Big Nose Fae WIP and Mold Making

I am experimenting with mold making. At the moment, I am using Antonette Cely's technique from her book, "Cloth Doll Making." Her instructions are very easy to follow for mold making. The only problem I encountered was overcoming my fear of pouring plaster over a sculpt in order to make the mold. The sculpt is a significant investment of time and I certainly don't want to waste supplies. But I took the time to make sure there were no undercuts on my sculpt. After the plaster was dry, the original sculpt came right out of the mold with no distortions.

After overcoming my fears and trepidations, I made a second sculpt and subsequent mold. The doll pictured to the right is cast from that mold. I just had to make a big nose fae.

One of the benefits of mold making, is I am able to focus on other aspects of dollmaking. In particular, I want to work on my costuming skills. I like sculpting, but I don't like having to sculpt a new head every time I make a doll. Even though it is a mold, I can still manipulate the clay after it comes out of the mold and create a unique doll head. Besides, it seems most of the books I have read about dollmaking suggest mold making. It is one more useful skill to have under your belt.

I welcome any constructive criticism and comments. I will post pictures of this doll's progress.

Remi, a Handsculpted Fantasy Creature

Here is Remi. He is pretty much finished. He needs some accessories. I was thinking of making a little book bag for him. My husband kindly donated some socks for my ever growing fabric collection. I used one gray sock to make Remi's sweater. His pants are really big and baggy and are made out of black broadcloth. They kinda remind me of MC Hammer's pants from his video "Can't Touch This." *snicker* When I finished Remi, my husband really went crazy over him. He just loves this doll. So, as a result, I can't bear to part with Remi now. So Remi is now a part of our household. Sometimes you have to keep some of your work, especially the work that strikes a chord with you or someone you love. Remi is a very quiet and intelligent and possesses a gentle soul; thus, he reminds me of my husband.

Current Work In Progress

Here is another one of my latest pieces. He is made out of Paperclay and cloth over a wire armature. Tonight, I will begin to make his costume. Stay tuned for more pictures of his progress.

Blue-eyed Fairy WIP

Currently, I am working on three pieces. This is one of them. She is a blue-eyed fairy with a rather severe face. The head measures 2.75" tall.

The head will be attached to a neck and then to a cloth body. Then I will sand everything nice and smooth. Her eyes still need to be cleaned. So they look a little gross right now.

I used a photo of a model as a reference this time. Usually, I just sculpt a head from imagination. Or, the head is a conglomeration of reference pictures. But, this time I chose one picture of sulking super model. The lady has no eyebrows. None! But, my fairy will most definately have some eyebrows. She is more of a natural beauty who doesn't need to resort to plucking her eyebrows to look fabulous.

I have chosen a color scheme for her. It is the beach. So there will be light greens and blues, and creamy white in her costume. I think her hair will be brown mohair. I have some lovely blue-green silk from another project, which I will use for her dress. I can't wait to get started on her costume.

As always, stay tuned for pictures of her progress. Oh yes, if you have any constructive criticism, please leave a comment. But make sure you read the entire post first before doing so.

In the meantime, I have an auction on Ebay for my hand beaded fairy. It ends this Wednesday. I have my polymer clay eye tutorial up for auction on Ebay and on Etsy.

Hand Beaded Fairy Doll on Ebay

My latest doll is now up for auction on Ebay. Check it out!

Handbeaded Fairy WIP: Costume

Today I finished the dress for my hand-beaded fairy. I still need to add some embellishments.

Introducing Mimi Kirchner

girls- wip
Originally uploaded by Mimi K

Oh my are you in for a wonderful treat. Mimi Kirchner is one of my all time favorite doll artists. She uses gourds, wool and all kinds of fabulous fabric to create her delightful dolls. Not only does she make beautiful children dolls, but she also makes the cutest Grandma dolls, exciting Tiki dolls and awesome robot dolls. Mimi utilizes a bright palette and gorgeous hand embroidered details for her dolls. Well, needless to say I could go on and on, but I could hardly do her work any justice by writing about it. You need to go and visit her blog and see it for yourself. Enjoy!

