The Babysitter US edition is now casting!

Casting is now in full swing with Barry at BearCast Moldings and I’m thrilled to report that The Babysitter is today featured on Lynn Fraley’s blog here.

A line up of the first few casts in the US Edition

The US edition is for 80 of the 130 resin copies to be made, with the other 50 being cast by Horsing Around here in England (for customs-free shipping to the UK and Europe).  I’m yet to announce the US edition officially, I’m waiting on two guest artist pieces to be painted up, so the release should be in about 2-3 weeks.  You can, however order a copy now if you would like to by either going to my web sales page here or by dropping me an email.

This copy was painted by German artist Max Lahrmann

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has so far ordered a copy of this model or any of my models, copies of The Babysitter are already making their way across the globe from Canada through the US and across Europe as far as Austria!

This copy of The Babysitter and her Very Little One were both painted by UK artist Amanda Greaves.

If you have a copy of any of my models that you have painted or had painted, I’d love to see a picture!  I have galleries on the web page for each of my sculptures where I post these for all to see, along with credits to the artists and owners, of course.

Thanks heavens for Photoshop

I’m sorry for the bombardment of posts this week, but I really want to share this while it is still relevant.

So I’ve been feeling a little nervous about my plans to extend the length of Pickle’s body, so much so that at lunchtime, and considering my day-job is all about computer graphics, I did a little photo-editing.

First, I removed the background from this photo taken after my most recent sculpting session:

Then I de-saturated it (made it black and white), mirrored it (thanks to Morgen for the tip) and got to work on the image until I had something I was much more happy with, then I mirrored it back and this is the result.

What do you think?  A good way to see the changes is to go here, then hit the right and left arrows on your keyboard to flick between the two.

I confirmed some things that I thought were out on the model (short back, short back legs, thick legs etc.) but also discovered a few things that surprised me as I worked on the image, comparing it as I went with some photos I’ve been using for reference.  I discovered that the whole shoulder and chest area were set too high and the withers too small, the top line and belly line have been adjusted too.  The front legs weren’t as fat as I was worrying about but they will still need slimming down a touch, especially towards the bottom.  I’m thrilled about this process on many levels though; considering I have been working from eye only until this point Pickle isn’t too far from my vision.

I can’t wait to get home and get some more work done on Pickle tonight now, I have renewed enthusiasm and fresh energy from my night off last night and I’m very excited at the possibility of creating something similar to that of my edited image, above.

Pickle Update

Sadly, along with many other artists and creative folk, it appears I share some tendencies with Sarah Minkiewicz-Bruenig, in that when I feel inspired and try to keep up with the ideas spilling from my mind, I inevitably end up overdoing it and keeling over! 

Sarah has been having a rough time this last few weeks as she has be overdoing things spectacularly for months now trying to keep up with her own amazing talents and discoveries and the incessant demand for her work from, well, the likes of you and me.  She is now taking some strongly-prescribed rest and will no doubt bounce back with some more astounding creative works for us to enjoy.  Sarah’s blog has some excellent advice and wisdom on how to manage the creative mind, it’s well worth a look if you haven’t already.

Exhaustion is something I think we all blindly head into sometimes and Sarah’s recent experience serves as a good reminder that sometimes projects need to proceed at a speed more friendly to the human mind and body, regardless of how much our minds want us to plough on.  Luckily my body and mind won’t allow me to push myself to the edge in the same way that Sarah does and last night I suffered only from a blinding headache that refused to budge regardless of what kind of remedy I tried!  Sitting doing nothing doesn’t come easily to me and several times Adam had to stop me from staring at Pickle as she sat there on her armature beckoning for me to do more work on her.

So, there was no progress on Pickle last night, but the evening before I did manage to squeeze in just a couple of hours to do a little work on her off-side front leg.  I’m not convinced Pickle’s legs are fine enough to represent the Arab breed, I’m doing my homework on this and would love to hear your thoughts on this particular issue.  I’m yet to work more on the back legs, perhaps when I do that and lengthen the body she will balance out a little.  I feel a PhotoShop session coming on…!

More photos can be found here, newest pics at the top.

The Babysitter: I received some news from Barry, he is currently casting the US edition of the model (all paid orders will ship out soon), he sent me photos of the mold he made and he is using a similar method to the one he used for casting Karen Gerhardt’s gentle cob resin “Roundabout” a few months ago; casting the “right” way up (as opposed to the more traditional up-side-down method) with the pour hole on the horse’s rump.  Look out on Lynn’s blog, The Babysitter may be featured there shortly.

Pickle Update

Well, after Friday evening’s marathon session I took Saturday night off, but last night I had the opportunity for a few more hours tinkering with Pickle V3.

Here she is now, not much change to her off side since the last update…

…but this is because I mostly worked on her front near-side leg, which I am considering complete (in the clay stage – more tweaks will be done when she’s in resin):

More pics here (newest first)

I’m still trying very hard to to over-think this model as I sculpt,  I know there are a few issues that I will need to address in the resin stage such as the short body and the head attachment.  As this is to be such a small run I am using it almost as an experimental piece, allowing my creativity and the subconscious part of me to lead the way.  I’m realising just how much I have learnt during my struggles with Jasper which has been a real eye opener, so even if Pickle V3 doesn’t turn out to be absolutely anatomically correct in every way, she will represent my abilities and my take on the horse much more personally than previous models, as I have always tried to provide what I feel people want, or what will cast best, or photograph well.  Pickle is, quite honestly, a little piece of me.

