Commissions are now open!

Please check my DeviantArt for details:

http://xanthestar.deviantart.com/

Crocheting and WIP - it's been a while!

And boy, have I been busy.

My blindbags have dwindled down in frequency, as work has taken over. I've also become enamored with crocheting - but I'm working on a lot right now, and I'd love to share it with you.

Firstly, I'm working on a commission for the brony why bought my first Octavia. They've gone from this...









To this - there is a lot of work to go still, but it's the CMC, if you can't tell. I've got some other super-secret projects in the back ;)


For another brony, I'm working on a plushie. Look at this fat little pony. It looks like a hippo right now...but it'll be a pony.

She's also crocheted - never would have guessed, huh?







Lastly for this post...a hat. I've been trying to do some hairing with yarn, but when a little crazy and it's covered in way too MUCH yarn. Now I have a lot of work to do, but this is what I do in transit.

Between all of these and my super-secret blind bags, as well as an art trade...

Wouldn't it be nice not to work?

Octavia (mark 2) Blind Bag Custom

Hello again,

another update for the day. While finishing these two up I decided to finish up another side project. I give to you ... Octavia (mk II)


Octavia was my first blind bag custom ever attempted. At the time, I used Applejack to create her. As I currently lack Applejacks, this Octavia was made using a Rainbow Dash base.

Taking the criticism from the first one, I made this Octavia's eyes larger, and her expression a little more dynamic (and show accurate)

Her hair was modified for both accurate bangs and length (though I'll admit, there are remnants of her Rainbow Dash base in her hair here), and she has her bowtie, too!

The auction for Octavia can be found HERE.

Gold Standard - Start to finish!

Well, I've been over my desk all day but finished my outstanding projects. :)

Say hello to Gold Standard:


Oh...that's not right. That's what she started out as.

Let's see...


Aah. Now we're getting there!

Close. SO CLOSE.


There she is!

Gold Standard is the second winner in the contest I ran for a custom Blind Bag pony. It's taken me longer than I wanted to finish them, but they're both ready to go to their new homes now.

Also, a tip: more modification = harder time painting...especially when you're dealing with light colors. This girl was a real pain, but she was very well worth it!

Also, check this out:

That is one killer base. Panda helped me find what we needed for it! It's a giant gemstone...fitting with the theme of the character.

Puffcloud Custom Blind Bag - Part 5

We're getting closer guys, step by step!

Onto the eyes!

When you are working on eyes, remember - smaller brushes are better, but also beware of ones that are too small. If you get one that is too small, the bristles may easily come displaced...and that makes accuracy harder to come by. Do some test eyes on paper, if you're unsure of the size to use. The last thing you want to do is make a big mistake and start all over!



Next, let's follow the chart - I tried to make sure to take pictures of the process, so that it's a little more clear as to what to do:

Step 1: The first thing I do is the pupils. On ponies, the pupils are very large, so use reference pictures! Make sure you have full coverage for the black, and do your best to smooth out the edges. If you make a mistake, use some of that eye color you saved earlier (Useful, right?) and make fixes once the paint dries.

Step 2: Highlights in the eyes are next. I prefer not to use the shadows that the show has at the top of the iris, but you certainly can if you think it looks better! Using white, I created a two lighter shades and layer them next to each other at the side of the eye.

Step 3: The eyes will look pretty dead until this part. Using reference and white paint, create the light reflections on the pony's eyes. Make sure to follow the expression you reference - most of the time, the reflections will be on the same spots on both eyes.

Step 4: Now it's time for the Sharpie extra-fine oil paint marker. You'll want to lightly press on the tip on paper until paint bleeds out, and make sure you have a controlled line. If you're even a little too hard on the Sharpie, it can begin to uncontrollably bleed - so treat it with care! Working off of your pony's eye shape and type, carefully draw out first the outline, then the eyelashes. If you can't reach a spot, don't force it - you might mark an area you don't want marked.

Step 5: Using your small brush, dip it lightly in black, and very carefully paint the areas you could not reach with the pen. Though the pen is a shiny paint, once everything is varnished you won't know they were done using different tools. Use this to fill any gaps.

