Beach Day!

Jeff's away and I've been dealing with some depression and probably cabin fever the past week or so.  I finally decided that I needed to get out of the house.  I figured my options were: go to the beach or go find (real) horses again.  I opted for the beach, since I haven't actually done much driving here and I wasn't sure I was up for my first big solo expedition.  However, a solo beach trip wasn't without some apprehension either...

I've mentioned this before, but after spending the vast majority of my life landlocked, I now find myself living about 3 miles from the Pacific - as the crow flies.  It took me a little while to get used to beach walks; the ocean scares me.  Oh, it is without a doubt beautiful and fascinating, but I just hadn't been around it much at all.  Now living in the land of earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons (oh my!) doesn't really help either.  Jeff and I have walked a particular stretch of beach many times.  It was there that I decided to go.

I also decided it wouldn't be just a stroll along the beach; I went on a mission to take my first ever model horse pictures... by the ocean!

When I first arrived, I studied the shoreline near the parking lot, watching the waves and trying to figure out a good place to setup.  I decided on a slight rise that was mostly out of the water, but did get "flooded" every so often.  I wanted some water pics, but didn't want the horses going into the drink.  ;)  I didn't want to get soaked either.

I took several horses with me, but only photographed a few of them.  It was a cold, windy, snowy day (more on that later).

First up was Lionesse.

Crashing surf behind her!

Here comes some water...

Bam!  Water horse picture!  ;)

That instantly became my new favorite model horse picture, but I'm fond of this one too.  As the water receded, the reflection on the sand was beautiful.

So beautiful... so majestic... so...

Oops.

A wind gust made her topple, so I decided that was enough for her photo shoot.

I took her back to the car and brought out this guy.

A wave building behind him.

Here it comes!

His water horse shot.

Pretty reflection.

Last one.  I think the angle on this one was the best for him.  I was crouched down, holding the camera just off the sand and sort of "shooting blind".

I nestled him on a nearby breaker (far from the water) and moved on to my next experiment.

A mini!

I had high hopes for being able to get some great Stablemate pictures, but I had trouble getting the focus just right and I didn't dare wait for a wave to possibly wash him away.  He was able to stand on top of the sand, versus sinking into it, but I did have to plant him a bit since the wind actually knocked him over a few times.

I only took a few pictures of him and then decided to call it a day on that part of the trip.

I wasn't completely alone on the beach, Max was with me.  While I wrangled plastic ponies, he patiently waited.

Happy Max

After the pony pictures, I asked him if he was ready to go for a walk.  He replied with his skeptical face.

Skeptical Max is skeptical

I meant it though and after stowing the ponies back in the car, we set off up the beach.

Way out along some breakers I saw ducks.  You can also see the snow in this picture.  It had started snowing just as I finished the photo shoot and by the time we got to our turn around point, it was really coming down.

We stopped the walk at a freshwater runoff canal, where Max got a drink.

Then it was time to turn around and head back.  Often Jeff and I will cross the canal and keep going, but I didn't want to overdo it today, particularly for Max who's knees aren't what they once were.  :(

It was snowing for the whole walk, but I don't think either of us minded; Max and I both love snow.  It was the first time I've walked on a beach in a snowstorm.  It was pretty cool.

Along the way, Max found a few sticks and carried each of them for a bit, but none of them were worth keeping he said.  He has found several sticks and a couple of other random things on the beach.  If he really likes them, he'll carry them all the way back to the car and leave them in it.  The back seat of Jeff's car usually has a few of Max's beach treasures on it.

One last picture as I contemplate that I "survived" another walk by the ocean - and I wasn't even nervous about it.

Challenge - Day 4: Favorite Model Horse Picture

Day 4 of the Copperfox Challenge is to post your favorite model horse picture.

I do have some old favorites but, as it turns out, I also have a new favorite - as of yesterday.

(Full story on the first ever model horse beach trip in my next post!)

