Bluebird Studio

Wow, time really does fly when you are having fun! I have come home from the live, re-invigorated, inspired and ready to hack, melt and sculpt every plastic pony in the house. I also came home to NAN. Live streamed on the web, I was glued to it, as this was the very first time any of my CMs were going to be there. I was so very glad I did as Komos got a Top 10 in Light/Gaited/Spanish Foals http://nan.cgi101.com/results13/results.cgi?5000 With many thanks to Jaime Baker for his finishwork, Liz Cassel for tirelessly Proxy showing him for me, and Beth Patterson for taking him to NAN and the photo Komos is now on his way home where he will do the show circuit here, then onto a special new home. I adore Live show photos, pounce on them like a kid onto lollies. So I feel a little guilty I have not shared these before now. I arrived at the show early, in fact I was the very first one there, which is not very conducive to rattly nerves, but I had nothing to worry abut, the ponies ...

I have sculptures in many different stages this week, and everything is flowing perfectly. I have ditched the Magic Sculpt and have returned to Aves Apoxie Sculpt, and it is like I have come back to an old friend! Salinero to Lippizaner; Very very nearly ready for paint.  Weathergirl is chuffing along, a whole lot of issues to be dealt with still, but I am really liking how she is shaping up. The new kid on the block is another Heartbreaker to Arabian foal, this time a commission. Skinny, lanky and coltish, He is rapidly becoming a favourite! 

The end of my Diary of a Heartbreaker is his sale, and it has begun. Tinged with a little sadness, as this is the last link I shall have with the precious baby, but also everything crossed he does super well for Jaime, for the artistry of his finish is divine. I may have sculpted the little dude, but I swear Jaime has breathed life into his body and soul into his eyes. I adore him, and would love to bring him home! The link for his Auction; http://www.ebay.com/itm/290752395245?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1586.l2649 A HUGE thank you to Jaime Baker, for taking this fellow on, bringing him to life, and for taking him to Breyerfest and including and updating me with each little step on his big journey in the USA! Also a thank you to Liz Cassel, his wonderful proxy shower at Stone Age Live, thank you for your care and attention!

It is just around the corner, and the buzz word on the lips of all the model horse collectors right now. As a sculptor of model horses, a customiser of Breyers, this is the ultimate show. The 'Big Kahuna', the 'Whole Enchilada', the 'It and a Bit' of model horse shows. To have a horse there for the first time, on such a big stage is butterfly inducing, dance around my kitchen with undies on my head exciting! Bring it on! Heartbreaker's diary continues ... Baby coloured eyes and pooky lips *LOVES* Delicate frosting on his curly wurly tail. *adore* Baby soft shading on his legs *swoon* Could he be any sweeter? Classic scale Hansel to Welsh A. I want to kiss that kissy spot! So soft, so smooth!  The stablemates... All photos and finishwork by the Mega talented Jaime Baker All these guys will be up for grabs after Breyerfest. More soon ...

Done :) All he needs is the acrylic rod for his back hoof. The bubby is then off to the USA to be painted and shown at Breyerfest by Jaime baker. Hard work does pay off ...and dreams do come true ;) YAAAAY! Happy dance*happy dance* Sanding is over!

After a joyous Christmas and new years spent with family and friends it is great to get back to the studio (aka; the kitchen table). Heartbreaker is on the home straight, and it is time to make the final push and finish him off. Through holding his back leg when applying primer, sanding etc, the repositioned joint showed its weakness and cracked. So it was out with the Dremel. I made a channel running vertically down the centre of the front of the leg, then built it up slowly with baking soda and glue. If this was a larger horse with more weight, I would have inserted some thick wire for added support. I will now fill the hole with Apoxie sculpt, for an un-noticeable fix. The little black circles are where I have gone over him carefully and marked the places that need a little more attention, this way I don't forget where they are, as many of them are minute, they are easy to miss. Unfortunately the annoying creature also took a dive off the table and has broke...

Wax on ... Wax off ...  Wax on ... Wax off ... Wax on ... By the time a pony gets towards the end of the CM work, he has had 5 or 6 coats of primer, but as you can see they get sanded back again. Each successive coat (often swapping between colours) highlights faults and flaws in Captain Obvious style. I do have to be very careful around details like eyes and wrinkles that they do not get lost under the coats of paint. The little guy is to be pastelled when his sculpting is complete, and nothing grabs pastels like sanding marks, and grainy primer, he needs to be as smooth as a baby's behind. So there is going to be a whole lot more before I can call him done. My lest favourite, it is a complete bummer that it is the longest, fiddliest, most time consuming, and the absolute critical part of CM'ing. Raspberry*thumbs down.

Okie dokie, a pony was dropped and an ear snapped off and into pieces. To be honest though this sort of thing happens to me more often then not, I am ridiculously clumsy. It is because of this that I have a tub of ears, already made up and cured, ready to plonk onto any unfortunate victim. So a quick sort through and I have found a match in size. The ears are only roughly made and quite thick, this gives me plenty to work with in matching this ear to the existing one. Uh-oh. LOL, this happens more often then not too, I am actually surprised I was not still attached to the ear and horse as well As you can see the ear is too big, and too clunky also the wrong shape. Never fear, that is what sandpaper, and carbide scrapers are for :) It still needs Apoxie added to the base for correct shape and some liddle wrinkles and ear fluff. So there we go ...an easy fix.