Wise old Queen

Last time I posted about my Wise Old Queen Doll, she was bald:

She now has hair. I wigged her using Tibetan lambs wool that my friend Colleen gave me. It was from her stash of raw wool that she washed 1,000 times after she purchased it. I am very happy how she turned out! This doll was taught to me by Lillian Alberti. If you ever get a chance, take one of her classes! She is a wonderful teacher, artist and person!

Wise Queen is 95% complete. I am thinking she needs a small pair of earrings and matching necklace and I still need to paint her arms, which are still the raw muslin material. I also made a tag that will hang from her belt with a key. The tag is sort of her Title...telling her story. She is an old queen, wise and wonderful. She is "letting down her hair" as she is tired and ready to let go of the responsibilities of being Queen. That is why her hair is wild and not properly made into a bun. Her crown is in her hands. Is this her Youth Crown or her Wise Crown?

pretty little things

I love pretty little things. I am a magpie, loving glittery, pretty little things.

Enter seed beads. Shiny, little, pretty...perfect! For my current doll, who happens to be a queen, I wire beaded together a crown. I used an old copper bangle sized to fit M'lady's head. I then used seed beads, wire, pearls and bi cones (I think that is what they are called- read: bead newbie here) and wired it all together. I am pleased with the outcome. Not sure if I used "correct" beading technique. I used 'fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants' beading technique and it seemed to work.

doll progress

I've been taking a doll class with Lillian Alberti, a basic beginner's class and sadly, it's coming to an end this Saturday. Last week she showed us how she dresses her dolls using draping and basic patterns. That is what I've been working on all week: bloomers, an underskirt, over skirt, a blouse and finally, a simple corset. I decided to add some beading to my corset to dress it up. My doll is a queen, so I want to add sparkle to her. Her corset seemed to cry out for some beading...I've never really done any beading, so my first 4 attempts were ripped out with much snarling and swearing under my breath...

I kept at it and have now what I think is an acceptable row of beading that will go around the edge of her corset. I am not sure what else I'll do, but I'll keep going. Of course I didn't have the right kind of beading thread and so my sweet husband drove me to Michael's in the sleet/freezing rain last night so I cold get some. And I was up til 2:30 beading, or should I say RIPPING out beading! I want to make fancy drop thingies out of beads. I can see it in my minds eye but I don't know what or how to make them. It's an adventure!

This Saturday we will add hair and a hat- I'll make her a crown- Lillian is teaching a hat, but my queen shall have her crown. :)

Altered Envelope Doll Book

The best of both worlds - Dolls and Altered Art! I've just about finished (need to add more doo-dads and bling) an envelope altered book to house pictures of my finished clay dolls. I really enjoyed making this- I forgot just how fun altered books are! We move along to the 'next thing' in the craft world...once in awhile it's good to go back to the basics...stamping, altering...inking...cutting...arranging. So satisfying for me.

Each page starts as a square white envelope and I alter each one and transferred it into a book by binding the pages with my Zutter binding machine.

Work in Progress

this is my latest doll. I am making her in a doll class taught by Lillian Alberti. Great Class! We will next wig her and then dress her. She is an old woman. I added lots of wrinkles.

Her head is cell-u-clay with paperclay on top. her body is soft sculpture and I am painting her body with gesso to stiffen it. She stands about 16", the largest doll I've made to date. I want to dress her in the Elizabethan era, sort of queenly, as she is the matriarch of my dolls.

Happy French Princess

I finished my latest doll and I am happy with her. I am still trying to find my own style within doll making. While making the torso for this doll I thought about collage and decided to collage the entire doll- as I am a collage artist. I started rummaging through my insane mountain of paper and ephemera and books...and came upon an old children's story book in French- I started ripping up French words and collaging them onto her torso. Afterwards I got curious as to what the words meant, so using my trusty translation app on my phone, I learned that the words said "Happy Princess"...well how perfect is that?!?!!

So she is my Happy French Princess. I used an old baking tart as her skirt, added a tulle bustle in the back and her hat is made from a candy mold using paper clay and tulle. Her neck are bead caps and bead spacers, which I changed the color- they were a shiny silver and just didn't match the whole look.

I still have no idea what my doll making style is...but I'll just keep making dolls and hopefully my style will emerge...

Fashion Queen - new assemblage doll

I'd like to introduce my latest Art Assemblage Doll - Fashion Queen. I love her! I used a beautiful piece of vintage rhinestone on her and there are Swarovski crystals in her hand made crown. Her arms and legs are over 100 years old and were rescued from the ground in Germany at an abandoned doll factory. I buy the German doll parts from the guys who dig them up in Germany.

I will be listing her in my etsy shop soon if you are interested in purchasing her.

Welcome to the world Gracie!

My beautiful new granddaughter, Gracie Lynn

born 12/12/11 at 11:11

(rather significant numbers!)

Art doll # 4


art doll # 4, in process

My oldest daughter gave birth on 12/12 (at 11:11!) to Gracie Lynn. She is so cute and has completely stolen my heart! Mother and daughter are coming home tomorrow and I'll be spending a few days with them to help out. I've been at the hospital most days and so my newest doll is not getting too far along...understandable!

I decided to give up the 'realistic' head approach because I was getting way too frustrated. So this doll will be more character - with large painted eyes. I'll work on her as I can, once my daughter is settled into her routine with Gracie and I return home. I collaged the body - I've been thinking about doing this- and used vintage ephemera. Some of it is from a French storybook. I looked up the words with my trusty translation app on my phone and the French words are: The Happy Princess...perfect!!! So that is her name. She is made from paper clay with a wire, Styrofoam and foil armature. I added the ephemera and then mat mod podge over the ephemera.

sunday painting

The diamond background is another painting I did and photshopped them together.

I am painting faces...for dolls...the ideas are coming...I want to start my next doll and the idea occurred to me to paint some faces and see 'who' I find. I am drawn to big eyes at the moment, and small noses. I would like this one with the nose close to the eyes...more pixie/elf like, I guess. I am not sure what it is I am going for- it just sort of happens.

I am thinking I would like her better with more red around her eyes...a bit of darkness, I suppose.

She is painted with 'wash & sketch' pencil, acrylic and oil paints.

paper clay doll # 3

I've had a horrible cold for the last 10 days and so I've been home bound trying to get over it, giving me lots of time to finish my latest doll. Actually she is a mixed media doll: her head, chest and lower legs are paper clay, her arms are polymer clay and her body is stuffed cloth. She does not have a name yet, but her "Title" is "Keeper of my Dreams".

She stands 7.5" tall. And amazingly, she actually stands on her own! I am learning a lot about doll making. I know her face and arms are 'rough' but I am pleased with my progress. Each time is an improvement.

I am thinking that I may make her a little bird cage to hold. Inside the cage I will put a corked bottle that holds my dreams: a physical way she keeps my dreams.