Tis the Season!

I missed last weeks blog post because I've been a busy little bee. I recently received a commission to make a pair of dolls for the same lovely couple that I had previously made dolls for. I also have a magazine assignment that I was working on at the same time. I have to learn to manage my "free" time with my "work" time. I was able to do my assignments on time, but I didn't make any to keep my blog up to date.

Anyway, the call came in to make a pair of whimsical dolls of mom and dad, and include all the kids, too. From the information I received about the recipients, they seemed like pretty swell people. Silly, fun and lighthearted. So that's how I wanted to represent them in doll fashion. They are also Oregon Ducks fans, so I worked the team's colors into dad's Hawaiian shirt.

The four "kids" are represented by tiny Ducks, but I changed the appearance of each kid "Duck" based on personality cues I got from my client.

Rough draft sketch

Body part layout plan.

Mid-painting process shot.

Cut out and assembled.

Final version with everyone assembled and arranged on the background.

Duck detail.

Final. Complete with smudgy fingerprint (that was hopefully removed before delivery)
I found this great shadowbox at Craft Warehouse. I really like the
color of the stain on the wood. Originally, my fiance was planning
to make a shadowbox from scratch for this project, but we're still in
the planning and designing stages. He didn't want to give my client
a shadowbox that he wasn't proud of.

I have a couple of ideas floating around for some dolls as a personal project, but something I'd love to share with others. But first I have to finish another paying gig. A creative girl could totally get used to this! I love that I feel like I'm being a productive person, and although, I'm not raking in a ton of dough, it's enabling me to be able to purchase supplies, which continue to allow me to create!

These last handfull of doll projects have really motivated me to put myself out there for custom portrait dolls. I've always been a little hesitant to offer portrait-based dolls because I'm really finicky when it comes to portraits. I want the image I'm creating to look EXACTLY like the person it's supposed to be. But with cartoony style drawings, there's a little more leeway when it comes to resemblance. What do you think?

Dolls Galore!

I promised that I would share the doll that sparked a mass commission fest for me. I did it as a gift because my friend Evan is a great small business owner, loves what he does and inspired me to take my love of art and work toward opening a brick and mortar store in Vancouver. While life has me tied down right now, I'm in the serious planning stages for this venture. Anyway, Evan is a great guy and has been commissioning me like crazy. I can't complain!

So here he is:

I don't have any photos of his rough sketches, but here's his final body part layout before I started painting.

Painted and cut and ready to be assembled!

Paper chosen, body assembled and doggies applied!

Final.

Another angle before they go in a frame.

Here he is with his pups in their frame.

We (I say "we" in the sense of my fiance and I) are attempting to make shadowboxes by hand for this next commission I'm working on. I think making them ourselves is a great way to keep everything handmade and lets us work together. He's excited about working with his hands, which then makes me more excited to work. I love partnerships!

Progress post

Now that we're in the home stretch of buying our first house (the bank accepted our offer, the home inspection came back ok, now we have to wait for the VA to send out an appraiser), I decided to pick up some work that's been sitting (or leaning, rather) against my art table for the past year and a half while I wrapped up my thesis.

This blog post is dedicated to a couple progress images of the couple of projects that I'm working on. Since I have such a hard time dedicating 100% of my time to one project. I'll find something that frustrates me, and have to move on to another project.

I think there is a good side to working like this. It keeps me interested through the times that I want to just sit and stare out the window, and it gives me a chance to work on different techniques at the same time.

On to what I'm working on!

I'm recreating a piece I did for a class that was in gouache and ink. But since I think she mirrors my pin ups, I figured I'd give her a chance digitally. I still have a lot of anatomy fixes to make before I finalize.

This is a crappy cell phone image of a paper doll that I've been working on since last summer.  At this point, I'm playing with colors and layout. As soon as I've figured out how it will be finalized, I'll scan and shrink this doll to about 8x10 and put it in my shop. I think it's going to be a fun little piece.

I started a series of sketches in 2007 based on the Moirae or the Three Fates. This is Clotho, who was responsible for spinning the thread of human life. She also made major decisions, such as when a person was born, thus in effect controlling people's lives. I wanted to create a series of three, one for each Moirae all depicted as a contemporary woman whose subculture matches the sentiment of each Fate. Since Clotho is basically a mother, creator, life giver, I depicted her as a pregnant woman with dreads. She's a nature lover and her tattoos are symbolic of the energy of the piece. I will also include birds that are also symbolic of each Moirae. The other two will remain a secret until I have sketches of them.

Lastly is an image that isn't a piece of work, but something I'm housing work in. I bought two 19x19 shadowbox frames from IKEA this summer with the intent of putting birds in them. But as my heart works have grown in popularity, so has the desire to have one for our own home. So I'll be creating a big heart for this box with a bunch of added extras. I can't wait to continue working, but I also can't wait to see how all of these turn out.