Little Things

I got this bottle rack holder from Amazon the other day and you would have thought it was Christmas. It really doesn't take much. Anyway, a needed a way to hold all my little jointed doll pieces while they dried after painting, sculpting or for any other reason I didn't want to lay them down and this was perfect!! It spins AND You can take the little sticks off and hold the pieces individually. Here are the pieces freshly primed. Well, back to work!

Random thought

Quote of the day:

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
-Scott Adams

I love artists with a creative, abstract mind. Mainly because that's what I aspire to be when I grow up. I find that my art is more.....surface. What I see is what you get and I have been nearsighted thus far. I tend to create in reality because it's....well...safe, concrete, and spelled out. It really leaves no room for mistakes. Maybe next year I'll challenge myself more artistically.... Maybe tomorrow

Art Trade

I have been meaning to paint and draw more. The doll sculpting has taken a lot of my time. The other issue is that painting and drawing on a large scale take up time too and there is so much I want to get done with my little dollies. Sometimes I just have to put them aside and give my mind a break. So while surfing the dubya dubya dubya I came across some art trading sites... And I joined a few! http://www.arttradermag.com

And

http://www.atcsforall.com

There is TONS of info to soak up about how the whole trading thing works so while my brain soaks it up, my hands got to workin'. Here are a couple of cards I made on the fly. The exercise, for me, was to not think so much and paint more freely.

The pencil drawing is a self portrait that I haven't painted yet. I will do that later... Errands are calling!

OMG!!

OK...so Im in the process of moving my wordpress blog over to blogger...*sigh* why must I make life so difficult sometimes??? Everything converted...only.....at ORIGINAL size.....so now I have to go through each post and change to size of the pics. Have patience I keep telling myself...sooooo until I can get to each one, the layout is a TOTAL wreck....

Ball Joints And All

I started working on a ball jointed doll. The face, to start, was most important. I think I'm going to like her. I hope to post progress pictures as I go along

Santa Is Coming To Town

I've been busy trying to finish up 6 completed Christmas figurines by Thanksgiving and I have to admit its been quite fun however, I'm anxious to get back to the ball jointed dollies sitting patiently on my shelf. The styrofoam bases that I started with are being replaced by wood and they look much better, more professional. Each figure is a OOAK (one of a kind) sculpture, hand painted using acrylics and chalk pastels and sealed with acrylic sealer and UV protector. No molds were used and no molds were taken which means they can not/will not be reproduced. Each one measures about 6 inches tall ( including base)

Baby Elfkin is the first completed figure. Well, technically he's the second, the first was, well..... FIRST....which means that like your first born, there are trials and errors... Definitely more of the latter. So she will remain near and dear to my heart. That being said, here is Elfkin. He is also made entirely out of paper clay. He stands 6 inches tall and reminds us that You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry....Santa Clause is coming to town!





And some progress picks





My Baby Angel is the second one completed. She is made entirely out of paperclay, with the exception of her satin n lace dress. She eagerly anticipates Christmas as she reads a Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol




Here are some of her progress pics





Baby Dimples is the third one completed. Her little antlers are permanently attached and have been reinforced with a wire armature. Paperclay, acrylic, and chalk pastel. Her candy cane lolly will keep her busy while she waits for Santa to come down the chimney, or use the key under the mat ;)



And some progress picks




Only three more to go. I have ideas dancin' in my head like sugar plums so it shouldn't take too long!

No EXCUSES

There really is no excuse. I just need to DO IT!... What am I talking about? Updating my blog, of course. I really don't want to start a post with some flimsy excuse of a comment about how long it's been since my last post.... But....errrr....ummmm... Anywho, That being said, I have been working on some things. I have a couple of articulated dolls in the works....sitting on a shelf.... In my little crafty, chaotic corner (closet).

This here is still Dahlia, my paper clay honey,.... Still waiting on clothes. But who is the little tike stealing all her attention? Well, so glad you asked!


