A hairy situation

I share my life-and my house-with two beautiful, fluffy dogs.

I've long since accepted that everything I own will be covered in dog hair... 

but that doesn't mean I want it in my finishwork.

I'm not the only hobby painter with this problem, so today's third Tutorial Tuesday post is all about dealing with pet hair and other random fuzzies.

Charlotte Donahue believes in a proactive approach. She keeps a designated brush on a used dryer sheet next to her work bench. The dryer sheet helps reduce the static electricity that causes pet hair and debris to cling to her paint projects. She paints with pastels and before sealing each layers, she brushes away all the visible cling-ons.

photo by Charlotte Donahue

Stephanie Blaylock uses a toothpick for much the same purpose.

photo by Stephanie Blaylock

She writes: What’s the one surprising tool you can’t paint without? Mine is a basic wooden toothpick. I use it to gently remove weird hairs and dust from my model's  finish. It works like magic!  

photo by Stephanie Blaylock

The toothpick is most effect before sealing. After sealing I tend to use the sanding stick. You can find these at most craft stores.

photo by Stephanie Blaylock

But what if you're having trouble seeing the dust and dog hair until it's too late? Emma Witney-Smith offers this creative solution: I use a UV light to help find fuzzies before sealing. They usually fluoresce a different colour than the rest of the model, which makes them easy to find and remove! Here's a model in normal light...

photo by Emma Witney-Smith

and under the UV light. What a difference!

Thank you so much, Charlotte, Stephanie and Emma. With your help, we can all look forward to having a little less pet hair on our ponies!