NaMoPaiMo updates and introducing Quintus

NaMoPaiMo starts one week from today.

As of today, we have approximately five hundred thirty people signed up to paint. I expect that number will double before February 1.

I'm scaling back the prize part of this year's event, but that doesn't mean we won't have some great swag. Just look at these awesome stickers designed by Darynn Bednarczyk of DeeJayBe Studios.

And here is this year's official NaMoPaiMo medallion, Quintus, sculpted by the incomparable, Kylee Parks.

Quintus is named after a young Roman artist, but it is also Latin for The Fifth. 

Quintus features five horses, one for each year of NaMoPaiMo. I absolutely love it.

Thank you, Kylee, Darynn and every single person who has signed up to be part of this year's event. Let's make the fifth year the best year!

Pictures from today's ride

Today was cold, but tomorrow is supposed to be colder and Tuesday will be colder still. No one wanted to skip that many days of riding, so we bundled up and hit the trail. We rode the Sports Park loop and took the long way home. That's when we saw the eagle.

photo by Therese Gould

For once, I had the right lens on my camera. I took several nearly identical photos of him up in his tree.

Then I turned around and took one of my friends, patiently waiting for me.

With that done, we rode under the eagle, turned left over the bridge and headed back to the barn.

That was a good ride. Now bring on the snow!

Back to photo showing

I had big plans for the Winter Fun Photoshow, and I started taking pictures the day the classlist was announced.

Then I got distracted by the Bridle Tree Barn Raising Challenge, the Winter PonyBytes Fun Photo Show, the holidays and NaMoPaiMo. As a result, most of my entries never made it out of the idea stage. 

Despite that, I had a decent show. Theodore won the Winter Sports and Games class with one of his pictures from the Field of Dolls Online Show. 

Similarly, Love N Stuff won December Celebrations with her Deck the Stalls entry from the Winter PonyBytes Fun Photo Show.

Hoka Hey, BFF, Uno and Rat Bait each earned and a virtual ribbon...

and BFF won the "Would Hang on My Wall" award for her December Celebrations photo from judge Machteld. In the end, I was the fourth highest placed shower, behind European superstars, Dora Duftschmied, Lea Magga and Cold Ruru. All three are superb photographers, and I don't think I was going to beat any of them regardless. Still, I wish I had finished my photos. 

I am really busy with NaMoPaiMo right now, so I was going to take a break from photo showing. Then I saw the class list for Shannon Rodgers' Hindsight is 2020 Fun Online Photo Show and got sucked right back in.

This is a perfect show for me right now. It's got a short class list, and I was able to use a lot of my existing photos. Of course, I wanted to take a few new ones, too, so today I cleaned up my indoor arena, and got to work.

I always forget how long it takes to stage and shoot pictures. I thought I'd get through at least half a dozen tonight, but so far I've only managed two. This is Queen B's entry for "Always a Bridesmaid"...

and Love N Stuff's "Big Winners" set-up.

It had to be done.

I really like going all out for shows, so these half efforts feel weird. Still, I love photo showing and half efforts are better than no efforts. Besides, entry for Hindsight doesn't close until tomorrow at midnight. With any luck, I just might get through my list of photos.

Friday favorites

So there was an inauguration this week.

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

In accordance with the times, the ceremony was socially distanced. Seats were spread out, and a photographer captured this soon-to-be-viral image of Senator Bernie Sanders, sitting alone, arms and legs crossed and  dressed in a Burton coat and oversized wool mittens.

(Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

The memes started immediately.

Then came the photo shopping.

Within twenty fours hours, Facebook was one giant episode of Where's Bernie?

And Bernie was everywhere.

No really.

He was everywhere.

This morning he was a jump judge at Rolex.

By the afternoon, he'd been promoted to riding at Rolex.

I didn't think it was going to get any better than that. Then Jocelyn Page brought him to BreyerFest.

Doesn't he look excited?

Here he is in the covered arena.

And here he is proudly showing off his purchases!

Of course, we all know BreyerFest is virtual this year, so Jocelyn took care of that as well.

Thank you, Jocelyn! This is your legacy, and it is amazing!