Since Christmas is right around the corner, I decided to spread a little paperclay holiday cheer. Poor little guy doesn't have a name yet but here are some WIP pics.
YOU BETTER WATCH OUT,
YOU BETTER NOT CRY.....




And here is another non Christmas related paper clay sweetie... Daddy's favorite!

Movin Right Along

Soraya is still on the back burner. Sidetracked yet again. All the molds have been made and different slips ready to pour then I turn to the pack of Creative Paperclay laying on my shelf and decide I want the doll BIGGER. I had been avoiding air dry clays because I do not particularly like the mess they make all over my hands but once I started I just couldnt stop


Dahlia is her name and she is 20 inches (about 50cm) and my hubby gave her the name. He said she kinda looked like a Dahlia soooo...Dahlia it is.
The paperclay was not nearly as hard to sculpt with as I had anticipated and the mess not nearly as, well....messy! The best part is the unexpected durability of this product. I have put a tremendous amount of stress on the joints of this doll and stretched it to limits I could only DREAM of with ploymer clay and did I mention how easy it is to paint??? its like one big sculpted canvas with endless possibilities


She is almost done. Just some finishing touches like lashes and...well... CLOTHES and accessories....OH JOY!!

Coming Along

Ive been working on

Summer Breaks

I really have been trying to keep up the pace working on Soraya but it is summer and I have been trying to get around to see family before school starts for my kiddies. Now that all my traveling has slowed down and school is about to start its time to get back to business. I will also try to keep up with the sculpt a day. I have managed to work on a sculpt the past couple of days.



I'm trying not to get too attached to it because I really do not want to make a mold but since it is a sculpt of my little angel I figure that I have two options. 1) SUCK IT UP and make a mold or 2) Break down and remove the clay piece by piece.
Leaving it is not really an option because it just wouldn't last. It's made of oil based clay that will never harden....






I did try to find some local art school that could mold it for me , for a fee of course, however no luck so far. So for now will leave her and decide later...Today I will get back to Soraya. FOCUS WOMAN!!

Chaotic Sacrifice

The molding process is almost complete and with only a few more pieces to do poor Soraya needs a new nose job has a couple of broken joints and has her upper torso split in half...*sniffles*.
Before

After

She looks beaten and bruised, tattered and torn....all for the greater good. Sacrifice is what I call it.

So for now she sits in a drawer waiting for me to one day make the necessary repairs to make her whole once again...or Not. Her successors will more than likely determine her fate


Other non Soraya related stuff.
Im making an attempt to sculpt a head a day for practice. I worked on this one today while I waited for the molds to set

the pointy ears came out of nowhere(and not even complete) ...maybe I have some fantasy faerie realm stirring in my head for next time...dunno like I said, its just practice

Light at The End of the Tunnel

I have finally finished all the pieces for Soraya so I played around with my camera (again) to provide inspiration and a little push. She is still in need of deserate sanding and polishing but at least for now, I can see the light.

More pics here

The next step will be to make tiny molds of these tiny little pieces and prepare them for slip casting


Maybe one day I will have a kiln and be able to cast in porcelain but since this is my first attempt I have opted for the most economical process. I have purchased some Liquache

and some Doll Composition Slip


I guess I'll see which I like better in time


The closer I get to the molding process, the more anxious I become. I have spent months on creating a piece that I am satisfied with. I really dont want it to be destroyed in the molding process. Im crossing fingers (and doing tons of research) while I sand her down to perfection.

All Play

I can never seem to resist the tempation to play around w/ whatever project i'm working on. I suppose this project is no different. I did manage to get Soraya's feet finished and I will work on the hands tomorrow.....again, if I can resist the urge to play....so for now...I played w/ poses and different hairstyles. Maybe I'll paint her makeup just to feel a little closer to the finish line although I have a looooong way to go. There's still sanding and molding and casting and painting and......