How to Sculpt an Ear with a Breathing Hole

Shadow's extremely large breathing hole in her left nostril.

Typically, when customizing, artists will fill in the factory breathing hole that's located in the nostrils or the corner of the mouth and drill a small hole in the groin where it would be properly hidden. However, I like to place my models (OF and CMs alike) in water when I'm doing photo shoots at either a lake or a river.

Strider - CL CM

Which means...

Partly Cloudy & Emerald Isle - TR OF

the water level...

Drizzle - TR OF - Look at that Splash!

…can get pretty high.

So, having a hole in the groin makes me uncomfortable when envisioning the water level rising up through the hole and getting locked inside the hollow model - therefore, causing molding. 

That's when I started brainstorming on how to place a hidden hole in the ear. It actually didn't take me that long to figure it out, it was more of trying it out to see if it would work is why it took me so long.

Supplies:

Metal Needle Sculpting Tool

Cone Shape Silicone Blending Tool (these are used for oil paints)

Old Paint Brush for applying the Rubbing Alcohol

Two-Part Sculpting Material (Aves Apoxie or Magic Sculpt)

Rubbing Alcohol

Dremel w/ Diamond Bit Drill

First thing you need to do is drill a hole that's big enough to "find" during sculpting. Make sure it's in the correct location for the ear.

EDIT! Also have a larger hole in the belly or the groin, so that you can empty out any dried Apoxie that have accidentally broken off inside while sculpting. (Thankfully, the hole that I had already sculpted over has a layer of masking tape with the sticky side pointed inward to catch any little stuff that had dislodged over time).

It helps to sculpt one ear and let it cure before sculpting the other one. This enables you to not accidentally smash one ear while sculpting the other.

Once one ear is cured (this one is not one with a hole in it, by the way), carefully shape the  second one to be similar shape and size.

When folding the ear, keep it more open and poke the metal needle tool through what would be the ear canal.

Of course, I'm sculpting an ear that is pointed backwards! But, I'm sure this technique would work no matter which way the ear is pointed.

Carefully place the ear over the hole and mold it to the desired position.

Take the needle tool again and gently press the Apoxie to the sides of the hole.

Now, you need a small snake (a little longer than this piece) for the muscle around the ear.

And smooth it to the head and ear (use the silicone tool for blending to the ear). This helps prop up the ears - otherwise, they would lay over on the head funny and not look natural.

Now saturate the inside of the ear and smooth (and texture) it with the silicone tool. Also, continue to smooth out or texture the base of the ear to the head.

Congratulations! You have now made an ear with a breathing hole in it!!

The Craziness of Life

 

As we all know it, life is crazy and blogging is hard. Crazy as in not updating the blog due to not having the time or energy to do so. Hard as in not being in the mood to write. And then updates are hard - especially if it's been awhile, so the list is long.

As it is, I sold my spinning wheel since I wasn't using it (because I was frustrated with keeping the wheel going the correct direction without un-spinning what I had just spun). It went to a real nice couple who's lives almost nearly mirrored my family's. We talked for well over an hour, two maybe. The money is going to be going for a Zoom Lens that I have been needing to invest in for photographing better action pictures of the 4H Dog Program.

I found out that Peter Stone model horses are hollow. Apparently, they are better at hiding the breathing holes than Breyer.....but they are expertly small that they might get clogged easier - hence the reason why I couldn't find the one on this girl and on my TWH, Porter. This girl is my ICEE project and will be painted for NaMoPaiMo. She'll have a winter coat that is short enough to be tack friendly. Her name is Camilla Rose. She's going to be a Grulla Tobiano and Buster Baxter's mate.

The cats got new beds, because the old ones were beyond cleanable and they refused to sleep in them. However, due to this one's moodiness (and she's spayed!) and that it's the time of year that the sun shines on my floor again (purrfect place for a cat!), one bed is on the floor and the other is on my bed. Lightning has claimed the bed, while the moody one who doesn't want to share with her brother, sleeps in the one on the floor.

It's also cold enough that we set up the cat baskets, too.

I did say cat baskets, right?

Yeah, the old man manages to climb into the cat basket when he's looking for a quiet place to sleep or when the other two beds are taken by Jasper and Merk (Jasper's too big to share a bed, but Merk is right size - just a little too crazy for Sam).

Studio life has been crazy, too. I am working on a couple of commissions and a bunch of sale pieces that I hope I could get finished by an upcoming live show in which I am hoping to be able to attend in the beginning of November.

Of course, one of the commissions piece decided to make this position difficult to achieve in the muscle structure department. He's getting there, though. Just a few more steps before working on his base.

