What is #NaMoPaiMo?
NaMoPaiMo (National Model Painting Month) is the brainchild of Jennifer Buxton and probably one of the best things in the model horse hobby. These videos and article talk about what it is, the rules of #NaMoPaiMo, and how to join. Learn about choosing your model, some painting options based on skill, and how to get your model ready for February!
What Models Can You Paint?
You can paint ANY brand of 3D model horse object, including toys, as your singular, official entry. There is nothing limiting you to Breyers, Peter Stones, or expensive artist resin model horses. Your official entry just has to be three-dimensional. This does mean that you can't use medallions as your official entry, but many people do paint them as "bonus" projects and you are highly encouraged to do so! Fantasy creatures are also allowed as an official entry, as long as they are largely recognizable as horse-like (such as unicorns!).
Who Can Enter?
Anyone and everyone who loves model horses and wants to give painting a try! You can be an advanced, professional artist, a complete beginner, or someone who has never painted before.
The majority of this event takes place on-line using the NaMoPaiMo Facebook group and Jennifer's blog, but you aren't required to have Facebook. Many artists get together on other social media platforms and also share updates, tips, tutorials and progress from their own blogs or websites. Follow along and share your progress with #NaMoPaiMo on other social platforms like Instagram, Discord and Tiktok, and follow the NaMoPaiMo Instagram account @NaMoPaiMo.
The majority of this event takes place on-line using the NaMoPaiMo Facebook group and Jennifer's blog, but you aren't required to have Facebook. Many artists get together on other social media platforms and also share updates, tips, tutorials and progress from their own blogs or websites. Follow along and share your progress with #NaMoPaiMo on other social platforms like Instagram, Discord and Tiktok, and follow the NaMoPaiMo Instagram account @NaMoPaiMo.
How to Officially Enter
Keep an eye out on Jennifer Buxton's blog for the latest entry information each year, as well as her NaMoPaiMo signup website. Be sure to read all of her guidelines and tips on her blog and Facebook posts before submitting your registration, as Jennifer will post when she makes updates to it each year.
Don't want to officially enter? Don't have Facebook? That's ok too! Feel free to follow along with your online/social media accounts of choice (or not, there's no pressure to share your work online!).
Jennifer uses the official entry as a way to help track the number of participates each year, gather fun stats like how long people have been painting, and if she chooses you for a prize, how to get it to you. You can also choose to upload an optional selfie of yourself AND your blank model, ready to paint, which Jennifer shares in a collage image (think of it as a NaMoPaiMo yearbook class group photo). There is also an optional $2 donation to help offset the cost of shipping prizes.
Don't want to officially enter? Don't have Facebook? That's ok too! Feel free to follow along with your online/social media accounts of choice (or not, there's no pressure to share your work online!).
Jennifer uses the official entry as a way to help track the number of participates each year, gather fun stats like how long people have been painting, and if she chooses you for a prize, how to get it to you. You can also choose to upload an optional selfie of yourself AND your blank model, ready to paint, which Jennifer shares in a collage image (think of it as a NaMoPaiMo yearbook class group photo). There is also an optional $2 donation to help offset the cost of shipping prizes.
Is This a Contest?
No. Having mentioned prizes, it's important to remember that this is not actually a contest, and not everyone will receive prizes. The prizes are often random OR given to people Jennifer feels promote the NaMoPaiMo spirit of learning and sharing. After completing NaMoPaiMo, your real prize is your finished model. Per Jennifer, completing your model does not guarantee you will receive a prize from Jennifer.
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.
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 suggested 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. Feel free to tweak this list according to your unique skill-level and your artistic desires!
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:
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 (shaved) for coloring the body areas
- Pan Pastels for coloring the body areas
- Colored pencils or charcoal pencils for details (TUTORIAL: How to Paint a Roan with Pencils)
- Colored watercolor pencils for details
- Acrylics for hand-painting a base-coat and/or painting details (TUTORIAL: How to Paint Model Horse Details) (TUTORIAL: How to Hand Paint Acrylics)
- A sealer appropriate for sealing in-between layers, especially if working with pastels (it needs to hold detail; Testors Dullcote is good)
- A sealer appropriate for finishing and protecting the model
What You Could Achieve:
Tools and Supplies | SUGGESTED FOR INTERMEDIATE ARTISTS
- All of the above, plus…
- Earth pigments
- Oils (TUTORIAL: Painting a Palomino In Oils) (TUTORIAL: Painting a Chestnut In 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) (TUTORIAL: How to Paint a Black Horse)
- Acrylics for hand-painting and shading the body area (TUTORIAL: How to Hand Paint Acrylics & Get Creamy Blends)
What You Could 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)
- Acrylics and mediums for hand painting (TUTORIAL: How to Hand Paint Acrylics & Get Creamy Blends)
What You Could Achieve:
Supplies You'll Need for All Painting Methods
- Primer
- Paint brushes in assorted sizes
(I recommend a small pointed round (size 0-3), a few filbert brushes (1/8", 1/4", 1/2"), and a small makeup brush like an eye shadow brush) - Painters palette (you can make one from wax paper, or aluminum foil)
- 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). Below are a few video resources to help you get started with prepping model horses for paint.
New prepping videos coming soon!
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
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
Examples of Past NaMoPaiMo Horses
Birth of a NaMoPaiMo HorseSee how I converted the Breyer Stablemates G1 Old Mold Thoroughbred mare into an elegant Arabian mare as my 2018 NaMoPaiMo project.
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How I Made My Drastic Custom Breyer Lady Phase for NaMoPaiMoFor NaMoPaiMo 2019 and the MEPSA Make-Over Contest, I transformed a Breyer Lady Phase into a trotting Criollo mare in airbrushed bay sabino.
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