"Never Enough Shoes"

Here she is with all her colorful shoes. This doll buys the same shoe in all the colors of the rainbow.
She loves comfy sneakers. I could be her one day. . . .Hope you have enjoyed seeing the progress of
an Art Doll.

Linda, My Beautiful Friend. . . . .

So much time has passed between us. Our lives are mysteries to each other.

You Linda were the first person who ever wanted to know me, to hang out with me. You made me feel and think and take chances. I got to be young and crazy with you. You changed my life. The best part of every day was spent with you. This was true for so many years. Your absence from my life is felt so deeply.
Do you see what I have become? My life has meaning and I get to live the dream. I wonder if you know all those conversations we had about how I needed to live my life, did make a difference? You were hard on my easy life.

Linda, you made a difference. I love you, and I miss you terribly. . . . . . .

nat

Where Are My Shoes?

Yes, I know she has no feet. Would it surprise you if I confessed to not making feet? I just put shoes on the end of the legs. "She don't need no stinking feet."She just needs all of her shoes. That is what I am working on. Painting colorful shoes. This point where I am almost finished, is some what bittersweet for me. This doll has put me in such a good place as I worked on her. A long hard day at the J.O.B. would end and I could let it all go by just working on her. She was just what I needed this past couple of weeks. . . . . . . . Much Love for her.

What a Beautiful Face. . . . . . .

I am in love with this doll. She has such a soft face and I think it is because the nose has not been needlesculpted.
I think this was a great decision and might become a signature for my future dolls. . . . . . .Still much work to do on the shoes. I have to sew the arms on to body and then sew the head on, then do some finishing touches with a collar and the other stuff that will come to mind as she is talking to me.

Her Hair Has Been Growing. . . . . . . . .

It is as exciting as watching hair grow. . . . . . .I have been trying to grow my hair back out long from a very short cut. I really am at the point where I want to cut it all back off. Can't stand this mess that sits on my head now. . . . But this is not about me and my hair. . . . . . . .
This is the top of the head. After I work on the front and find the style, I sew from the bottom up and around back to the top. This way I get a layered look. This hair can be squished, but you can't cut it.
The head is pretty close to being finished. . . . . . . . She probably has the prettiest face I have made yet, but lets not share that with the other dolls.

New Growth. . . . . .

Just showing off how fast her hair grows. I really wish mine did. Suppose I could always sew hair onto my head too. . . . . The headless doll looming in the background, ever longing for it's head. . . . .This is the stuff that keeps me awake at night. . . . . .The noises that come from my studio. . . . . .She is looking good. . . . . . . .I think the hair stage is my favorite part. The personality of the doll really starts to form and it is definitely nice to love what is happening. I hate it when I make bad hair. . . . . . . . .

Hair. . . . . . . .

Here we have the first growth of hair. Love it!This is a good angle to explain my skull cap concept. With a stiffened head it is impossible to sew in to. Too hard. I make a skull cap out of a double layer of t-shirt fabric, sew it in an oval shape, turn it and stuff it with polyfill. I then glue it to the head. Now I can sew all the hair on. The pile of lavender fabric strips were sewn in to tubes. The tubes were turned and a pipe cleaner is inserted. I gather the fabric along the tube and do a little twisting and bending in half to create my hair pieces.

I love what I get to do. . . . . .I am driven to challenge myself. To constantly differ my style with every doll. Maybe just a little tweek that nobody else might see. Maybe this is not a smart idea. You guys tell me. Can you see something consistent and distinct about my work that identifies it as mine?

Hair Takes a Long Time to Grow. . . . .

Another beautiful bald headed doll. The pile of lavender fabric strips will be her hair. This will take me some time, since my work schedule is heavy, but if I can put an hour in everyday, I will make slow progress. . . . . .
Not sure if I want to put a vest on her. I am going to do one of my scarves which I love doing. We shall see what she wants once she has hair. The face is a very important phase of the doll, it reveals the emotion through the expression. This girl is wide eyed and cheerfully considering all her choices. What could be better than having so many shoes to choose from?

Shall we watch her hair grow?

Day Two. . . . . .

I added some cotton batting to smooth out the hip area. I also added a little bit of something to her chest, so we all know who SHE is.
I am making 7 shoes in all for the doll. She is someone who has given herself lots of choices to consider.
The shoes are made from paper mache. I use a mold that I made to keep the shoes consistent. It is also faster. Not that this is speedy, but it will do. Almost have them all together. They will then get sanded and painted.
She has no head. . . . .but she does have her outfit on. No more nakedness to show. . . . . I love this pose. Even without a head you can tell she has a particular attitude about herself.

Work In Progress

This doll is inspired by all those who love shoes. Shoes are Fashion Statements and Fashion Arguments

As long as they are flat and comfortable. I use to only buy Doc Martin's. Mostly I wear Birkenstocks, but if I had the money I would buy tons of the same shoes in different colors.

Which is what this doll does. . . . . . . . . . .

Etsy Treasury

I am honored to be in a treasury chosen by Simpy Suzula. She chose one of my red heads.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=57332

Simply Suzula's shop features many vintage items.
Please check her Etsy Shop out.
simplysuzula.etsy.com

Darkness Stage One

Here she is. "Darkness Stage One" is her title. I think she represents the dark time in a life's journey. Sometimes we live on the dark side or we feel lost or we seem to be in a constant struggle. We seem to be in a place where the light does not shine.

Time and time again, I find myself alone and seemingly at the far end of a dark tunnel. But because I have been here before, I know this is how life teaches us perseverance and humility.
This doll represents the stage of darkness where hope is tugging at every step taken.

"Darkness Stage One" is on sale now at my Etsy store.
artdollsbynat.etsy.com