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MODEL HORSE PAINTING We want the finish of the model to be as smooth as possible without visible brushstrokes! Model horses are painted in Acrylic, Airbrush, Pastels, Pencils & Oils. _________________________________________________________________________________ SHOPPING LIST
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DIFFERENT KINDS OF PAINTS & MEDIUMS _________________________________________________________________________________ GESSO: a type of surface prep that is brushed on. Can be used to fix minor blemishes in painting and prepping. REDUCER: improves fluidity and blending properties of acrylic paint. Often used to thin the paint for airbrushing. ACRYLIC: A water based paint that dries quickly. It is made of pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. It dries flexible and cleans easily with soap and water. OIL: An oil based paint that dries slowly.It is made of pigment suspended in an drying oil, commonly linseed. It has a stronger pigmentation and vibrancy. It can be layered slowly in thin layers with dry time in-between. Cleans with oil soap and water or turpentine. PASTEL: A chalky pigmented powder, also referred to as 'soft' pastel. It can come in a stick, powder or compressed pan. Do not use Oil pastels! AIRBRUSH: A paint method using compressed air and handheld spray tool. Airbrush paints are designed to run straight through an airbrush with no thinner. PENCILS: In the model horse hobby, a 'pencil' is any watercolor pencil, pencil crayon, pastel pencil or charcoal pencil used to create desired hairing or detail effect on the model. SEALER : An aerosol varnish used to seal the model. Some types can also be brushed on. _________________________________________________________________________________
PAINTING ESSENTIALS With any paint project, you will need the following 4 things. 1. Palette | 2. Water | 3. Paper Towel | 4. Protection _________________________________________________________________________________ PALETTE You can use either a wet or dry palette. A dry palette can be a paper plate, tin foil, plastic pallete or plastic lid off a yogurt container. I prefer using plastic container lids as they can be easily cleaned and reused. A wet palette consists of a sealed container holding a sponge and wax paper. These keep the paints moist for the duration of the project and up to multiple weeks or months. Oils work best on glass - more on that below! Wet Palette : amzn.to/42uiuzL Container Lids : Save from your Recycling! Paint Palette: amzn.to/3PY4HtA _________________________________________________________________________________ WATER Use a jar from old spaghetti sauce or a new mason jar to hold water at your desk. I prefer glass because it is weighted and will not tip over. My personal favourite item is the Speedball Mona Lisa paint jar being that it has a wire mesh in the bottom to help rinse the brushes without stirring up the gunk at the bottom of the jar. The fresh water container also works fairly well. Mason Jar: amzn.to/3CjcLls Brush Pot : amzn.to/42FyHSy Fresh Water Dispenser : amzn.to/40srhPT _________________________________________________________________________________ PAPER TOWEL You can use regular Paper Towels, but Shop towels are lint free, more absorbent and stronger. Blue Shop Towels : amzn.to/3WVgbkP _________________________________________________________________________________ PROTECTION Be sure to protect your paintwork and project from finger prints and oil on your hands. I use a rubber glove to hold the model while working in any medium. Additionally I like to use soft hand towels to rest the model on my lap, desk or hold to protect the paint. Plastic wrap & Blue tape is also useful for masking and holds. Rubber Gloves : amzn.to/3E27Q9a Hand Towels : amzn.to/4g4iKIB Blue Tape: amzn.to/4gYGGP3 Plastic Wrap : amzn.to/4jFQTBR _________________________________________________________________________________ BRUSHES Brushes are based on feel, personal preference, and the project being executed. I recommend purchasing brushes in person at a store where you can feel them. I prefer soft, acrylic grade synthetic brushes. I also prefer a metal or plastic handle as they do not saturate and decompose with water. These are some of my tested favorites. Various Flat & Round Brushes to Preference : amzn.to/40rbLnx I like brand Royal Langnickel for quality and softness. Pick what works for you! I have jars full of various sizes, round, flat & filbert. Detail Brush Set | Golden Maple : amzn.to/40q8kNK These are wonderful detail brushes at a discounted price. I always grab for these. Start here! Detail Brush | Windsor & Newton Kolinsky Sable Series 7 : amzn.to/4avXv1u SIZE #0 | Good for traditional hairing and markings SIZE #00 | Good for Fine Traditional hairing, intricate markings, eye detailing SIZE #000 | Good for Stablemate Hairing, eyes, small micro detail. Sable or Kolinsky and synthetic counterparts are wonderfully fine for intricate detail work. These are pricey, but worth it! I use one of three sizes in the Windsor & Newton brand. They are designed to hold paint and flow nicely. These do damage over time and with use and will need to be replaced often. Fan Brush | Princeton Fan 20/0 I like to use