It is the last week of September, and I have finished most of the rough sanding and painted on a primer coat. As with all the animals, there is a point where sanding the wood just keeps lifting up more fibers (“hairs”). So I apply what I call a primer ‘sanding’ coat. This stiffens the surface fibers and allows for finer sandpaper and a smoother surface. With this penguin, I went through three cycles of primer coat and sanding before I was satisfied with the result.