Indigo Part ll

Here is Indigo finished! My response to the ADO Masters Challenge.

I looked to Japan for inspiration.

Indigo's body and clothing are made from vintage indigo and silk kimono pieces.

Indigo

Indigo - for the ADO Masters Challenge.  Not quite finished but this is my  interpretation of the challenge a small long limbed one made from vintage indigo kimono pieces.

... and then they were gone!!

My poor finger tips are full of needle pricks and aching, but the girls are done.  I of course took it right down to the line, being a very well practised procrastinator and delivered the girls to the gallery a day late, but still on time.  I even managed to start reading a novel whilst finishing them - why??  I'm still in the process of trying to accept that perhaps I really enjoy working under pressure and hey if it's not there then create some myself. 
Anyway I digress - here they are.  I love them!!

Stella

 

Cordelia

Albertine

Beatrice and Penelope, she has the plaits!

Upcoming Doll Exhibition

This is the exhibition that I am frantically working towards, I was very excited by the pics of my dolls featured on the invite.

Greta

I'm not sure that I'm completely on track to finsih off 4 more dolls in 2 weeks but I am very happy with Greta!  A few more finishing touches on her clothes but essentially finished.

Mme Tutli Putli - What a fabulous video!!

Progress!!!

Oh what a magnificently satisfying pursuit - I love it!!  I can barely maintain a coherant conversation so caught up am I in the world of tiny hands and making girls stand.

WIP's

All of a sudden the world here has turned from the wind driven tundra of winter, to the wind scouring dryness of summer. Yet it is spring.  A taste of what is to come, when the temperature in my little annexe studio will reach 40+ c.

Off to sculpt hands and ponder the wiseness of entering a doll exhibition - 5 dolls by end of  November hmmm!!

Finishing dolls and the art of procrastination!

I'm not alone in this I'm sure.  Procrastination being a well practised skill that many possess.  What dumbfounds me however is the ease with which it's practised over things that are supposedly enjoyed.  Like finishing dolls for example.  Anyway I shall ponder this further. Finally I have finished the red head, I must cut myself some slack being a beginner and all.  She is my second airdry clay doll.  I am so excited by all of her imperfections as now I know what not to do next time. I have a couple of heads on the go and will be doing a wire armature for the bodies of these with clay hands and feet.

This one has been alot of fun, I started making her for my mothers birthday - that was on the 3rd of September, she will be receiving it tomorrow - oops!!  Better late than never hey!  I loved dressing her up and revel in finally being able to find a use for all the magnificent but small pieces of silk I have collected over the years.  Her shoes have been needle felted straight onto her feet.  Brainwave by a friend as I was just going to paint them on - Thanks B.  She is also holding a small needle felted heart. 

So well done to me there are a couple more girls to have left the work table.  On to the next volunteer.

Almond blossoms and painted faces

This lady is taking the slow train to completion. I'm hoping as my skills develop so will my speed, at the moment I wait painstakingly at every step to see if it has worked or not. It is a lovely process though and I am happy with the way things are working.

The almond trees are in full blossom now, I pass them on my way to and from the toilet - a low hummmmm of many busy bees!!

New Doll

I'm so very excited!!  In Australia I was unable to easily find creative paperclay so I used another airdry clay for my first doll the Red Queen in the ADO challenge.  It was somewhat fiddly to work with but I am quite familiar with working with kiln fired clay so didn't think too much of it.  I ended up in a world of pain however, because as it dried it cracked, became brittle and wouldn't accept new clay for mending.  I destroyed the body in a fit of rage and ended up doing a cloth body instead.  I have since found an online shop in Australia that has creative paperclay and I received my first little expensive package, but am I ever thankful!!  It is sooo much better.  So here is my next little lady, not even nearly finished but on her way.

I had started out wanting a thin, lithe and willowy body, but my hands kept adding more so now she is a buxom lass.

My mother has recently returned from her annual holiday to Bali and brought back this fabulous doll.  Made by street kids, money raised from the sales helps the kids out.

Camping

In the days before I was frantically trying to finish the Red Queen for the ADO challenge Bloke and I managed to go camping for a few days (which is why it ended up a frantic finish).

We share a love of looking for fungi and wandering around taking photos using the super macro function, bums up, hunched down over a miniscule fungi.

It is winter here and I guess by many standards quite mild, but we still needed a roaring fire in the evenings.  Each morning we were greeted by a magical blanket of mist that covered the waterfall we camped by.

The chickens were laying well when we returned, so Bloke is able to indulge in his love for poached eggs.

Finally, I managed to not destroy the web of the little spider who spins above the chicken food.