Sketches for Art Dolls I will create...someday :)~

Lady of the Lake.

Kali Goddess of Death and Life

Hypnos and Thanatos....Sleep and Death.
In all Greek myth, they are portrayed as male youths

Retreat Doll re-vamped

My doll has gone through a lot in the past two weeks. A fuller torso, a wrap around branch and some hair. I even added on some jewelry, but she still has a long way to go.

Styling for dolls can be quite a challenge. I was able to pick some odd pieces of old costume jewelry, to create a headdress and add a little glitter to her costume with sequins and a metallic wire ribbon.

Adding swatches of hair

Now her hair, OH MY the hair!...lol Giving her a mop of hair was no fun, especially when I decided to go two tone in color. But as it turned out, I was able to make a passable wig by attaching patches of hair, beginning a the back of the neck and glued in a circular patterned around the hairline. Then after a few rows, the way to close the remaining gap is to apply glue to the blank part of the skull, pull some of the front hair towards the back and hold for a bit. Once the glue has gripped the hair allow to dry completely, you can then trim and style the hair.

Still thinking of more to add on for the final creation. Hope to get to it soon...:)) 

Retreat Doll

I was able to attend my first Bernard and Goshon doll retreat and it was awesome. The ladies that travel so far to New York were a riot and so much fun to be around, I didn't want it to end.

As you can see by my half finished doll, while everyone else was able to complete theirs, I was still in the first stages of the creative process...and it was a three day event. lol

Tiny Goddess...Ornament.

Here is my submission for the tiny Goddess challenge Sum Li, she's about 4 inches. I love the color red and the idea of making such a small doll into a powerful image was quite interesting. I hope you like the end results.

Melania...let's give her an arm.

Needle in two layers of stitches to attach

Stitching through painted gesso is no fun. I made the mistake of painting the torso then realized that it does get a little hard to pass the needle. Well, with a good thimble and force I was able to attach the arm to the shoulder.





Blending clay over the shoulder will take more than one pass. I first rolled a thin snake of paper clay to fill in the gap and cover the stitches. Once that was pressed in and allowed to set for a bit, I smoothed the edges and with a damp finger adding more clay to finish filling the gap.

Remember, if you apply too much water to the clay, it will show cracks when dry.  If by chance some cracks do appear after drying, smooth on a bit more paper clay to cover and sand smooth when dry. 



Knot thread and tuck in towards fold


Don't worry how your stitches may look, just make sure the arm is secure and sewn tight to the shoulder, remember to follow the slope of the neck for a natural look.

Melania's Face... 3 steps

Here she is in her semi finished state.
Hmmm, I had a bit of a problem while creating Melania's face...I've never thought getting both sides to match up would be a problem.

Well it was.It took me a while but I got it to look passably even.

Her right ear wasn't narrow enough at the bottom so I added on an earring base.

I found the best way to apply the dolls features is in a three step method.











First. Apply a thin layer of clay over the gesso, leaving a  third of the head at the top without covering, this part will hold her sewn in hair

Second. As the base clay partly dries, you can begin molding one side of the face with the fresh clay. Start with the mouth and nose, make sure they are centered within the placement of the ears, then add on one eye and an ear. Make sure to blend in the edges onto the semi dry clay with a damp finger, or use a toothpick for those tight areas. Set aside to set up for 10 to 15 minutes.
The texture will be a bit rough and gritty, but as the clay continues to dry, you can gently tap it smooth with your finger (or toothpick), reshape and add on any more details before it's fully dry.

Third. Once the first side of the head is dry, the opposite side can be worked on. I noticed after stuffing the head, that my doll's ears came out to be a little odd, but mistakes can create additional detail.  I adjusted my doll's look by making an ear clasp which can later hold an earring.

These steps are simple and can be applied on all areas while creating your paper clay doll. True, the process can be a bit slow, but the doll's final symmetry will be worth it...lol

Melania's Boots

Here my doll has one boot on and one off. I just wanted to show you that once the gesso is applied the clay grips on the leg and the clay becomes easy to mold.

You'll notice that there is a stick coming out of the heel. This stick run through the dolls right leg and gives her a bit of stability, which is good because as you build on the cloth she might become a bit top heavy.
She will be glued onto a platform stand, once I'm done with the costume and hair.

Just a closer shot of the folds on the boot. I have yet to sand it a bit smoother.

I used a toothpick to make the  leatherfolds on the paper clay. Looks pretty good. if I do say so myself...lol