Step 6: Look at the eyes from all angles, and if necessary use any of the colors you've saved to correct any errors. If you've saved colors, you'll have everything you need to fix your errors without completely re-starting the eyes.


Now, the eyes are finished!

At this point, when I was working Puffcloud only a few more things needed to be done. After working with her for detail clarification, I made some changes to her mane colors. The final piece on the pony herself is then the cutie mark.


It's hard to explain the cutie mark, since it varies from figure to figure. But you need to get creative, and think careully if you're dealing with a detailed one.

In Puffcloud's case, since I had no more spare blue paint (I left it uncapped after following my own advice! :( ), I had to do the blue lines separating the clouds another way. So I used negative space, starting with only dots of white paint and working upward, making sure to leave lines between the areas it needed. Then, I shaded the necessary areas. If you're careful, you can get a lot of details in on these babies.

...at this point, the only thing left to do is varnish!


(Paint fingers!)

I prefer to use a satin varnish, but you might choose to use a matte/dull varnish. Matte varnish definitely photographs better, but satin looks very vibrant in person.

When applying it, make sure to do so evenly and do not be afraid to add several coats. Just make sure you have changed your water since painting. If you haven't, you might have a disaster on your hands!

We're almost done...but not quite! Next, I will cover how to base a figure, as well as the construction of an accessory to finish out the figure!

Puffcloud Custom Blind Bag - Part 4

And here we go.

After priming Puffcloud, I mixed up her base paint coat. A good rule of thumb is to set aside some of your base paint color in a container that will keep it moist. If you make a mistake further down the line, you will want to be able to fix it without having to try and match up a custom mixed color.

You can see what I mean when I say the white primer is a little grainy. With a little work, tweezers and paint the issue is completely fixed...this is the only downside to reaper brush-on white. The black does not have this flaw.

For blind bags I can't stress enough how much it requires primer. Paint will run off of it unless it is now thinned.

Speaking of thinning, now is the time to thin your paint! Make sure you do so as you are mixing your color. Some paint product are milky, not clear, and this can affect the color if you don't take it into consideration.

Starting with the lowest layer (usually the body), begin layering several coats of paint. Thin them and wait for each layer to dry...if you try to put more paint over a layer still firming you might end up with brush marks.

Sometimes, a warm light will help speed up the drying time.

Make sure that as you layer up you get hidden spots. With the ponies, often behind the legs and between them can be harder to get coverage on.

Once your base coat is sufficiently thick and appears to be the level of coverage you're looking for, it's time to move on to the next layer - the mane.

Mix up your color, incorporating the thinner into it, and make sure to set some extra aside in a container! You might not be able to tell, but Puffcloud's mane contains purple. Be creative with your mixtures...sometimes a color you wouldn't expect will help to get the shade you want.

Like the base coat, work it up slowly with thin layers until you get the coverage you like. Expect there to be some paint loss if you handle this with your hands...that set aside paint will be very important.

Now, onto the eyes -

When I do eyes, as you can see I completely ignore the eyes that figure comes with. If you want a more show accurate figure, try to make the eyes larger than the blind bags have. In this case, I'm using the picture of Puffcloud here for reference as to her eye size - and taking a little creative liberty to make it appear best on the figurine.

Start with white paint, and using your brush paint the shape of the eyes and fill it. This is a good reason to have backup paint for your base coat - if you make a mistake, and shape it wrong, use this paint to correct your mistake.

An important part of this is to make sure that your figure's eyes line up from a front view as well as a side view. This is another reason bigger is better than smaller on these little ladies...bigger eyes look more show-accurate from the front.


Following this, decide what expression you want your character to have. I cannot reiterate enough to look at screenshots from the show of the expression you are attempting - the ponies have very specific designs, so if you vary too far you can make an enthusiastic pony look psychotic without even trying.

Using your pony's base iris color, fill in the eyes with a ratio you decide you like. Try to make this look as circular as you can, don't be afraid to use white to go over this if necessary and to fix your mistakes. Now's the time to do that, before you get too far!

The remaining eye tutorial - and finishing touches - coming soon.

