2021 Topic 7: Stamp Mash Up JOFY, EEG, ESN, I&D minis {by Keren Baker}

2021 Topic 7: Stamp Mash Up

Hi everyone, it's Keren Baker with you today, and I'm here to share with you an exploration into going vintage (or not) via creating an art doll.

I'd created a bag recently with some children's dress forms on and quite fancied recreating something similar in a papercraft style using the 4 different designers in the Mash-Up topic. The whole idea began with the shells! When I was looking through Sara Naumann's collections I saw the seashells, thought 'wings' and then set about trying to find all the other elements that would be roughly the correct scale.

I had it in my head that this might be the time for a little foray into a more vintage style. I've always drooled over those people who seem to do it so effortlessly (like Jennie Atkinson). So I'd made a sketch and thought 'what would Jennie do?' and decided she probably wouldn't be using bright white mercerised cotton to stamp onto. So I tea dyed it (another first).

Truth be told, two things scare me (artistically). One is the colour cream, beige, nougat etc. and the other is 'too much'. To soothe the whole 'this isn't white' thing I thought I'd attempt my second new thing; smocking. I love texture and wanted to stamp images on the dress but thought a little sewing might get me back to my happy place. As this isn't about sewing- here's one picture showing the whole smocking process.

After creating some arms from striped fabric, I got to the wings. I stamped the beautiful shells from ESN48.

After stamping the shells, I loved the simplicity of it, but really wanted to add more layers.

I added some stencilling and then really disliked it, so stamped the shells in black and thought I'd add a Duralar Matt layer over that, that had some Grunge Paste stencilled over and perhaps..(experiment no.3) adding some Infusions onto the non-porous surface. (You can see my dotty disasters in this next photo).

I used Royal Blood & Sleight Blue Infusions, sprayed them over the stencilled Grunge Paste using PS247. I love the way that the Infusions just seep around the Grunge Paste.

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Assembly was altogether more tricky than I realised. I had stamped the bottom of the dress (which I realised I should have done before but I didn't know what length the smocking was going to be; I'd thought the smocking would just be on the bodice but it ended up being a natural dress shape) so I stretched the fabric and just went for it using the Mini MN48 which I also cut in half so I didn't ink past the measuring part.

 

I adore the randomness of the unravelling fabric threads.

My challenge was how to present the art doll. This is where I sadly left Jennie behind. I just wanted to add colour to some mountboard, so grabbed some Mid Century colours (that's vintage, right?!).

Using my next designer Jo Firth-Young, I chose one of her new sets JOFY102.

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With some blending and dry brushing, I added the colours and stamped using Stazon Pigment White which is a brilliant newer Stazon white and much less messy than the previous White. By the time I'd finished it, I didn't want to cover it up!

Adding some Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Haystack to the face of the doll helped make the project more unified. I used the Mini MN10 and overstamped with the tile image from EEG26- bringing in Emma Godfrey's stamps into the project. I also added the curved image from the Mini to act as a necklace and help disguise the raw edges of the smocking.

Deciding on the middle of the dress- I wanted to add her heart. She doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve, but in a more literal place. This doll is all heart! I've used the Mini 60 (MN60) stamped in white over some Baltic Blue and surrounded by a cut out frame from the ESN48 set.

You can also see the flowers from the JOFY102 set, and those flowers were added for a headdress and also tucked under the skirt. 

This was a real up and down project. I got to this point (shown below) in the project and wanted to stop and maybe just add frilled cap sleeves and no wings, but then it wouldn't have been a mash-up project. 

However, I still love the final result plus I got to use the shells we'd had some food in as a bonus for staging the photos! If you look closely, you can see the sentiment 'life is good' at the bottom of the mount using another Emma Godfrey set EEG02.

Have you made any art dolls? It's a great way of letting your hair down creatively and anything goes really. Next time I'd like to try dolls with moveable limbs and a way for them to pose. I didn't quite manage vintage, but it's more muted than I'd usually do and I have tried to embrace off-white! Experimentation doesn't always bring perfect results but it allows you decide differently next time and you never know when you'll discover something incredibly exciting.

See you soon,

Keren x

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2018 #11 Enshrined: Code Artistry with VID {by Keren Baker}

2018 Topic 11: Enshrined Artistry

 

Well. if anyone can be inspired by DNA, then I guess its going to be Keren! Enshrined in her box, I'd like to think there is a dribble of spit, or a drop of blood or a scrap of hair on the back of each of those 'buttons' on each 'strand...but maybe that's a step too far?? ~ Leandra

Hi everyone, it's Keren Baker with you today, and I'd like to share with you an exploration of some of the thoughts I had from the topic that translated into a piece to inspire me to get going when my mojo is gone!

I started musing on the word 'enshrined'. I began to imagine something small and intricate housed inside a resin piece then remembered I didn't have resin, nor have a clue how to use it, so that led onto thoughts about things that are kept or enshrined in something else. Because I think oddly most of the time, it wasn't long before DNA came into my mind; the very basis for who we are and our innate characteristics (including artistic capabilities) are enshrined in this code. So as I went searching through the annals of Ink And The Dog, I came across some wonderful stamps that would help me construct an ode to DNA! ;-)

My Science-y daughter disparagingly commented that it's not DNA, there's no double helix. I tried to explain that it was a representation of it, but she wasn't convinced. To create the code 'enshrined' in a box, I first created the strands using my Silhouette Cameo, and then cut them out of cardstock 

I'd found some perfect stamps for attaching to the top of the strands 

MN 65

MN 60

It was easy to create the background using some Heavy Smoothy and stamping the beautiful background created by Backgrounds 5

It was stamped 3 times and then I positioned the pieces of DNA raised up with a layer of foam tape. In order to make it look enshrined within the project, I created a higher layer of foam tape and added a frame created using another Ink and The Dog set.

Frames Plate 1

In order to give it a bit more interest, I wanted a sentiment I could cut apart to add to the bottom of the frame and this little stamp was perfect. I added some multi colours of inks to the larger 'but' to help bring emphasis to the quote.

MN90

Creating something that has resonance with you doesn't require much in the way of products- just some inks and using images of different sizes and textures. Starting with a word and finding a concept that you use images to produce really encourages creativity. Maybe our double helix has enshrined this ability in us, or just perhaps it's as the sentiment says- we just need to get going!

Thanks for being with me tonight,

Keren x

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To join our challenge and win a NEW Zinski apron:

Simply make something arty relevant to the topic, and link your creation from any social URL (eg. Instagram, Pinterest, Blog Post etc) sharing your original make to this challenge page.

The current topic link Topic 11: Enshrined will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, July 1st 2018, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a PaperArtsy creative apron. Please make sure we can contact you as a prize winner - it helps if you share your contact info from the platform you opt to use.

Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!