Customs Then And Now - My first custom a few years later!

[NoDivision]

I have wanted to take new pictures of this girl for a while now, and finally got around to it today while rearranging. This was my first custom, made almost two and a half years ago. She was my first dyed pony, and although she was a bit of a mistake and experiment, I love how she turned out.

I wanted to share new photos partly because of how she's changed over the past few years. Her dye faded a bit, as dye does, but I prefer to think that it "mellowed" and I really like how she looks now.

Then
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And now (the camera went a bit grainy, but her dye is still very even)
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Does anyone else have old ponies that have changed over time? Or just old ponies that need some new photos taken to showcase them better? I love to see how ponies change over time, especially when they are our earliest customs Please share!

[BlackCurtains]

I did always love that custom (Tootsie pose alone is win). I've wanted to do something similar with my older customs since I got a new camera. My sea pony caterpillar guy in particular. I might come back to this thread later with pics ^^

[NoDivision]

ooh, please do! I love that caterpillar

[BlackCurtains]

Done!

I am sooooo glad I use a waterproof sealer. I have a bad habit of treating my own customs like crap* and these guys have been crammed on a shelf gathering dust and cat hair for the last couple years. They were so bad I had to take them to the sink and wash them. I scrubbed 'em with a toothbrush and hey, they came out alright! Tip for anyone who owns any ponies by me - they're washable!

Here's the cater-dude before.
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lol timestamp

After! He's not changed much but he's nice and clean.
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And this is my first real custom (actual first is a fakie) Feathermoon, who was so hard to photograph then.
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New pic, new haircut (her tail was super, super long... and it's so thin! What was I thinking, lol) I believe it was my first rehair job. Needle and thread method. Ugh!
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Again, not much of a change but that was fun! Now that they're de-dusted I guess I have to do the rest of the shelf. My poor customs T.T

*My own, as in, ones I made and kept. Not ones in my collection by others. I treat those like gold

[NoDivision]

Thanks for sharing

[Roogna]

I have 2 that I dyed that have faded. I only have before and after pics of one and it's the earlier of the 2 customes

Despair
(from around 2004 at the latest - image is from my scanner before I had a camera)
Here she is in all her agony. She is Despair. Her symbol is an atomic mushroom cloud, she has empty eyes, and radiation poisoning "spots" all over. Her wings are melted and tattered, her hair anything but long and silky. Her body and hair were dyed first black then green for a dark blue/green appearance (the green tint more noticable in her hair in person).

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updated picture (with camera) 2007 (so not current, but you can send the trend)

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[NoDivision]

I think the fading actually really works with her! Thanks for sharing

[kaoskat]

She looks great NoD!

[sd_dreamcrystal]

ND: since your first custom was a dyed pony, how did you keep the dye from bleeding though the eye paint? That's been my biggest problem for a long time x.x

[NoDivision]

 I didn't seal the eyes, and her paint is still as perfect at the day she was made. Since then I've experimented a lot with different paints and techniques with eyes, and even my most hopeful attempts have been reported to have bled. So as much as it makes me sad not to have shiny eyes, that really seems to be the trick.

[Desert Rose]

Wow! That was your first custom? It looks amazing! My first and only custom turned into one big mess - litteraly lol You've had amazing talent right from the start

I can't see much difference honestly in the fading. She looks just as stunning in the after picture as in the before one

[FlitterRose]

Wow,it still looks great!!!

And this is my first real custom (actual first is a fakie) Feathermoon, who was so hard to photograph then.
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New pic, new haircut (her tail was super, super long... and it's so thin! What was I thinking, lol) I believe it was my first rehair job. Needle and thread method. Ugh!
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Wow,your Feathermoon's wings look like they're made out of real feathers!Such great job!Stunning!