What is NaMoPaiMo? And How to Join | An Ultimate Guide

NaMoPaiMo (National Model Painting Month) is the brainchild of Jennifer Buxton and probably one of the best things in the model horse hobby. Today’s video talks about what it is, the rules, and how to join. The blog article below talks about choosing your model, some painting options based on skill, and how to get your model ready for February.  The rest of this blog post then covers additional questions and some suggestions on how to pick a painting media.

Choosing a Painting Goal & Selecting a Model Horse Based On Skill Level

Since it is not a contest, the goal of NaMoPaiMo is to come together and learn how to paint model horses!

Choosing a goal is one of the exciting parts of NaMoPaiMo, in which you get to dream big and see what you can accomplish. But it’s also really easy to bite off more than you can chew, in that you don’t accomplish it to the level you had hoped or you can’t complete your model in time. Picking a goal carefully is crucial to making sure you don’t pull your hair out. DO pick a goal that challenges or encourages you to try something new. Try to avoid picking one that is too ambitious or challenging, as we only have one month to paint.

My method for picking a goal I’m more likely to complete is to pick one that is a step up from your last successful challenge. If you learned to pastel last year, maybe your goal could be learning how to make the layers smoother, or trying the medium in a different color. If you resculpted a stablemate, try a scale up, like a Pebbles or Classic. Also, supplies should factor into the choice of your goal, based on their price, availability, your experience, and skill-level required.

Considering Your Painting Options & Supplies

Depending on your project goal, here are some painting tools and supplies to consider, based on skill-level. It’s not an exhaustive list by any means, nor are the products listed under each skill level set in stone. Rather, these are my personal suggestions based on my years growing as a hobby artist. If you've never worked in these media before, below a guide to get you started. 

Bear in mind that everyone’s skill-set or ability can vary, so while you might be a beginner, for example, you might have the ability to pick up some intermediate or even advanced products! You’ll have to be the judge of that yourself, but here at least, is a general guide:

Tools and Supplies | SUGGESTED FOR BEGINNER ARTISTS

• Pastel sticks
• Pan Pastels
• Colored charcoal pencils for details
• Colored watercolor pencils for details
• Acrylics for hand-painting a base-coat (Golden Fluid, for example)
• A sealer appropriate for sealing in-between layers (it needs to hold detail; Testors Dullcote is good)
• A sealer appropriate for finishing and protecting the model

What You Can Achieve:

Tools and Supplies | SUGGESTED FOR INTERMEDIATE ARTISTS

• All of the above, plus…
• Earth pigments
• Oils
• Colored pencils for details (look for ones that aren’t too soft or too hard)
• Budget friendly airbrush, likely a siphon-fed brush
• Budget friendly airbrush compressor, with or without tank
• Airbrush cleaning supplies
• Acrylics for airbrushing (Vallejo, Golden Hi-Flow, etc)

What You Can Achieve:

Tools and Supplies | SUGGESTED FOR ADVANCED ARTISTS

• Oils
• Advanced airbrush (example, a gravity-fed, dual-action brush with interchangeable needles)
• A higher-end airbrush compressor with a tank that holds pressure longer (or a motor that replenishes pressure faster) and has a water trap
• Acrylics for airbrushing (Vallejo, Golden Hi-Flow, etc)
• Airbrush cleaning supplies
• Acrylics and mediums for hand painting

What You Can Achieve:

Supplies You'll Need for All Painting Methods

• Primer
• Paint brushes in assorted sizes (sable is best for acrylics)
• Painters palette, wax paper, or aluminum foil if using hand-painted acrylics
• Painter’s gloves (look for non-latex versions if you have an allergy)
• A mask with vapor filters for painting and priming
• A mask with particle filters for prepping
• Sandpaper and needle files for prepping
• Paper towels to clean up spills
• Newsprint or box for spraying your sealing layers
• Newsprint to protect tables from hand-painting

How to Get Your Model Ready

​If you are using a pre-made model horse (like a Breyer, Peter Stone, Schleich or Collecta, for example) a lot of beginners will ask if they need to strip the paint. The short answer is, no! Most models just need some sanding and smoothing out their seems to get them smooth and help provide tooth for the primer (which in turn helps provide tooth for the paints, especially oil paint).

