11/05/2012 ~ Meet the Artist ~ WinterSparkle
What is your name?
My name is Josefin. I go my the name WinterSparkle in the Pony world.
Where are you from?
Sweden
Age:
24, turning 25 on the 7th of January
How long have you been customizing?
Oh my… I think I did my first custom in 2008.
What got you started?
I had been eying customs on deviantArt for some time, and then decided to try my hands at it. I was so amazed by the talent of the customizers and I love arts and crafts, so I knew it was something for me.
What types of customs do you do?
Well… A little of everything, really. Right now I make customs of the FiM show that has yet to be released by Hasbro such as Chrysalis, Big Mac and such. I also make background ponies such as Lyra even if they might have been released.
I also like to do persona’s, and original work. I like stars and such but it all depends on my current mood.
What sort of mediums do you use?
I use acrylics for painting, at the moment I use a brand I buy at a store called Panduro in Sweden.
I also use sculpting clay – I use 2-part clays, and I have tried both Apoxie Sculpt and Amazing sculpt – Apoxie is easier to work with in my opinion, but amazing sculpt is really great when hardened. It does not crack easily and it is easy to sand down and before it has hardened, it is easy to smooth out with water or any smoothing fluids.
I also use a sealer to protect the paintwork, I used to always use mod podge for the sealing, but recently tried out Testors dullcote and I am just saying, I am never going back XD
Are there any products you just can’t live without?
A good sealer, and good-quality large paintbrushes for full-body repaints, such as Loew Cornell. They do a great cover-up and doesn’t loose hair into the paining.
What is your most favorite custom you have made?
Nova, made for the superhero swap at the arena
What is your least favorite custom you have made?
I kinda like her, but still I don’t. Didn’t have enough hair to fill her head, and… well, she was made kinda rushed. I like all my customs in some way.
What is the worst injury you’ve had from working on customs?
Sliced my thumb with a scissor while trying to get a head off of a pony. I can’t remember what I was doing… I might have been trying to get hair out and then I slipped with the scissor somehow, making the part outside or the head slice open mu thumb. No stitches needed, but i went to the doctor anyway, and they put some strips over the wound to make it stay together better.
What is the funniest mistake you’ve made while working on your art?
Oh man… Funniest? I cannot really think of any… Perhaps when I made this snail pony, it kinda looks like a big poop on her back;
Who/What inspires you?
A lot of things. The autumn leaves in all different colors outside, cats, other art… Background characters in MLP as well as “Main” characters not yet made by Hasbro. I like to use colors. I also like making ponies from characters in other fandoms.
What projects are you currently working on?
Cadence, Shining Armour, Chrysalis (have yet to start her), Filly Luna, Big Mac, Lyra, Dr. Whooves, a random flower-inspired pony for a trade with another customizer… Also planning on re-hairing a G1 Creamsicle I got that didn’t have any hair.
Do you have any odd habits while working on customs?
Not really. Perhaps the way I sit or something. I don’t really think I have any odd habits, but I bet you I do have some, just that I don’t think about it.
What types of art do you enjoy?
Any, really. I like sculptings, custom ponies (duh), traditional drawings, Digital, pony art, fantasy… Could ramble on forever.
Do you take commissions?
Yes
Where can people see your work and contact you?
I actually have a few auctions up on ebay so that people quickly can commission me
But I have more info on my dA, where they can negotiate what it is they want and the price might go down a bit if the design is just a simple cutie mark change and hair change while keeping the original body color.
Do you have any favorite tips or tricks?
If you’re not happy with something you’ve done, do it again until you are satisfied. It might taunt you every time you look at a photo of that very custom that you knew you could have done better but didn’t.
Also don’t let other people get you down. If you enjoy painting plastic ponies or just collecting them, do so. Nobody should tell you what to like or not. Stand up for what you believe in and don’t give in on making stuff you are not comfortable with, such as a certain type of customs. I for example do not do anything racist or pornographic whatever it happens to be – a drawing, a custom; In the end it is your art and you should feel good about what you are doing.
What advice do you have for someone just starting to get into customizing?
Take your time and don’t give up after one failure. It takes dozens of failures to make perfect. Some people are “great” from the very start, but we all need training and a mistake is often a good way to know what to make different the next time you try your hands at the same thing – for example a horn or a set of wings.
Eyes are often the most difficult thing to paint, in my opinion – I have customized for 4 years and I STILL have lots to learn about how to use different shades of colors to do good eyes.
Also, don’t be afraid to get messy – my hands look like a piece of art themselves after I’ve tried to make gradients and such, from smudging with my fingers and wiping off the paintbrushes directly onto my hand. Lol. Just saying that it CAN get messy and it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, as long as you are happy with the results.
GO NUTS! ^W^