A beginner's guide to painting model horses

NaMoPaiMo is an event for painters of all skill levels, including those who have never held a paintbrush. Today's post is written for people who will be painting a model horse for the first time. 

Model horses come in a variety of scales and materials, all of which are acceptable choices for NaMoPaiMo. Breyers are probably the most popular, and for good reason. They are detailed, sturdy, affordable and easily obtainable  online and at toys stores, big box stores and tack stores. This nice pair of classic (1:12) scale Breyers retails for about twenty dollars a piece.

Before the model is painted, it should be prepped and primed. Prepping refers to removing the model's molding seams, usually with fine grit sandpaper. While not strictly required, this will result in a more polished final project. 

The seams can be found along the model's midline, in the chest area and down the front and back of each leg. Older models - like this foal - often have very prominent seams.

New Breyers are a different story. If you look carefully, you might see the seams on this mustang's chest, but they are not obvious.

Once the seams have been removed, the model is ready to be primed. Unlike prepping, this is an essential step. The primer bonds tightly to the plastic and provides a good painting surface. Without it, your paint is likely to peel or flake off. Personally, I prefer Tamiya Fine Primer, which can be found at hobby shops and is designed to preserve detail on miniatures, but other artists have good results with various other brands. No matter what you use, be sure to shake the can thoroughly and spray the model outside from at least six inches away. Several light coats are preferable to one heavy, drippy coat!

In addition to providing a good painting surface, primer is also really good at revealing areas that need further prepping. In this case, I definitely missed that big seam on the underside of this horse's head! Once the primer has fully cured, you can go back and finish the prepping. It generally takes several rounds of prepping and priming to achieve a perfectly prepared canvas.

Most Breyers will have a hole in the corner of their mouth. This prevents bloating due to the build up of hot air inside the hollow model. Because it is somewhat unsightly, many artists will fill this hole with epoxy. If you choose to go that route, be sure to drill a new hole in a less conspicuous place (usually the groin area).

Once the model is prepped and primed, it's time to start painting. The four most common mediums for painting model horses are hand painted acrylics, pastels/pigments, airbrushed acrylics and oils. For the purposes of this article, we're going to concentrate on the first two, since they are the most beginner friendly. 

Acrylic paints can be found at big box stores like Target or Walmart, craft stores like Michaels or Joann Fabrics or art supply stores. Prices range from just seventy nine cents a bottle...

to significantly more than that.

Both kinds of paint can work, but the more expensive paint has a much higher pigment to filler ratio.

Here's what the means in regards to painting a model. There are two layers of Craft Smart on the model's neck and shoulders and two layer of Golden on the barrel and flank. The craft paint is streakier and less opaque and requires more layers to achieve good coverage. 

No matter what paint you use, it's important to apply it sparingly. If you load up your paintbrush like this...

you will create a big, streaky mess with brush strokes you can feel.

You will achieve much better results using small amounts of paint. Even this is almost too much!

Pastels and pigments are another popular medium for beginning model horse artists. These can be found at craft and art stores. I prefer high quality, pre-powdered brands such as Earth Pigments and Pan Pastels. Stick pastels can also be used, but must first be shaved into powder with an X-acto knife.

The powders are applied to the model with a paintbrush or q-tip and sealed into place with a clear, aerosol sealer. 

Pastel models typically require many layers to build up color and shading. This graph shows two and then four layers of pastels applied over a gold acrylic basecoat. 

Although pastels are great for producing shaded body colors, they're nearly impossible for details such as eyes. Most artists will switch to acrylics for the finishing touches.

After the model is painted, it should be signed and sealed. Testor's Dullcote - which can be found at hobby and craft stores or online though Amazon - is the most popular sealer in the hobby. However, other clear sealers - such as Krylon or Mister Super Clear - are also commonly used. The application process is much like that of the primer. Shake the can thoroughly, go outside and spray multiple light coats from at least six inches away.

Allow the sealer to cure thoroughly, gloss the eyes and hooves (I use Liquitex gloss medium) and that's it! I hope everyone has a happy and successful NaMoPaiMo.