C.S.Richmond Studios

The completion of Annihilator....

2012-05-25T10:34:00.002-04:00

The painting of the Annihilator is completed with the exception of the addition of the sealer.

I'll let the photos do the talking....

Annihilator sculpted by the talent of Debbi Lermond. Hand painted in oils and other mixed painting mediums by C.S.Richmond Studios. Completed May 25th 2012.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

C.S.Richmond Studios

One intense project....

2012-05-21T11:29:00.000-04:00

By far this one Annihilator project has been my most involved, most painting hours applied, most detailed project to date. I have finally applied the last of the fine hair detail layers ....there are four and five in some places....and I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. No complaints just observation...I never tire or get burned out from painting a highly detailed project....

Seeing a project nearing completion makes my heart sing....

Annihilator is an amazing angry draft horse sculpted by the gifted Debbi Lermond ...who applied her talents to the Peasant Stomper resin to give him a look born of a vision from Sophie Morel.

For this project I used two reference photos. One of a Noriker and the other of a draft appaloosa cross.
The Annihilator is a commissioned item and is still a work in progress.

Below is a wonderful Wyakin resin sculpted by the talented Michelle Platt.....Wyakin is still a work in progress and is a commissioned item

Below is another wonderful resin...the well known Rose Reining horse resin sculpted by the ever popular Sarah Rose. This reiner below is being painted using a pintaloosa horse reference photo, is a work in progress and is also a commission project. The colors of spots on the Reiner will change throughout the next few painting steps as well as the colors on the mane and tail....

Below is another work in progress commission project...he is the wonderful Senator resin sculpted by the super talent of Brigitte Eberl. Senator will have much more dark shading added ...

Studio progress is progressing on schedule...I have almost completed the prepping on the last of the 2011-2012 commission projects. Once the in studio commissions are completed I will be offering very sparse and very limited commission painting slots. I have many unpainted resins here in the studio from my own resin collection that are wanting some color.

I have collected many reference photos for most of them and thank goodness I have two copies of some of them...I have an AWFUL problem with deciding what color to paint a sales project if I only have one copy in possession...I keep changing my mind...it has happened twice now. I've made a vow to keep my happy little fingers off the keyboard with discussion of a color a project will be until that project is completed and ready for sale.

I have the one 2013 Willoughby commission slot offering (discussed via my Yahoo group) open for offers. If anyone wishes details on this offering please request to join my Yahoo group by clicking below:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/csrichmondstudios/

Have a wonderful day everyone!
C.S.Richmond Studios

Senator, Affinity, and this and that...

2012-05-12T18:42:00.002-04:00

Working on a lovely bay commissioned Senator resin sculpted by the talented and gifted Brigitte Eberl....two to three more coats to the body are needed as well as painting details etc. I'm loving the color so far....I'm using another nice bay TB reference photo to paint by. The reference photo horse has some wonderful black shading, a nice facial marking and three sox with fantastic toned striped hooves....you know the kind with the neat contrasting black stripe and the lighter golden cream colors that look so well together?

I received my Rose Affinity resin in the mail the other day...wow! Is she ever fantastic in person! Her face is exquisite and so expressive! Another Sarah Rose fantastic resin canvas!

I've decided to paint my Affinity to a nice deep dark bay and a few dapples using photos to paint by which are owned by Cindy Evans ...thank you Cindy for allowing me use of your photos!

I'm going to use the same leg markings from the TB horse I'm using to paint the Senator resin by....that should be a wonderful combination of colors and markings.

Once painted will I be able to part with Affinity? Good question!

"Steel General" is completed with exception of the addition of metal shoes...I began working on his set but found some online that will work wonderful and save me time!

More photos of "Steel General" can be seen on my website:

http://csrichmondstudios.webs.com/forsale.htm

To all the Moms out there have a wonderful Mothers Day this Sunday!

C.S.Richmond Studios

"Steel General"

2012-05-10T10:47:00.000-04:00

Wrapping up another sales item here...."Steel General" is almost completed. "Steel General" is a Mr. Shadow resin sculpted by the talented Nicole Hatch.