Quick Post: To The Beach! (also Challenge Day 3)

Today I am planning a mini excursion to the beach.  I plan to...  take model horse pictures!  I've always been inspired by beach pictures that others have shared and so I think I'm going to go see if I can manage to take some of my own.

Wish me luck!



Oh, and...  the Copperfox Challenge for Day 3 is: Be a Model Horse

That's a tough one, I'm not really sure...  I think being a Stablemate could be fun if you could come to life and go exploring around the house, you could get into small places that way.  However, you might also be in danger of being eaten quickly by the household cat or dog if you were that small.

Maybe a Traditional scale would be better.   ;)

As far as mold and color, well, I like action poses.  Maybe one of the Breyer racing molds.  Color - probably either black or something flashy like a loud appy or pinto.

Sorry, I'm not terribly specific.  I guess I've just never thought about being a model horse!  Real horse - yes.  ;)

Copperfox Challenge - Day 2: Name A Horse

Day two of the Copperfox Challenge is to name a model or your barn.

I've actually been throwing around ideas for a barn name, but I haven't settled on anything yet.

So, instead, I present: Copper Penny, or Copper for short.

Copperfox Challenge - Day 1: Inspiration

I just came across this:

Copperfox 10 Day Challenge

I really like the various 30 day challenges and so on that I've seen - though I've yet to take part in one.  They seem to most often be on Instagram and I'm still barely getting started over there (I'm horsetenderstudio, if anyone is curious).

This challenge from Copperfox sounds like fun.

Day 1: Inspiration should be easy for me, especially since minutes before finding out about this, I had just hauled my reference picture project into the living room to chip away at while I binge watch Heartland.

I'd have to say though that one of my biggest model horse inspirations, right off the top of my head, is Jennifer Buxton of Braymere Custom Saddlery.   She is an inspiration to me, both on the model horse front and for blogging as well. Her "tack tips" have been a massive help as I take my sporadic baby steps into the world of making "real" model horse tack - and I'm sure I'll be referring back to them quite often!

Another big inspiration, for customizing and sculpting in particular, is Rayvin Brewer of Khrysalis Studios.  Her recommendations on reference books, as well as her tips that she posts, and video tutorials, are all such a big help.

There are many, many other amazing sculptors, painters, tack and prop makers, as well as other non-hobby people who inspire me.

Thinking on it though, my biggest inspiration has to be: the horse.

My boy, Bo

MOAR Reference Pictures

I've been working on more clean up, all over the house.

Yesterday I was in the studio for a while, but didn't make anything.  Instead, I shuffled some things around to put the proper items in the labeled drawers.  I definitely have to come up with another way of storing leather - and fabric - as these little drawers just won't work to hold all of it.  Otherwise, things seem to be working well and I'm very happy to finally have a place for a lot of random things that have been laying around.

I did get slightly side tracked by going through a stack of magazines for references.  A few of the drawers had been stuffed with magazines and other reference material during the move.  I had to pull them all out, to put the labeled contents in.  Instead of just moving the pile to somewhere else in the mess-- er, studio, I decided to go through them.  I tore out the pages I was interested in and cut some of the pictures out.

At some point I'm going to have to have another layout marathon, where I arrange the pictures in my reference binders.  I have quite a few pictures, articles, and so on, ready to be filed.

As always, whenever I go through my references, I want to stop what I'm doing, shove everything aside, grab a horse, and get to work.  However, that constant back and forth struggle is why 1) my studio is such an epic mess and 2) I don't actually seem to get much creative work DONE.  I'm trying to be "good" and keep at the cleaning and organizing as long as possible...  before I can't take it anymore and have to make something.  ;)

 

Quick Post: Need Sleep

Jeff is away right now and when he's gone I have a tendency to start returning to my old night owl ways.

Last night, er, this morning, I finally fell asleep at about 2am.

As a result, I slept in until 10 and...  haven't accomplished much today.

Hoping I can get myself to bed earlier tonight and get more done tomorrow!