Showing posts with label art doll. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art doll. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Knock Me Down! A More Colorful Solution...

For about 6 years now I've been making these Tillie version Knock Down Dolls in fun, circus-themed colors. The seafoam version was to match the color of the Palace Amusements building in Asbury Park, where Tillie's smiling countenance watched over children of all ages for decades.

An orange version was perfect for clowning around. Bright and cheery and colorfully circus-y.

And a royal blue version gave nod to a spiffy, more dressed up Tillie. And in all those years, I've sold over 100 of them.... with no complaints from the crowd.

Then, one day... I was like, "Hey! How about some new colors?" which was quickly followed by, "Duh!" and a head-slap. So, I decided to try out a pink version, to perhaps appeal to the ladies out there... a dusty lavender version, because I was feeling dandy... and a teal version, well, just for something different.

The exciting part was that I had just been contacted by someone who previously purchased one of my Knock Down Dolls and wanted to buy 5 more — in all different colors — to make a boardwalk themed display. And with the 3 new colors, I just so happened to be able to give her exactly what she wanted. A more colorful solution!

And since I was already fiddling with faux fur, sitting at the sewing machine, had hammer and tacks handy, and ribbons galore to rummage through... I made 2 whole sets. One for my patron and the other for you! To see all my Tillies in their fabulously amusing glory, you can visit my Etsy shop and click on Knock Down Dolls in the sidebar.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

I'm Stuffed!

I'm so very excited to announce that... I'm Stuffed! No... I'm not full from too much yummy food... I'm actually featured in the Autumn issue of Stuffed Magazine! A trio of my Modern Vintage Rag Dolls was chosen for their publication earlier this year, and my copy just arrived!

I was beyond giddy when I realized that my dolls were the first feature article in the magazine. How cool is that? And what an amazingly adorable job they did with the opening spread. Those paper lanterns are just too cute... and the perfect accent for my Geisha Girl!

Cloud E. with Raindrop and Dottie the Cupcake got full page exposure... what a thrill! The layout really highlights each doll and details much of the heart and soul (and stitching) that went into them. So awesome!

To get a peek into the Autumn issue of Stuffed magazine — or to purchase a copy online — visit Stampington & Company's sneak preview page. And to see more of my Modern Vintage Rag Dolls, check them out here. The issue will be on newsstands August 1st.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Ain't She A Doll...

Well, it took a little longer than I anticpated... but I finally finished my first official collection of folk art style dolls for 2014. With 10 little babies to create from paper clay, I ended up letting them discover who they wanted to be as I sculpted away. I did have some very specific ideas for personalities in mind before beginning... but the creative thoughts that came during the process made it that much more exciting. They just came to life in my very hands. I'm such a proud momma.

From bunnies in tutus, to moons orbiting earth, to cotton candy personified, to an underwater sea creature, and more... they were such fun to watch unfold before my eyes! I loved getting lost in the process and finding myself again in the tiniest of details. It was fun. It was frustrating at times. It was even a little scary. But mostly... I enjoyed the unpredictability of this journey.

So, let's take a look at some of my new art dolls...

This is Hope. No matter where she goes, she always feels at home. She's kind of a homebody.

Here is Mother Earth, with the orbiting moon as her head. She's got the whole world in her hands. The scarf was a last minute addition, but it does get cold up there at the North Pole!

Leonardo — a.k.a. The King of Cats — is a real sweetheart and a romantic. I actually used my kitties' naturally shed whiskers for this doll. And yes, I've been collecting those whiskers for years for just such a purpose.

Ain't she sweet? This is Miss Cotton Candy in all her pink glory. With an inverted cone as her off-the-shoulder ball gown, she's ready for a night on... the boardwalk.

Crustacea is Queen of the Lobsters. But it wasn't easy. She had to pinch her way to the top, one arthropod at a time! She's all dressed up for the Coral Cotillion, aboard the sunken pirate Ship Destiny. I wonder what great treasures await her.

And this little angel is Aspen. Made from parts of an old teddy bear (yes, that awesome bow belonged to the bear), she won my heart and will become part of my own personal collection. Now to carve out some time for the next round of dolls. Hmmmm.... where shall I go from here?

You can check out my entire collection of folk art style dolls in more detail in my Etsy shop.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Going to The Land of Dolls...

For more than three years now I've been making art for a living. And by art, I mean acrylic paintings, mixed media collage, circus themed assemblage, boardwalk style knock-down dolls, modern vintage-looking rag dolls, paper clay dolls, upcycled jewelry from flea market finds, and a few other things I'm sure!

And while I love every single one of these creative endeavors... I felt I needed more focus. I wanted to fine tune my own personal style. I thought maybe I should concentrate on one type of art. But which one? I love them all! I wanted to showcase the multitude of ideas in my head... but at the same time I wanted to utilize all the skills I've acquired in all the disciplines I love.

I thought for a very, very, very, long time. I reached into my brain... and then into my soul. I weighed and measured each of the creative categories with my head... and with my heart (and maybe a little bit in my gut too)! And came up with... Art Dolls!

I've dabbled with paper clay figures in the past, but they took hours and hours to make. But... they were also some of my favorite creations to date! I do love to make art that expresses emotion... and what better way than something with a face!

I also love that my Art Dolls allow me to utilize all my favorite materials and skills... working with clay, paint, repurposed flea market finds, sewing and fabric creations, adding collage elements, assemblage... heck, even some of my jewelry skills come in handy! It's really a mixed media paradise when you think about it. Hooray!

And so I have made the decision to concentrate my efforts this year on making Art Dolls! I've already started a few and can't seem to keep my hands off of them! I have more ideas than time, but I put some things aside like laundry, cleaning, shopping, fixing the bathtub faucet and even getting a haircut... just to work on these fun creations!

As a creative person who loves several forms of art, I have to say that it was not an easy decision to make... focusing on one discipline. However, once I made the choice, sat down and started to make these little creatures come to life... well, there wasn't one ounce of regret in my own little body. Playing with dolls. Yeah... pretty much a dream come true for me.

So, off I go into the land of dolls. If you don't hear from me for awhile it's because I'm busy creating. But you can keep up with my adventures on my Facebook Page and Twitter. Or sign up for my newsletter and be the first to know about all the good stuff!

I'm looking forward to sharing this new journey with you! Thanks for tagging along with me. You're a real doll!

xoxox

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Circus Sideshow Dolls Come to Life...

Step right up and meet our sideshow freaks from left to right... Tallulah Belle, our very happy, very friendly, very hairy, Bearded Lady. Then there's Cheri, our French Forest Fairy come to life from the pages of an actual fairy tale! Maggie our resident bird girl loves shiny objects... in fact, that's how she got her name... because she's like a Magpie! Our little Queen of the Sea is Jewel... although we tease her and call her Kitty, because her last boyfriend was a Catfish!


See how they all came to life — in this short video I made of my daily progress — from plain paper clay dolls to the painted, dressed up and embellished sideshow characters that they are today.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

On My Worktable...

Well, no matter what I do, my worktable keeps ending up like this! I've tried to clean it up. In fact, right after this, I put every single tube and jar of paint — as well as my palettes, paper towels and brushes — away in their appropriate cabinets and drawers!! And in 10 minutes... it looks like this all over again!

I guess all that means is I'm really excited about these new circus sideshow-inspired art dolls I've been working on lately. Too excited to clean up after every color change. I mean... the eyes alone were a combination of 14 different colors... Sheesh!

But they're all coming along nicely, now that most of the painting is done. Dressing them up is the fun part....

And well... that's a whole other mess!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Wounded...

For a long time now, I've been creating works that are... well... kind of sweet and pretty and colorful (a.k.a. pink!). And I think it's time to work on some pieces that relate more to the sad and difficult emotions I've been experiencing of late. They need to come out and manifest themselves into wonderful pieces of art too!

This piece I'm working on now is called Wounded. She's kind of a statement about how I felt growing up as a child. Having moved around a lot, I was always the target of bullies and mean girls in the new neighborhood. It left me feeling kind of wounded.... even to this day. I'm going to paint a target on her belly to drive home that point, and make some kind of woodsy assemblage to put her in. She's still sad, but happy to have made it through the forest.... almost unscathed.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Getting My Wires Crossed...

Worked a little more on my favorite new assemblage this past week. Now that Giselle is nice and aged with acrylic paints... I drilled some holes at appropriate points through her arms, legs and torso...

Then I wired the doll up so I could hook her into the vintage drawer-turned-box...

