OK, since so many people have been asking me for etching tips, I decided to go ahead and write them down…
First of all, you will want a body model with clean, white plastic underneath the paint. Before etching a model, I always scrape off a bit of paint, then let it sit for 15 minutes. Sometimes, even the whitest plastic will turn yellow when exposed to air, so it is a good idea to let it sit before you waste your time creating a beautiful etch job on a yellowed model.
Secondly, you will want to decide on a pattern. I generally will either base my pattern on a real horse that I know personally, or a reference photo from a book or the Internet. I will usually do a Yahoo Image search for the pattern I want to etch.
One thing about patterns. If you are not going to repaint your model’s hooves, choose your pattern carefully! If you etch white socks onto dark legs, the contrasting hoof color will look strange. You will have to base your pattern on the number of white legs your model has. For example, if your model has only two white legs, its pattern is limited to Overo or Appaloosa since there are no Tobianos or Sabinos with only two white legs. Likewise, if you have a model with four white legs, an Overo is pretty much out of the question. Tobianos with no leg markings are a no-no! 
OK, now onto the etching. Some people like to etch out the borders of the pattern, but I prefer to mark them out in white charcoal pencil. That way, you can change it if you want to. After you have your pattern blocked out, it’s time to start etching. I like to use a number 11 X-acto blade and a padded handle, since using a plain metal one for an extended amout of time can result in painful finger blisters. Hold the blade as you would a pencil, but be careful not to hold it too close to the blade!
To etch out the main white pattern, use the flat edge of your blade and gently scrape the paint off. Don’t, I repeat DON’T scratch too hard! It only requires gentle pressure to remove the paint. Try not to use the pointed tip for making white areas unless you have to dig paint out of muscle grooves or manes and tails.
Once you have the white areas done, do a quick check for flecks of remaining paint. Once that is done, you might wish to add mapping or roaning to the pattern. For this, use the tip of your blade and lighty ‘draw’, the hairs on. Don’t forget that V-shaped pattern on the flank area, or the swirl on the forehead! Be sure to look at real horses and photographs so you know which way horse hair grows. Also, don’t dig into the plastic too deeply, you just need to remove the paint. If you want to make certain areas a little more ‘roany’, you can go back over your previous etching and add more white hairs to those places.
That’s really all there is to it. After you finish etching, you may wish to detail the eyes or hooves, or seal in your work with a glossy or matte finisher. Good luck and happy etching!
To see a gallery of etched models I have created, go to
http://members.cox.net/leap_of_faith_stables/etches.htm
You may want to take a look at the following related posts:
