Koniminiatures' customs & tack (updated Feb 21st)

Amazing! Beautiful work.

All of them are amazing, each full of expression and each has something remarkable. Amazing work Lea. So much empathy for horses in these. Some of them look like they suffer a lot or are terrified, and you were able to show these feelings with such big power.
It would be difficult to choose favourites, each is amazing really. I especially love the steel grey snowflake Appaloosa, the colour is beyond gorgeous, it just looks mythical.
I adore also the chestnut Finn horse gelding (1:9) , he looks melancholic and his colour is also very awesome.
Great works!!!!!

You are magnificent artist !
I`m speechless..

This is all quite stunning. I love the photo of mayhem; it will be interesting to see the results. The detailed accessories are also beautifully done. If I look at things like that too much...I might be overly tempted to attempt (or fail horribly at) something similar and go all "Dinotopia" on one of my dinosaurs!

Also, I think I've read enough of your comments to say your self-deprecation approaches poetry.

Very impressive customs, your sculpting is impressive. I might try customizing some figures in the future after being inspired by these.

Amazing!!

Thank you very much for the generous comments, everyone! I'm glad you enjoyed seeing the old things.

Fisva wrote:

Amazing. I don't know what to say, honestly.
I think that you should go into sculpting, and start to sell your works!

Thank you! I've been sculpting for nigh 10 years as a pastime now, and have managed to sell most of what work I've completed. What I haven't managed is sufficient fanfare around this, I suspect - hell, it makes me slightly ill to pretend I have a ”studio name” (the gently derogatory "koni" in Koni Miniatures) when I haven't even got a ”studio” - nevermind trying for a bigger branding type venture to sell the stuff I make. I've never released a resin of any of the original sculptures I've made, though, that's quite correct - perhaps that was more of the kind of thing you meant.

jonesee wrote:

Fantastic work! I love the Blue Box Finnhorse - so Finnish
Your style is so unique... Maybe the Curly pony shows best how incredibly talented you're - that it's really is possible to change a sheep into a horse! I also like the quarter Finn horse a lot. Like I said these are wonderful! Thanks for showing these for us!

Thanks, Jonas! The lamb made for an inordinately wooly and slab-sided horse, but ach, I just wanted a Bashkir in my herd.

Ana wrote:

All of them are amazing, each full of expression and each has something remarkable. Amazing work Lea. So much empathy for horses in these. Some of them look like they suffer a lot or are terrified, and you were able to show these feelings with such big power.
It would be difficult to choose favourites, each is amazing really. I especially love the steel grey snowflake Appaloosa, the colour is beyond gorgeous, it just looks mythical.
I adore also the chestnut Finn horse gelding (1:9) , he looks melancholic  and his colour is also very awesome.
Great works!!!!!

Thank you, Anna! I'm heartened by your approval. Like most domestic species, the history (and to frustrating extents, the present) of horses with people has been one chiefly of suffering; I think I have trouble forgetting about that even for plain hobby sculpts, yes.. The snowflake appy's coat ended up maybe a bit too mythical - it apparently caused angry remarks at a live show for being shown among realistic paintups when it's clearly a view of the night sky with stars!

elephas_maximus wrote:

Very impressive customs, your sculpting is impressive.  I might try customizing some figures in the future after being inspired by these.

Thank you! Do try customizing - I bet the results would be amazing! It's also an nifty way to sketch out ideas and do smaller maquettes of intended original works – although I suppose sculpting virtually easily allows that kind of thing in itself, as well. Still, it would be very interesting to see what you'd create!

A.R.Garcia wrote:

This is all quite stunning. I love the photo of mayhem; it will be interesting to see the results. The detailed accessories are also beautifully done. If I look at things like that too much...I might be overly tempted to attempt (or fail horribly at) something similar and go all "Dinotopia" on one of my dinosaurs!

Thank you kindly! Absolutely do go Dinotopia on one of your beautiful dinos - I'd want to see it! Those books used to be among my favourites when I was little.

Quote :

Also, I think I've read enough of your comments to say your self-deprecation approaches poetry.

Love, this shall cause me quiet chuckles for lengths of time to come. I have managed poetry! And it may be deprecation, but it's all hard earned.

Really cool to see more of your custom work The vixom I'd never have guessed It's nice you make them rather difficult to recognize.
Have you ever made a model from scratch? I bet you could

Thanks, Carola! I don't purposefully make them hard to recognize - it's something that's been happening as a side-effect more and more lately. I've done a number of original sculptures, yes, but none of the equine ones have been finished yet. I keep taking them back apart to work on errors..

Also, as a general note: it seems I'd broken a few of the pictures from last page, messing in my Photobucket - they're back up now. Sorry.

koniminiatures wrote:

Thank you very much for the generous comments, everyone! I'm glad you enjoyed seeing the old things.

