Dolls dolls dolls

I'm cross posting from my thesis blog to this one, because I believe it relates. This is a mock up of one of the dolls I'm working on for my senior thesis.

To get a better idea of what I'm doing, check out the link above.

Process:

 

And final:

 

This is a photoshop mock up of how the doll is going to be assembled. Background image (which still needs a little tweaking because you can't see what's going on inside), and inside of a hand-made box. (I'm sure my dad and boyfriend are going to get a kick out of building these boxes)

New doll in the works

Here's a sketch of the doll I have in the works. I'm looking forward to plotting out her limbs and getting right to creating her.

A lot of paper doll artists have their dolls professionally printed and make them available to customers to cut and assemble themselves. I'm toying with that idea, but I really have a hard time with that.
I'm a big fan of the artifact. Seeing the hand of the artist in the work. If I had them professionally printed, that would save me time and stress by mass producing some of my work. But I think I would keep the aspect of the aritfact by assembling the dolls  myself and offering the finished product for sale.
Does that take too much of the artist out of the art? Would people be interested in the semi-mass produced doll?

I think I'll stick to one of a kind until it's feasible for me to print.

So here's Alice. Of my own imagination.

Alice in a steampunk-y incarnation

Baba Yaga

3 or 4 years ago at my previous college, we were given the task of drawing something that pertained to myths. I chose the Russian/Slavic myth of Baba Yaga.

While I won't go into detail about the story, because it's relatively simple to google it.

I liked what I came up with at that time. And since I'd never colored anything digitally, I decided to tackle that obstacle. Not my best work, but I think it came out better than I expected for someone who's never painted digitally.

Alright, I guess. It was fun testing the waters

I decided that I wanted to use this image again for my portfolio, and thought I'd redraw it. Although, I'm still attached to my original drawing, again, I like the way that this one came out. I was going to leave it in black and white, but it needs a little something to make it pop. So I'm currently adding some digital color to it. But this time I'm doing digital because I'm too afraid to touch it with gouache. I spent days drawing the original and I don't want to mess it up. But I guess that's the nature of traditional media. You're just going to have to bite the bullet and get in and do it.

Tightening up some linework and adding color digitally.

Saint Pork

started a sketch some months ago after I got my bacon tattoo. Yes I  have a bacon tattoo. Anyway, it got me pondering about the magical draw that bacon has on so many people (me included). The first thing that came to mind was the saintly pig. The pork could do no wrong. I wanted to celebrate the food that has so many people under its spell while still showcasing my sense of humor.

The next step is to start painting in gouache and add liquid gold leaf to the halo. I’ve worked with gold leaf in my patron saints portrait series, and I hope that I never have to use it again. Unless I can meet someone who knows how to use it much better than I do.

Fear is a stalker

I think I've come to see what's keeping me from doing everything I SHOULD be doing. And it is fear. I haven't really put my finger on what the fear actually is, but at least I acknowledge it.
Maybe it's a fear of success. I've seen it first hand.
Maybe it's a fear of failure.
Maybe it's a little of both.

I want to succeed, and I've known failure and I think I've tricked myself into thinking I'm ok with it.

I started to tackle these fears this afternoon when I picked up the self portrait that's been sitting at my desk for almost two months.

I wanted to spend my summer break preparing myself for my senior thesis. But I couldn't bring myself to complete A SINGLE PROJECT. I started an Edgar Allen Poe portrait, it flopped, I threw it away and didn't pick anything back up at all.
I think finishing my pin up project finally pushed my mental buttons.

I'll be afraid. But this time, I'll be afraid with the knowledge that it's sitting in my brain and waiting for me, and if I combat it by working then maybe I can come to terms with it. As long as I can keep it chained up.

Ready for some pin action?

I can't stand the fact that FaceBook compresses my images so badly. So I'm uploading my newest pin up here.

I've worked off and on for about a week on her, and I usually don't like to do images of people in a full frontal pose. I really like the way profile and 3/4 poses look. They're more dynamic.
I missed doing these. I have about 3-4 more in my sketchbooks that I really should do. It's a nice break from being "professional".

-Jenn

(I totally forgot to post progress photos! So here they are)

I give you the final: "Who's Ready for Some Pin Action?" ©2010

The Sketchbook Project

Steve and I just signed up for the sketchbook project through arthouse co-op. The general idea is: they send you a moleskine sketchbook after you pick a theme, and you spend the next couple of months filling the pages loosely based on the theme you've chosen. Then you send it back and it's archived and goes on tour with the thousands of others who've submitted theirs as well.

I'm excited to start this project because I am the WORLDS worst procrastinator. I call it my fear of success. So this is totally going to force me to WORK!

Now I'm going to head back and try to fix the many mistakes on the painting I picked back up after 10 years. It was just fine the way it was before I decided to "fix" it. Now I've committed myself.. I have to finish it.

Oh and a big thank you to my freckle-faced sweetheart for the Tara McPherson book.