First *attempt* at a custom

[rogue_cherry]

Hey Guys,
 
So she is a work in Progress but i thought i would post what i have gotten done so far. i ran into a few speed bumps so any suggestions would be fantastic 
so here is my freshly cleaned pony i used acetone to take off her markings. which after dying i had some issues with.
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 so here is where i ran into my biggest issue. the dye wouldn't stick where i had washed off my ponys marking with acetone. i scrubbed her clean after removing the mark and everything so im not sure what i did wrong.   and sorry for the awful picture quality lol
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so i decided to paint her afterwards which was fine but after i had let her dry i decided to do some wrok with sculpey... (*disclaimer* i have never used scupley before so i probably did it wrong ) so i put it on her to mold it and see how it fit ect. then it stripped all the paint off her where it touched    and after baking it, it just came out a cracked and crumbly horrible mess so i tossed it and painted her again 
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This is what i have for the moment (she still needs ALOT of work)
im going to have to put a few more layers of paint on her head to match her body now since i had to put so many more layers on it to cover her spots and finish her hair.. ect.
 
any comments or suggestions would be amazing 
and im sorry for the huge post   
 

[kittybethy]

I don't think the link is working.

[rogue_cherry]

No it's not i cant figure it out bahh

Post Merge: February 16, 2012, 09:43:02 AM

i think i have the pictures up now.. wow i feel like such a ditz lol

[jupiternwndrlnd]

don't be discouraged, we all have issues...especially the first time.
from what i can see in the pictures, the color is lovely ^_^
I can't wait to see the finished pony!

(if you need help figuring out how to post photos, message me, I will help you out ^_^)

[nuttertasha]

love the colour cant wait to see her finished

[lilacamy931]

the colour bodywork is beautiful

[pantherchild]

It sometimes seems like acetone has a mind of it's own...the same thing happened with my first custom.  Since then, I've tried using as little acetone as possible and going with a quick wipe as best I can instead of scrubbing.

I'm really loving the color you got on the pony.  So awesome!

[SourdoughStomper]

While it sounds frustrating, I'm sure it's quite a helpful learning experience, hm? She looks so shiny!

[puuush]

After 2.5 years of customizing I still don't dare to dye a pony. I'm scared of uncontrollable media, I always paint. So I bow to you that you dare to try something this tricky. Please don't be discouraged. You will finish her to a wonderful custom I'm sure of it.
Oh, and welcome to the arena.

[babystarz]

Wow, for a first attempt I'd say you did quite well - and you had the chance to try out a few techniques at once.

It sometimes seems like acetone has a mind of it's own...the same thing happened with my first custom.  Since then, I've tried using as little acetone as possible and going with a quick wipe as best I can instead of scrubbing.

Agreed. I did not understand how destructive acetone is when I first started using it. It can eat through things you wouldn't expect it to, and interact with paint in funny ways. Also, sometimes the symbol on a pony will bleed into the plastic, so no matter how much acetone you use, it won't get rid of the residue left over from the symbol. I assume that must be what happened with your pony. I haven't run into that problem with newer ponies before myself, but it has happened with G1's. You just have to paint over it with a new symbol or body coat, as you did.

I've never worked with sculpy, but I know most people will wait to paint anything until they're happy with the sulpy and it's baked. It can and does fall apart even for people who are great with it. Sometimes you just have to do it over again. And you'll start to get used to working with it and what to expect as you use it more I think

[rogue_cherry]

Wow you guys are super fantastic!!
Thanks for the encouraging words!!
 
it looks like im going to try and stay away from acetone, any thoughts on goof off or goo b gone?
 
also thanks babystargleamer for the advice with the sculpey.. its didn't even occur to me to try doing it before her paint.. derrr lol
 

[Firebyrd]

Acetone is fine to use, you just need to make sure to get all the residue off.  Get some 97% rubbing alcohol and clean the pony with it thoroughly after you're done using the acetone.  You'll have the same issues with any paint remover if you don't get it all off.

[kittybethy]

ah!! Nice work!

[rogue_cherry]

Acetone is fine to use, you just need to make sure to get all the residue off.  Get some 97% rubbing alcohol and clean the pony with it thoroughly after you're done using the acetone.  You'll have the same issues with any paint remover if you don't get it all off.

Thanks ill try that next time im looking to dye.
i'm going to keep trying untill i get it right 
 

[Maniah]

I used to use goof off without any problems. Then one day it melted the plastic of a pony a little. I switched to pure acetone.

On dying. I used to dye and no longer do so. The dye fades over time and the pony gets splotchy. The plastic is temperamental and doesn't always take the dye well. Plus the due bleeds through the paint. You can have a great paint job and then a while later its ruined because of the dye. It takes months for it to stop bleeding and during that time it can bleed onto other ponies if they are touching.

Everything everyone else said about sculpting is spot on. Sculpt first paint later. That way if you need to you can bake the pony with the sculpting on it.  And always Rehair last.