Studio/Stable Mascots

Within the model horse hobby, some studios/stables have mascots...I'm one of those studios.

Originally, my studio mascot was Boggle-a Sherman Morgan who mind boggled me with his finish. He's a shiny bronze/copper-esque model who is SUPER heavy! I could use him in self defense-that's how heavy he is. I learned at a live show that he is most likely a custom from the resin Fashionably Late. The run was known for flaws and many were customized. This also explained the wire that was exposed in his leg when he had a tumble thanks to my Quality Control Manager-Renji.

With Boggle's mystery solved, I felt best leaving him at home. With the recent show, I wanted a new tag-a-long. Enter Rexy, my Schleich T-Rex. With a movable jaw that was more than capable of holding things, I figured this would be a fun addition to my table at live shows.

Today I finished the studio mascot I've been wanting. Hez Gotta Lil' Paint, or Paint, for short, will be my paint thickness tester, but only where his blanket hides it (much like the grey Arabian painted to black in Hidalgo). He's a fun addition to the table & will hopefully help to generate some conversation. Plus, he might be able to show in "other performance" at shows too.

It took some work to get Paint ready for painting though. His left cheek jutted out awkwardly, and once I'd sanded it down, I needed to build up his right cheek to match it. He's quite dashing now, and he's definitely one of my prouder moments in regards to the work that went into him.

Does anyone else have a studio/stable mascot? Do they stay the same? Or is it whatever you feel like bringing along for the day?  I'd love to hear about them!

Till the next time!

Race to the Show: Part II

In the end, I decided that I would not overly stress myself by trying to paint 16 models. I did, however, paint two. I finished the Breyer Classic Ginger to flaxen chestnut with chrome & a cremello Magnolia.

While I did not have many customs at Midwest Model Mania Live, I am not disappointed with the placings my models got.

In the Custom Divisions, I was pleasantly surprised when Shannon's Sunshine Superman, a mini that I made earlier in the year that she purchased from me, got 4th in the Warmblood division.

(Shannon's Sunshine Superman)

Then, in the Mustang division, Nifty, my 2018 NaMoPaiMo horse got 6th, while my black Schleich Mustang, dubbed Shadow Wind, received 4th.

My other models, in the Custom divisions didn't place, but I was more than pleased with what had placed.

Then my ultimate moment of the day came in Custom Workmanship Divisions. The all time high of the day came when Shadow Wind got 5th in the Black class. I was floored! The class was of a medium size and their were some prominent artists on the table. To receive 5th in such a competitive class was humbling, as well as gratifying. 

From there was the small Unrealistic Colors & Fantasy Workmanship classes, as I had the majority of horses in each, it wasn't as surprising or meaningful when my horse got 2nd in Unrealistic Colors, and I wasn't surprised with my dragon horse's 5th, as compared to my other two entries (by other artists) as well as the other three horses on the table, he was low on the totem pole. 

With Midwest Model Mania behind me, I can now focus on minis until the all-mini show in October. I will share progress pictures as the weeks go on! It's still a race to the show! 

Till the next time!

Race to the Show: Part One

In the model horse world, there are few thrills that can match up to a live show. Of course, for an artist, a live show equals an opportunity to showcase one's work while also seeing if said work is competitive in the show ring. As this is my first year, in some time, for both painting a multitude of models as well as live showing, I realized that I do not have a sufficient amount of work to showcase at the upcoming show I'm in: Midwest Model Mania Live.

While two weeks sounds like plenty of time to get models painted in, I have a deduction of days: specifically 8 of those 14 (and really we are down to 12 days as of today). For those 8 (well, now 7 as my full-time job ate into today) of Equine Kids Camp at my local Equestrian Center where I assist in instructing the children as they ride.

The last 4 days, are really only down to 3 as the last day is the Friday before the show and if anything is sealed that day I do not want to transport it. So three days to at least paint to finish and then seal models quickly after camps.

I have about 16 models that I would like to have ready for the next show. Do I think I can finish them in that time frame while retaining quality? Probably not. I'm not going to sacrifice my quality, but I will be striving to get them done in a timely manner. If I work throughout the three days (or even two of those three days) I should have at least 4-5 done if not more, as the majority of the chosen models are Stablemates. Plus, one is nearly completed already, while two others are partially done, but still need work.

This is going to be a fun race against time!

Till the next time!

