July Custom Spotlight ~~ Reposing!!

[Colorscapesart]

July's Custom Spotlight is on.....

Reposing!

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 Jupi ~ by CSA
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 The Last Unicorn ~ CSA
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 Camelia ~ by Hannaliten
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 Sitting Bubbles by  Hannaliten
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 Rosehip by BerryMouse
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 Pony of Liberty by BerryMouse


A sure fire way to really make your own statement with a custom is to add action through reposing!  It's not nearly as scary as it seems. 

Materials needed:
Bait Pony
Apoxie Sculpt/Magic Sculpt [url]http://www.avesstudio.com/[/url/ <---- worth the money -$$$
Tin foil or wire mesh <------------save money by using tin foil, it works just as well for *most* projects and is easier to shape +$$$
A small cup of water (for smoothing)
Sandpaper (heavy to fine)
Dremel (optional)
Hand lotion (optional-can help clay not stick to your hands)

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Some things to consider before you start.  Different generations of ponies have different plastics that may or may not support a heavy structure.  G1s in particular can be very pliable which makes them a little riskier to use.  The plastic could bend and fold with the apoxie doesn't leaving you with cracks and breakages.  The other generations are typically nice and firm.  This is very important for rearing/bucking modifications.

Also, picking a pony that is as close to what you want to create as possible will save time.  In the example below I chose a pony with a straight neck and two straight back legs to reduce the number of cuts and adjustments I have to make.  The more pony plastic you can save/use the better!

Tip! Airdry clay is brittle and prove to cracking over time.  It isn't reliable for reposing.  Sculpty can work just fine for small reposing (like moving a leg) but due to the high level of heat required to cure it, the pony can melt/reshape during baking leaving unpredictable results for large reposing projects.

Ready, Set, Slice!
Prep bait as usual.  Take some time to really draw out your design.  It helps to think about where you will need to change the pony's plastic by drawing out the cut lines on paper.

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I used chalk to outline where I'm going to cut the pony.  After I make the cuts, we have this:
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 It is easy to lose a piece of the pony at this stage (pets, kids, etc.)  If you have loose pieces, it can be good to store them in a baggie rather than having to cut apart another pony to make up for missing pieces.  This is the voice of experience talking.  I'm still finding hooves and bits, it's disturbing, lol.

Tip! Edges that stick out like the picture below need to be trimmed before sculpting!  The edge on the lower side of the pony is more natural.  Leaving any plastic jutting out makes it harder to sand down the road as pony plastic is tricking to sand off that apoxie. 
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Now it's time for things to take shape!  Roll the aluminum foil into "coils" a little smaller than the inside of the pony.  Condensing the foil gives it added strength.  Use the foil to get the overall form down and ready for clay.  Watch out for foil that pokes out, just like pony plastic pieces mentioned above. 

Hannaliten's Tip! "Something I do for small pieces. I make a thin rod of foil, then I wrap it with some wire. Gives the apoxie some tooth to hold on to."

BerryMouse's Tip! If I want to sculpt new hooves or body parts I sculpt over foil.

We now have:
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First sculpting session!  I don't recommend doing all the sculpting in one sitting unless it's a smaller repose.  You have more control in small doses.  I typically work on securing the armature pieces (aka tin foil) first as shown below.  Lids, caps, and anything handy can help to hold tricky pieces in place as they cure.

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Second Sculpting Session! Once my basic armature has settled, I can start fleshing things out.  Look at other ponies or ever horse anatomy to get a feel for the way muscles stretch or bunch up.  Notice that the neck has been shortened in the front and lengthened along the back.  This is the way that horses' necks bend.  Try to smooth things with the water to reduce the amount of sanding. 

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Third Sculpting Session! I used my third session to sculpt hair.  This is optional, there are even way to incorporate nylon hair (I've transplanted hair plugs from one bait to another, then sculpted the rest of the neck around the section.  That's another story though.)

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 I've finished sculpting the pony and it won't stand up!  What do I doooo?  Use more clay or weights.  In the rearing example, I was able to get the pony to stand on two legs (it's not actually supported by that tail).  I would add a bit to the hooves, gently set the pony on the uncured clay, and get an idea for the proper angle.  I can also go back and add more clay or sand off what I don't want until I get it right.  In this case, my cheat looks like this:

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So that Voila! She stands!

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Sanding, sanding, and more sanding.  Start with a lower grit (i.e. more coarse) sandpaper to get out any big problems.  As you are satisfied with that, move on to smoother grits.  Whatever the coarse sandpaper touches NEEDS to be sanded by something finer after or it will leave marks.  Sanding is a pain, but the more you do, the better the final product will be.

YAY I'm DONE SANDING! ....eh, probably not.  I recommend painting the pony in a neutral color (like the grey below).  It will show everything you've missed.  Back to sanding.  Really, IMO, 75% of reposing is sanding.

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See all the little bumps and whatnots that pop up?  I promise, there were plenty.  When you finally get your pony sanded (it will happen! Don't give up!) you will be ready to rock the custom paint job!  Have fun!

[Eluluu]

ooo lots of great info!

any tips on getting real hair into a repose would be great (I prefer nylon over sculpted hair most of the time for that factory feel) I was thinking something along the lines of making a rudimentary neckplug and hairing as per usual but im not sure if that would be a good idea...

thanks so much for taking the time to walk us thru these spotlights.

Elu

[Colorscapesart]

I've done hair reposes (I have about 3 WIP.)  I'll try to snag you a pic, I basically keep the pony's existing line of plugs and add more if needed.  I just keep about 1/4" of the plug line in width and sculpt up to it.  The tricky part is you have to rehair first and try to protect the hair during sculpting, sanding, and painting.  No easy task!

[Eluluu]

so doing a repose with an fbr and real hair = too much work to think about... check.

[Heartcease]

I love how your Amalthea turned out!

[Alipes]

Hey, I remember seeing this tutorial on your dA CSA!  Thanks for reposting it here! 

You've done some really awesome work and your sculpts and tutorials inspired me to tackle a repose myself.  So far, so good, just lots of sanding now! 

[kaoskat]

Those reposes are so amazing!

[Eviecorn]

Fabulous tutorial!  I'm still so nervous every time I attempt a repose. 

[JoshsPonyPrincess]

Most excellent!

[ViciousJupiter]

Awesome info.  Love the new spotlights already!  Will have to make a reference sticky to each one for future references

[Colorscapesart]

If you have info you'd like to contribute to future topics, feel free to drop me a PM anytime!

[achab1984]

Those are very good!!!

[Galactica]

Awesome! I will be referring back here soon- I love reposed ponies!

[Diamond]

Great to see how you do yours CSA.  I would recommended trying rubbing alcohol for smoothing out your apoxie once you have it done.  You can get it super smooth that way and help cut down on sanding.

[Mana_Mihara]

This is really informative! I've never done a repose, but I might try one soon. Thanks!