"Birdie" A paperclay Giraffe doll

This is Birdie..a paperclay Giraffe girl....I cant tell weather she lis more girl or more Giraffe.  She has jointed arms, a soft bodysuit torso and upper leg..and sculpted lower legs with sculpted shoes

I used this cool litte plastic giraffe  to copy a good giraffe likeness it really helped a lot because I came to realize i dont actually know what a giraffe looks like from my memorry alonne !!!!!

So here she is in her body suit assembled ready to be clothed and to become "birdie" ...

Rose...a Lost Soul in Progress

Rose will be about 7 inches...I have Sculpted her head , bodice , upper and lower arms and lower legs...her body will be a simple torso bodysuit with upper legs that has a two way stretch....it pulls easily over her wire armature....then lightly stuffed for a this soft torso.

I thought she might have ANTLERS.  BUT AS SHE PROGRESSES...ITS JUST NOT HER!

She is coming along and she is telling me she needs Roses ...a Rose color ...?!?  What?..

So... after I started dressing her and getting ideas I wanted to touch up one eyebrow ...went  to squirt a little the brown paint ...ugh..  SPLATTERED all over the doll, her hair and the tile. I was able to wash her hair successfully but now she has fine pretty freckles that were not in the plan!!!  But now I love them  ...also made me  rethink her hair into braids...

Instead of just painting her shoes...I went for a little more dimension. I used Half Cilla air dry in this vtiny mold because it has nice tiny intricate designs that are quite shallow...it allowed me to create a fine design on the foot with out adding bulk because I want teeny feet..... 

I also started to create tiny roses. Ill paint then along with her shoes...use some rub ons and maybe triple thick

So. Now she has a Scrunched up vintage sheers hanky as  a dress .  It was peach but I dyed it with distress stains and Silks paint.  Just finished sewing her rose jacket...but now it needs a ruffle and buttons I think....she needs last steps of embellishment and a special WAND ...

A Lost Soul searching for Spring. Babe Girl

 Oh, and her bees are made from Half .Cilla.  A very cool air dry clay....its smooth and light and gives great detail...works so easily in a mold,,,, .its so weightless for accessories...it's my new favorite "stuff"

This little doll has a paperclay bodice head and lower arms and legs...her bodysuit has a wire armature holding the clay parts in place.  She is soft and feels like a "doll" in your hands" !

 

Her clothes are mostly vintage fabrics that I have collected but her skirt is a very cool tulle with metal threads ...It has a pretty cool VINTAGY German silver look to it.  When I cut it.  It was a little uneven  so I burned the edges a bit. That didn't look as good as I imagined and the skirt was Already on the doll...ughhhhhh. Then I pinched it kind of like pissed...and Holee. It just rolled up and stAyed...I guess because of the metL threads,,,VERRY cool and now I love the effect.  Well I got the fabric from Mood Fabrics in NYC.  ..1 yard....$50.  I knew I needed this fabric...and I can probably make 10 or more skirts. So it was worth it!!!! 

back to Blogging with 2 Lost Soul dolls...These are Old Souls...They Know stuff....

 This Little Old Soul is a ll all paperclay with joints that are jewelry pins fastened with tiny Vintage findings...a kind of circle of gems.....She is about 5 inches....I used many Vintage crystals, findings and pieces of lace and ribbon....I died her lace with distress Inks...one of my favorite ways to give a "Vintage worn look to fabrics....

This is her older sister...created in the same manner...she has to bear all of the pain that they both have....But she is very good at it...because she does it with LOVE...

Here they are sculpted and painted....you can see how the simple pins hold the doll together.....

Fish Fairy!!!!

Rose fairy Turned into Fish Fairy...I believe its because the water in the bay is now calm  and I feel the fish  are gathering .

Her clothes are from a vintage shirt sleeve, and a vintage handmade placemat dyed with Ranger distress stains. Her FISH POCKETBOOK WAS SCULPTED WITH CREATIVE PAAPERCLAY OVER FOIL SHAPED LIKE A FISH HEAD. THE TINY FISH AND WINGS WERE SCULPTED FROM HALF CILL AIR DRY CLAY. I SHINED THESE ACCESSORIES UP WIITH TRIPLE THICK MEDIUM.
HER CROWN IS A VIINTAGE FINDING....COLORED LIGHTLY WITH RANGER PATINA PAINTS AND RUBBED WITH GILDERS PASTES. THEN A TINY HALF CILLA FFISH WAS ADDED.
SHE STILL NEEDS SHOES....

