Working on the Lipizzan....Details, Details, Details

The Official Crest of Piber - Indicates

Where the Horse was Bred

So, I started to work on my newest design, the Lipizzan after the famous white stallions of Vienna, but it just looked like another white horse to me, so blah and boring.  I thought, what is unique to a Lipizzan?  Of course, I can give it sparkly gold and red tack, and a long, thick mane, but what else?  Browsing through pictures, I came across a photo that gave me a great idea.  All purebred Lipizanns bred at Piber have a series of brands, or symbolic marks tattooed into their hide.  These include an "L" on their left cheek (you guessed it, L for Lipizzan!) as well as a series of numbers and symbols across their backs rumps to indicate registry number, dam, sire, dam's sire, and where they were bred.  So, I decided to make my little wooden Lippy match!  I "branded" an L onto his cheek with a woodburner, and I'm toying with the idea of trying to brand the stick body at the end with the official crest of Piber, as well.  I might end up deciding just to paint it on, considering how intricate it is!  But I love all the little details, I think they make my horses a little extra special :) 

A New PPS Logo is Born!

  

Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking about a Painted Pony Shop logo.   I usually use my green horse painting, "Connection", but I really wanted to come up with something a little more whimsical & loose, with clean lines that could easily be transferred to a business card or brochure.  My objectives are to convey a natural, yet playful feeling, that looks professional and crisp.  I took a road trip to Connecticut, to see family, an on the way back, I spent most of the six-hour drive sketching out some ideas.  I had a few different layouts, but the one that really stood out to me was this:





 

Original Sketch



 When I got home, I transferred it to my computer, cleaned up the edges, stylized it a little, overlaid it with color, and added my shop name.  I disconnected a lot of the lines, and varied the thickness of the strokes, so that it would have a more organic, freshly painted feel.  Viola!  The Painted Pony Shop logo was born....after several hours of tiresome trial-and-error, and lots of staring frustratedly at my computer screen, that is.  The logo is still based loosely on my green horse painting, but is a much more business-friendly version.  Any thoughts? 



Final Product!