Good gracious, how long has it been since I've posted? -sigh- You can blame Winter for that one. If it wasn't the hectic holiday season, it was my depression which always worsens during the colder months. But Spring is... springing... so I'm back, and I come bearing multiple projects!
So the last time I updated, I was working on Obi-Wan. He's been finished and shipped off for some time now, but still, I owe you all progress shots and blog posts.
I mentioned that Obi-Wan is a fleabitten grey, and my first one, and let me tell you, this little guy was a challenge for me.
The problem with fleabitten greys isn't that they're difficult, it's that they're time- and patience- consuming. I quickly found that, while working on hundred upon hundreds of tiny little dots, I actually have the patience of a saint if I put my mind to it. But even so...
Hundreds...
...of tiny...
...dots.
But! As with all problems and butt-pains, this trial passed, and just as I was at my wit's end and about to throw the little fella out into the snow to think about what he'd done, I realized I'd made my last dot. I can't be certain, but I think the heavens exploded into a chorus of "Hallelujah". Perhaps the dots had made me delusional and I was just hearing things. But either way, he was done.
Well, dot-wise, anyway.
After this, the little bugger just needed detail work. As you can see in the two above pictures, I'd started shading. This time around I used the pastel method, and quickly I fell in love. Usually I'd have used acrylic but that would mean covering up all those little dots I worked so hard on, and I wasn't having that. So with the help of one of those cheap spongey things you get with an eyeshadow palette, it was off to the races.
Then it was time to do the eyes, hooves, and blaze. These were done in acrylic. I'd say he looks much cuter now.
At last, the little bugger was in the home stretch. After a bit of a... discussion... with my dad, I wound up sealing him in the basement of our house. (Bad idea. The basement stunk for days. But being that it was winter in the Northeast and 20 degrees or below, outside wasn't an option.) Once he was nice and dry, it was time to finish his eye. I use a dab of clear nail polish for this. It glosses the eyes, giving them dimension, and just making them look more realistic (horse's eyes are wet, remember!)
I frequent a group on Facebook for customizers and artists, and while dotting I wondered if a fleabitten grey's - uh, boy parts - were also fleabitten. I asked in the group, and who should respond but Obi-Wan's owner! She actually checked "the real Obi-Wan" and said he was just grey. I did get a kick out of the idea that she should answer a question about her own horse.
If you remember from my Friend of Mine post, I bought a spool of red ribbon for a devil costume that wound up being just a cape. That only took a small amount of ribbon, so I had a ton left over at Christmas time. (Still do, actually!) So, what's the solution?
Put bows on ALL THE THINGS!!!
And I do mean ALL the things. I tried tying the ribbon but upon discovering my ineptitude when it came to ribbon, I resorted to hot glue. I added little bows to all the presents, cards, the scroll (she has young kids so I sent them a scroll from "Cyra the Elf"), and, of course, Obi-Wan.
After that, he was wrapped and sent out with a bunch of goodies (including a Lego set and a pony for the aforementioned little ones, and of course, chocolate). His new mom opened him on Christmas Eve and was absolutely delighted by him! As I said before, I love when my victims tell me how much they love their horses. I get a sense of pride in my work, and I also know that I've made someone's day, and collection, a little brighter.
Now that it's Spring-time (I say as it's flurrying outside), it's time for the Spring Swap, and I have a charity set I'm doing, so stay tuned! I promise I'll be updating this time.
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