rose Girl

I have beeen working on a new doll...she is somber....i wanted her tto be covered in roses...but she is looking kind of "fishy" ! Her long red hair is Mermaid-y but she already has legs....I really have to tthink about this...i keep seeing a fiish on her head...so again...she will be what she wants to be in the end.
I have dyed the long goatheair red and slightly used a mini flat iron to shine the hair but not take out all of the pretty natural wave. after i wig her, using fabri tac very lightly! i wet the hair around the head and hold it n place with tin foil while it dries..this helps me kepp the hair closer to the head when i am wanting a "tighter" look.
I do like her face though...compared to the last fairy..that face just gave me a hard time from the start....this one i was connected to as soon as i sculpted her..she flowed from me...I know you know whatt I mean.... ok anyway...i found a new Cool JAPANESE clay called HALF CILLA ! It is air dry, kind of like paper clay, but YET moist and spongy, like premeir but easier to work with....I sell both of these clays on eBay..but i am loving the Half ciilla..i love that i can add a little bit of cheap craft paint ... beautiful shades of these paints..CAN REALLY create pretty clay. This clay works beautifully with molds...pops out so easy and i get great detail...it dries so lightweight TOO!
also...I want her to hhave wings...here is a thought...but I saw a tutorila by Carrie shoen that i may try instead....I'll be exploring lots of Wing options

so Fox Doll just changed ???!!! I tried so hard for her to be one way ...but they are fickle andd do what THEY WANT TO DO!!!!

Fox Girl

Ok. So this little girl with her fox rag doll is giving me more difficulties. Ugh.. Her hands were just too wide! When measured to her face they were the correct length...but just too wide,,,going for a more delicate hand,,,so chopped them off and ill add another joint,,, this might look cool with another gem at the wrists ,,,like built in bracelets!

I also decided on having her in a "Distressed"Jeans look. I used a pair of jean that recently "shrunk"!!!! Haha or maybe I m getting bigger? Ugh.... the collar are fur scraps i found and she will be draped in diamond and pearls. Her fox doll needs a TUTU for Sure!

February doll what will she be? Something sweet...

Im working on my February Doll...I always try to do Valentine and Halloween dolls...This little girl was giving me "big" problems! I loved her face ...but the morre I looked t her, Something was very wrong..she just wouldn't speak to me. then I saw itt...her eyelids disappeared making her eyes look too huge AND UNREALISTIC...EVEN THOUGH SHE IS A FAIRY WITH POINTY EARS, I STILL WANT HER TO BE HUMAN LIKE!

Her face was already painted and her eyes glossed with triple thick..ugh!!! The only thing i could do, was build on to tthe eye's wiith paper clay...then lightly sand the lids into the painted face...I used my micro polishing swabs to do this trick...wow Paperclay is amazing! Im so much happier at the way she looks...i'm glad I took the time and the chance of wrecking her..its always worth it..in the end!

Omygosh. I'm back,

Oh blog world. I miss your inspiration ,,, !,,,, I opened a physical store and an eBay store.  And I am actually somehow finding time To sculpt again.  Thank you Stephanie novatski for your iPad no how I'll post pictures of my new dolls this week.    

Here are some new faces I started this week. They are in the rough stages. I'll add a little more definition  and eyelids.....then on  to sanding.  

I can't wait to see what everyone else is creating....

Oh. My cats are helping me try to use this new ipad....

The Artsy Soul almost Opened!!!

Hello...SO Sorry I have not posted or cheched all of  my Wonderful Artists Friends Blogs! 
Been so crazy getting a store up and filled...We are almost there!  I hope one day to meet friends and Artists here...wether you come to take a class or give a class...There will be " Explosive Energy" here at the Artsy Soul.  Eventually I will be on line with the products I sell in the store...just going to take a little more time.  Please Connect to The Artsy soul Face Book for Class updates!

ok...so I havent been on blogger...what happened?  i cant POST PICTURES?! haha ok..if anyone can tell me whats going on?!   Ill post some cool pictures of the store!   Thanks Hope to reconnect to everyone...Colleen

Cocoa Carmel....

I created Cocoa Carmel for my friend Alison.  Alison is a woman of color with American indian in her background.  She has a beautiful brown  skintone with freckles and high cheekbones....I tried to portray her the best Icould...Cocoa's hair color actually matched Alisons... 

Cocoa Carmel has "Swiss Chocolate Dot" shoes and  A Cocolate cake Hat made from "pluffy" clay...a very lightweight marshmallowy  clay that must be baked.   Her hair is different than my normal goat hair.  It was from an acrylic like "Dread" wig from the beAuty Supply shop.  I really love the darker skin and hair for this doll.  I will definately do more of these.

 

And now no more dolls for a while...Working so hard on my NEW SHOP.....The Artsy Soul...I should be opened by july 4th...A retail store for mixed media supplies...and "treasures"...and a classroom.  I will be teaching sculpting tiny dolls and making shoes, crowns, hats and charms.  I will have teachers come in to do workshops.  I will attach the site to my blog when I get there..!!!

Garden Girl

Oops! Forgot to post this little girl I finished two weeks ago...she was one of the 3 soft body dolls I started 2 posts ago...she started out as pea pod girl...but ended up as garden girl.  She wears a "Pea Pod Helmet" created from polymer clay...and her pea stamped dressis acrylic paint mixed with textile medium.  I used all Vintage fabrics that I found at flea markets...that makes her very special to me!!!

I aslo created tiny paperclay shoes formed onto her feet...after sculpting them into the shape I wanted...I lightly stamped them with a "powdered rubber stamp" for beautiful raised texture"  ..I really think they added to this doll......