The roughness of the saddle flaps was sanded down. The new
saddle was further lowered and reshaped.
The figure was tested for fit on the new saddle again and its final seat was determined by more sanding on the underside of the legs. This is a critical moment. Having worked on this figure for such a long time, I have developed an attachment to it. But I now decided to lengthen the legs as it seems a little too short. Both legs were snipped off, wires drilled and inserted for support, and the legs lengthened. Putty was used to fill in the gaps.
The saddle was further detailed. I used modified Historex bits to create buckles for the saddle and the crupper. Since most of the eye-catching details would be upfront in the kettledrum insignia, the crupper would draw interest back to the rear of the bare horse, thus balancing the composition.
The mane was further sculpted.
The kettledrum pads were reshaped.
I painted the saddlery at this stage. Although I had already painted a coat of dappling on the horse, I added a wash of Paynes Grey to tone down the whiteness. I will redo the dappling later.
After such a long and protracted delay on this piece, I am rather pleased with the progress made so far and am waiting for the paint to dry before I move on to add the other straps.
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