Here's part two of Max's NaMoPaiMo journey.
Max Does NaMoPaiMo 2024
by Christine Sutcliffe
The final couple of weeks of February loomed and Max still hadn't started her horse.
Her social media feed was full of beautiful models, and while there were some people in the same boat as her, most of them had valid excuses for not starting which just made her feel even worse.
The more she thought about it, the more she panicked about having not done anything and the cycle of anxiety and guilt began anew. It may not have been a contest in the most literal sense, but she was definitely judging herself.
She procrastinated further by tidying and reorganising her paints, then her brushes, then suddenly the model found itself on her desk at last, surrounded by everything she needed to start painting it, along with a couple of extra blank models.
Was it fate, or destiny? Or had her subconscious simply had enough and decided the time was right? Who knew, but the pony was there and finally ready to be painted.
Max took a deep breath and reached for the resin.
'OK, we're doing this. Better late than never, right?'
Her 'tidying' hadn't been very effective as the desk was still a bit of a cluttered mess, but at least she now had everything on hand she needed.
She'd primed the model when she first got it, but it still needed a little prepping, so out came the sandpaper and files to get rid of any rough areas before getting another light coat of primer. This was probably why she'd been putting it off, she realised when she discovered another dodgy seam that needed work on. The prepping part was always the most tedious aspect of the customising process, and one she tried to avoid as much as possible.
With a podcast on in the background, Max found herself relaxing into customising mode at last. It was easy to focus when she had something to listen to, even if that something turned out to be a pretty gory true crime documentary rather than the nice chill lo-fi beats that Juno favoured. Still, she wasn't going to complain, and if she found herself wielding a scalpel with rather more vigour than usual when carving seams, that was her business.
Prepped and primed, finally the painting could begin!
While others preferred airbrushing for larger models, Max wasn't a fan. It was too complicated and expensive and she much preferred the old school method of hand painting anyway. She began with a nice rich brown for the base layer, blending in other colours as she went along until a dark chocolately bay began to take form.
Because acrylics dry so fast, she made more progress in a couple of days than she had the entire month which was very satisfying. All her anxiety about not having enough time faded away, she was well on track for completion, and with some time to spare if she was lucky.
'Ooooh, she looks like she's made of actual chocolate!' Juno remarked one afternoon. 'I could just take a bite out of her!'
'Probably not advisable what with it being resin and all, but I know what you mean! Oh, now that I think about it, I could definitely go for some chocolate cake right now to be honest. Have we got anything in the house, you know, strictly for painting fuel and inspiration?'
Juno pursed her lips and considered. 'Toast and nutella?'
'That'll do!'
Not much painting happened after that, but chocolate was eaten so the day counted as a win.
Progress continued, with subtle shading and multiple coats of sealer to protect the finish as she went along. Max couldn't believe how long it had taken for her to get started - once she began painting the days just seemed to fly by!
That was the beauty of NaMoPaiMo, the inspiration just flowed once you got stuck into the process. Max was focused and motivated and every brushstroke was perfect - exactly the right combination!
Finally, the mane and tail were done, dapples added, and all that remained was to add markings, details and the final coat of sealer and she'd be finished with a couple of days to spare!
Horse and sealer in hand, Max stood up and stepped forward towards the door. Once complete, all she'd need to do was get a background up for finished photos. Maybe a woodland scene, or perhaps an arena? She was a sporthorse type after all, that would look great.
Her mind was so full of these thoughts that she didn't look where she was putting her feet and caught her toe on the edge of the rug. She tripped, arms and legs flailing as she tried helplessly to regain her balance in an awkward display of energy. She managed to stop herself from falling, but in her moment of panic, both horse and spray can went flying, landing with a sharp thud on the hardwood floor...
'Oh no...oh no oh no oh no....'
'Please be OK, please be OK, oh nooooo!'
Max gingerly scooped up the model, praying against all the odds that she was undamaged, but it was all in vain. Both ears were gone, lost somewhere on the floorboards, and the paintwork she'd been so pleased with was scuffed and chipped in places. The legs were undamaged which was a welcome relief, but oh, her poor ears.
Overcome with anguish, Max broke down in tears.
All that work, all that time, and now this? It just wasn't fair.
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