NaMoReViMo Begins

August is now National Model (Horse) Retro Vintage Month! The event is hosted on FB (private group) by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig. It's a fun event honoring/commemorating the vintage custom model horses of yester-year. The rules for the event are simple-grab a model, paint it how you want, and have fun. Of course, due to it being vintage/retro themed, we have many different interpretations of this event.

In my opinion the best interpretation was from a vintage custom artist in the group: while they worked to have fun with their customs back in the day, they were striving for realism. The models weren't throwaways (though they could be considered experiments). As many hobbyists have seen, vintage customs were/are drop dead gorgeous and many were very life-like with epic paint jobs and real hair mane and tails. A lot of hard work went into them.

So I set some parameters for myself based on this general idea of "have fun, but strive for realism"

-No online reference photos
-Acrylics only
-Hair mane & tail
-Real horse color

I am striving to be as "vintage" as possible, hence no use of internet for a reference photo as they didn't have that back then, acrylics-as it was the predominant medium of the hobby at the time, hair mane & tail because they were a HUGE deal back in the day, and of course, a realistic horse color, just because.

Originally, I wanted to use a Misty's Twilight model as the body, unfortunately, I wasn't able to acquire one. With the help from a friend, I made my first alterations to a model. I changed Breyer's Trotting Warmblood Stablemate to more closely resemble Misty's Twilight.

From there Apoxie was added to the cuts and now she just needs a good sanding followed by primer. Then she's ready to paint. I selected a dapple grey as my color of choice off of the cover of one of my horse books.

Is anyone else participating in NaMoReViMo? What are you painting? Are you going to add a hair mane & tail? Flocking? Let me know!

Till the next time!

In the Works

After a week of the highest high (getting to meet up with friends) and then to low (ill/fatigued, unable to do more than go to my full-time job & crawl back into bed), followed by another high (a wonderful PIF courtesy of a Model Horse Blab member) I am back in full force to creating.

I will admit that I am not a patient person when it comes to painting. I am not the type to sit down, paint, go do something else. I am of the mindset that if I am painting then-gosh darn it I'm painting! That being said, acrylics are a temperamental beast at the best of times, and it's still quite humid here in the Midwest. To counteract this and my impatience for drying times, I work on multiple projects at once. The smart thing would be work on things that are similarly colored, and typically I do, but sometimes I need to add some other colors to my canvases that I am not putting on the model horses, or vice versa. Today is a prime example: I put some blues & purple on my palette for new canvases that I started when I didn't need them for the current horses I'm working on.

Speaking of what I'm working on! That's the entire point of this post! Currently, I've got four paintings in the work: my super late July Year of the Pig piece, what will eventually be an orca on an abstract background mini canvas, another mini canvas that will eventually be a Arctic scene with a Polar Bear or two, and an Elk on an abstract background which is nearing completion.

On the first "table" is the larger model horses. The grey Blue Ribbon Quarter Horse is a fun personal horse (pretty eager to get him finished, but as he's a personal piece, I tend to set him off to the side) & two sales pieces: a Breyer Classic Ginger who will be a flaxen chestnut and a Breyer Traditional Legionario III who I've dubbed "Symbiosis" he's a fantasy piece that is one of my more labor intensive endeavors as he will have some adds on along with his new paint job.

Moving on to table two we have a mish-mosh of Breyer Stablemates & miscellaneous micros. Hidden behind the water cup and paints are a Breyer SM Calf, that will be for sale once it's completed, a micro of unknown make that is a personal project, a Breyer Paso Fino SM that might be having a change in direction from what I originally intended, and an altered Breyer Cantering Warmblood SM & base that will be a chestnut & will be a sales piece. Then there's my NaMoReViMo Breyer SM which I need to finish prepping and settle on a color already, it's been altered to resemble Breyer's Traditional Misty's Twilight mold (and it's Breyer's Trotting Warmblood SM). Then there's my fun, deformed Breyer Friesian SM that was intended to be a unicorn but due to my ignorant self, of the time, he was deformed in attempts to alter his positioning/attach his horn and beard. I don't know what he'll look like when finished as he's been a WIP for years and I only keep getting crazier ideas as he keeps getting weirder and stranger alterations each go around. On top of that, but thankfully not a priority project, is a Breyer SM Unicorn Clyde with additions to its mane & tail. Finally, there are the two micros: a Great Dane & altered fantasy pewter micro. These are for a friend in trade of all the photos she took of my models for me.

There are many more projects hiding in the drawers of "table" one, but they aren't even started yet, so it's all good!

