A few of Fridays ago, there was a blog post on Braymere Custom Saddlery about a post on the NaMoPaiMo Facebook page asking for fellow model horse artists to post their first and current customs. It was amazing to see the drastic difference between them all! So, I had to make a photo myself.
The first one was done in 2009 and the current one was in 2018. Experience in detail is one thing. But what stands out the most - is the knowledge of color genetics. Before I get to that, my first custom (Penelope) is from a customizing kit by Breyer that I had gotten for that Christmas prior. As far as color - I had NO IDEA that Pinto Appaloosas (Pintaloosas) actually existed! I fantasized in creating such a breed that looked much like Penelope here with an Arabian body and the combination of patterns. Years and years later, after being introduced to Pinterest, only then did I find out that my fantasy breed already existed. I also later learned that the Leopard Complex (Appaloosa pattern) acts like the Merle gene in dogs. It distributes the base color by either diluting it or adding white hairs to it. I also found out that Pinto patterns masks out color. Therefore, since the Leopard Complex occurs only on the base color - the pattern does not cross over to the masked out areas. So, my original thought on the combination isn't possible, unless by illusion of a possible "blanket." But even if a "blanket" was present, the colored edges would be jagged. It's still amazing to see the difference, though.
