Customizers' chit-chat thread

[BlackCurtains]

Maybe I could auction it?

That's a good idea. As long as you're upfront about the stickiness, and I know you would be. It's a shame you couldn't fix it.

[vampyrefay]

i have 2 customs on the go, one is a black and orange "vintage" halloween pony, the other will be a transparent xmas themed snow globe

[Pokeyonekenobie]

Oh, a machete would be great. Or a classic baseball bat with nails.

My dragon is still sticky. I think it's because of the pony's plastic. Every coat of paint got sticky when I let it dry and now every coat of sealant is, too. All the sculpted parts are fine.
Any ideas what I could do with it? I'm not happy to sell it in my shop because it's not my usual quality, but I also put a lot of work into it.
Maybe I could auction it?

Would putting on a layer of Model Masters (made by Testor's) Clear Acrylic help?  I think it comes in both gloss and matte.  I find mine at Hobby Lobby but I'm sure you can buy it online if you prefer that.
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I use it on various art projects, including vinyl figures, as a sealant sometimes when it's too cold to go out and use a spray sealer.  It dries hard and usually nice and smooth.

[Blackness]

Sorry for the late replies, I've been without internet.

And the wings on that boy are incredible!  Is that Sculpey, or something else?

Thanks! Yep, it's Super Sculpey.

Reckon I will message you soon for some tips BlackCurtains - I assume there is a lot of wire going on underneath those beautifully sculpted wings? They make your pony instantly majestic, can't understand why you are not 100% happy with them!! What clay do you use? Getting the wings secured inside the pony will be a challenge..

Is it difficult to learn airbrushing techniques?

There's a backbone (wingbone?) of thick gauge wire but the bulk is actually cardstock and masking tape  and no, they don't melt or burn in the oven

I used Super Sculpey on that guy. I also work with Sculpey III and Premo, depends on what I'm making.

Securing the wings isn't too difficult. I run the backbone wire all the way down inside the front legs. Then for balance issues I cram a couple 1/2 ounce bank sinker fishing weights in them. Then cap it off with Apoxie Sculpt. I also use some Apoxie on the inside where the wire pokes in. It's possible to do all that and still make the wings removable but I've been experimenting with a different way.

Haha, I'm rarely happy with my projects. In this case it's the top row of feathers. Real bird wings don't look like that. I've made a lot of wings but they're never quite the same. I'm still working on perfecting them.

Airbrushing isn't hard to learn if you can already draw and/or paint. It's mostly learning how to control the flow of paint. I have a Paasche double action (the VL-Series I believe) which is really nice. Well worth the investment.

In other news, I'm moved in to my new apartment. I've found about half my arts & crafts supplies so far But my work area is all set up! It will be nice when I unpack everything and can get back to work.

Sorry for the delayed response, been crazy busy lately and had almost no motivation for ponies lately...

Cardstock and masking tape!! Would never have guessed but that sounds far easier to work with than just wire. I've got two ponies set aside for wings, just haven't actually started anything with them yet. Partially lack of time and partially just daunted by the prospect of trying something so big and new!

Finished these two ladies several weeks back though!! Amethyst pony completed with some final touches on her head, next to the horn..

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Need to re-curl the green monstera ponies tail again but otherwise I'm happy with how they turned out. Thinking of doing a series of plant inspired ponies to go with monstera pony, maybe Australian plants next...

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[ChocolateStarfire]

Aaaaa I love the green monstera and the purple amethyst ponies, Blackness! <3

[Griffin]

They are both stunning, Blackness!

[Ponybookworm]

They are both amazing!!!

[BlackCurtains]

Great sculpting!

[SunPony]

Love that amethyst pony!  It's my birthstone so I'm biased, haha.  But she's really beautiful.

This weekend my goal is to finish painting a g4 custom of cranberry muffins, and order a bunch of hair!  I have a few hairless customs sitting around and it's getting embarrassing for them I think   

[Primaltimediamond]

I love the amythyst pony! the gems on the hooves is such a nice little detail.

So update on the custom progress, I got all I need, now the wait is on the bait pony, however because I wasn't sure if I was going to get that one I bought another one, same pony but this was a Hong Kong pony. Now since she better shape compared to the first bait I bought I might restore her, that will be for another topic

Gotta say say the prepration alone has already been quite the journey, I really hope I've not driven my friends crazy because I'm not talking about much else. This is something I've been wanting to do for years and now the moment is almost there and I'm so giddy! And I'm stoked many people are sharing my excitement, the HK bait is est to arrive between the 21st this month and the 10th of December, which is a very long time but she's already been shipped so I'm hopeful I'll get her soon, the other one has been send but no estimation yet

[Featherwurm]

I've got two G1 baits who need finishing up;

One will be a strongly G1 influenced unicorn (symbols, hair, body, eyes all done to more or less match the Hasbro designs) with a theme of 'winter frost'.  It's taken achingly long to sunfade some marker stains off of her body, but she's almost done.

The other is a badly marked up G1 Parasol who will be getting a sculpted carousel saddle treatment.  I haven't decided if I'm going to try to match the Merry-Go-Round ponies or do something more unique (probably the latter).

I tend to let my custom jobs be influenced by what's wrong with the pony.  No hair but good body and symbols?  Alternate re-hair.  No symbols but good body?  Custom influenced by the generation of pony.  Nice hair but badly marred body?  Keep the hair, make a custom that utilizes the original pony's design somehow.  Totally janky?  How about a full body dye and a whole new look.

These guys are almost done, and I'm excited to show them off soon!

[Snapdragon]

Ooh I'm excited to see what you share, Featherwurm!

I'm wrestling with a bait of mine; only problem I'm having is, is she bait enough to bait!?

It's a Powder, and she's got some chopped-off hair, but it's not completely buzzed. Buzzed would be easier! But she's got a cute little flippy fringe, and a tail that's only been minorly trimmed. She's got pin-pricks sprinkled on her body, but otherwise she's very cute! So now I'm left wondering ... is it too cruel to give her a new mane and tail? Or will I regret chopping off her little flippy do?! She's got such an intense neck-crank action going on, the short hair kind of works, but the collector in me looks at her and says 'bait!'

I'm actually tempted to give her a whole new row of hair, and let the flippy do sit on top - kind of like a cheap set of extensions before they've been blended in, LOL! But that might just be hideous!!

[mlp4me]

Powder is common enough, I'd say make that sacrifice!

Shells are painted. Such a tedious process, 5 layers on each. Mixed all three colors.
Wish me luck, I'm going to attempt to seal them with testors dullicote spray tomorrow.

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[Snapdragon]

Omg those shells look fabulous though MLP4me! Best of luck tomorrow! And thank you for the feedback, you make a good point about how common she is! 💖

[Pheasant]

Lots of great work in this thread!

I haven't done much customizing myself, but a couple of days ago I ran across my childhood Twinkles the Cat and ended up repainting her! Just need to seal her and she's good to go.