I found some nice bright aluminum electrical wire I thought I would fashion some racing shoes out of for "General". I'm sure the wire is not pure aluminum as it seems to be a tad stiff to bend and work with. Have to search for reference photos of racing shoes next......

I've been wanting to try fabricating metal horse shoes for a while...I might give it a try for ol' "General"....

Off to work on the array of commissions....have a wonderful day everyone!

C.S.Richmond Studios

Land of artists, poets, and dreamers.....

2012-05-08T12:11:00.000-04:00

We are back from our vacation slash business/work trip to the Florida Keys. I'm glad I had time...I actually MADE time.... to take lots of photos this trip! So many super wonderful photo opportunities we can find when visiting away from home.

Above two Anoles play on a stump in the yard...

Key deer lounge in peoples yards during the heat of mid-day...

Night time frogs peeping their songs.....

Cast aside artistic creations await new life in re-construction.....an artists dreamland!

and flowers bloom everywhere....

The famous Bahia Honda bridge....I have an inspirational urge to take brush and canvas in hand and paint a photo of this bridge......

and the same with this huge fellow....

and likewise take up brush and paint with these textures.....

and there is always time for a rest in the best seat in the house!

Have a wonderful day everyone!
C.S.Richmond Studios

Rose Reining horse progress...

2012-04-18T10:47:00.000-04:00

The white paint application is now dry enough now on the two Rose Reining horse projects to continue work....the next step for these two is the addition of the details, shading, and skin color. Here I've started the first layer of detail on one Reiner with many more layers of fine hair details to go...this copy will be a pintaloosa...

The second Rose Reining horse will be a sabino.....time for me to begin applying the fist layer of detail to this project....

The Rose Reining horses above were sculpted by the super talented Sarah Rose.

Below you see the detailing which has been added to a wonderful traditional Wyakin resin....

At this stage I'm still applying the fine hair details...more layers and shades will be added ..alternating between light,dark, and medium shades to achieve the results I'm looking for. In one of the photos you can see the reference photo I'm using as my guide to paint by.

Wyakin has been sculpted by the gifted Michelle Platt.

All of the above projects are commissions.

The Breyer Andalusian mini resin sales item named "Alejandro" was sold via my yahoo group...

Prepping continues in the evenings on the balance of the in studio commissions....there are several which have been prepped and are awaiting their turn on the painting table.....

I did purchase a new camera and I must say it was a splendid worthwhile investment...this morning I experimented a bit with taking photos and editing them. The Rose Reining horse photos above were taken with the new camera using my studio lamp as lighting......the Wyakin resin photos were taken with my old camera using my backdrop set up.

The new camera photos are so crisp, detailed and clear and the colors are so much more real life than the colors my old camera were giving me. I'll need to practice more with the lighting set up using my backdrop....

Have a wonderful day everyone!
C.S.Richmond Studios

"Alejandro" and "Lirico"

2012-04-12T08:47:00.000-04:00

This is a wonderful little Breyer Andalusian resin sculpted by the gifted and talented Brigette Eberl.....I've been working on him for a while and last week he was completed and then sold via my C.S.Richmond Studios Yahoo group early this week.

This little resin measures 6 inches long by 5 inches tall...and I've removed the resin from its factory base.

I named this little guy "Alejandro"....the name "Alejandro" is a variation of the name "Alexander" which means "defender". "Alexander" is also my Dads middle name.....I love giving titles or names to my projects and have done so since I began painting back in 2003.

Here is "Alejandro"...

I have several rose grey photos in my reference library I love to use. I have one fascinating deep dark rose grey reference photo I'm saving to paint my Maggie Bennett "Superlumina" by....in the reference photo there are nice cream colors and some cream with the rose color...amazing colors that remind me of deep dark black cherries and cream with a bit of that dark steel grey color mixed in...lovely!

Also coming up for sale is the "Mr. Shadow" resin sculpted by Nicole Hatch.."Shadow" is being painted using a TB Racehorse photo I love...a warm brown rosy grey I love with dark steel hindquarters and shadings.