Relaxed Round Robin Cloth Doll with Pink Quilted Wings Front

Relaxed Round Robin Cloth Doll with Pink Quilted Wings Front
Originally uploaded by Coppermouse Dolls

Today I finished making the wings for Penny's doll. I like how they turned out. Now it is time to mail this doll off to Betsy. I can't wait to see how she will look by the time she is finished. This is a round robin I am a part of on Doll Street.

Baby Beatix: A learning experience.

Handmade, handsculpted, doll, Baby Beatix
Originally uploaded by Coppermouse Dolls

This doll did not sell on Ebay. Why? I wish I knew. But I will not let it get me down. Yeah, it stinks plunking down money on Ebay trying to sell a doll you spent three weeks working on. Yeah, it stinks that nobody was interested in buying this doll either. So basically, I've been handed a big basket of lemons. You know what they say about that. So as I sip my rather bitter lemonade, I think to myself that this kind of doll slips through the cracks of doll collecting. Collectors are not interested in buying a doll that looks like this one. I realize that this is a monumental learning experience and not a waste of money. It is not a failure, but important information right there at my fingertips. So I guess I will stick with big nose fairies and fat baby dragons for
now. I wanted to thank everyone in my doll groups for all of the kind words and encouragement about this doll. Feel free to share you learning experiences with me, and while you are here, would you like some lemonade? I made it myself.

handsculpted big nose fairy 04

handsculpted big nose fairy 04
Originally uploaded by Coppermouse Dolls

Here is an update regarding Octavia Delarue. Her head is now attached to a cloth body. I glue a 3/8" wooden dowel into the head and then insert it into the cloth body. When I am satisfied with the angle and position, I smear glue on the dowel and then sew the cloth body neck opening closed. Then it's time to add a 1/4" layer of paperclay around the dowel. Then I place the doll in an 170 degree oven for about two hours. This drys out the clay and secures the head in place so I can continue to sculpt.

Handbeaded Fairy04

Handbeaded Fairy04, originally uploaded by Coppermouse Dolls.

Since I decided to redecorate my blog, I needed to update my background when I take pictures. My goal is to have a smooth transition from the picture to the blog background.

A New Look

I felt is was time to rearrange and tidy up my blog. I used a 180 degree approach and went from white to black and vice versa. I made the type somewhat bigger, because it's easier on my eyes. I really like it too. I have added a Flickr badge on the right-hand side so you can see my body of work.

Today I have been working on Octavia Delarue. I attached her head to her body. I decided to design a brand new body template. It works just fine. Her arms and legs will be attached with buttons. I really like this doll and must admit that it will be hard parting with her. I think most dollmakers suffer through that. I become quite fond of my little dolls, especially after spending so much time on them.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend.

Happy Dollmaking,
Coppermouse

Handbeaded Fairy WIP

Here is a little doll I've been working on the past few days. She is made out of paperclay and cloth with my own polymer clay pink doll eyes. I made a skull cap out of black felt trimmed with silk flowers and beads. I have a lot of respect for artists using beads to decorate their work, but I must admit I have a hard time keeping my patience with it. Beading is so time consuming, but the results are nice. It was also a nice alternative to making a doll wig. I will post more pictures of her as she progresses.

Two Sweet New Artists to Share With You

Introducing Anita R. Collins of Sleetwealth Studio and Ana Salvador of Dragonfly Works. Both artists gave me their blessing to post links to their websites. Dang, I forgot to ask about posting a picture of their work. Well, someday I'll remember. At any rate, they both work in polymer clay and both possess a unique style. I highly recommend visiting their sites and exploring their body of work. Both artists sell their work on Ebay. This is Ana's current auction and this is Anita's auction. Now go have fun! :)