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic - Bon Bon Custom

Well, I've been asked to work on Bon Bon, and it struck me the other day how to do it. Once you pare down a miniature's hair, it's actually not so hard.

So here's Bon Bon!



Bon Bon is made from a modified Twilight Sparkle, with most of her mane removed. The mane and tail were built over with grey stuff for Bon Bon's new tail and mane. It's kind of easy, and really just involves rolling the putty up into curls....it's smoothing it together that's the hard part!

The picture below with Apple Bloom is the one I had to really work off of for her back. That and others suggest that her pink swirl extends only to her forelock, and turns into a blue mane.

She's up on ebay here.

My Little Pony Custom Blind Bag: Spitfire

Another done!

This project has been around a few weeks waiting to be finished, so before I work more on the customs I wanted to finish her.

And here she is! Spitfire!

She was a pain! I used a Rainbow Dash base to make her, and cut away almost all of her mane and smoothed out her forehead.

Her hair is made from pro-create (grey stuff), and I did something else. It's hard to see in these photographs, but I used greenstuff around her muzzle and wings to raise the area. In effect, it looks like her wings and muzzle are emerging from the costume.

She is for sale on Ebay here.

Puffcloud Custom Blind Bag - Part 2

Okay! On to part two.

Bare with me on this portion, guys! This is a hard part to make any sort of a tutorial about.

Last time, we pared down the plastic to make room for some sculpting. There are many kinds you can use. Personally, I like to use Grey Stuff for the modifications.

The top name brand of Grey Stuff is pro-create, but any two-part epoxy putty will do - Apoxie Sculpt, Green Stuff, Brown Stuff. They all have different properties, but I will go into that in a separate post!


When using epoxy putty, you will only have a certain amount of time to work with it...this varies depending on the mix you've created and what you are using.

To sculpt, you will need your fingers to be moist. Water will do fine, some people prefer vaseline!




After reviewing Puffcloud's character picture, I decided to try using the extra Lily Blossom wings I had from making Lyra! Since I had to destroy Twilight's mane on this side of the body, I used the grey-stuff for her mane to help support the wings.



At this point, I'm not worried if things look rough. After the putty sets and hardens, it can be filed down. But it's best to try and make parts as thin as possible near the seams - by wetting your fingers and stroking in one direction, you can easily thin out putty.

I then patched up the area on top of Puffcloud's hair, and begin to build up her hairstyle.

I smoothed up the design, working off of the pictures, and let the rest set to dry!

Again, don't worry about how rough things look at the start - there's lot of work to be done!

Puffcloud Custom Blind Bag - Part 1

Several people have asked for tutorials. I'll compile a more comprehensive, finished version later, but we may as well get started!

Today, I started with the first step of blind bags - trimming!

The first thing you'll want to do is figure out what base you'll be using, and the changes you'll be making. Usually you can do this in your head, but to illustrate I've done a mock up of the changes that will need to be done to make Puffcloud.

Puffcloud requested the pony be made from a Twilight base - but she's a pegasus!

This will be hard, but not impossible. First, the mane and tail changes will require some work, but won't be too hard. Her wings will have to either be closed (I make these from pro-create, a.k.a. greystuff) or open (there are some spare Lily Blossom wings I have from my custom Lyra). I haven't yet decided which to use.


Now that I have a good idea of what I need to do, I begin paring down parts that will get in the way. Twilight has parts of her mane that would overlap the mane I planned, so the easiest thing at this point will be to do away with all of it I can.

For this I use an exacto knife that is older, so is a little more dull. It's dangerous to use what is essentially a razor blade, but it cuts through the vinyl easily. A knife meant for whittling may work as well.
In the early stages this looks rough, but some sandpaper and some more whittling should get rid of most problems. What can't be fixed with that I will repair with green stuff - so don't be afraid of making a few mistakes with the knife. As long as you have the right materials, it can all be fixed.

Stay tuned for more!

Comettail has made it safely home!

Good news!

Comettail, the first (and prototype) custom I did has arrived at her new home!

Her owner is also Comettail. My mind, it spins!

Blind Bag Customizing - Thoughts and Tips

My Bronies, I've been thinking.