Another thriller to paint was "Lirico" sculpted by the talented Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig..he was completed last week as well and was a commission. For me, "Lirico" is one of those sculptures that has that "amazing full of expression" face...even unpainted I could see in my minds eye the fire he has in his eyes...here are his final photos.....lots of them :)

I'm also working on purchasing a new camera...the one I have is an el-cheapo one I've had since 2000 that takes small file photos and is a simple point and shoot camera...time to upgrade for sure. I'm going with a Canon...I think the T2i model.

Back in the 80s I used to take lots of photos with my a Pentax camera...I still have the camera and all the lenses. Times have moved on and the days of cameras with film in them are gone....I really needed to take a photography class at the time so that I could learn how to use that camera....still do need classes :) ...or at least join a forum to learn more and how to take better photos.

Have a wonderful day everyone!
C.S.Richmond Studios

In the studio .....the joy of painting!

2012-04-03T15:18:00.000-04:00

Chugging along here in the studio...a few of the works in progress include:

My next sales item in progress...a Breyer Andalusian resin sculpted by the talented Bridgette Eberl. I've titled this project "Alejandro" which means "defends mankind"...he is about 75% completed at this point and is being painted to a dark steel dappled rose grey...one of my favorite colors...

...below is a wonderful traditional "Wyakin" resin sculpted by the talented Michelle Platt..."Wyakin" seen here is about 60% completed...I'll be incorporating lots of fine hair detail on this project.

...below a wonderful "Senator" resin sculpted by the talented Bridgette Eberl...here I have applied two coats of paint so far..you can see there beside "Senator" the reference horse color that "Senator" will become....

....and here is a very extensive project....a traditional sized Annihilator resin sculpted by the talented Debbi Lermond....I've applied 5 layers of hair detailing so far with about three layers more to go..... you can see behind Annihilator the reference photos I'm using to paint by.

....

..and wonderful Lirico nears completion...Lirico is sculpted by the talented Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig...Lirico in this photo is about 98% completed...

The two Rose Reiners are dry enough now to apply the next coat of colors.....more prepping to do on several projects...some application primer as well...and some shipments to go out to their owners.

Sometimes as I sit here painting I think what it is that keeps that "artists spirit" and "drive" going...what inspires an artist?

I can only speak for myself and from my point of view ..."inspiration"..the feeling when I, as an artist, see something that inspires....I can describe it as a wave of inner fire and my mind thinks "wow that would be so neat to create!"....such as when I see photos of wonderful life sized tree sculptures ...with lighted lanterns hanging from the limbs ...sculpted trees on an interior wall of a home....looking so real!

"Inspiration" from seeing a photo of a live horse full of color and fire and I think "wow! Now that color would be a challenge to replicate!".

"Challenge" and "goal"...I think those are my two most prominent words that come to mind ...and "inspire" me and give me the "drive" to create.

GOAL....The "goal" for me is to improve with each item I create..."click it up a notch and add to" ...."improve" with each item I create. To learn and see something new in a reference photo that I can add to improve the final product.

A second and equally important "goal" is for me to provide my customer the highest quality workmanship I possibly can and also to provide the highest quality customer service from my "company" that I can provide. From my perspective and in my point of view, my studio "company" is no different than any other company out there in the public eye.

CHALLENGE....The "challenge" for me is to have a photo placed in front of me....and a 3-D sculpture offered as my canvas...and then asked to replicate those colors and or pattern on that 3-D canvas....and then to find the right "tools" or "technique" that will match the sculpture and replicate the color. Each item I paint seems to require a different application of technique to achieve the most accurate result and color matching. For me there has been no set template for painting a 3-D equine sculpture .....no set application of color layers nor mixing of paint colors ...no rhyme or reason ..each different in its' own creation just as each live horse is different in life.

More soon!
Have a wonderful day everyone!
C.S.Richmond Studios

...more studio progress...

2012-03-27T14:34:00.000-04:00

Work progresses in the studio on schedule ...two completed commissions late last week and the Lirico is now 99% completed.

