Fun with Breyer Painting Kits: Masking Hearts and Shapes!

Article and photos by Kristen Cermele

Breyer's wide selection of painting kits allow you to create your very own one-of-a-kind model horse with all the supplies provided. However, if you'd like to try to do something a little different, there are some simple household items that you can add to the painting kits to create different textures or patterns for a fun day activity!

For this project, all you need are scissors, a pen (or thin sharpie marker), and tape. You'll want masking tape or painters’ tape - scotch tape is too flimsy, and duct tape is too hard to work with and will peel your paint off. I'm using the Fantasy Horse Paint Kit set for this project. You can of course use the realistic colored sets as well, but the Fantasy horse Paint Kit and the Unicorn Paint and Play Kits come with bright, fantasy-colored paints.

(If you don't have a craft or paint kit handy, don't fret! You can customize any Breyer model you have - just paint over its original paint with your base coat.)

1. First, paint your base coat.  This is the color that your shapes will be. Try picking a lighter color than the final top coat  as it will be easier to layer your colors on. I've chosen pink for this horse as I'll be cutting out some hearts. You'll need a few thin layers of paint, and you'll want to allow the horse to dry between layers. If you want to speed up the process, you can use a hairdryer on low (and cool, if possible).

2. Next, draw your shapes onto the tape roll. These will be cut out, so try to make sure the shapes are ones you can realistically cut with your scissors! 

3. Make sure the base coat is completely dry before applying your shapes. If it is, it's time to take the tape off the roll, and cut your shapes to size. This may be hard for tiny hands, so adults will want to cut the shapes and allow children to apply the shapes to the horse. Make sure all your shapes are smoothed on well to your horse, especially around all the edges so that your next step doesn't bleed underneath your tape. You can also use tape to block off leg socks, or other areas where you don't want your next color to cover.

4. Now it is time to apply the top coat.  For easier application, use a color that is darker than the base coat. I've used black because I love the contrast, and for children, this may be easier and more fun for them as you'll need less layers to cover! As before, thin layers will work best, drying in between your coats. I've mostly painted entirely over the tape, but the important part is to make sure you at least paint over the edge of the tape, which will give you a clean line.

5. When your horse is dry to the touch, it's time to peel the tape off, and see your shapes underneath! The first time you do this, you may have some paint spread under the tape. That’s a sign that the next time you do this painting technique, try using thinner layers of your top coat, and make sure your horse is completely dry before pulling the tape off. You can always choose to touch up with some spot painting, or, play with as is! Here are my two horses - the heart horse, and a green unicorn that snuck in on the party. The stripes on the unicorn were just thin strips of tape, which are a little harder to peel off at the end, but easier to cut out – especially if you only have large scissors available.