Finished the Fairy Art Doll

I was able to finish the Fairy Art doll by the "holiday" party... This doll was a gift to stephanie...I had to get her done after I received the beautiful Witch doll in the mail! Just the inspiration I needed to complete a project!!! haha!!

After doing 3 pair of hands ...I had to go with this last pair....I was running out of time! The hands are a bit strong for this doll...i need to learn to streamline and make them more feminine, but its the journey!!! I'll keep at it...I'm Also working on expressive eyes...and lids...this is a tough area for me...Lips and noses flow a little easier .....

Her Shirt is a piece of plain old tea stained cotton..then stamped with my favorite "jester" print...then fee motioned...adding ribbons with free motion. Her Tiny shoes are clay soles with Leather uppers...the petals of her skirt were heated to curl and then free motion stitched ribbon on all of the edges...The heart embellishments were made with my tiny "heart cutter" set out of clay...stamped..pearl pwders and then glazed.

A Marilyn Doll by Artist Cindy Sowers

Well...Ebay sales are rising!! haha...and i'm doing a little less creating...But I am getting to know a lot of other artists and I'm getting very inspired by fantastic artwork...dolls and mixed media...and sculpting. An artist by the name of Cindy Sowers purchased some Mohair from me and we got to talking...she's very funny...and Very Talented! Here is her "Marilyn" doll that she just completed with my mohair!!! ugh...I'm so proud! Check her out...she has a website and etsy shop....http://www.cindysowers.com/ and http://www.cindysowers.etsy.com/...

HOLIDAY Party at Last!!!

The Kissing Doll in the black and white dress was created by Stephanie...Diane is holding her "cat doll", Emily has her swap fairy on a cupcake created by Stephanie....Stephanie received a "genie on a lamp" doll made by Deb....Tery holds her Elf creation...and deb holds a small fairy doll created by Emily!

me...i am taking the pictures!

This past Sunday, our club finally had its "Holiday party"! We had it in Garfield NJ in the "fireman's Pub"...the food was great and the place, which was an old firehouse at one time...had a wonderful atmosphere! And of course there was very "HIGH CREATIVE ENERGY" ...you couldnt help but feel the inspiration from everyone's creations! Really amazing! There were show and tell dolls and swap dolls....check out the pictures.

New hands and the start of a Mohair WIG CAP !

I just couldnt use the original hands...seems a gained a little time, so i redid them...They just didnt feel right! These hands will have a little more expression in them...i have a way to go with hands...absolutely...but i will master THEM! haha

And then I started her wig cap. I learned this technique fron Diane keeler. When the head is finished...take a piece of saran wrap and put it over the head and secure with a rubber band.

Next take fabritac and pour a little on top of her head and smooth it all around with your finger! Then, take a piece of silk guaze or Very thin stretch cotton, and press onto the top of the head over the glue, pressing firmly and forming it around the crown to ears...and down to the nape of the neck.

Spread a little more glue...so it almost looks like a helmet! Let this dry, and then cut it around the head small pointy scissors , cutting around the ears and across the forhead giving a nice hairline! You now have a removable cap that you can apply the hair to in very thin rows and then easily and neatly glue the cap onto the dolls head...it will fit perfect. Remove the dry cap from the plastic and work on a styrofoam egg attached to a stick.

FAIRY Mixed Media DOLL

Well, I started this fairy this week and i am moving along...considering i"ve made 2 heads..2 pair of hands and 3 fabric bodies with armatures!!!! I'm not all there when it comes to proportion... i think i get so excited to create this thing...that i dont have the mindset to get "technical" and just figure out proportion...

Ok...this week, i have since ordered a proportion wheel from Jack Johnston, and Katherine Deweys "elvenwork" mats that show proportion of man , woman, and child...they are pretty cool looking, protected in plastic!...

But this doll is staying this propotion, and it looks good to me !....well...the hands are a little big...but she'll hold something...haha...that takes care of that!!! This fairy is a gift! check her out...when i did the (fairy 7 heads_) length thing, It REALLY looked freaky ... i dont know what i'm missing...maybe my style is just a "Bigger head!?"....any input might help!!!

Leathet Ballet Shoes

Well...i am very busy working on this Ebay store thing...but i made the Mermaids ballet shoes....you know the ones she wishes she could dance in?

surprise in the mail!

This past weekend...i was rushing around doing a lot of ebay stuff...i took a break to eat and there was quit a large box on the kitchen table...it was addresses to me! NO...I swear i didnt order more "STUFF"...jimmy was just looking at me...then i read....Stephanie Novatski....what the hell??? were we supposed to mail our christmas dolls??? no one notified me!!! mine 's not even done!!!??