Completed are a wonderful Michelle Platt "Boise Bound" traditional draft resin and a handsome "Pipsqueak" mini mustang resin sculpted by Kathi Bougucki. Both "Boise" and "Pipsqueak" were a joy to paint and are fantastic sculptures in person.

Here are photos of "Pipsqueak":

...and here are photos of "Boise":

More soon...photos of Lirico!
Have a wonderful day!
C.S.Richmond Studios

Studio progress....

2012-03-22T14:06:00.000-04:00

I have three commissioned projects almost completed ....one is 99% completed and the other two not far behind. The "Boise Bound" commission is the 99% completed item. I'm at the stage now where I need to wait for a good non cloudy/humid day to apply the sealer to "Boise"...then it is on to taking his portrait photos.

"Boise Bound" is sculpted by the gifted Michelle Platt.

Here is a lovely little "Lirico" commission..."Lirico" is sculpted by the popular Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig. "Lirico" is approximately 90% completed....

I took the photo of "Lirico" a bit late in the day...too much glare from the window at my back reflecting off of "Lirico".

The third commission nearing completion is the darling little "Pipsqueak" mini mustang resin sculpted by the talented Kathi Bogucki..his paint is too wet at this point for taking photos.

Also here is an updated photo of one of my next sales items...a wonderful "Mr. Shadow" resin sculpted by the gifted Nicole Hatch...."Shadow" is approximately 50% completed in this photo...

I also have a Breyer Andalusian mini resin sculpted by the wonderful B. Eberl slotted for a sales item...he is featured in the previous post here on my studio blog.

In the works for another sales project is a splendid "Vega" resin sculpted by the ever popular Mindy Berg. "Vega" will be a shade of dappled grey.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

C.S.Richmond Studios

Photo Experiments

2012-03-20T10:20:00.000-04:00

This morning I experimented with the new backgrounds I purchased a few weeks ago. I purchased three colors of muslin...brown(peach)/green/blue ...blue/green....grey/blue.

This morning I took photos of my Breyer dappled grey in progress project ....I used each of the color backgrounds and took three photos. I did adjust the contrast and warmed the tones a bit...even after the color adjustments you can see the effects the different colored backgrounds had on the color of my horse.

Here is the photo taken using the grey/blue cloth....

Here is the photo taken using the blue/green cloth...

and lastly here is the photo I took using the brown(peach)/green/blue cloth....

Sitting here holding the actual horse in my hand in front of the computer screen the first photo shows the closest-to-real-life color of the horse I'm painting.

The top photo seems to bring out the brown warm tones in the paintwork...even though the cloth is grey/blue it is showing the warm colors in my paintwork.

The bottom photo shows a steel grey horse color while the second photo shows a greenish horse...even with the adjustments the green tint remained. Perhaps a very dark bay or black horse horse would work well with this blue/green background...chestnut?

Practice and experimenting....a learning experience.
Enjoy your day!
C.S.Richmond Studios

Bay roan....

2012-03-12T13:50:00.000-04:00

Last week I began my attempt to capture the color bay roan on a 3-D miniature subject....this little guy is "Pipsqueak" ...a mini 2010 Mustang Stallion sculpted by the gifted Kathi Bogucki...."Pipsqueak is approximately 85% completed in these photos.

I have a mini Bitty Bosco and a traditional El Embosco I'd love to apply this color to....I think this color would work well for those.

Work progresses on commissions....I have high hopes of completing each and every commission item by the end of this year....I have my sails set to do so....and my fingers crossed....my lucky rabbits foot and lucky horse shoe :)

Have a wonderful day everyone!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

"Bulls Eye" primer testing part 2 plus a little this and that...

2012-03-08T09:40:00.000-05:00

Ok....I've applied the Rustolium "Bulls Eye" primer to the little Breyer Andalusian resin and I must say I am very satisfied with the results. I forgot to mention in my last post that I purchased the "Bulls Eye" primer at our local Lowes home and garden center...

My first several layers of the primer were applied using an air brush (my el-cheapo air brush) and the last layer I applied using a small flat soft paint brush just to see how it would work...I thinned the primer to the consistency of light cream or whole milk for the air brush application as well as the application with my brush.

The "Bulls Eye" primer worked well with the application of my first coat of paint....I might remind readers that I am working in oil colors. Below is my Andalusian project with the first coat of oils....this project will be a sales item...

I've applied paint to several projects this week and I've worked on prepping in the evenings as well. Here is a Lirico pictured alongside of the reference photo I'm using to paint by....Lirico is sculpted by the super talented Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig...

...and below is a photo of a wonderful Mr. Shadow...sculpted by the gifted Nicole Hatch...Mr. Shadow is also a sales item I will be offering soon....here Mr. Shadow is pictured next to the reference photo I am painting by...I love this color grey!

...and last but not least, pictured below, is the wonderful Boise Bound resin...sculpted by the super gifted Michelle Platt...here Boise is about 95% completed....

As a side note we had a wonderful little snow the other day...it melted so fast but was very pretty...sticking to everything like powdered sugar...even the blooming daffodils received a powdering.....

Have a wonderful day everyone! Time for me to paint!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

"Bulls Eye" primer testing....

2012-03-01T14:43:00.000-05:00

Well I tried the Rustoleum "Bulls Eye" Primer and I like it....the feel of the applied primer ..once it is dry...is between the feel of Gesso and the Rustolium "Painters Touch Sandable Primer" that comes in the spray can. I've just applied the "Bulls Eye" and it must dry for 24 hours before I can do any sanding.

I used my air brush...the really cheap one...to apply the primer. Now the can reads that if you want to water down the primer to mix no more than 2.5 oz clean water to the whole quart.

The primer as is in the can is semi thick...too thick for my air brush to use.

Soooo.....I mixed two tablespoons of the primer to one tablespoon of water...making my mixture the consistency of cream...light cream.

The color of the primer after I applied it to my project has a blu-ish tone....looking at the item now on my studio shelf sitting next to another item primed with my old spray primer there is definitely a slight blue grey cast.

I'm sure after I apply the coat of Gesso the end result will be a creamy white. I'm going to be painting this project a dappled grey so the blue tones won't make a difference for this project.

Today is 70 degrees and sunny...I applied many thin coats of the primer and let the wet evaporate before I applied another layer of the primer.

Here is what the can looks like:

And here is my project with one coat of primer:

The label also reads that this primer "works with all topcoats"....mentions that this primer works wonderfully with Latex, oil based paints, oil or oil based enamel paints....and that this primer "flows smooth and levels evenly to a flat, easy to sand finish". Using my airbrush this primer, once applied, does have an even surface.

The primer finish is very flat/matte.

I'll post more when I begin to apply my oil colors to this project ....

Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

In the studio....

2012-03-01T11:17:00.000-05:00

The daffodils are starting to bloom! Looking out my studio window here I can see the trees beginning to bud out as well. Shortly they will have those bright green new leaves sprouting! You know the color...that color that is half way between yellow and halfway between green? Lovely!

Work here in the studio is progressing well....Saturday was shipping day with 5 completed commissions shipped out.

The past two days I've been prepping commissions so that I can apply the primer. I like to have at the ready between three and five items to spray primer on at one time....

I also have a new water based sandable primer I want to try. It comes in a quart sized can and is made by Rustoleum.... it's brand name is "Bulls Eye" and cleans up with water, sands easily, and has very low odor....I hope it works well.

I purchased a really cheap air brush a while back to apply my Gesso to my items to be painted. After I apply the primer I like to give the item a coat of Gesso for a slight "tooth" to the surface to be painted....I use the el'cheapo air brush to apply the Gesso....thinning the gesso to about 60/40 (Gesso/water) I apply thin coats to the surface of each item. Let dry overnight between coats. ALWAYS use an approved mask when spraying with an airbrush..or using any kind of spray applications.....even when spraying outside.

I'll have to do a "test" with the primer before I apply it to an item scheduled to be painted....

Here are a few things I'm working on in the studio....you all may have seen some of these projects in previous posts...

