Seeing... Spots? - A Leopard Appaloosa from Start to Finish

I was asked back in May by a customer to make her a custom on the Latigo/Harley D Zip mold with a few specifications:

• new mane (ratty style)
• new tail (short)
• black leopard Appaloosa pattern

Not a problem. Appy's are one of my favorite (and most rewarding) things to paint, but they take a lot of time and energy. 

This guy especially needed some TLC, what with getting a new "do" and all. He started out like this:

Your standard loping Quarter Horse gelding.

After being sanded down, his Breyer logo removed, and his seams taken care of, it was time to give this guy his buzz-cut. It took probably about an hour with a Dremel tool to carve off all the excess plastic, but I'm in love with the result.

Looking good!

And after the buzz-cut, a new mane! Sculpted on with Epoxy Magic Sculpt and smoothed with rubbing alcohol, his mane took shape to that "ratty" look the client was asking for. 

"Ratty" or not, it suits him.

So with mane and tail all set, the next thing he got was primer. I don't have any pictures of him in this stage-- just imagine him as above, but... white. And after primer, paint! Just a few layers of white acrylic airbrushed on top of the white primer sealed the deal and allowed me to start doing his spots. 

Not much detail. Just roughing things in.

All of the skin mottling and spots (including the "halo" of gray around his larger ones) were all painted by hand. Yep, that's right! Hours of pouring over this guy with the tiniest paintbrush imaginable to get all those little dots in just the right spot. (Pun intended.)

Here he is almost done. Missing his mane/tail color, plus some spots on his legs, but his whole pattern is just about finished.

Just chilling with Zeddemore (Zebra) and Riley (a Smarty Jones - my next commission!)

A little bit rough and a little bit odd-looking, but he didn't stay in this gawky stage for long. Pastels were added to his muzzle, underbelly, flanks, gelding parts, eyes, ears, and around a few spot clusters to make him "pop". The skin around his nose, eyes, and sheath received their pinking in this stage as well. 

Then came the mane and tail. Instead of just painting with acrylics, for that ratty, multi-colored Appaloosa look he had to have, I used a wash of chalk pastels-- brown, gray, and black. By simply taking an old brush, wetting it down, and lightly rubbing it over my pastels, I was able to "paint" with my chalk and complete his look.

But wait-- eyes, hooves!

I do all my ponies' eyes in Prismacolor pencil. I start with a coat of black to create a base for me to draw on, then sharpen my pencils as finely as I can and get to work. Sometimes I can use up to three or four colors on one eye, but the little white highlights. Gotta get that "sparkle" judges look for in the show ring.

His hooves are a similar story. Starting off with a base of light tan acrylic, I draw rings around the hooves with Prismacolors and then added his striping with chalk pastels. 

Can't forget those tiny horseshoes, either.

Now that he's all finished, he's going to be heading to his new home in August. 

Just look at that face! It's too bad I can't show him before he leaves-- what a gorgeous boy. 

Roadtrip pictures will start on Wednesday-- our journey down to Lexington takes around 12 hours. Lots of time in the car, but we're sure to find a way to make it entertaining. We always do!

~Emma