Carousel horses

[ponycake]

Has anyone customized a real carousel figurine before? I picked a couple up at the thrift store for cheap. One for practice, and the other spins and plays music and has 4 of them on there. I'd like to paint them to be the Merry Go Round ponies, 4 that I like best.

Would love to see pictures if you have. Idk what I'd even use, I don't customize anything. Acrylic paints? Airbrushing would look better but it's tiny and I don't know that I want to invest in that.

[Pokeyonekenobie]

That sounds fun.  I have a plaster carousel horse that I picked up at a thrift store.  Someone had painted it yellow and given it brown spots (much like a giraffe) and I decided that I couldn't leave the poor thing looking like that.  I want to paint it like a pony, I just don't know which one yet.  I'm thinking maybe G1 Blossom, but I won't paint it until I decide, so it might be a while. 

I do know that I will be using acrylic paint.  I use Apple Barrel brand that I pick up at Walmart.  It's usually $0.50 for a 2 ounce bottle and it lasts a long time.  The colors I replace most often are black and white but I love the wide range of colors available.  I rarely have to mix for the color I want but you can easily mix the colors if the shade you want isn't already made up.  I've found that the paint goes on smoother if I use a decent paintbrush.  It doesn't have to be expensive, but you'll want to try different kinds to see what you prefer for the look you want. 

I hope you share photos when you get them done. 

[Griffin]

Sounds like a fun project! Acrylic paints are usually the best choice for all types of plastic and vinyl items. I agree with Pokeyonekenobie above on paintbrushes; you can get smooth results with regular paintbrushes, it only takes some time and practice. Primer may also help. Good luck, I'd love to see some photos!

[ZennaBug]

You need to talk to Diamond.  She is the master of carousel horses!!!

[ponycake]

Thank you all. Oh really? I actually started it today when I got home from work!

[Diamond]

You need to talk to Diamond.  She is the master of carousel horses!!!

Ah that is sweet of you to say.  I do make custom ones, I work in oil paint for the body and acrylics for the trappings. 

Here is one of my most recent ones, sadly no time the last two years to get in the studio http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,370990.0.html

And here is a link to my older work - https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/116862237116173638116/albums/5442004301616856273

Most ceramic carousel horses  are not realistic enough for me, so I make my own.  I have tons of reference from all the real carousel I go and ride.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Just checked your work out and WOW!  Just wow!  You are amazingly talented! 
That donkey is the most adorable though...

[ponycake]

I love the donkey!! Adorableee.

The painting is pretty far along now. I'll post pics when it's done.