Friday, March 6, 2009

Fresh bread...

The weather has been perfect....for staying home and playing dolls that is. A cold front blew in.. a bit of drifting snow...and temperatures plummeted once again to wintery numbers (minus 20's at night and up to -13 to-15C in the daytime). However, the sky is clear and a pretty blue; the sun is brilliant...shining in through the kitchen window. I love to sit in the warmth of it and tell myself I'm still getting some Vitamin D, even through the glass....

I never actually "played" much with dolls as a kid...we didn't have many to begin with, but, sometimes got one for Christmas. I still have some squirreled away in a cedar chest. Remember those? I've always been that way ... sometimes a bit too careful..especially for a kid... but, we didn't have much so I guess I was making sure I kept what I had. I saved mine in pristine condition.














I still like to take out this little gal and look at her from time to time...Mandy Lou...I love her. Well, with the exception of that sorta scorch-y mark on the front of her dress that is .... I did that trying to iron it....sigh...what did we know..we were just little kids.....














Anybody have a Dennis the Menace? oh, brother...look at those dirty feet. Kid dirt I guess...and the rubber is a bit fragile..so I am not going to scrub them...maybe some day I might try cleaning them with some special thing..., but... maybe it is better to leave it... besides, it looks normal for him. Another of my kid dolls...














However, I did like paper dolls... maybe that's where all this doll making stuff started. I used to draw and colour new gowns for Katy Keene.. and other ladies... just by following the outline of their bodies and making a few alterations to the shape. Not that the clothing was too imaginative...we had no clue as to how the other half lived except from seeing the Sears catalogue, some comic books or maybe even the odd movie magazine we would see at the library or some neighbour's house. We sisters danced them around the kitchen table...and talked up a storm with each other's gals.... can't remember what we said, but I'm sure the conversation was scintillating ...

When it's cold outside ... baby .. it's also baking weather. The kitchen is the perfect place to be. The amazing scent of freshly baked whatever wafting about.... I love it. You know when you buy things on e-bay and they say, "From a non smoking environment"? Well, I wonder if any of my dolls and bears retain the scent of cinnamon buns? or lemon blueberry muffins?.... oh, the poor recipient!! ...hahahhahaha..... that ain't fair at all !!










Sitting in the warm Tuscan Peasant Bread scented kitchen, I painted the face on my latest experiment-with-paperclay... thanks Linda for mentioning gesso, but I'll have to try it next time...I was over eager. I just charged madly ahead and painted some flesh colour on her... then had fun doing some eyes. As you can see I even put a stroke of too-dark flesh on her neck. That can be fixed if I decide to finish her. She may never get finished as a doll, seeing as it/she began as a learning experience...but,...if I do finish her ...I was thinking... perhaps ice princess. But then, she looks a bit apprehensive.. perhaps a princess in waiting..or a little girl lost.... she just looks a bit confused to me.























I used several different colours of blue and am happy with the iris ... didn't do anything with the sclera as I left that part white when I painted on the flesh colour. It is the white of the unpainted clay. Very happy with the amount of detail I can get in an eye on the clay. I think gluing on some eyelashes would be a better idea than trying to draw lashes over the slightly raised eyelid ...











My first attempt at painting the flesh is not perfect...and I also experimented with some sandpaper after painting as you can see on the lower left cheek area. I now want to see if I can repaint that area and fix it. A lot of imperfections are noticeable up close...but, at a viewing distance...she is pretty acceptable. I want to get on with making several heads now and practice what I learned and see what else I can come up with in order to make the next ones better.

15 comments:

Linda Fleming said...

Loved seeing your old dolls. When I was 12 we lost everything in a fire, so I have none of my childhood things.

What a pretty face you painted on your experimental doll. I just love your faces, Vee, you do them so well. I hope you finish her because her head and face are lovely. You can always gesso the face and start over if you want to do something different to her.

Hope you get some more warm weather soon.

Daisy said...

You must have so much fun experimenting with your beautiful dolls! I think the face looks beautiful.

Sue said...

oh, she is looking fantastic! You did such a fabulous job on her eyes.

Loved seeing your old dolls. I had a whole family of dolls when I was young and unfortunately when my parents moved out west (I was married with children of my own by this time), they donated all of them to charity - including the #1 Barbie ARRGGHH!

Lynda (Granny K) said...

I think she's lovely! She looks like she has just seen some of your yummy baking come out of the oven and she's going to blow the diet!

Draffin Bears said...

Oh I loved seeing your dolls Vee.

Your Mandy Lou is lovely and Dennis the Menace ~ I had a hand puppet of him and I will have to see if I can find him out at the storage lock up.

Your doll is very pretty and I like the dreamy look you have created.

I hope that the weather will soon warm up for you.

Hugs
Carolyn

Anonymous said...

I think she looks very whimsical and very genuine. :) She's pretty!

Jennifer Rose said...

maybe a confused ice princess? ;)

I never really had dolls growing up, had Barbie, but I was more interested in playing with her horse then her most of the time. My sister is afraid of dolls, to the point they can't be in the room. But her kid likes them so she has to have them around lol

Anonymous said...

She looks like a princess to me she is very pretty. Loved seeing your old dolls too.

Carla said...

Love the old dolls. I didn't have dolls that I remember as a kid. Most of the time I was climbing trees. Your dolls face is beautiful!!

B.T.Bear (esq.) said...

Mummy sed she had payper dolls wen she waz littol, an she dresst them wiv clothes that had littol tags on that yu foldid rownd the doll's edges to keep on. Wun time she cut them all owt rong an cut off the tags too so they wuddent go on. She still remembers that. An she did hav a leg ov a blak doll but duzzent remember the doll, jus that she had a leg ov wun.

Mummy's weird.

Louise said...

I used to love paper dolls too! I have one black doll from my childhood, my uncle bought it for me. I haven't ever seen a Dennis the Menace like yours. Both very collectible. x

Shashi Nayagam said...

Your childhood dolls are lovely and you are lucky to have them. My mum gave mine away when I left India. I too didn't have many dolls to play with and what I had I would keep them very carefully.
Your sculpted doll is looking lovely and the white hair really suits her.

Pauline said...

Love your little Mandy Lou, I had one similar called Elizabeth but I don't have her now.

The doll you are making is coming on a treat, she looks gorgeous.

Pauline

All Bear by Paula said...

Such a pretty face ... Vee, you have magic in your fingertips!

sandy said...

I sure don't notice any imperfections on her except her propensity to flirt.

Enjoyed all your dolls. I think I just had a tiny tears and maybe some other doll. I almost can't remember.