The above photo is of a wonderful "Boise" resin sculpted by the talented Michelle Platt. Here in this photo "Boise" has about three coats of color...with the last coat I've worked in some of the darker areas and the beginnings of the dark dapples.

The above "Rose Reiner" I've posted previously here....in this photo "Reiner" has had the pinking of his skin applied as well as the darker shadows of his white coat. "Reiner" is sculpted by the talented Sarah Rose.

Here you can also see that I have removed this copy of "Reiner" from his base.

Above is the "Wyakin" resin, another wonderful sculpture created by the talented Michelle Platt. This copy of Wyakin is being painted to a detailed snowcap appaloosa. I've applied the first few layers of her dark base coat color and now I've applied the skin pinking and dark shading to the white areas of her coat.

Last but not least is another copy of the "Rose Reiner". This copy will be a pintaloosa color....I am comfortable with his pattern except the area near the poll/mane area...I dunno...might change that...will see.

The above "Reiner" has had one coat of paint applied.....lots lots and lots more to go on this project.
More updates soon!

Enjoy your day everyone!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

"Royal Poet" is now sold....

2012-02-27T13:27:00.000-05:00

Just a short note...little "Royal Poet" has found a home....he is sold.

Thank you everyone for the kind emails and compliments on this project!

Back to the work bench and wet paint now....

Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

Don't mess with what isn't broken...

2012-02-27T07:23:00.000-05:00

This is one of my all time favorite photos I took at Breyerfest in 2009...I love the colors here...black velvet and Friesian colors! This costume if fantastic yes?

I have a couple of mini Friesian resins to paint here in the studio....gorgeous Friesian dark red/brown/black colors...wonderful!

Well, sadly my sales item "Royal Poet" didn't meet his reserve bid....sooooo I'm back to offering sales items via my web page at a set price.....offering sales via my web page gives customers the opportunity to make time payments...time payments are not an option via Ebay sales since PayPal via Ebay won't allow partial payments.

My next sales item should be a wonderful "Mr. Shadow" TB race horse resin sculpted by the talented Nicole Hatch. I'm painting Mr. Shadow to a warm dappled grey using a race horse reference photo I've had on hand for a while.

Also on the sales horizon is a "Vega" resin...sculpted by the gifted Mindy Berg. "Vega" will be a dappled grey as well.

In the shipping department...Saturday was outgoing shipment day for 5 completed commissions....time for some serious prepping days now!

Have a wonderful day everyone!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

Mad to the bone...

2012-02-23T08:27:00.000-05:00

I've been working on an Annihilator for a long while now...the guy pictured below has lots of details to be added...layer by layer and hair by hair. I've completed the first layer of details...well actually there is a dark detail layer under the light detail layer which is on the neck and face area... now I'm moving on to the second layer...or I should say the third layer. The brightness of the first layer will be somewhat muted after the second layer of details has been applied. My last and final layer of hair detail will be the lightest in color.

I'm still not comfortable with the pattern around the withers...I may alter that soon....that area is really bugging me!

Later I'll add more white patches on the neck....I'm working from a reference photo which shows lots of ticking and small white patches and lighter areas on the neck....

He would be along the lines of the Sugarbush drafters in color....this guy is a commissioned item.

I used oils for the base colors and now I'm applying acrylic hair detail over the oils.

Off to paint now! Have a wonderful day everyone!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

"Royal Poet" (Callahan) auction live....

2012-02-22T05:55:00.000-05:00

"Royal Poet"

Ebay auction link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Callahan-Littlebit-Scale-Irish-Cob-Horse-Resin-Sculpted-Adalee-Velasquez-/220960311278?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item337242c7ee#ht_7175wt_1053

Here he is....notice the new background fabric...now here is a photo taken with the plain grey background (top) and the brown/peach/grey background (bottom)...to my eyes the photo taken with the brown/peach/grey background is much easier on the eyes...seems to warm the color of the sculpture up just a tad. What do you all think?

Have a wonderful day everyone!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

"Royal Poet" auction goes live 2.21.2012

2012-02-21T16:21:00.000-05:00

Little "Callahan" resin...."Royal Poet" Ebay auction going live tonight 2.21.2012 at around 10:30 PM PST. He will run for a 5 day auction.

