daisydolls note card #1

I'm so excited I just finished my first paper doll note card design. This image will be on set's of 6 5"X7" flat note cards. They will be available in my etsy shop at the end of the week. This image will also be used for set's of 8 small gift tags. I was really pleased with the way this image came out. I think the combination of colors turned out to be very calm and soft. This was my intention, I wanted to be a little less bold. The journal pages I worked on last week were very bright and bold and for note cards I thought a softer look would be prettier for stationary.

Paper Doll Templates

Today I'm working on collection of Paper Doll Templates that I'm going to use in my new and improved and much more organized journal. I prepped the pages of my journal yesterday by water coloring each page with a washed out color. Now I'm prepping an assortment of templates to use on the pages inside. The faces of these templates are from some of my dolls that I photographed before I added any hair etc... This way the options are endless when it comes to transforming them to look different ways.

I Think I Got It!

I have just reformatted my blog for about the fourth time and I think I have finally got it. I have been playing around with different templates and always felt that something just wasn't right. This one allows me to write a post and post a photo at the same time.......... it's the little things, YEAH!!!

Private Studio Art Classes

This afternoon I will be starting session #2 of my Private Studio Art Classes. I will be teaching my students how to make an “Elephant Collage”. The photo below is a sample of what they will be learning. We will be sketching the elephant in sections, much like a mosaic. Then we will be filling in each closed off section with layers and layers of patterned papers and paint. At the end we will do a few contrasting shadows with charcoal to give it a slightly murky effect and if they are interested they can add some text in the black areas. I think this will be a fun project for them. It will be a little less structured and tedious than the self portraits they did. It’s time to loosen up in the studio and have some fun!!

A Few More Journal Pages

This week I have been working on the next few pages of my journal. I have so many ideas running through my head for future pages and fun things to limerick about. I think I need to make a list before they leave my brain. I really intend to make some of my journal pages suitable for different sorts of occasions. These few limericks below were all inspired by the warped images on each page. I would like to make my next journal a little more planned out (that’s the Capricorn in me speaking out). I may start with the limerick and then create the page images around it. Stay tuned and within the next few weeks you’ll see what I mean!

New Journal Project

Last weekend my girls and I watched a few videos on how to Journal with Teesha Moore and decided to give it a go. Her pages are so colorful and her techniques are addictive. We started Sunday morning by going out and buying all the supplies after taking notes during her video demonstrations. When we got back to the studio we started cutting pages and binding them together and then began to water color each page. It was so beautiful outside so we were able to let them dry in the brilliant sunshine which made things move right a long. After the pages dried we began cutting things out of magazines and patterned papers and started applying borders to our pages which prepares them for some serious doodling and writing. When my husband came home from golfing my girls told him that he needed to get a good book because next Saturday we will all be going coffee shop jumping with our journals and pens and we plan to be there a while. It's not only a great hobby but I have thought about designing some unique dolls through multi media collage in my journal that I will turn into prints or maybe even notecards in my shop. Thanks for the HUGE amount of inspiration from Teesha Moore my mind is churning with endless possibilities!!!

Hands & Feet

Today I will be in the studio sculpting hands and feet for these new little dolls. I usually don't work on more than one or two dolls at a time but with these I thought it might be nice to have a uniform look to a point and then give them their own little flare of personality through their outfits at the end. I would like for this collection of dolls to be a little more child friendly. It would be nice for children to be able to play with them and hold them where as with the tea cup dolls, they are much more delicate and for decorative use only. I'm still brain storming about all the other details. I'm thinking about using different textures of wool for their hair and I may be spending my afternoon looking for fun fabrics to use for their outfits. I always seem to get carried away with the details which end up being very time consuming (like beading into the fabrics etc...) but I would be very glad to find a way to keep the labor and cost of this collection down so they can be more affordable and desirable for gifts.

Investigating New Materials

I am constantly looking for different materials I can use to make art dolls. The dolls I am working on now are much smaller than the ones I usually make. I am photographing the process as I go and we will just have to see if I can pull it off.

Prudence In A Shadow Box

I am currently working on a new piece called "Prudence in a Shadow Box". The image I am trying to create is one that grasps the contrast between innocence and rebellion, white against color, peace vs. war and also the contrast between an introvert and an extrovert. John Lennon wrote a song for Prudence (Mia Farrow’s sister) when the Beatles went to India and visited Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India. He feared she was depressed because she spent so much of her time in her room. He wrote this song merely asking her to come out to play. This image reflects a sweet girl who has feelings of reservation and shyness. She and isn’t sure if she wants to embrace the peace within through meditation or go outside into a world full of mystery and chaos. The graffiti on the wall behind her plays tribute to John Lennon and his legendary song writing. The girl dressed in white stands with purity feeling skeptical to the outside world as she continues to soul search for her answer to inner peace. Beside this entry are some photos of my progress with this new piece of mine containing an art doll in a shadow box.

