2016 #5 Art Doll {by Lucy Edmonson}

 2016 Topic 5: Art Dolls

Hi everyone Lucy from True Colours here.

Tonight I'd like to share with you a post about making an eclectic mixed media style art doll using clay, wire, wool, fabric, glass, and shrink plastic. I have used Frescos, including some of the new colours, and the glazes, and a couple of Ink and the Dog Minis: 'oldies but goodies'!

I love art dolls as there is no strict definition so they can be whatever you want them to be. I like mine to be three dimensional and free standing, and this time I've made my doll armless, to add to the quirky feel. I've also incorporated a found item: an iconic woman's torso-shaped glass perfume bottle which you will probably recognize, which made my doll quite feminine. I was aiming for the idea of a Victorian lady getting dressed in her bedroom, starting with her hooped skirt, and this aspect allowed the doll to stand on her own.

Step One: First of all paint the corset part of the bottle with two coats of Snowflake Fresco and then a coat of Matte Glaze to protect it from being scratched by the wire hoop later. Then paint the flesh with Blush and for the second coat mix in a little Pearl Glaze to give the skin a sheen. Once it's dry, use a little Pearl Glaze in places such as the collarbones. I found the skin looked a little 'flat' before I added this dewy layer. I also made some shrink plastic buttons using the button stamp from Hot Picks 1213 and StazOn Ink in Cherry Pink and added a little Pearl Glaze after shrinking to give a mother of pearl effect.

HP1213

I made the head with flesh coloured Fimo oven bake clay. I rolled it into a ball and then rolled it to a quarter of an inch thickness and pressed it into the face of the stamp Ink and The Dog Mini 10 which I had inked up with Onyx Black Versafine. I cut a notch out of the back at the neck to make it easier to glue to the body later.  I then baked it according to the instructions on the pack.

Mini 10

I then added a little Bubblegum to her lips, and mixed some with Pixie Dust for her cheeks,  a dot of Snowflake for her earring, a dot of Snowflake and a dot of China Blue on her eyes and a little Pearl Glaze on her cheeks and forehead.

To make the hoop frame for her skirt, which will also form the stand, I used 2 mm aluminium wire and I cut five lengths for the uprights and three pieces of descending sizes for the circles. I didn't join the smallest circle together at this stage as I want to join it tightly at the back of her waist at the end.

For her skirt I used a piece of white cotton fabric and Ink and the Dog Mini 67. I used Hey Pesto on the leaves and a mix of Pixie Dust, Bubblegum, and Bougainvillea on the flower. I hemmed it and stitched a piece of lace around the waist which had ribbon threaded through it so it could be gathered up. You could also use elastic (which I'd planned on doing before I found this in my stash!).

I wound some thick black wool around her head and into a bun and glued it and then used Golden Matte Medium to adhere the clay to the body as it's very strong. I left it overnight to set up. I then glued on some pearl beads and the shrink plastic buttons. I put together the wire hoop using pliers and wrapped a little adhesive lace around the wire where it touched the bottle as I was worried, maybe unnecessarily, about scratching it. Once I'd eased it into position I twisted the wire of the waistband piece of wire at the back, and the whole thing stood up on its own quite securely. To finish off, I tied the stamped fabric skirt in position.

I enjoyed making my doll SO much! I didn't expect the stamp to come out so well directly on the clay so that was an Oooh moment! My main problem was I had so many ideas, which I didn't want to cram into one doll - she was going to have a hat and boots! The result is, I am hoping to join in the challenge and use some of my other plans for some different dollies! There are so many different styles of doll you could make when you enter the challenge, but I hope you will give it a go and make one made up of many different parts. It's such fun!

Thank you for joining me this evening.

Lucy, True Colours

Lucy this is so beautifully created from her wire framed body to her woolen hair and her adorable vintage attire. Love the choice of Fresco colours used to create such a soft feminine look. Thank you for sharing your creativity with us. ~Gillian

We would love to see how you interpret this Image Art Dolls  topic by linking what you make to our 2016 Challenge #5: Art Dolls, on this page HERE.

All of our bloggers love to see your twist on their ideas,  particularly if you were inspired directly by their post. 

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Art dolls link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, March 20th. The winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.