Ugh...I opened the box...and found all kinds of fantastic fabrics...stamps...beads and baubles...my color pink and gold ribbon....!!! my god!...there was a plastic shop rite bag...ugh!!! its heavy...OH my God...a Witch!!! I loved her the minute I picked her up...she has a beautiful vintage kind of face...and her clothes are so soft...some "REAL" vintage fabric...the shoes..the hair...free motion underskirt ! and the fantastic TAG with a beautiful note attached.... Check her out...Now I know why we do the "Doll" thing!

Mermaid not working

The Mermaid doll started out so great and exciting...then went DOWNHILL! This girl just didnt want to work...her head didnt fit her body...so i had to taker her apart...and i decided to try and sculpt her top portion...i was still happy with the tail and the material techniques i learned in class......si its a start...This is my First sculpted Body...so maybe it will take me a while...hmmm!!!

Mermaid Class

My Mermaid "in Progress"

Stephanies "Soprano"
Last week A few of us from the club got together for a creative one day "Journey" to create a beautiful Mermaid Art Doll. The class was held up in the "shop" and Stephanie Novatski taught her "techniques class" for her beautiful "Soprano"!

We learned some really "cool" painting on cloth techniques..such as applying acrylics to fabric through stencils, and doing "rubbings" onto the fabric using Shiva painsticksand (even crayons !!), texture plates..stamps..stencils. Is amazing how you can create a whole new fabric with these easy techniques! We also learned a "very cool" technique using a glue gun and dropping the hot glue in water and when cool...rubbing gold flakes onto the design..Wow...beautiful!

It was such a great day of inspiration and creative bonding! See the pictures of class and of my doll still in progress.

My mermaid will be holding a pair of pink ballerina shoes..and she will be "WONDERING" of the day when she will be able to "Dance"!

Her Tail is also "in progress"....i free motioned and "heated the edges to distort..then i rubbed some of the gold flecks onto the warm edges...now it needs some kind of "fluff"...added...right now its very boring! I need more "TEXTURE"!!!!

Tiny Sculpted Fairy

Well I have been gathering sculpting books and dvd"s on sculpting "tiny" fairies and babies. I have just been reading and watching...and i finally got the nerve to try and work this tiny!!!

So this is my first "whole" body...which i never really wanted to do...because I dont like statues...but working tiny caught my interest...and I really loved doing it...to me...the face is way harder than the body! I thought it was going to be the opposite way around, so I was pleasantly surprised!

This fairy is about 2 inches...and not wanting to break tradition..her name is "Pink Thumbellina"

Her Wings are Free motioned with shimmery thread on a piece of organza over very pretty paper. I hit them with a heat gun to shrink and shape them a bit...then i rubbed Dorlands "WAX" on the edges to mute them a bit..and heated again. I made a purple pair of wings, but of course...the Pink looked better!) Her crown is clay...with tiny vintage diamonds...(the diamonds are on her outfit also)

I want to keep practicing this ...I think i really like doing the bodies..........

New Organizer!! ugh!

Well, I was in A.C. Moore trying to "Spend" my 50% coupon...and nothing was hitting me...i kind of have everything there!! hmmm.....Anyway..i decided to "cover " the whole store just in case...the cash was hot in my hand...I just needed to buy a "Craft" item! I turn down the BAKING isle...and there it was...it had a golden "aura" around it...and i swore i heard music playing...

I was a Wilton storage doohicky for baking..but i saw "clay" storage!!! man...this thing was cool, it was 59.99....with a coupon it was 30.00...WOW. As I sat on the floor pulling all of the drawers out...people were coming up up me... (with their 50% coupon in hand...) What is that? where'd you get it? ugh ...it was the only one ...I suggested to this one scarey lady...to go ask if they had more in the back....then i ran to the register and bought it! Check it out...I LOVE it!!!

Open Barn Day

On Saturday, i went to Spruce Lane Llamas in Stockton NJ. It was "Open Barn" weekend!

It was so pretty and serene there and Bob and Carol Wolfe, the owners were warm and inviting. I went to purchase Llama hair...its so soft and pretty..I think its perfect for doll hair...The lama hair comes in pieces a couple inches long and can be needle felted onto a cloth doll head or Glued directly onto a clay head...or it can be glued or sewn onto a "Skull Cap" that can be attached to the dolls head like a Wig!

I really got to mingle with these amazing beautiful animals...they are very friendly! There were 2 new babies on the farm....see the pics.....

