New G3 Custom - Guess Who?

[SudsyPony]

Hi, all! I wanted to show my process as I work on my new custom, and I thought it would be fun if I just posted pictures as I worked on it and let you all guess who it is lol. Here is a hint: this is a popular character from both a series and a video game. I have a feeling someone is going to get it pretty early on, but probably not this first post cause this is just the prep stage.

I decided to use a Golden Delicious from my bait box because I like that her head is turned slightly down and away--I can make a great expression out of that. She has a pink stain on her neck that I think is from the dress she came in. I could probably get it off if I worked at it, but for this particular character, I think the stain is fine.

I washed the pony with soap and water, took the cutie mark and eyes off with acetone, removed the hair, washed her again, and she is ready for customization!

How I remove hair: I sometimes MacGyver my way through things instead of buying proper tools lol. I put the pony in scorching hot water to soften it and squish the butt until I can just pull the tail out with my fingers. For the mane, I cut it as short as possible with cuticle scissors. Then I use my 5yo’s safety scissors to scrape the glue inside the head until the hair comes out. I can open the scissors slightly to make a little fork if I need to grip or pry it. They are not sharp, so they don't damage the pony or cut the hair. They are also easier to grip than tweezers.

I tend to not be overly particular about getting every last bit of paint out of the corner of the eyes because I know I am going to paint over it anyway. Tip for if you're getting into customizing ponies: you don't HAVE to remove the eyes at all. A lot of people like to keep the original eyes as a template! But I have a pretty distinct style I like to do for the eyes, and I also like the freedom to move the pupil around if I want my pony to be looking a certain direction, so the eyes go!

And FINALLY, here is the pony. (Sorry, I know I blab)

 

[Twinkle-eye]

They look kind of cool with all the paint off.

 

[SudsyPony]

They look kind of cool with all the paint off.

I think so too. I have a partially customized pony where it is totally stripped of all paint and has storm-colored gray hair with a white stripe, and i haven't finished it yet because I honestly think it looks awesome like that lol.

Here is part 2 of this customization: the rehair! I don't think there is really anything special or interesting about the way I root hair. I have tried a few different types of needles, and the ones I like the most are HSJ123 Doll Hair Rerooting Needles on Amazon. But honestly, I can see people liking other ones more if you like them to have a finer point or whatever your preference is. The tool itself is one I bought on Dollyhair along with some hair I bought from them a while back. I hated the needles it came with as I found them to be too flimsy, but the tool itself works great.

Rehairing tip: Keep the needle short. It doesn't need to be long, and the longer you have it, the easier it will break. This means you need to use a tool that allows you to adjust how far the needle sticks out. One of the cheap ones I got on Amazon doesn't do that. It keeps the needle sticking out really far, and as a result, I broke a ton of needles when I first started out.

And because I am MacGyver: In a pinch, you can make your own rerooting needle with a sewing needle and wire cutters. It doesn't result in the greatest of rerooting needles but it works...

For this particular pony, because I wanted the tail to be really long, I didn't do the traditional fold-in-half with the tail. I kept the length by knotting it on one end and securing it with a couple of zip ties.

The metal hair pieces are from the tails of previous rehairs!

Anywho, here she is!

 

[StormMaeker]

I knew who it was as soon as I saw that tail!

Such a nice shade of pony hair, looking good so far!

 

[SudsyPony]

I knew who it was as soon as I saw that tail!

Such a nice shade of pony hair, looking good so far!

I knew someone would! Lol

Thanks. It's actually hair I bought to rehair Bubbles XD

 

[Tak]

I knew someone would! Lol

Thanks. It's actually hair I bought to rehair Bubbles XD

I have a guess, but I am so off on a different tangent sometimes… I’ll see.

 

[SudsyPony]

I have a guess, but I am so off on a different tangent sometimes… I’ll see.

You’ll know for sure once I get some paint on there haha

 

[Twinkle-eye]

That colour is fantastic!

 

[SudsyPony]

Eyes done!

I am really terrible at painting small details and even lines. My hands shake like crazy and my muscles tense up and jerk when I try to keep them still for too long. My eyes also have a really difficult time focusing on a small area and blur/ache after a while. It makes it a struggle. But I like doing eyes, and I am pretty happy with the result here.

When painting ponies, I use lots of layers of watered down acrylic to achieve a smooth(ish) finish. I only have the primary colors and black and white. I mix them to get other colors I want (with a couple of exceptions that are impossible to achieve by mixing--like metallic or glow-in-the-dark paint)

I don't really do any prep beforehand. I just start painting, and if I don't like it, I either take it off and do it again or edit/touch up with more thin layers on top.