Added some eye hooks in key places inside the box...

And then the fun began! It was a little daunting at first. I don't always look forward to the technical aspects of art... like getting all these wires in all the right places... so that all the body parts are going in all the right directions... which for this piece are actually the wrong directions! Truth be told, I messed up a little, but was able to course correct. Whew! Nothing like getting your wires crossed... and it being a good thing!

Now that Giselle was all fastened to her marionette stage, I glanced back toward the bottom of the assemblage and noticed that Jesus was standing out a little too much. He needed to blend a little. I thought to add some Spanish Moss and... voilà... problem solved! I like the addition because it really grounds the letters to the base of the piece.

Tune in next week to find out what I do with my AMUSE MENT and some other tricks I have up my sleeve!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Gettin' Twisted...

Well... work on my Twisted assemblage is moving right along... and a little better than I had anticipated. That's always a pleasant phenomenon! I decided to go with Jesus as my "I" and I think I'm going to paint the letters ivory to match him.

I built a shelf out of a cardboard box, because I wanted the letters to be far forward, and not toward the back... in the shadows. Glued it in using my favorite multi-media glue.... DAP Tub & Tile Caulking! Wanna know why I love it so? Because caulking is made to fluctuate with temperature and humidity changes... just like the tiles in your bathroom. And so it doesn't get too hard and crack off. That's my little tip for today. Back to the assemblage...

I papered the entire inside of the drawer — and over the new shelf — with vintage book pages. For this piece I used pages from The Diary Of Anne Frank. But I don't really pick titles that are pertinent to the assemblage... I actually pick based on how aged the pages look, and how supple they are. These were perfect!

I also tried something different with this piece. Usually, I age the pages with some hue of brown acrylic paint... but these pages were rather delicate and the drawer had some ridges in it. I didn't want to be treating them so harshly as to rub on paint and wipe it back off. So I thought I would try using wood stain... and OMG!! Can I just tell you... that I may never go back to acrylics for aging vintage book pages again!

I got to work on Giselle over the weekend... added some volume to her skirt, distressed her like she'd been around for decades, and hooked her up to her new station all twisted and such. But I'll save that for the next update. Until then my twisted little mixed-media followers... Bwwahhahaahaa!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Jesus, Mary, and... Giselle?

In between other creative projects, life and a little relaxation, work slowly continues on my revised and revamped doll-inspired assemblage entitled... Twisted.

In order to keep the creative juices flowing, I did something a little different this time. I parked the entire piece across from where I sit on the couch for evening television watching. I put Giselle on a little shelf in the vintage bank drawer I'll be using... so she could get used to it... and have a little down time before she gets twisted!

This method is working out so well, because I've been thinking of ideas non-stop. I'll look over... while my brain is nice and relaxed from watching mind-numbing TV... and think of some crazy idea that comes out of left field (or maybe it's left brain!).

Like the word TWISTED. I recently acquired two tall and skinny figurines from my local flea market... and thought one of them would make a great substitute for the letter "I".

But I just can't seem to decide if I like the Mary that I got for one dollar...

Or the broken handed Jesus that I got for free with Mary because he had a broken hand (duh, that lady who sold it doesn't know me very well, does she?).

I'm not sure what color the letters will be at this point and I know that will be a factor. But it's hard to decide. Both Jesus and Mary... well... they both have their merits. What do you think? Well... I meant other than the fact that I'm twisted!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Sometimes You Just Have To Sever The Ties!

Oh no! I'm cutting off her arms! Yes, that's right... poor little Giselle is getting a bit of a makeover. She was the very first paper clay doll I made with real-looking eyes... and I truly did love her. Really!

I mean, I was there the day she was born... you know?

And I was there when she blossomed into a fine young woman.

I even made the dress for her first Cottilion.

But alas, the novelty wore off and I kept finding things I didn't like about her. So instead of keeping her around looking all at once pretty and sadly pensive... I took things into my own hands. Literally!

I cut off half her arms so I can make them jointed. I painted them pink and stripey, along with her already-jointed legs. I shortened her dress into a ballet skirt... and there are more changes to come. I'm going to place her — puppet-on-a-string-style — into an assemblage to be entitled... Twisted. In my own whimsically ironic way I am turning things around and using her sadness to my advantage. And I'm looking forward to the journey...