I figured out how to add the photos right into the auction without so that auction lookers would not have to click on the photo section of the auction...the photos are extra large too....I wondered how other artists were adding the photos right to their auctions. I was about to email another artists when I saw the little HTML tab there in the edit section. To my eyes having those photos...and lots of them...right there on the page really adds to the auction.

I had mentioned in a previous blog post that I had ordered some new backgrounds. For "Royal Poets" ad I chose to use a warm peach/brown/grey muslin background to go with his warm dappled grey color.

It has been a while since I've had an auction.....testing the waters :)

My husband and I traveled to a model horse show last weekend..the Sea 2 Bay model horse show....it had been since 2009 since I had been. It was a wonderful show...it was great to see friends again and to meet new ones! The model horses were gorgeous and the tables were full in 99% of the classes. The show hall was fantastic and very very nice! Everyone was so nice and it was a great time!

I completed the big Boreas resin. He sure is stunning in person!

Boreas did very well at the show..he won champion in the draft breed classes and champion in the draft breed workmanship classes.

The other little one that did well was miss "Daisy Chane" ..."Daisy Chane" is the collaboration project that Karla Zdoik of Kamansa Corner Studiosand I did last year. I had been tinkering around with a Breyer Balking Mule and I knew that I just did not have the sculpting ability to create all of the hair on miss "Daisy". So there the mule sat for a few years..I had managed to get the muzzle done and get her redone so that she sat on her haunches and a quirky tilt to her hed.... but that is about it. Finally I had looked at that mule long enough....I contacted Karla to see if she would work on the sculpting. Karla did a fantastic job on the hair...the flow and pattern of that hair is amazing and so real looking. Stunning!

Miss Daisy Chane won 1st in long ears breed ...champion in the CM long ears/exotics , mix half grade, and other pure breed classes...1st in workmanship and reserve champion in workmanship for the long ears mix half grade, and other pure breed classes.

I'll be posting "Royal Poets" auction link here and other places tomorrow morning....have a wonderful day everyone!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

Winter with no winter...

2012-02-15T18:31:00.000-05:00

Well I'm not sure where winter is but it sure has not been in my neck of the woods. This winter season has been fitting right into place with the crazy events of last year. It is only fitting that we have no snow and temps in the 60s for weeks on end.

We did feel a bit of old man winter a few days ago when the temps dipped into the mid twenties at night...and one squall of "thunder snow" last weekend. Snow in a thunderstorm...who would have thought there could be such a thing.

I took the above photo last summer..view is from my studio window which is at my back. The purple shrub in known as a "Butterfly Bush"...that is what we call them anyway. Appropriately named as the blooms are covered with butterflies all summer.
I don't think I've posted this photo here before....I post so many photos here and there it is difficult to remember where I've posted what :)

I've completed the photos of "Royal Poet"...the mini Callahan sculpted by the talented Adalee Hude. His paintwork is all nice and dry and his sealer has been applied...he is set! I have some new background photography material colors coming in and I'd like to experiment with the new colors to see how they do with warm dappled grey colors.

I'll be listing "Royal Poet" to Ebay sometime next week. It has been a while since I had a sales item...and I've been battling back and forth on where to list him. My Auction Barn or Ebay....Ebay or My Auction Barn. Ebay won out....

Stay tuned! More info on the "Royal Poet" sale soon!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

Full steam....

2012-02-08T15:44:00.000-05:00

I am a morning person.

I love waking at 4 or 5 AM and beginning my day early. I love to eat my breakfast while I read the online news, check emails, scout Facebook for more news and events, and the various model horse sales sites and forums.

I gave up coffee back before Christmas..cold turkey. Yep..sure did. Of course I switched to green and herbal teas ....there are so many glorious flavors of teas. Fruit flavors and spice flavors...and mixtures of fruit and spice.

The only time I miss coffee is when I smell it brewing....sigh.

Completed this afternoon is a nice Rose Reiner sculpted by the talented Sarah Rose.

