A year of customs and what I have learned

[Pony.Backpack]

Hello all! I am relatively new to the wonderful world of customs as I completed my first ever custom in February of last year (11 months ago.) Despite being so green, I have seen a lot of improvement in my work over the past year and thought I would share my journey and what I learned in 2018 ♥

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Everyone, meet Lemon Drop. Not only is this the pony that sparked my passion for customizing, but the pony that started my whole obsession. I had ponies growing up but left them behind and never really thought about them until I found this girl at a local thrift store and honestly, it all just snowballed from there.
I've included a close up of her eye - you know what I used to paint it? A Starbucks "personalize your cup" pen and nail polish. I also used polish for her mark but honestly it's so small it's basically not even there. The materials may have been wonky but hey, we adapt when we don't have the "proper" tools. There is no right or wrong way to customize, just your way and other people's ways.

What Lemon Drop taught me about customizing: Have fun and be bold. I adored Lemon Drop the day that I made her (and still to this day) but you'll notice that never again did I paint such a small, shy mark/symbol or such "in the line" eyes. Give your work personality, don't be afraid to be a bit wild.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Next up we have Strawberry Skies and Tangerine Twist - these girls were my very first rehair victims and let me say right now that some people feel very strongly one way or the other about the needle and thread method and the tool method. These two girls were completed with the needle and thread method but pretty soon after I switched to the tool method. I see benefits to both but the tool method just works the best for me. Don't let anyone tell you that you HAVE to do it one way or another, explore both and stick to what feels right for you ♥ Okay, moving on. I learned a lot from these girls - I was finally using acrylic paints and expanding into more involved custom work. As you can see, my marks got bigger and more defined but still need some work on the creativity front. If you decide to use yarn in a rehair, density, and material matter. Strawberry Skies very clearly looks a bit... limp... in the hair department while Tangerine Twist is a little bit better. The reason behind this is that SS has light, thin yarn for hair and TT has a simple, normal weight yarn for hair. Both are blended yarn too so it's a bit unpredictable to work with.

What Strawberry Skies and Tangerine Twist taught me about customizing: If you plan on using yarn, buy chunky, 100% acrylic yard and brushing it out with a dog brush to get a nice effect. Doing this will make your customs look more put together and purposeful rather than a little sloppy like these two girls. PLEASE NOTE, HOWEVER - using a dog brush, you will lose about 50% of your yarn so cut long stands and root after rushing so that you don't end up with a super short hairdo or having to rip out all of your hard work and start over.
Also, when using acrylic paints make sure that the surface is totally clean and smooth - remove any existing paint or glitter in the area that you would like to paint. You can see that SS symbol is a bit lumpy - this is because I was lazy when removing her previous mark. Another tip is to thin your paints with water a little bit so that they go on smoothly. I dodn't thin SS's paint which probably didn't help the lumpy problem.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Bunny Hop, Vanellope, and Teddy ♥ These girls are really near and dear to my heart ♥ These girls showed me how fun it can be to accessories your customs. The world of customs is infinite, you are not limited by hair and paint. Do you want a totally 80's chick pony? Add scrunchies to tie in the whole look (and that HAIR!) Do you want everyone to know that your pony is a pint-sized racecar driver with an attitude to boot? Make some clay candy bits and glue them into her hair! Do you want an innocent l'il teddy princess? Give those socks some 3D flare and glue your fingers together making bows! Your imagination is the limit to what you can add onto these little guys!

What Bunny Hop, Vanellope, and Teddy taught me about customizing: Try new things, get inspired, and don't be afraid to make something that looks ridiculous. Most of the time, the custom community eats up ridiculous

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Oh, my nameless beauty ♥ She is actually an OC that I adopted from HoneyCrows on Instagram so I take no credit for her design! To this day, she is my favorite "unnatural" custom that I have made. Say it with me here - "There is no right or wrong way to customize!" Don't want harsh colors? Don't use any. Found a cheap wig online that just scrams pony? Cut it up and rehair with it. Feel weird about making a "basic" pony? Don't. Make what makes you happy!

What this girl taught me about customizing: Honestly, always have backup needles if you use the tool method. I lost FOUR needles during this rehair and TBH I never actually finished it. If you flip her mane there's a good two-inch mong bald spot. Also, those little clear kids styling rubber bands are your best friend. I now use them on most of the ponies I have on display to keep their hair looking nice and neat.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Finally, my most recent custom - Beyonce pony lol  This girl is my first airbrush pony and my first "natural" custom! I had attempted a different airbrush custom but I got a cheap eBay kit so it was AWFUL. Please, if you plan on getting an airbrush, invest in a good one. Otherwise, you'll end up getting a better one right away anyway or just giving up and being discouraged. I can't exagerate the difference that a good machine makes.

What Beyonce pony taught me about customizing: As I said before, get a good airbrush if you get one - a cheap eBay one isn't worth the time it takes to click on it. Also, USE A SEALANT. I left her on my counter overnight and spent the whole next day picking off dog hairs that stuck to her sticky surface. I'm not an expert at sealants by any standard but just trust me and get one 

Well, thanks for joining me, folks, I hope you had a good time any maybe learned a thing or two! Sorry if I just waisted your time I guess lol Feel free to ask me any questions about customizing and I'll see what I can help with! Thanks again ♥
 

[Elva]

I love seeing your improvement  , your customs look really neat! Bunny Hop is my favourite

[Pony.Backpack]

I love seeing your improvement  , your customs look really neat! Bunny Hop is my favourite

Thank you! ♥♥♥ I hadn't even realized how much I had improved until I decided to re-organize a bit and found some of my OG customs!

[Roogna]

thanks for sharing!

Vanellope - I love her hair sooo much! and that you went so dark! it's like a candy-rockabilly look
the yellow unicorn is lovely, and I like all the different stuff about her
and I ADORE the appleoosa. I saw her on facebook. Such a great job with the airbrushing!

[pinkkittywinks]

It's great to look back and see how much you've learned you will certainly continue to learn and grow, perhaps it might be worth doing the same in a years time?

Love pkw xxx

[mlp4me]

Airbrushes make the world of a difference in fbr's. Last I used one was in '01, wasn't my cup of tea, so all the more power to ya if you can make a go with one.
Your skills are progressing nicely.
 My only caution is that hair bands can get sticky, or dry out and may damage paint, recommend keeping an eye on it. :o).

[Griffin]

Nice work! I always love seeing improvement memes and comparisons, and it's great that you took some time to reflect upon each learning experience!

Your airbrushed ponies are beautiful, I love textured paintjobs. But the older ones are great too, I particularly like the yellow pastel unicorn! She has such lovely eyes.

[Pony.Backpack]

Thank you so much for your feedback and love, everyone! I really appreciate it ♥ I'll keep the rubber band point in mind, I had no idea! And I love the idea of doing another one of these next year! I'm excited to see what I'll learn in 2019 ♥