Tried some new hair

At the sheep and fiber festival...i really found some beautiful hair...i have been washing and washing blah blah blah...hair!!!! I dont think i'll ever buy unwashed animal fiber again...This is freaking work!!! Any way, some of the fiber i bought was clean ...so i tried a little on one of my halloween dolls that just didnt look right with her hair...I just "added this silky...glossy hair to what she had... I also dyed it a wheat color with some alchohol ink...which i definately wouldnt do again...because as we know alchohol dries things out...but even though this fiber got a little dried out..it still has smoothness to it...this hair is beautiful!!! See the pictures...its the doll on the right with the vintage lace,,,the girl on the left has real FLAX hair..(linen is made from flax)..i'm trying to figure out their halloween costumes!

Bear doll completed

I was able to complete the "bear girl " doll....she has tiny "Ugg" type boots! They are all the rage with my daughter and her friends...... i was also able to complete the other two dolls feet!!!

Sheep and fiber festival !!!

Yesterday I attended the 14th annual sheep and fiber festival at the Hunterdon County fairgrounds. I believe it was a small festival...but it was vey exciting. I am so happy that i took this journey! The animals were so beautiful and i got to talk with so many friendly people who owned the animals. I met Bob Wolfe who breeds llamas...he has a business which you can find on line http://www.sprucelane.com/ . I spent some time with bob and 3 of his llama .....he really loves and takes care of these beauties....this was apparent in their soft shiny coats. I bought a couple of bags of their wool...its straight ..soft.and silky!! This will make the perfect "straight" doll hair!!

I also bought Alpaca hair which is also soo soft and silky but with a little tiny kink to it....its beautiful!!! this came from a very cute charming woman that owns a farm you can find at http://www.desaifarms.net/ !

I also bought a just cut fleece from a grey jacob ewe named Hannah..they even gave me her picture!!! but i actually dont know what i got myself into...just that it looked so different...i had to have it!!! when i got it home...ugh!!! its filthy greasy...poopy...and its not silky doll hair...it might be some type of "wooly animal hair...i guess i have to start making animals!!! ha! i will search the internet to see what i'm into.....

The last thing that i got was a "drop spindle".... a little hand held wooden tool that you can spin roving into yarn.........very cool...this company was http://www.eklectikaknits.com/

A Creative meeting

Last week I had the good fortune of getting together with my friend Susan from Portland Oregon.. (We met in the Diane Keeler sculpting class at the NY WOW). Susan's husband was doing business in Mahwah Nj...so i went and met her . We took a ride in the city to a very cool store called "The compleat Sculptor", and foundsome great tools and products...

Susan is a fantastic sculptor and had started with miniatures.....see her "ladybug queen" and "flocked Mini dogs....I'm very excited about the animal flocking...as she gave me a website of an artist that she learned many techniques from....the site is http://kerripajuti.com/ ....check it out...she is amazing

Tiny wispy bangs found in the woods!!!

So i'm working on these halloween dolls...and i 'm trying to wig them all differently....My friend Susan from oregon had given me some beautiful angora fiber...goat maybe?? i dont know but very soft...so i wig one of the dolls in this fiber...and its really pretty hair...as i'm thinking...this needs something else...i look down and ugh..my workspace is getting so cluttered...i push a bunch of "stuff" out of the way...ouhhh! i get stuck by this plant thing i found in the woods that has been sitting for a month...couldnt find a use for it yet...maybe i'll throw it out! Then...some of the fibers fall out...OH MY GOSH...its right next to my doll i'm working on...its the exact same color of her wig..holy crap...they are tiny bangs!!! not only that...they each have thier "own" follicle PLUG that you can glue to the dolls head!!!! They are in the woods!!! they are FREE!!! haha

Yes...its the little things in life that "freak me out" check out wha the plant looks like and how the wispy bags look.....

halloween Dolls

I am in the process of creating a set of halloween dolls. I made 2 original heads, two different sizes..and then i created a mold for each. It was easier to have a jump on the next dolls heads..manipulting the faces after they come out of the mold takes me anywher from 1 to 2 hours, so each dolls has its own personality....no two are exact!

I then created a body pattern.... borrowing the "but " portion from an epb pattern ....thanks elinor...for that great "shaped butt" ..i used armature wire in the torso...arms and legs and they are now poseable! thanks to my friend maria..."she said...giirrrrl...you've got to use some type of armiture in those dolls!!!"

i have wigged them all and i have completed 2 costumes... , leopard girl and strawberry girl.......I'm working on the third...bear girl.

i'm working production style with these dolls ...completing each section on all dolls before moving to the next thing....heads, bodies, faces, hair costumes..the last thing i wiil do is feet and shoes