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...yay! It's fun, and very satisfying to see your skills progress, but it also takes patience and determination! I learned how to customize from articles on the internet and the article that is always in THE HOBBY HORSE NEWS SPECIAL EDITION. Here are the links to those wonderful sites:
Grand Prix Studios - wonderful articles on everything you ned to know about customizing
e q u i i s - beginning and advanced remaking, repositioning SMs, adhesion problems, and product ratings
FAS Sue's - written and photo essays on repainting and repositioning
Elaine's Home Page - sculpting eyes, ears, manes, tails, braiding SM manes and tails, and painting in oils
NEWBIE News - this site SHOWS the remaking of a draft foal with pictures - very good for the visual learner
Beau Cheveaux Creations/Chris Nandell - buy the book "Trade Secrets III" ("the original "How-To Guide" to Customizing, painting, hairing and sculpting model horses" - though I do not have it myself, I hear it's excellent) and artist supplies
Rio Rondo - click on the "Books" link and you can buy artist supplies and books such as "Color Formulas and Techniques", "Trade Secrets III" (also above), and "Customizing the Model Horse"
If you want some examples I have pages up for two of my customs that walk you through, with pictures, their customization process:
And lastly I also have written the following article on repainting:
Here's the main problems I saw when a friend and I held a photo show AND I have learned from experience (Note: this is from a hand-painter's perspective):
SHADING -- like on bays. You don't paint the horse brown and just paint the legs black. To shade the legs, you take that brown body color and add a tinge of black so that you can barely or not at all see the difference (make sure it's not thick -- add some water). Then paint that leg. probably not all the way to the top, but DO remember where you stopped. (I find it easiest to do one ore two legs at a time. A hairdrier helps for quick drying.) Then mix a wee bit more black in to barely see the difference, just like before, and paint to just below where you stopped last time. Keep on doing this and mixing more black in until the legs turns black. The true black will eventually be only around the fetlock (ankle) area and maybe up the cannon. You decide. The same thing goes with lighter colors. mix a tinge more, paint, mix more, paint, and so on. If you're doing big areas at a time it helps to draw the area/model on paper and mark where you stopped painting so you remembered where to stop a little sooner at the next round. I have done only one grey so far and you REALLY HAVE TO BE PATIENT to get that shading without brushstrokes. Next I am doing a rose grey, too. I like blacks. Little shading but the end up gorgeous and I've noticed there aren't that many at the few shows I've gone to. I only add a twinge of brown and shade!
WHITE MARKINGS - i handpaint, and it takes PATIENCE to get the white markings flat. I take gesso (which helps not make the base coat show through the white more) and mix with white. Really water it down. Then I take a thin paintbrush and outline the markings, and with whatever size paintbrush that works, fill it in. let it dry (or dry with hairdrier) and paint another layer. It takes many many layers to build it up correctly so there's no brushmarks. If there is, quickly rinse the brush lightly and leave some water on it and smooth it out. As I said, it takes patience -- it took me a while to learn that!!
REALISM - showhorses can have black hooves, because they wear hoof polish, unless it's appies, then leaves the hooves plain. First use the shell color then add the stripes. I also like to take a lighter color and add horizonal lines then rub them right after and do the same with a darker color. This gives the effect of real hoof growth! I'm crazy, but I LOVE PAINTING HOOVES!! If you want more advice just ask! That wasn't the best description of hooves. Always add the spray finish. I like to use clear nailpolish to gloss the hooves/eyes/ears/nose. I also like to add horseshoes. Ask for more details on that, too, if you want.
I hope this info helps you as much as it helped me!
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