This girl's tail got thicker than I had expected - thankfully, her owner loves it! She is now in the never ending layers of white stage. I have to try and keep myself from "dreaming" about painting her, as I would come back to the studio with unrealistic expectations (I've done this before with a triangle shawl I was weaving - kept dreaming of finishing it when it was still in the beginning stages of weaving!)

Food has been hard and super depressing with being on a grain-free (I can do rice now), dairy-free (testing the shallows), and nightshade-free (or mostly free - still have taco seasoning which has multiple nightshade spices) for aiding healing with my ulcerative colitis. This is my adaption of a burrito: Almond Flour Tortillas, Taco Chicken, Almond Milk Cheese (milk cheeses melt better than oil cheeses - though Coconut Oil Cheese is great un-melted), Cilantro, and Avocado.

I've also been adapting recipes out of one of my favorite cookbooks, the Redwall Cookbook by Brian Jacques (I LOVE THIS BOOK SERIES!!!) This is the Hotroot Sunsalad and it has Parsnips (which taste like carrots), Carrots, and Sweet Potato (supposed to be Jerusalem Artichoke, but where do you find that?! Found out that sweet potato is commonly used as a substitute).

The A & D Photo Show is a themed show on Facebook that specifically has classes for certain molds - OFs and CMs. Which is great! Because that means I could get done some customs on the molds that are themed each month! Now let's see if I can get this guy done by the end of the month.

Or this guy (he just needs to be sealed),

Or this guy. He is colored pencil on an OF base. I really like the original finish, but he had some stuff stuck on him that I couldn't get off. Perfect reason to cover it up through customization! Of course, he needed his white socks to be more white and not yellowed or creamy in this case. He's almost done, too. His name is Raed - pronounced "RAY-dunn" meaning Thunder in Arabic.

Kala is getting her whites whitened - this is the reason why I haven't shown her yet.

Been coming back to pieces, too, and adding some as well. Not all of those are sale pieces - the dog, the Mini Whinnie running full stride Appy, and Raed. Yes, that SM Fuzzy Pony will be for sale!

This guy's been fun....and the simplest of them all! His name's Jack Frost.

Another one I'm returning to. I had originally planned on him being a dun and had a terrible dorsal down his spine. It bugged me so much that I dashed that plan and removed it this past week and started working on his whites again.

Mr. Collecto got some more hairing. Someday, he'll be ready for primer....

Had also been matching up satchels. I finally decided to only make the satchels for the models I create and not for sale separately as I am not sewing on a machine consistently.

Yesterday, I took a different avenue and did some flatwork to try and use up some nice mixtures of blue paints...

Yeah, I have a lot more paint than I had expected, so I painted another one. Can you see them? There's a school of them!

I had also gotten an ad out to try and sell some of the sets I already have made up. Sold a 6-pole set and a 3-pole set so far. They're also a made to order item. 

Finally got around to sewing his name on his satchel - finished Sonya's yesterday, going to do pictures later today.

Also have been working on fun pictures of each sales piece to put on their ID tag. This is Cobalt and he's super cool! Totally want to keep him, but I really need to let go of those catchy, cool ones if I'm going to make this business avenue work.

This is a screenshot of the Breyerfest 2021 Cavalia video performance. Going to be making my own rendition in model horse scale while using Bear (a TWH gelding) since I still don't have a TR scale Friesian!) I was planning on having it completed by the deadline for the Field of Dolls Photo Show Fall show, but wasn't in the mood for hand sewing (yes, hand sewing!), so I'll be working on this outfit hopefully next month and over the new year.

Researching cat hats....

...And making a model cat scale one, too!

Yes, I know I'm insane for sewing something this small out of felt!

(Though, I did find out that crocheting in this scale is beyond my limits!)

Enjoying nature's spirals.

Here's a Bratwurst.

Surprises!

 The intention for NaMoPaiMo is to challenge yourself to try something new or to get better at something you struggle with - all in addition to something fellow collectors and artists do together for fun. Prize? Well, the prize is the model you completed. But there are additional prizes for the champion of the day or.....I don't know what else.....outstanding entrant?

I have been participating for all five years, and ironically, my anatomy horse has taken those same exact years to complete.

Well, PayPal's Goods and Services can really spoil the surprise with those shipment notification emails in these cases.

Me? Getting an additional prize for NaMoPaiMo? 

More like a dream - but is this real?

Yep, it was for real!

New tiny brushes, new tiny medallion, a vinyl sticker by DeeJayBe, and some sour twizzler type candies....

And just when I thought I won't have a new medallion to paint in time for the Paint a Medallion Month in June - I now have a new one!

I have found a way to make the cool stickers last longer by turning them into magnets!

Just stick them onto some scrapbook paper, cut that out and glue to some cardstock, then take one of those magnets from a used up notepad and hot glue it to the back.

Thank you all for these wonderful prizes!