Not being able to create for extended periods of time is frustrating. I get grumpy if I go beyond a week without customizing. Now imagine going without customizing for nearly two months. That's what happened to me at the end of August when we decided to embark on some life adventures.

It's probably the thing that bugs me the most and THE NUMBER ONE REASON why most horses don't win...bad prepping/priming or, worse, none at all. With every show I attend, more horses seem to lack prepping.

Everyone is going nuts over Breyer shrinking the popular Alborozo mold for the Stablemate line. As a fan of everything mini, I am 100% behind this trend, although maybe not so much for the unicorn approach.

But that's okay; I'm a customizer. Off with this horn!

It's a hot spring in Colorado...the birds are signing, the sun is blazing, and I can now wear shorts while airbrushing. With the warmer weather has come an assortment of projects, from judging photo shows (more on that later), to creating my first traditional custom for the Model Equine Photo Showers Association (MEPSA), my to-do list is not wanting.

For those who might not have heard, #NaMoPaiMo is National Model Painting Month, an international painting challenge in February between model horse hobbyists. It was founded and is run by Jennifer Buxton and is a fun online (and sometimes in-person) gathering of sharing progress, tips and fun.

Now in its second year, I will be participating again with another stablemate custom. I've chosen a Breyer G1 Thoroughbred mare who I am transforming into an Arabian mare. My January month will be spent finishing her sculpting and prepping her for next month's painting.

While I'm at it, I thought I'd walk you through her major changes, which I also thought would be a great insight for those wanting to know how to make great little stablemate customs.

After the prior article on craftsmanship, I thought it would be great to have a super short but super illustrated look into why craftsmanship is so important to prepping. Consider this a mini tutorial for sanding.

Before I sprayed my NaMoPaiMo mare with primer, I honestly thought this girl was super smooth. But look! The first coat of primer showed that I couldn't have been more wrong. While not bad for the first pass of primer, clearly she needs more sanding, especially around the areas where I added epoxy.

Originally published February 17, 2018.

"Why doesn't mine look as good as that horse?"
"Why didn't mine win?"

Do questions like these sound familiar? While a number of factors affect the answer (especially to the question, "Why didn't I win?"), I am going to share with you one of the biggest factors I almost always see that distinguishes great customs from sub-par and winners from those that just placed. It's a little secret my art professors drilled into me, so it will help you in other areas of art too.

The secret is excellent craftsmanship.