This week I've had a some time to get back in the studio, make a mess, smear myself with paint, and actually finish a doll.  Maeve is a small, hanging fawn girl holding a tiny apple, and was commissioned by Faery Spell Creations, another doll-maker on Etsy.  Here she is in progress:

Her head and body are made from polymer clay, and her horns, arms and apple are made from a two-part epoxy resin, which is extremely strong, so that they won't break off in transport.

Here she is all dressed and fancy:

And close up:

And a close-up of her apple:

Isn't it amazing what some scraps of cloth and paint can do?  Maeve was inspired by this larger fawn girl, who is still available in my shop:

I also have a work in progress who has huge eyes, elegant hands and sassy boots:

Sad lady - I'm not sure why.  They just seem to come out that way...

Happy doll-making, art-making, paint-smearing, and - belated - Hallowe'en!

Here are a couple of things I'm working on; a new cloth doll, and what will be a larger paper-clay doll with (eventually) a cloth body.  I tried to give the faceless body her face yesterday but I just, wasn't satisfied so I painted over  it and she remains an enigma for the moment. 

I have, of course, a skirt to protect her modesty in due time:

I tea dyed the crocheted lace, which is the absolute best way to to take the harshness out of new, white fabrics and give them a vintage look.  Just brew up some tea and submerge your fabric - so simple, it seems like it shouldn't work!

A few days ago I saw the most beautiful, haunting short film by Jesper Just, It Will All End in Tears (which, oddly enough, is my father's favourite expression when my younger brothers and sisters and rough-housing.) But back to high art, you can see a photo-montage of still images from the film on his website, and I'm also going to include some here because it was just so lovely and sad (and has scary parts, too) I can't stop thinking about it.  (The fade in and out on the site, so the third picture is really a composite of two - very spooky and dreamlike, much like the film):

I feel like these images give you a sense of the film, although there is of course much more to it.  There's also a short clip of a another film by Just on youtube called Something to Love: 

Can anyone tell me how to post videos on youtube on to a typepad blog?  Typepad isn't listed as a blog they support, but I'm sure I've seen typepad blogs with video links...

Must run...going to an art opening! (ladeeda!)  In other news, our bikes were stolen last night, so I'm trying not to be too depressed about that.

      

It has been a crazy week of classes and applying for scholarships - so much paperwork, I wanted to cry.  I have an absolute terror of forms and bureaucracy, but I did manage to get it all done and so have some hope of obtaining filthy lucre from the academic powers-that-be. 

I sent three of my ladies off to new homes this week, which is an all-time record for sure.  And I  did manage to finish a cloth doll, Sweet Charlotte, who I'm very happy with:

It still amazes me every time I make a doll how their faces and characters just seem to create themselves.  They never come out exactly how I plan, but somehow always seem to come out like they should. Charlotte is available in my shop.

I also came up with a new idea for a tag which I'm very happy with:

I wish I could say I designed the image, but sadly my computer skills do not extend that far.  The most excellent designer-mama ever, Kimberley Kersys, did it for me.  She also did the banner you see at the head of this blog, and my business cards - I highly recommend her for all one's graphic needs.

Above is the poster for the most delightful-looking animated feature, Blood Tea and Red String, which can purchased on Amazon.  I've only seen the trailer on You Tube so far (you can find it by entering the title) but it looks breathtaking.  There is something about a bunch of white mice in Elizabethan costume drinking tea that makes me incredibly happy.  I have the very sweet Beth at Lilies and Ether to thank for telling me about this amazing work.

Well, I must drag myself away from the computer to do some sorely neglected housework...I'll be back soon with some poetry, I think.  Any fans of Romantic Literature out there?   

Here is my latest experiment with all things doll:  A 3-d wall hanging with a pretty little sculpted girl named Sadie. 

As much as I love making larger, fully poseable dolls with limbs and proper clothes, they're very time-consuming.  I like this idea of the wall hanging because it can be finished in a day or two, and it's satisfying to complete something relatively quickly (well, it was hardly quick, but not days  upon days, either.)  Sadie's made from paperclay and resin, glued to a 5 x 5 inch medium density fibre board (sort of like masonite.) She is embellished with lace and mohair and a tiny black bird, and the background is hand-painted.  I love how she looks like she's caught in a wind storm!  She's now in my Etsy Shop.  I plan to make many more of these; here are some unpainted, bodiless faces:

   Sort of spooky just floating and featureless like that, but they'll have personalities and stories soon enough.  Any other doll-makers out there?  I'm always amazed at how their characters just seem to develop independently; I don't think them up so much as they just come into being...

My, my - it's been a while!  I had the best intentions not to have big gaps in my postings, but sometimes life gets away from you...  I've been busy picking my courses for the coming academic year, busy with work; all the usual stuff.

Here is a new doll  I recently finished, Raggedy Red - a sister for Penelope.  She'll be available in my Etsy shop when I get back from a short trip on Friday.

I tried my hand at silk ribbon embroidery for the first time, which you can see on her skirts; simple  (but very pretty) daisies.   I'd like to try more embroidery, but it requires so much patience.  I find I have to get into a zen-like state of mind first, or I just end up tearing out all the stitches and shouting at the needle.

I received three very small, very cute vintage Frozen Charlotte dolls from awesome Etsy seller, Scattered Momentos, this week.  I'm not sure yet what I'll do with them.  I was imagining using them in some kind of assemblage, but I don't know if I'll be able to part with them.  Three of my dolls seem to have claimed them as friends, and they might not be willing to part with them, either.  Here they are with Penelope, Fawn Girl and the Contessa:

And just for fun, here is a picture of my deck in all its luscious glory.  My husband and I are very proud that we have managed not to kill anything this summer (which can't be said of past efforts.) 

Unfortunately, you can't really see the Morning Glories very well in this picture, but they are so pretty - huge and blue and you can practically see them growing.