We're back with Part IV of this how-to series on hairing your model. In Part I we considered our materials and tools. In Part II, we talked about the different types of hair. In Part III, we analyzed some of the hallmarks of a great hair job to give ourselves some guidance and we also talked about practice and what to expect with that. So now in this Part IV, we actually get to hairing! Whoo hoo! So let's just dive in!
Hairing The Tail
I always start with the tail. I don't know why, I just do (but you can start with the mane if you like, whichever you prefer). So to do that, I go through a series of repeated steps, layering each one on top of the previous like shingles on a roof or "coins" in a weld. As such, I start at the tip of the tailbone and work up the tailbone to the dock so that each successive layer sits on top of the previous, creating a nice seam down the middle while hiding the underlying glue at the same time. So here we go!
Step One
Put that little garbage can between your legs. Now grab your rope of hair and pull off a wad about 1" wide. How you do that is to hold the rope between your thumb and forefinger about 5-6" into it and pull on the free end with your other hand, and a portion should pull off. Okay, with that pulled-off wad, which I'll refer to as a "lock" in this series, pinch it in the middle between your thumb and forefinger. Then take your fine-toothed comb and on one side comb out the excess hair. Then turn it around and do the same on the other side. Repeat the process again until you get most of those short hairs out of the lock. Your comb should now resemble Professor Brown from Back To The Future. What you're doing is removing the excess, puffy short hairs from the lock so that you end up mostly with the long silky hairs, which is what you want. Throw out the short excess hairs, just letting them drop into the garbage can. You now have the lock you're going to use on your model.
Step Two
Fold the lock over carefully lengthwise, pinching the two ends between your thumb and forefinger and having the looped middle sticking up. Take your scissors and stick it through that loop and cut the lock in half, making two equal halves, more or less. If you want a longer tail like for a show horse, don't cut it in half, but cut it off more like three-quarters (you can save that quarter for the forelock if you like). But half is a good basic length for the average tail on a "Traditional" scale model. So put those two halves together and hold them in the middle-ish area pinched between your thumb and forefinger, and now comb out from your fingers to the cut ends, removing more short hairs. What you're doing is removing more short, fluffy hairs. I know this seems wasteful, and it kinda is as you're essentially discarding 30%-40% of each lock, but it's the only way to get to those long silky hairs that prevent your tail from being huge and puffy and unrealistic. Trust me, the payoff is at the end! Now you have your lock fully prepared to glue onto the tail bone.
Step Three
You still have the lock in your hand so now take the glue and put a thin bead down the cut end. Use your free thumb and forefinger to pinch that glue into the hairs to create a "weld" along the cut end, fanning the end out evening it and broadening it out. Try to keep the glue within 5mm of the cut end. In other words, you don't want glue creeping up the lock; keep the glue close to the cut end. What this does is cement the hairs together along a "seam" of glue to make that lock rock solid when you glue it to the tail bone; it just creates a more reinforced weld. Now add another thin bead of glue along the back of that cut end and then apply to the end of the tailbone, at the tip. That is to say apply the glue-beaded side down onto the tailbone tip and while still holding the lock in your fingers, with your other hand, gently use your fingers to wrap the glued end around the tailbone and carefully press it onto the tailbone, wrapped around. Keep your fingers clean of glue so that you don't pull up what you just pressed on. You should end up with something like this...
Step Four
If your tailbone is straight up and down like on a stock horse, repeat this process to about 5mm away from the dock, gluing on locks about every half inch to every three-eighths inch (the closer the glued locks are, the thicker the tail so keep breed type in mind). In a straight up and down tail, your last layer will be the "U" layer (which we'll discuss in a moment). If on an arched tail, repeat this process to the start of the arch. Why do we do this? Because that arch or the dock is going to cause the hair to split and drape over each side of the tailbone, right? Well, we need to duplicate that. To do that, before you apply that lock to the tail, bend it into a "U" then carefully apply and gently press onto the tail bone, like so...
Then press it onto the tailbone to glue it down. Now repeat this process to the dock, creating a "U" termination at the dock. Use your blade tool to shove around the glued ends to tidy them up if needed while the glue is still tacky; tidy things up. Then walk away and let that dry completely, giving it at least thirty minutes of dry time, ideally one hour.
Step Five
Take your toothbrush and gently comb the tail. If you've done your job correctly, you can use a decent amount of force to get excess hairs out and to tame those tresses.
Step Six
Put some mousse on a saucer or paper plate or whatever. Now take either your fingers or your toothbrush, and dip them into the mousse a bit. Now you don't want to load it. You want to use just enough mousse to get the job done without soaking the hair, usually about a dime-sized amount at a time for a "Traditional" sized piece. Lightly and evenly apply the mousse to the hair and tame and style those tresses as you wish. Let rest and dry and voilá...you're done with the tail! Yay...great job! You should end up with something like this...
Tips
Make sure that "U" at the dock is tidy and even because that's the one glued area that we'll be seeing. It's also an anatomical feature so it has to be accurate for that reason, too.
If portions tear up as you brush it out, you didn't use enough glue or press hard enough onto the tail bone. If that's the case, don't worry! Take your blade tool or toothpick, dip it in some glue and smear that glue precisely on the underside of the "weld line" and re-press it down and let it dry again. That should fix it.
I like to trim up the bottom of the tail of extra-long straggler hairs to tidy things up. To do that, I don't use my scissors to cut across, but upwards, parallel to the hair follicles. It produces a far more natural look than a blunt cut perpendicular to the follicles.
You can use the mousse sparingly to keep the tail semi-fluffy or you can add a lot of mousse to make it "glued" together and stiffer. It just depends on your preference and need for extreme styling. On that note, ramie, viscose, and mulberry hair respond very readily to mousse so apply it cautiously. Mohair does well, but it's not as responsive as the others. Alpaca is far less responsive due to its heavier body whereas craft fur is the least responsive because it's stiffer, being made of artificial strands.
Ok that's it for Part IV, the tail! In Part V, we'll tackle the mane! Wheee!
"You will enrich your life immeasurably if you approach it with a sense of wonder and discovery, and always challenge yourself to try new things."
~ Nate Berkus