Blind bag customs have been becoming more and more popular. And as more bronies get into creating them, some more at selling them for profit. I think it's only fair that there be tips and tricks at this point to help out those looking to create their own. There are quite a few wonderful blind bags for sale that are very expertly done, but blind bag customs aren't as hard as people think, and it would be wonderful to help more people make them!

So, in an effort to help bronies, I am going to begin tutorials, tips, and tricks when it comes to customizing and painting blind bags.

Is there anything specific you'd like to see/hear about? There will be a step-by-step guide as I work on Puffcloud's custom that she won on a Ponychan contest.

Coming up soon, the first tip sheet will be regarding paints, thinners, brushes, and what method works best depending on what you want!

Stay tuned!

My Little Pony Custom Blind Bag: Princess Luna, and bonus! Princess Celestia!

Hello everyone!

This baby is a project I've been working on and nursing for a while. I had to stay up until about 3am to finally finish her, but after weeks, she's done!

Princess Luna was originally a Twilight Sparkle. I've seen many customized from Rainbow Dash, but after review, Rainbow Dash's hair is nowhere near Luna's. So with this in mind I started on Twilight. This required no paring down, but lots of pro-create. She was heavily modified with shoes, a fixed tail cap so it curls like Luna's, completely new hair, an elongated horn, a necklace, crown, and wings. One of the reasons she sat around for so long is she's so DAUNTING.


But after so much work, I buckled down and finished her.

Same as the others she was painted with acrylics - many, many, many layers. A glittery varnish was used on her shoes, necklace, crown and horn to make it sparkle...in the show, they do!

Now, when McDonald's had the Happy Meal toys back in February, I bought a full set from my former co-workers at McDs. On impulse one day I bought about 6 Celestias, thinking "Oh, well, I'll customize them for people!". And I still hadn't. It occurred to me that she is the perfect size to be of scale to blind bag ponies!


Unfortunately, the pictures don't do her justice. She was brushed with a white metallic paint after the base white paint, and it shows up horribly on camera but - again - looks good in person.

Celestia is for sale HERE, and Luna is for sale HERE.

My Little Pony Custom Blind Bag: Derpy Hooves, Mailfilly

Derpy Hooves was a hard one. She presented me with a problem.

See, I had acquired a lot of ponies from a generous brony (<3 LOVE TO COMETTAIL), and found myself with a lot of Pinkie Pies. Since I began to customize them, I wondered exactly HOW FAR I could go with a blind bag. So, I made Derpy.

As you see above, Derpy started as a Pinkie Pie. Using an exacto knife I whittled down her mane and tail, then built them up with Pro-create, as you see above. Since Pinkie Pie has only one ear, I had to find a solution. I ended up giving her a postal worker hat.

Derpy is still for sale on Ebay - one day left!

My Little Pony Custom Blind Bag: Lyra

Aah, Lyra.

She was a pleasure to make!
Lyra was created from a base Rainbow Dash (since the blind bags were very hard for me to locate, I had to go to a German brony to get some Euro blind bags). I felt SUPER BAD chopping off poor Lily Blossom's wings.

Her hair was then repaired using pro-create, as were the dents the wings had
left in her side. Her horn was made from pro-create as well.
I then painted her with a myriad of colors. I had mix after mix to try and get her color right.



And here is Lyra herself - the finished product! This one was a headache, but I love the way she turned out. A brony in Canada bought her, and she was shipped just last week.

My Little Pony Custom Blind Bag: Twilight classic

Twilight, Twilight Sparkle's mother, was not as well-received as the other ponies. This has to do with the fact that she was an extremely obscure background character, as well as bad lighting and blurry photos.

I was having a really hard time getting a good picture of her! In person though, she looked absolutely amazing! She went to a good home though, and was bought by another brony.

My Little Pony Custom Blind Bag: The Great and Powerful Trixie

My second custom blind bag pony was none other than:
The Great and Powerful Trixie!

Okay, maybe now she didn't look so Great and Powerful...that's Trixie there on the left. But here was the finished product:

I was still getting the hang of painting pony eyes. It sounds strange, since the designs are so simple, but they are VERY hard to do!