Sound Of Music - In a Shadow Box

I have just completed my first shadow box and I have to say the process was really cool. I have been photographing my dolls in scenes for a while now but never in a box covered in glass to display on the wall. It’s nice to be able asphyxiate each detail knowing that it will be preserved beneath the glass.

Art Dolls In Shadow Boxes

I have been thinking about creating a scene with one of my art dolls in a shadow box. I am searching for a deeper than usual shadow box so I can fit one of my tea cup ladies in there. I want to create an entire scene for each doll or maybe even incorporate two dolls in the scene. I will be painting the backdrop and building out from the back wall by adding hand sculpted props to bring the 3D painting to life. A few examples would be a tree partially painted and partially coming out with limbs hanging over the doll or part of a roof coming out over a front porch where one of my dolls will be posed. The idea came to me last night when I was driving my daughter to gymnastics. We’ll just have to see what comes of it, I hope it turns out the way I am envisioning it!

Edith's New Shoes

Usually I use odd shapes of wood for my dolls shoes by painting and embellishing them but today I decided to sculpt her shoes. There is just something about "Red Maryjane's"and these red Maryjane's are going to add some serious spunk to this fine lady. She is actually going to have a few other hand sculpted props to bring out her personality, stay tuned...........

Art Doll Quarterly

This is truly one of the most inspirational magazines I have seen from an artists prospective, it is visually pleasing to my eyes. I hope to one day be in print in this magazine to inspire others with my dolls the way they have inspired me with theirs. I am officially putting this thought out there in the universe. Now, back to my studio...........

My new studio(O:

Sometimes I think it's good to just put things out there in the universe. I think that just by saying something a lot of times makes it happen. Yesterday morning something made me post a photo of my tiny studio under the stairs. I have been working in there for years and never thought to photograph it or even really talk about it. Since my post yesterday my two young daughters were practically down on their knees begging me to let them share a room. They had mentioned it before on numerous occasions but yesterday they wouldn't let go of the idea. A light bulb went on in my head and I thought to myself........Oh my goodness, a spare room = a new studio! Needless to say I jumped at the idea and stayed up practically all night setting it all up........"I LOVE IT"!! It's a little pink (color choice of my 8 year old daughter when it was her bedroom) but that's an easy fix. I'm just so glad to be in a bigger space!

Clementine

As I looked through my collection of antique china tea cups the yellow one was just standing out to me. I was aiming to create a softer looking tea cup doll. I wanted to make someone peaceful and dainty and I think Clementine has turned out to be just that. The teased effect I used as I worked with the wool made her hair extra soft and slightly frizzy to frame her face. Then I used a more subtle effect on her eyes so they wouldn't look so dramatic. I may do one more doll before deciding which one to promote next week. Feedback is always welcome, leave a comment if you have any idea which one of these would make the greatest impression to the public eye(O:

Antiques

This week I found the most charming little china tea cups in an antique shop nearby. I cannot wait to transform at least one of them this weekend! As I was checking out with my sweet, vintage selections, the man behind the counter said "Is someone having a tea party?". I had to tell him my intentions with the pretty tea cups and he was surprisingly intrigued and asked if I would bring a tea cup daisydoll into his antique shop sometime next week. He wants to put one on display on his front counter to see if he has a market for them(O: I am beyond excited about this opportunity and I'm feeling really inspired to make a new handmade art doll this weekend that will absolutely knock the socks of him and his customers. Let's see what I can come up with.................

This Is Not Your Typical Blog

For those of you visiting my blog for the first time, this is not your typical blog. It is more of a photographic journey of my art work. My posts will appear as photographs accompanied by captions describing what's going on *in and out* of my studio. My inspirations, newly handmade art dolls and different experiences will all be shared in this way. Thanks very much for browsing my gallery of photos and reading my "not so typical" posts!!

Art Doll Print's Available soon!!

I have just spent the weekend photographing my Art Dolls. One of the many things I enjoy to do with my Art Dolls is create a space for them to be photographed in. I have built a house with several rooms in it. They all have different colors and themes so it keeps my options open for different types of poses. I am so pleased with the way they came out, my vision has come to life. This is something I have done in the past but never as detailed as the settings I created for these Prints. My Art Dolls are all one of a kind and I really enjoy capturing them in a photographic image so their whimsical energy continues to live. When an Art Doll is purchased, it is gone forever but their image remains for others to enjoy!