Ana wrote:

All of them are amazing, each full of expression and each has something remarkable. Amazing work Lea. So much empathy for horses in these. Some of them look like they suffer a lot or are terrified, and you were able to show these feelings with such big power.
It would be difficult to choose favourites, each is amazing really. I especially love the steel grey snowflake Appaloosa, the colour is beyond gorgeous, it just looks mythical.
I adore also the chestnut Finn horse gelding (1:9) , he looks melancholic  and his colour is also very awesome.
Great works!!!!!

Thank you, Anna! I'm heartened by your approval. Like most domestic species, the history (and to frustrating extents, the present) of horses with people has been one chiefly of suffering; I think I have trouble forgetting about that even for plain hobby sculpts, yes.. The snowflake appy's coat ended up maybe a bit too mythical - it apparently caused angry remarks at a live show for being shown among realistic paintups when it's clearly a view of the night sky with stars!

Yes, you are right, unfortunately horses suffered a lot during "cooperation" with humans and in many places, disciplines and situations they also suffer today That's really sad how humans have to show their absolute control on everything and often disrespect natural needs of the creatures which work for them.

About the Snowflake Appaloosa, well, that's the thing exactly, he IS realistic and such colour is possible yet he looks a bit magical, reminding the night sky full of stars. I find it amazing The combination of unusual colour and expression of his face makes me seeing him as a character in mythology, maybe a horse of some goddess or a horse of an unknown yet myth. Or maybe something else. There is something poetic about him and it's hard to name it

koniminiatures wrote:

The snowflake appy's coat ended up maybe a bit too mythical - it apparently caused angry remarks at a live show for being shown among realistic paintups when it's clearly a view of the night sky with stars!

My apologies for derailing the thread - was this a show in the US, do you know? What region was this? That's crazy.

No apologies needed! It was the largest annual live show in Europe, Bensheim, in Germany 2009. Incidentally, the model won overall Best in Show there against the other 1387 entered models, which I expect had something to do with some folks' dismay with it. It was called some genuinely inventive things, too, afterwards. I can't help but find the whole episode quite quaint.

Anna, thank you for the further comments on that appy! I think your view quite becomes the model, yes - and I'm sure its new owner would quite appreciate your train of thought there. She, too, has a great mind for appreciating the poetic side of things, models included.

That's funny, congratulations for you that he won overall! He really is a great piece.

Amazing work!!! What I love most is the incredible expression in their faces, and all those wonderful wrinkles!!! What you did with the 2 Salineros, and the Wixom is just mind blowing, but I think my favorite is the Smarty Jones. The face is reminiscent of an antique carousel horse. LOVE IT!!! Thanks for sharing!! Looking forward to seeing what happens to the cattle!

one of the most impresive artist on the forum i i may say ...
In Dutch we say; petje af... Litteraly; hats off...
But its means ; I should like to express my respect to your work.

Lea, I only noticed your topic now!
You're an Artist with an unique style and it is very enjoyable to see your works. You pay atention to all details and everything has motion and expression.
It was particularly interesting to see how that lamb turned in a Baskhir curly, incredible! However, I thing procrastination was exagerated in that project once I can see that the lamb, before turning in a Baskhir curly, it turned in a grown up ram meanwhile.

Thanks for the comments, LeeAnn, Sassyscribbler, Dum_my and Roger! I'm very glad you like my work so. I'll still humbly disagree about being an artist, though - it's mere hobby crafts, this, surely.

Roger, you are quite right about that lamb quite possibly having had time sufficient to grow up to a ram... Perhaps I should amend my description in the past post (and work a bit faster in the future   ). Good catch!

Sassyscribbler, I'm sorry to say I've no cattle quite ready for their closeups yet, but the first is close to getting there. Here's a glimpse:  
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wohoo! This one looks very impressive! Like he's coming directly form the jungle

Awesome!!!~~~~!!!!

It looks amazing already. Cannot wait to see the rest! which model is that though? One of the Schleich bulls?

Your horses are amazing

Oh dear, I've again missed many new comments - I'm sorry. Thank you for your cheering me on LeeAnn, Jonas, Sassyscribbler, Dorotea and Paige!

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

It looks amazing already. Cannot wait to see the rest! which model is that though? One of the Schleich bulls?

Thanks Paige! The buffalo was originally this chap, the Papo Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer):


The model's been slightly repositioned all over, built a new head & neck, new topline and ears, and has had additional details sculpted here and there. It's got individual hairs painted over the topside while the bare skin of the underside has a violet cast, though neither show well in the pictures. The eyes have been painted runny and the "armpits", crotch and behinds-of-ears somewhat oily. It's about ready to travel to its new home now!

That tongue! That's awesome! Fantastic work

Oh my god... Lea you're amazing! I don't even know what to say. This is just amazing...!