Rebel in the Making - Part 4

I worked late last night, which threw off my plans. Not a big deal, time to open the calendar and move things around. I am BIG into planning a project. Often I should just spend the time doing projects instead of planning them... But really, planning out a project is really helpful. Accounting for the time it takes epoxy, paint, primer, sealer, or even a washed horse to dry is important. When you have a deadline in mind (and it often takes a deadline for me to finish the thing), I find it helpful to work backward in your timeline. 

My goal is to have Rebel prepped, primed, and ready to paint by the beginning of February for NaMoPaiMo. Since he started the month headless, I had a ways to go. It takes about a solid week for me to prep a customized model, if things go according to plan. I want to try something new with interchangeable manes (and maybe tails?). Each different mane will take a day to sculpt, then will need to cure overnight. That can't be done until the neck is done, and that's going to take several sculpting sessions to get it right. Then there's adding his pegs, redoing his ears, moving a leg, etc. Where do those fit in with what I'm already doing? When working with fresh epoxy, I've learned not to work on opposite ends of the horse, as I am bound to ruin one end when I move on to the other end. So that limits working on a leg and the neck in the same sitting (unless maybe it's a very small area). When will I have enough time (and energy) to tackle a big sculpting session? Are there other projects that I should do alongside for efficiencies sake? These are some of the considerations I take into account when I map out my plan. And my plan is bound to shift so allowing for some contingency time is helpful. 

I'm planning to sculpt his braided mane this Saturday (big sculpting session that requires dedicated focus, so Sat morning is perfect). That means his neck has to be completely done, including prepping (but not fully primed). This is important because it is too hard to prep and fiddle with sculpting the neck after the braids are permanently sculpted on. I should probably get those ears on and any head tweaking done as well before the braids go on. So, the resulting plan for the rest of this week... (oh, and life and work has to fit into this plan, blah! - yay for a flex Friday so I can work half the day!)

So, here he is today after sanding seams and giving him a rinse. This helps me to start to see where tweaks might need to be made to the sculpture, especially what I need to do next with the neck.

It's not much tonight, but any progress is good progress!

(and thanks to those who read and comment on the blog - knowing someone is following along helps me to stay motivated!)