and used ye ol' baking soda and krazy glue technique which I believe was first introduced (if not popularized through wonderful tutorials) by Don't Eat the Paint (http://donteatthepaint.blogspot.ca/).

This technique was used to seal all of the seams initially and then I use milliput, which is an epoxy putty (it is black because my local hobby store has not had the white stuff in lately), to cover those seams to strengthen the mold for sanding.

So he is definitely taking on a more Fjord-like shape. Here is a comparison of the original mold and how he looks now:

In other news, I have prepped my Breyer G4 Endurance Stablemate custom and it is now ready for paint!

Some progress

As you can see some progress has been made on my custom Classic Andalusian Stallion to a Fjord. I have now shortened its cannon bones and re-sculpted his legs. So far so good.

I also wanted to share some progress pictures of a landscape painting I am working on which will be used as a backdrop for photos. Here is is so far, the vision is to be a cut wheat field with small stands of aspens. Not unlike the prairie around these parts (Alberta). So far only the sky is complete.

Introducing my real horses

Let's take a break from model horses and allow me to introduce my real horses! These pictures were taken in October, just before the snow hit.

This is Delta's Kaliko, I have had her since I was 11 and was my first horse. Kaliko is 29 this year and still as spry as ever. She would still be jumping if it was up to her and she has been an amazing teacher. She is a Quarter Horse/Arab cross and registered Pinto.

This is Fallontyne (Fallon for short), I have had Fallon since she was a yearling and she is a great horse. She loves people and has always come to meet me at the fence when I go to catch her. I have been teaching her to ground drive recently and she loves it. Fallon is a Hanoverian.

Here are the two of them together in their paddock, they are great friends.

Bay Roan Repaint

Here is my most recent finished piece, a repaint to a very wild and gritty looking bay roan on the G2 Rearing Arabian Stablemate.

My intention was for this roan to be very ragged and haggard to look more like a mustang.

This is my first roan repaint and the learning experience has given me plans for future roans, it is a lovely horse colour.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Current works in the studio

Hey all, since I am waiting on an order to arrive to continue my tack projects, I thought I would share all the customization projects I have on the go currently.

First project is a re-sculpt on the Classic Andalusian Stallion, he will be transforming into a Fjord horse. Here is his current progress:

Next is a simple repaint on the Classic Warmblood Mare. She was the grey Selle Francais and I was having difficulties photographing her so I decided to repaint her a bay. She is already showing up better in photographs. I am painting her with my own personal technique of acrylics and make-up.

My next project is a muzzle and mane re-sculpt on the G4 Endurance Stablemate. I found his nose to be quite pointy even for an arab and I wanted him to be tack-friendly.

 Another mini I am customizing is the G2 Warmblood. I am changing the pace of this horse and instead of cantering he will be trotting. He is waiting on his legs to be re-sculpted.

Another simple repaint is the G2 Scratching Foal. I'm not sure what colour he will turn out to be yet.

Last but not least is my own original sculpture. This horse is in Stablemate size and will be looking over his shoulder. This is my first original horse sculpture.

Thanks for reading!

New Ponies!

This morning, I welcomed a few new horses to the herd! I was pleasantly surprised to find a box on my porch this morning, much sooner than anticipated! Thanks Angelique! Here are the new additions...

 An original finish Huckleberry Bay helpfully supported by my Shetland Pony...

An original finish Peter Stone ISH...

and an original finish G3 Standing Thoroughbred Stablemate!

The first two have a few rubs on them which is why I was able to afford them but it reminded me that I have been meaning to make blankets to protect my models from the same fate while on my shelves so.....

The morning was spent making blankets :)

English pony set

I finished this bridle yesterday to complete this set for traditional scale (1:9) ponies. The saddle was actually made for Classic scale horses but I liked how it looked on the Brookside Pink Magnum mold so thus a matching bridle was created. Here is the complete set:

The saddle is the first english saddle I made since around 2000 so it is a bit rusty but good practice. Here is a close-up:

I also got a lot of work done on a racing saddle started recently, here is the progress:

Matching Western Pleasure set featuring a beaded bridle

Here is a western pleasure set completed before the two-toned set. Classic sized, it features a simple saddle with a beaded bridle that matches the saddle pad. I love the way this set looks on this model, the colour pops!

This was the first beaded bridle I ever created and it was quite difficult but I was able to devise a way to keep those beads in. The end result was worth it and I learned some valuable lessons.

Oh, and the most time consuming part? Cross stitching the saddle pad of course!

Two-toned working western set with bosal hackamore

Let us start this blog right with the reveal of my most recent finished work, hot off the workbench, a working western set featuring a bosal hackamore.

This is my third complete set since getting back into the hobby about a year ago. I used to make saddles as a kid and still have a few kicking around, I will have to make a blog post featuring these pieces sometime.

I love these two toned saddles, which is why I was inspired to create this one. I wanted it to look like a saddle you could use on a ranch but with some style. 

I created the bosal because I love hackamores, there is something to be said about a bit-less bridle. My younger horse, Fallon, has never had a bit in her mouth and in turn I can be very soft on the reins. When I started riding the older one, Kaliko, she was very hard on the hands and would brace on the bit constantly. With work and a soft snaffle she has become much better but I wanted to avoid that with Fallon. I have plans on making a miniature english bit-less bridle in the near future.

 

Pleased to meet ya fella

 Welcome to the blog of Yellow Bird Acres. Here you will follow misadventures in model horse collecting, model tack making, model customizing, and sculpting along with artist Laine Sloan. Thanks for joining us, have fun!