Pickle Update

Well, I didn't think I'd have much time to work on Pickle last night but by 9pm I had a chance to grab my tools and get to work again.  I got totally engrosses and 7.5 hours later I'd replaced the back legs with a firmer grade of clay and got a tonne of work done on her.  I think that the body is a touch too short but I'm not letting that worry me for now as it will be much easier to deal with that when she's in resin (thanks to Morgen Kilbourne for that one!).

Pics can be found in Picasa here but here's a quick look:

The back legs are green as I have replaced the Chavant Le Beau Touche with Chavant NSP grade medium, which is still much softer than the clay I usually use but is less sticky than the red Le Beau Touche.

I'm really enjoying this new little project, even though it will be a very small run I'm so glad I took the trip outside my confort zone to try these new clays and it's given me a tonne of confidence for the next model I tackle.

Pickle update

I know it will end soon but I feel like I’m storming ahead with the new Pickle model.  Everything about this sculpt just feels right and I can feel my mind-set changing from the tight, nit-picking way I normally sculpt to a much more fluid and creative one – THANK YOU Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig for the inspiration to take a trip outside my comfort zone!

Thank you too to those that have spoken with me on this model, it seems to be being well received so far and I’ve received some excellent critique already – thank you ladies!

I’ve also heard back from a stud located not-too far from me in Peterborough.  The Gadebrook Arabian Stud specialises in the Crabbet Arabians and I have been given permission to go and visit them soon.  They will have new foals in April but I am hoping to get there sooner to meet the mares and see if they can help influence my model in the right direction.

I’ve managed to work on this sculpt for three evenings running which is a great bonus, tonight we take down the Christmas tree so no progress will be made on her but I’m hoping to move forward more tomorrow and Sunday as we have a rare weekend at home to look forward to.  Here is the model as of last night:

More photos of her progress can be seen in my Picasa web album here, I’ve put the most recent photos at the top, with each session broken up by a random armature picture.

I’m really looking forward to meeting the people and horses at Gadebrook, my “real” horse experience is limited, I rely mostly on images and videos I find online or in books – not the “correct” way to go about sculpting I know, but you work with what you have and sadly time for exciting outings like this isn’t something I have in abundance.

New Year, New ideas!

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you had a good break over the festive season, mine was filled with fun, family and a tonne of fabulous food!  Needless to say, with the wedding in… 4 months 2 days (!!!) my diet has well and truly begun!

So, did you make any New Year’s Resolutions?  I try to avoid being too unrealistic or having too high expectations of myself but I am hoping to eat less, move more, stay up to date with my emails and make more creative time so I can move on with a few projects.

Which brings me to this – my latest model.  Some of you may recognise the face of this little lady, it is the model I sculpted as a mini-bust a few years ago, called Pickle.  Just as a reminder, Pickle has been released in two versions – V1…

…and V2…

The overall edition is 125 copies and the current total, including V1 and V2 stands around the 80-85 figure, leaving me about 40 copies left in the edition to play with.  My original plans were to make a third version into another mini-bust with a fancy Arabian style halter (headcollar/bridle? – my tack knowledge is as good as useless!), but ever since the thought of making her an entire body popped into my head I’ve just not been able to shake it.

Last night the muse struck in spectacular style thanks to having read a few recent blog posts from two very inspirational ladies, Lynn Fraley and Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig.  Between them I felt I should take on a new challenge outside my comfort zone, aim to work much faster than I usually do, not get caught up in the details too early (I always do that!) and try a medium that will force me to change my sculpting habits and embrace a new style of working, also to complete some projects in the studio that I have been putting off.

So I grabbed Pickle V3 as she has been stood for a good year or so now…

… got some tools ready and a block of a clay I’ve not used before, Chavant Le Beau Touché - a non-sulphur* clay in a much softer grade to the Chavant NSP hard grade clay that I usually use.

*clays with sulphur reacts with silicon rubber, this is important info if you plan to sculpt for casting!

Four hours later, after a bit of an education on the new clay, Pickle V3 started to come to life:

Now, please don’t worry if there are many obvious glaring issues with her so far (there are, lots!), I’ve been working solely on getting clay onto the armature and just squishing and moving things about to find a pose and a “feel” that I like.  She may well change pose subtly or drastically, I’m after something sassy but not show-ring, if that makes any sense?  I love that I already have a her head, it’s a great confidence-booster seeing one bit that is practically finished!

The original “vision” I had when sculpting Pickle V1 was to portray a mature mare that has been there, done that, perhaps a broodmare or a mare that simply acts as matriarch for her pasture-pals.  She has an air of attitude that says “I am capable of great love but am happy to provide a sharp nip on the backside should it be necessary”.  I always pictured her in my mind as standing at the gate waiting for (or perhaps demanding) some attention.  I would like to sculpt her as a more “Crabbet” style Arab, though my knowledge is limited on this, I will need to do some homework on this type (any suggestions, links or pics gratefully received!), I may make some changes to the head where necessary too, though I don’t want this model to deviate too far from the original Pickle models.

I was really pleased with progress last night, I couldn’t sleep as I was so excited and am looking forward to working on her more tonight.  The new clay has obviously allowed me to work very very fast but I am avoiding any hopes of completing the model too soon as I think I may struggle a little further down the line in getting those details in there.  Lynn Fraley has a tip of using brown modelling wax for the smaller details so I will see how I get on and may try going to a mixed-media approach at some point.

Pickle V3 is going to be renamed, even though she is part of the Pickle edition.  I’m hoping to be able to cast her myself, but we will have to see how things go as I’ve never cast anything of this size before.

I’d love to hear any comments or suggestions you may have on pose, style, etc – either by email or by leaving a comment on this post.  I appreciate there are many, many Arab resins out there already so would love to hear from any collectors and get your thoughts on what you would like to see this model turn into.