For Those Considering Airbrush for the First Time

Why Is There a $2 Fee?

When you sign up for NaMoPaiMo, you’ll see there is an option to PayPal $2. This is totally voluntary, and even the amount is just a suggestion. So never fear, it’s not really a fee to participate. 

But why $2? 

Because of the random prizes. Jennifer randomly selects participates to “win” prizes as a way to recognize their growth or thank them for their contributions to the group. The suggested donation helps cover a part of the postage fees of these prizes. While we are all enjoying creating our horses, there is a lot of expense that goes into NaMoPaiMo’s prizes. This is another reason why the focus of NaMoPaiMo is on creation and why it is not a contest. 

​While it is voluntary, consider donating, and if you can donate more, that goes a long way to continuing the prizes that are given out each year at NaMoPaiMo. Or, you could consider donating the prizes.*

*Jennifer is not accepting prize donations for 2022

Credits and Resources

​SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING ARTISTS FOR CONTRIBUTING PHOTOS AND VIDEOS FOR MY NAMOPAIMO VIDEO SERIES:
- Jennifer Buxton, Braymere Custom Saddlery (and founder of NaMoPaiMo) https://braymere.blogspot.com/
- Cindy Evans-Yates of Knight's Tale Studio https://www.facebook.com/KnightsTaleStudio/
- Toni Rakestraw
- Summer Riley-Simpson 

​OFFICIAL INFO ABOUT NAMOPAIMO: 
http://braymere.blogspot.com/p/national-model-painting-month-namopaimo.html

OFFICIAL NAMOPAIMO SIGNUP: 
http://namopaimo.com/

JOIN THE NAMOPAIMO FACEBOOK GROUP!
 - Join here https://www.facebook.com/groups/234123470349077/

OTHER NAMOPAIMO 2020 VIDEOS:
- My NaMoPaiMo Horses and How I Made Them Click Here to Watch
- 7 Easy and Fun NaMoPaiMo Prepping Tips Click Here to Watch
- 6 NaMoPaiMo Survival Tips Click Here to Watch
- NaMoPaiMo 2020 Video Playlist Click Here to Play the Video List

Part of the customizing with Blue Mountain Stable and Kristen Taylor series; short and easy guides to all things model horses and model horse customizing. Subscribe for more  tutorials and follow my social media (links below) for regular tips and behind-the-scenes looks. And if you have an idea for an upcoming video, feel free to drop a comment in any of my videos. Happy customizing!

OTHER VIDEOS YOU MIGHT LIKE
- The Ultimate Guide On How To Paint Model Horse White Markings Click Here to Watch
- How to Stay Safe Customizing Model Horses | Ultimate Safety Guide Click Here to Watch
- Making Breyer Stablemate Unicorns Into Horses Click Here to Watch
- Pinking Model Horse Muzzles & Legs  - Thursday Tips Season 1 Ep.1 Click Here to Watch
- How to Paint a Bay - Model Horse Customizing Tutorial Click Here to Watch
- Prepping and Priming Artist Resin Model Horses Click Here to Watch
- Sculpting Stablemate Ears Part 1 Click Here to Watch
- Sculpting Stablemate Ears Part 2 Click Here to Watch
- How I Made My Drastic CM Breyer Lady Phase Into a Criollo - VIDEO TOUR  Click Here to Watch

MORE FROM BLUE MOUNTAIN STABLE ON WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA:
- Website: http://www.bluemountainstable.com/
- Blog: http://www.bluemountainstable.com/blog
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluemountainstable/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueMountainStable/
- YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BlueMountainStable

Follow me on social media for tips, WIPS and behind-the-scenes looks into how I paint and sculpt model horses and Breyer horses. Thanks for watching! 

MUSIC:
"Forgiveness," by Patrick Patrikios, YouTube Audio Library.