Meet the Staff

You've met the artist. Now meet the staff!

Name: Lucky
Nicknames: Happy-Go-Lucky, Luck-a-Muck, Luck & Piggu
Job Title: Studio Assistant
Tasks: Remind artist to take breaks, get artist to exercise, remind that snuggles are sometimes required, petting the dog is nice too, get the artist to work other parts of her brain & remind her to find herself (& the dog too!)
Favorite Quote: "Bowties are cool" - Doctor Who
Pay: Treats, belly rubs, butt rubs, chews, walks & playtime











Name: Renji
Nicknames: Mew-Mew, Meow-Meow,  Renjikins, Mr. Mew-Mew
Job Title: 2nd Studio Assistant/Quality Control
Tasks: Inspect items for quality (knock off those that don't meet approval...sometimes those that do...), remind artist to take breaks-insist on pets and lap time, even if lap space is at a minimum, remind her to write blogs/FB updates (sitting on computer/walking across it seems to work well), remind artist to keep her work area clean, check table sturdiness
Favorite Quote: "Right, MEOW!" -unknown/can't remember
Pay: Pet/scratches, chin rubs, treats, lap time

Name: Rory
Nicknames; Orca, Ror-Ror, Piranha, Goober Fish
Job Title: General Manager (aka the REAL boss)
Tasks: Keep artist sane, remind to relax, entertain with antics, dazzle with beauty, & bring back inner peace.
Favorite Quote: "Just keep swimming" Dory from Finding Nemo
Pay: Room, board & maid services







So there is the current staff! Till the next time!

Introduction

Welcome to Creative Fyre, an art/hobby blog centering around my business, Spyryt Fyre Studios, and the pieces I'm working on. Here you will find updates from the studio, fun antics of my studio assistants (who you will meet in another post), WIP photos of my pieces, tutorials/how I work in different medias, new things I learn, etc. This is meant to be a fun, art focused blog.

(Pink Zebras in acrylic)

For those that don't know, Spyryt Fyre Studios came about through my work on painting model horses. While I am new on the scene of model horse customizing/painting, I hope to make my own contributions to the hobby and to further develop my skills.

(First pastel model: a greying out Appaloosa on the Django mold)

As for background on me, I am not an art major, I actually have a Bachelor's in Agribusiness and an Associate's in Equine Science; hence my love of horses. I do have a background in art though,, taking art throughout all four years of high school. At my four-year college, I took an art course per semester whenever possible. I was Secretary and then Vice President of our campus' Clay Club, and even got to studio ceramics under one of my favorite artists: Bruce Howdle. I work in a variety of media, but acrylics tend to dominate due to their quick drying time (and my impatience-I'm working on it, lol), pastels (more for flatwork than 3D at this time) and clay (more specifically: Sculpey & Apoxie). From time to time I will work in watercolor, oil pastel, pen, ink, markers (various types), scratchboard, and just about any media I can get my hands on. Those are just the ones I know I have on hand. I also dabble in photography. I have started to get back into sculpting my own pieces as well as getting into more extreme customs of model horses, rather than just repaints.

(June's Year of the Pig piece in pastels-more on this project in a different post)

Model Horse Hobby wise, I have been collecting since the early 2000s. That being said, my friend has given me the bug for vintage customs (and I have at least one in my collection). I also love the vintage molds like Misty's Twilight, Old Timer, Proud Arabian Stallion, etc. Not too long after I got into the hobby, I started to repaint models. It wasn't until 2017 or so that I really started to take a more serious interest in customizing. It was set aside though, as college took priority. I've continued to participate in swaps, events like NaMoPaiMo, and just making what I wish was on particular molds to gain experience. Scale wise, I really enjoy Stablemates and Micro Mini to paint, but I am more than happy to paint larger scales. I just had more of those smaller scales on hand to practice on. While far from being an expert, I hope to show my own ideas/style to the hobby. Hopefully it will be well received!

(Crazy deco/modern art SM. Will be making more in the future)

Currently, I am working on three commission models (all on the Mesteno mold). In the future, there will be pieces for NaReViMo, of course NaMoPaiMo next year, more SM swap pieces, trade pieces and hopefully more commission pieces! There will also be an assortment of flat work in various mediums. I find that it helps to keep my mind from worrying about drying time.

(Watercolor: Dawn on the Shore)

For this blog, there will be no set schedule. If I have things to share, I will, but there will be some weeks that there won't be. Should be more to share rather than not though :).

Till the next time!