I already see some spots I need to touch up, but I will do that later. Although, I left the edges smudgey and messy on purpose--if you know who the character is at this point, you get it lol

 

[Tak]

Yes… definitely who I thought! I just wish I still had the figure to cosplay!

 

[StormMaeker]

Nice eye, I really like that style. It really is who I think it is! Never played the games, seen parts of the series but I really should, she’s just got that iconic hair

I tried using waterslide paper recently to make putting eyes on customs easier for me but it really didn’t go well and also it used up almost all of my sealant so I’ve gone back to painting eyes. I don’t seem to know when to leave it alone either so I keep touching up parts and then making it a mess when it’s gone past completion. Painting is better than waterslide it seems for eyes for me now but I am no good with mixing paints

 

[Jellybean]

I feel like I should know who this is. It's looking great so far!
Boy, I sympathize about the shakey hands. I've had some interventions for mine in recent years but they keep getting worse. But we find ways to keep doing what we love. I'm trying to do some digital pony art today and have to use Photoshop's pen tool to make any nice lines at all. It takes forever, but at least I'm learning how to do it. Take lots of breaks!

 

[SudsyPony]

Yes… definitely who I thought! I just wish I still had the figure to cosplay!

Lol, don't we all!

Nice eye, I really like that style. It really is who I think it is! Never played the games, seen parts of the series but I really should, she’s just got that iconic hair

I tried using waterslide paper recently to make putting eyes on customs easier for me but it really didn’t go well and also it used up almost all of my sealant so I’ve gone back to painting eyes. I don’t seem to know when to leave it alone either so I keep touching up parts and then making it a mess when it’s gone past completion. Painting is better than waterslide it seems for eyes for me now but I am no good with mixing paints

I have never heard of waterslide paper. I will have to look that up.

I am actually a lot better at mixing colors than I initially thought I would be. The first cutie mark I ever touched up was Snuzzle’s, and I was really proud of how it turned out haha. But it is definitely not easy and sometimes it takes me a few dozen tries to get it right.

I feel like I should know who this is. It's looking great so far!
Boy, I sympathize about the shakey hands. I've had some interventions for mine in recent years but they keep getting worse. But we find ways to keep doing what we love. I'm trying to do some digital pony art today and have to use Photoshop's pen tool to make any nice lines at all. It takes forever, but at least I'm learning how to do it. Take lots of breaks!

When I do digital art, I deal with the shakiness by zooming waaaaaaaaaaaaaay in. Then when I zoom back out, you can't really notice how shaky the line is haha.

Here’s more paint! And I set the mane with hot water.

 

[Tak]

Awesome!

 

[Jellybean]

I still don't know this character but they sure look cool!! You've managed the shakes and done an awesome job on the cloud detail!

 

[SudsyPony]

I still don't know this character but they sure look cool!! You've managed the shakes and done an awesome job on the cloud detail!

Thanks! I really would have liked the outline to be a bit smoother so I really appreciate you telling me it looks awesome lol

I still plan on adding a few things, but I will announce who the character is at the end

 

[SudsyPony]

Clothes and accessories! These are all removable. The neck piece is made from black cord which is wrapped around and tied at the back. My intention was originally to make her an entire shirt, but I was getting too frustrated with it and the whole point of this is to be a soothing hobby, so I scrapped it. I think I like this better anyway.

The “socks” were sewn from a white fabric with blue stripes that I dyed because I couldn't find the pink and purple fabric I needed. I was okay with the messiness because it suits the character.

I actually really like the way it looks! There is still one more thing left I wanted to do before she is done (it's a secret; partially because I don't know if it is going to work rofl).

 

[Tak]

Clothes and accessories! These are all removable. The neck piece is made from black cord which is wrapped around and tied at the back. My intention was originally to make her an entire shirt, but I was getting too frustrated with it and the whole point of this is to be a soothing hobby, so I scrapped it. I think I like this better anyway.

The “socks” were sewn from a white fabric with blue stripes that I dyed because I couldn't find the pink and purple fabric I needed. I was okay with the messiness because it suits the character.

I actually really like the way it looks! There is still one more thing left I wanted to do before she is done (it's a secret; partially because I don't know if it is going to work rofl).

View attachment 63019

Looking very good!

 

[futuredustfuturerust]

As soon as I saw the hair- knew exactly who it was! Your nailing her whole vibe

 

[SudsyPony]

As soon as I saw the hair- knew exactly who it was! Your nailing her whole vibe

Thank you so much! I am debating whether or not to give her a belt. I have the right materials to make one for her but I think it would cover her cutie mark quite a bit