Reiner is very impressive in person...and his face is full of personality.

I still need to take a few more photos of Reiners face...he still has wet paint so that will have to wait a few days.

Another wonderful sculpture just completed is a Sarah Minkiewicz Fandango resin. I love this little sculpture! I also had the honor to paint Fandangos match Kotillian....both wonderful sculptures..full of fire and personality.

And last but not least is the fantastic Boreas resin. Boreas is sculpted by the talented Karen Gerhardt and is almost completed...I only need to paint his eyes.

My sales item "Royal Poet" is completed...he is the little Callahan resin sculpted by the talented Adalee Hude. I only need to get his final photos so I can post those here and on my web page....and he is going to a show with me this month. He will go up for sale after the show so stay tuned!

Have a wonderful day everyone!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

Working through the aftershocks...

2012-02-01T08:02:00.000-05:00

I began prepping my next sales item Monday afternoon and I worked through about 7:30 PM....I heard a muffled shot gun like sound at about 6:30 PM and thought nothing of it since squirrel hunting season is still in ....altho it was a tad dark at that time.

The next morning the news reported another aftershock of 3.2 centered near Mineral Virginia. There have been over 60 aftershocks now....and besides the big quake back in August 2011 this aftershock is the only one I've heard...no shaking just sound. The sound that the quake and the aftershock makes amazes me....the August quake made a sound like twenty heavy freight locomotives going down our road at once...amazing.

I'm sure that if I had not chosen the career path I took I would have went to school to study being a meteorologist...

Another crazy sound was after the hurricane went through here the trees were weakened by the 62 MPH constant winds and the heavy rain. About a week after the hurricane, on a warm calm night, we were awakened shortly after midnight by a loud popping echoing sound in the nearby woods down behind our house. Since our house windows were open we could hear the sound well.

If you have ever watched the nature shows on the sounds the icebergs or ice flows make ...the deep echoing cracking sound they make...you know the sound we heard. The sound went on for about 30 minutes...

There are houses behind us and apparently our neighbors in those woods were awakened my the sound as well....we saw flashlights moving around those houses. I'm sure that our neighbors were worried that a tree was going to fall into their homes.

Finally there was one last pop-echo and the tree crashed to the ground. No harm done except to the tree itself.

The photo above is of my next sales item, a Mr. Shadow resin by the talented Nicole Hatch, and a Lirico resin sculpted by the talented Sarah Minkiewicz.

Mr. Shadow will be painted to the same colors I used to paint the commissioned B. Eberl Kladruber. I have a TB race horse photo I used to paint the dappled grey colors onto the Kladruber and I'll be using the same race horse photo as my guide to paint Mr. Shadow. I will have to begin thinking of a title for Mr. Shadow...

On the commission front I've almost completed six commissions and my Callahan sales item is still waiting completion. Those six commissions will all be completed at about the same time...so I'm betting I will have a full day of taking/editing photos once those are done.

Time to paint! Have a wonderful day everyone!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

"Royal Poet" ...making progress...

2012-01-26T14:24:00.000-05:00

Well...here is the progress on "Royal Poet"....taking his photos today is a struggle...I think it is because it's cloudy today and even tho I have my photography lights on while taking the photos but I still think that the sunlight helps me and my camera with getting the subject color correct.

I still need to finish his details...mane, tail, hooves, eyes...I am happy with his skin markings. It is a challenge for me with painting those face and skin markings.... getting the shape and pattern of the horses skin markings to look correct....something to practice, practice and practice on :)

Have a great day everyone!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios

Brushes for getting paint into small areas....

2012-01-25T11:06:00.000-05:00

This morning I'm working on painting the base of the Fandango resin. Since he is permanently attached to his base I needed to use a tiny brush to paint those little tight small spaces. I like to use these mini air brush applicators for this task. They can easily be washed out with soap and water and re-used regardless of the painting mediums you are using.....I find that they survive about three to four washings before they wear down and need to be tossed. Here I'm working with oil colors.

Enjoy your day!
Sandra Hottinger
C.S.Richmond Studios