Max Does NaMoPaiMo 2021! (img int - plus stopmotion!)

For the last four years, I've not been alone in my NaMoPaiMo experience, Max has joined in as well. This year she also decided to paint a dapple grey, kind of as a throwback to her first NaMo horse which she also reculpted a little. 

 

 

 

For those who aren't familiar, NaMoPaiMo is a collaborative model horse painting challenge that takes place every February, hosted by Jennifer Buxton. For more info check out her blog -here-

By the time she got round to starting the project, there was only a week left, so everything had to be rushed! (I somehow managed to cobble together a stopmotion of the whole thing as well, gods know how, as my motivation was down the drain by this point, lol)

This is also an apt time to introduce you all to the latest room in Max and Juno's home; the craft room/studio. They've been wanting one for ages and with NaMoPaiMo approaching, Max put her foot down as she refused to paint on the kitchen table again and wanted a dedicated space. Juno, being a full time artist herself, agreed, and so there was a quick scramble to turn the spare room into a studio. 

(I'll do a separate post later on showing the WIP and some small tutorials for a few of the accessories and things.)

With a shiny new studio space acquired, the next step was to pick a model to paint.

Her model collection is modest by many people's standards, but it's always expanding!

Max also had several boxes of suitable bodies to choose from...

...but eventually settled on this Breyer 'Ballycor' model. 

 

 

The first and arguably the most important stage in customising is prepping. If the base model isn’t prepped properly, no matter how good the final paintjob is, it will always fall flat. With this model, that involved scraping off dodgy seams with a scalpel and then going over the whole thing with sandpaper to get rid of any lumpy textures and create a nice smooth surface.

She wasn't the only one, regular checks on the NaMoPaiMo facebook group showed that plenty of other folk were starting late too.

‘Hey Ju, can I borrow your gesso? It’s chucking it down outside so I can’t use any spray primer’

 Juno smiled and folded her laptop down so she could reach the half empty tub.

 ‘Sure, just don’t use it all or you’ll need to buy me a replacement!’

‘Heh, no worries, it shouldn’t take too many layers to prime. Oh, I’m gonna need to borrow some of your brushes too by the way’

She leaned around and grabbed a handful of brushes from the well organised desk before pressing a kiss to the crown of Juno’s head. ‘Thanks babe’

'Make sure you remember to clean them afterwards, and don't leave them sitting in water for days again!'

'That happened one time!'

 

Juno gave her a look.

'Ok, more than once, but the brushes still work with most of their bristles, right? Right?'

Juno's silence was deafening so Max decided to quit while she was ahead and swiftly moved on to the priming stage. 

 

 

Normally she preferred to use a spray primer as it was faster and gave a much nicer finish, but the weather hadn't been kind recently, and she really didn't fancy going outside in the rain and snow, so opted instead for some brush on gesso. This could be sanded once dry for an even smoother finish, while still retaining enough 'tooth' for the paint and pastels to adhere to.

Several light layers later, the horse was fully primed. While it's tempting to only do a couple of really thick coats, it's much more advisable to do many thin layers so you can be sure each dries thoroughly and that you aren't losing sculptural detail.

A good reference library is vital when it comes to painting, especially with complicated colours. Pinterest is great for collating lots of useful images and Max had already gathered a lot well in advance.

 

This year she was going to use mostly pastels to paint a dark dapple grey, so she gathered her box of grey tones and used a scalpel to scrape the pigment off into her palette ready for use.

It's best to go light to dark with pastels, especially as the colour takes many layers to build up.

Gradually it did just that, and it wasn't long before he started to look like she imagined.

'Definitely worth putting on Instagram I think'

 

She used detail brushes to outline the dapples and darker areas of shading.

 

Eventually the pastels stopped sticking which signalled that it was time to add a layer of sealant.

‘Hey, uh, can you pass me the Dullcote? I forgot to bring it over earlier’

 Juno rolled her eyes and handed over the small can.

‘Thanks - I won’t be long, I just need to give it a few coats so I can do the next layer’ 

‘Alright, just don’t forget your mask, you really don’t want to breathe in any of that stuff!’

 

 'Oh don't worry, I came prepared!'

She rummaged in one of the drawers for a moment until she found her latest online purchase, a fancy face mask with filters.

'It's not the most stylish of accessories, but it does the job!'

And with that, she picked up the model and a fresh can of Dullcote and headed outside to spray.

 

 

 A few light coats are much better than one or two thick ones!

 

A few more pastel layers followed, with more sealer until finally it was time to break out the next medium - watercolour pencils. These proved ideal for adding dapples and hair detailing.

 

He was turning out a lot darker than Max had originally planned, but such is the way of customising; sometimes the horse has a mind of its own and you just have to go with it!

A few days had passed since Max had last done anything to her model. Despite her initial progress, she’d found herself slipping into a rut of no motivation, and every time she picked up a paintbrush she just felt like she was about to make a huge and unfixable mistake. So, she just...didn’t paint, which got her even more frustrated. Her horse was so close to completion but she just couldn't see the next steps.

‘Creative blocks are the worst’ said Juno, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder. ‘They suck, but they always pass. Sometimes you need to force yourself to do something, anything creative, but other times your muse will just pop back at random. C’mon, leave this for a while and let’s just vegetate in front of the TV tonight, it’ll help take your mind off it’

'Yeah, I know, it's just so aggravating!'

Pizza was eaten and movies were watched, and still Max didn’t feel any better. More days passed and she began to doubt if she’d ever finish her horse at all. Then, one evening she found herself sitting at her desk, horse in hand, reaching out for a paintbrush. 

Her muse was back and she wanted to start work immediately!

By the time Juno dragged her off to bed, it was pitch dark outside and the only light she was working from was her desk lamp, which, frankly, needed an upgrade as it wasn't much better than painting by moonlight.

The next day she felt invigorated and ready for action, so she pulled up more references and got back into detailing.

The mane and tail got their first couple of layers of paint which really helped to pull the whole thing together.

Markings were next. She felt he'd suit a wide blaze and socks so that's just what he got!

Adding the pinking to the snoot is always incredibly satisfying!

All of a sudden it seemed, he was finished!

'I did it!'

Presenting... Maximilian the Irish Draught, painted in pastels, acrylics and watercolour pencils. ❤️

Although she missed out on the first year, Max has successfully painted a pony through the last four years of NaMoPaiMo!

Maximilian has already taken his place on her shelf and definitely ranks among her best work!

Here's looking forward to next year!

The next post, meanwhile, will show how I made the craft room diorama so stay tuned for that!