I Did It (Or Did I?)

Well, I've finally got my NaMoPaiMo (National Model Painting Month) unicorn looking more or less the way I envisaged her.  After many layers of paint and numerous small touch-ups, she's reached to point where I may be able to stop fiddling with her and leave her alone.

Here she is:

I'm calling her "Lucky Charm" of course.

My idea was to paint a Breyer unicorn in the colours of the Lucky Charms cereal unicorn -- at least the first Lucky Charms cereal unicorn; I understand they come in four different colours now.  I wrestled with the idea of giving mine big cartoon eyes and trying for the animated look, but decided that would only be really effective if I resculpted the unicorn as well, and I wasn't prepared to do that.  Anyway, I'm pleased with what resemblance there is.

Image courtesy of iSpot.tv

The main thing keeping me from calling her finished at the moment is the fact that I don't have any matte finishing spray.  However, I could possibly gloss her.  I hadn't really thought about that until a visitor remarked that she liked the way the unicorn's coat sort of gleamed.  I hadn't noticed that, but once it was pointed out to me I could see it.  I think it's an effect of the purple shading since the purple paint I used kind of glitters.

The only problem is, if I gloss the unicorn I might wipe out this rather attractive quality.  I've thought of just glossing the horn, eyes, and hooves, but I just don't know.  That's why I don't know whether I'm prepared to call her done.

If I want to accomplish my second NaMoPaiMo goal, which was to paint more than one horse this year, I really should let her go.  I have less than a week to paint another horse, so it's becoming less and less likely that I'm going to accomplish goal #2.  Perhaps I should just call a "done it" on the unicorn and call it a day.

Whatever I decide to do, I've really enjoyed participating in NaMoPaiMo this year.  The "minis painting minis" subsection, which features rider dolls, action figures, and others painting teeny tiny horses in Mini Whinny scale or smaller, has been delightfully creative.  I've also learned a lot just from reading advice doled out to others, and admiring the things that some people have accomplished.  On the whole, NaMoPaiMo is a very supportive activity that seems to bring out the best of model horse fanciers every February, just when we could all use a lift.

I'm already looking forward to next year!