I have been working hard on my craft since 2004, and I think I have a skill level that shows in my work. I am the do over queen and there are many heads without bodies to suggest that these mistakes drive me to the perfect end. The finished doll always seems to lead to the next doll, one is born out of another. This is why I love making dolls. It is the air I breathe and pretty much defines me. I am a doll maker.

This may sound strange but these bodiless heads and headless bodies speak to me. I have control over the parts and pieces individually, but the position involved in the connection is revealed at the moment the pieces touch one another for the first time. The head moves me to sew it in a certain pose, same with the hands and arms. The whole doll forms itself to be expressive according to its idea of itself.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Hair and Shoes


Hair and Shoes are very important.



Goldie's hair is made of cotton twine that has been dyed in a brown and yellow dye bath. I mixed the two colors. I then dip the pieces into the fabric stiffener and wrap it around a 1/4 inch dowel and let dry. This is how I get the curl. Oh yeah always cover the dowel with vaseline so the twine will release. Now her head can't be sewn in to because it is too hard so I make a beret that gets glued on and suffed with polyfill. I can sew into this. I wrap some pieces around the edge to hide it and then I start sewing short pieces folded in half to the back and bottom of her head. I will work from the bottom and side to side and then come from the top down. This takes a few days, because I really never stick to one task for long.



The shoes for now are the same chunky and Doc Marten inspired. Why mess with a shoe that fits. These shoes are made of paper mache. They are messy to make but rather simple. I made a plaster mold about a year ago and I first cover it with vaseline so the shoe will release then I just press the strips of newspaper, with a glue/water coating, into the mold. I do 3 layers and dry in front of a fan to speed things up. I'll end up with 2 halves of 2 shoes. I have to connect the 2 halves with small strips and eventually I will end up with a whole shoe that gets sanded down, and then I cover with paper clay to get a more even layer, then sand again. I don't really try to get it perfect, it is what it is.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

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