a fan brush for hairing detail. I prefer firm bristles and small size. I do have the softer version as well, and it does a good job too. Princeton Fan Brush | 20/0 | Softer Bristles: amzn.to/3Wwj77T Princeton Fan Brush | 20/0 | Firm Bristles: amzn.to/42lCNzf Hair Detail Brush | Princeton Round Size 3: amzn.to/42tfeo3 I use a size 3 brush for my hairing detail on the whole body of the horse. A bigger brush with a fine point sometimes works better than a super fine brush. Be sure to clean you brushes well to avoid damage. Never store them bristles down or forget them in water. Clean with soap & water, lay flat to dry. General's brush cleaner can revive even the toughest brush damage! Brush Cleaner : amzn.to/4g7D1gE Use 2" cling wrap to wrap the ends of the brush for a better grip. 2" Vet Wrap: amzn.to/42ocqZu _________________________________________________________________________________ OTHER USEFUL TOOLS Have cotton swabs on hand for touchups! Nail Tees are much pointier and finer for detailing with pastel as well. Cotton Swabs: amzn.to/4hpWGJx Nail Tees: amzn.to/4joAGRc Micro Applicators: amzn.to/3WoJFb1 Buff imperfections with a fine sandpaper. 1000+ Grit Sandpaper: amzn.to/3WwbMFr Use these air tight containers for storing paint mixes. Sistema ToGo: amzn.to/3SX0NTE Helpful for quick setting and drying of acrylic work. Hair Dryer: amzn.to/3Ef1hQs Record your paint mixes and recipes on small cards. This helps for repairs and understanding colour theory for each new piece. Index Cards: amzn.to/4h88fWi Remove lint, hairs and blemishes gently. Tweezers: amzn.to/3E74Fgk Clay Shaper: amzn.to/3Xam2nB Use a watercolour pencil, charcoal pencil or pencil crayon to draw out markings before painting. Water Colour Pencils: amzn.to/4htsRrL Squeeze every last drop of paint out of your tubes! Paint Tube Squeegees: amzn.to/4jpPkrq Use a clamp to hold your paper towel down to the desk. Clamps: amzn.to/3E42D0F Keep a bottle of fresh water on your desk for thinning paint or cleanup! These squeeze bottles are my favourite. Squeeze Bottles: amzn.to/40v8FPl Store tube paint upside down on nails in the wall or pushpins in a cork board. Bulldog Clips: amzn.to/3Q0Chz3 _________________________________________________________________________________ MEDIUMS My top 3 mediums used for all projects! Gesso: amzn.to/4geGUjM Use Gesso for prepping and touchups. Can also help in making opaque whites. Gloss Varnish Liquitex: amzn.to/3E4cof8 Use Gloss varnish for eyes, hooves and mouth details. Do not use nail polish, it will yellow and crack over time. Folk Art Blending Gel : amzn.to/4jCAez0 Use with acrylic paints to extend dry time and blend similarly to oils. _________________________________________________________________________________ SEALER _________________________________________________________________________________ In model horses, we want the finish to be matte or satin, and not typically glossy. Sealer can be dependent on preference, climate, availability and mediums you are painting with. These are my recommended and tested brands. Testor’s DullCote: amzn.to/4hqlJw7 Testor's is industry standard and used consistently by many prolific artists. It can be pricey and the containers are small. It gives the truest matte finish. This can sometimes dull colour. It does react negatively to some Vallejo colours. It can be used on pastel, oil & acrylic mediums. Mr. Super Clear Flat: amzn.to/4h6sUtD Mr. Super Clear Flat UV: amzn.to/3Wsybn7 Mr. Super Clear Smooth: amzn.to/4joOvPD I really like this brand. The can is slightly larger, and the finish is comparable to Testors. It can have a slightly more satin finish to it. It has shown results of cracking if laid on too thick. The UV option adds UV protection to your work. The Smooth version is to smooth out the surface slightly. It can be used on pastel & acrylic mediums. Windsor & Newton Professional Matte : amzn.to/3Ej0q16 Windsor & Newton Professional Satin : amzn.to/4g7XXEg I really like this brand as well. Be sure to use the Professional version! I like both the matte & satin product. This is more of a final seal 'varnish' however, and may not work as well for in-between layers of paint, but rather final seal. Works great for oils! It can be used on pastel, oil & acrylic mediums. I have also tried these brands and they offer a more satin sheen. They are not as consistent. They offer little tooth and have a waterproofing property allowing proper layering to be challenging if laid on too thick. Plaid: amzn.to/4g9uzgR Americana: amzn.to/40jPHec Rustoleum: amzn.to/42j6dho I have been recommend by some artists to use Krylon matte, though I have not had much success with Krylon products and have not fully tested this product myself. Kyrlon: amzn.to/40uydMk _________________________________________________________________________________
ACRYLIC PAINTS Choosing a brand of paint is dependent on preference and project type. These paints are my favourite and tested brands. Be sure to use lightfast paints. This means they will not fade or change overtime. _________________________________________________________________________________ I personally use JoSonja acrylic because it is very matte, chalky and opaque. JOSONJA SHOP : amzn.to/3WYojkm
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