It's been a rough couple of weeks here at casa Black; pink eye, the stomach flu and a nasty cold have all ripped through and my poor little bunny bore the brunt of it. Fortunately, he seems to be on the mend now and I'm hoping to take him to the park later today for the first time in days.
Anne Bachelier
I haven't had much time to to work on dolls (the laundry, oh the laundry!) but I've been thinking quite a bit about them and I'm excited about trying a few new things. I'm planning on basing the next batch on some of my favourite fairy tales (think 'The Wild Swans', 'Little Red Riding Hood', 'Jorinda & Joringel'). I've been looking at the stunning illustrations of Anne Bachelier for ideas. I'm also planning to make their clothing almost entirely from paper. I've done a lot of paper bodices before, but I think it will be fun to try paper skirts as well.
I've also been digging up photos to use as inspiration for faces because I want to try a few that are more detailed. In the past, I've looked at photos of models simply because they're easy to find, but they never worked for me; models' faces tend to be very symmetrical and conventionally beautiful - far too 'perfect' for my tastes. I'm drawn to faces that are unusual, that have somewhat exaggerated or asymmetrical features. Lately, I've been particularly interested in women with striking profiles and strong noses. One of my favourite (stranger) faces is also one of my favourite musicians, so I will making the beautiful PJ Harvey into my muse for at least a couple of my next dolls. I love that her face is both gawky and lush, severe and sweet. Here she is performing my favourite song from her new album live. It sounds quite different from her previous albums...gorgeous. (And check that crazy head thingy. Love her!)