Dealing with dust and dog hair

Here's a question that gets asked every single year: What is the best way to keep pet hair out of your finishwork? 

Don't look to me for answers. Have you seen my dogs? Literally, there's always going to be dog hair. At this point, I am resigned to it and a large part of my painting process is removing and fixing hairs as needed. 

Some people are more proactive. In this guest post, Maddie Miller, shows us how she mitigates the hair produced by her German Shedders Shepherds.

Maddie's dogs

Dog Hair, Dust, & Desktop Disasters

by Maddie Miller

My real estate agent described our house as "open" and "full of natural light". And those are wonderful qualities in a home. Well, until it's time to paint, anyway.

The lighting is fantastic in my home and the smell of my art supplies doesn't linger or settle. But you know what does? Dust. Dog Hair. Lint particles from every article of clothing I have ever owned... they all just float aimlessly until they land on their targets: my freshly painted or sealed models.

So I took action! These are cheap and easy fixes that have drastically improved the overall quality control of my models.

1) Pony drying box: I bought a clear plastic tote bin to set in a sunnyish window. The lid latches on, and models can sit in there to dry without the woes of wafting contaminants. 

I like to turn my bin upside down so that the horse sits on the lid.

2) The bubble: this one is pretty simple. Basically I just taped a very large sheet of saran wrap to my shelf to cover all of my "in progress" ponies. Just please use masking tape or you'll peel the paint off your wall/shelf.

3) The pastel pail: again with the plastic tote bins, but I keep all my pastels in a shoe-boxed size container with a lid. It does not matter how careful or tidy you *think* you are; pastel particles will find their way around.

4) Gloves: wear gloves when you handle models. Not only are your hands oily, but you'd be surprised how many other contaminants could be on our hands. Hairs, fibers, dry skin... just wear some gloves. 

I also like to wrap my models in unbleached muslin if I'm working on 1 specific area for some time.

5) Stop it at the source: I don't know who needs to hear this (it's me, I need to hear this), but GO DUST YOUR HOME. Wipe the ceiling blades, dust the blinds, sweep or vacuum the floor. Keep your workspace tidy, too. Wipe up messes as they occur. Wash your brushes once in a while too. Finally, if you have pets, maybe brush them. If you have fluffy shedding dogs, brush them twice. You can contemplate your choice of pet for ten mins per day while you brush the hair away! 

There is truly nothing worse than painting the best model horse of your life, only to discover after the final coat of sealer that there is a bair or dust bunny stuck under the paint.

Thank you, Maddie! That is really helpful. I have no doubt you've inspired someone who is not me, but should be to go clean their house!