Bug and the Tales of Hoffman -Works in Progress Part 2

Bug's been coming along nicely over the past few days.
Her arms and hands were stubborn, but I finally got them into an attractive pose.

Actually, The film the Tales of Hoffman with it's lovely sets and ballet sequences and vivid use of colors, really helped me figure out a gesture that didn't look clunky.

You can see the Doll's story sequence here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9oK24SFzHw&feature=related And the Dragon fly ballet here..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnHKm9fn2yo&feature=related

Shearer was such a great dancer.

So, Bug is nearly complete. She just needs her wings . If you think she 's lacking anything, please feel free to give me your input. I was going to bead her, but metallic fabric is so much more bug like and I like her smooth lines.

Works in Progress- BUG

While she may not have an original name at the moment, Bug is the first in a new series of insect women sculptures I've been working on over the past few weeks.

She started out as another half doll for the doll making book I'm writing.

But when my husband saw her finished head, he thought the face was very insect- like and
suggested I follow through on the idea.

The biggest problem was that
the doll's torso armature was
covered with yarn, batting
and fabric.
Adding legs meant that I would either have to tear apart what I had completed or build a separate leg armature that could support the torso in an upright position.

Since I felt that the doll up to that point was successful, I opted to construct a combined set of 4 legs with a center opening that the doll could be inserted into and secured in place at the waist. I used 14 gauge wire on this armature section instead of the lighter 16 and 22 gauge I used on the torso because I wanted the legs to be able to hold the weight of the torso and the embellishments I intended to use when the skinning of this figure was complete.

At this point, the arms and hands need to be completed, the wings need to be made and secured to Bug's back. I'm thinking that beading done on her torso and head would be the best final touches. My favorite final thing to do on a doll is it's hair, but in this case I probably should let Bug stay bald.....maybe a turban or some other head piece might work?

Naming Baby Cat....

Yes, here's the new edition to my house of way too many kitties. She's 5-6 week old with seal point markings.

She's sleeping with her favorite towel. She's living in the pen right now cause my other cats need to get used to her. Also, she's so tiny I'm concerned she'll get into some spot in the house and I'll never find her again.

She has organized out of pen playtimes, so don't think she's in the pen 24/7.

If you have any ideas on names, I'd love to hear them.

YART SALE--All sorts of lovely things marked down

I'm part of etsy's Yart Sale this week. I have several art dolls and pieces of jewelry marked 25% off.




MJ has several of his paintings and prints marked down too. His magnets and keychains are offered in a buy one get one free sale.







Please feel free to stop by and look around. If you have any questions, convo me or ask them here.

Cat Elementals- Air and Fire- Works in Progress

These 2 pieces have been problematic. First, I like to do winged figures that incorporate the wings into the arms. Making this apparent in so small a sculpt has been challenging.







So far, I've succeeded with wings on the Fire cat, but her tiny horns are going to have to be built up in the back so they can be molded more easily. I also need to incorporate the fingers into the edge of the wing.

The Air cat's feather wings need more work to delineate them from the background and fingers too. Both pieces need some serious smoothing.

I'm a bit concerned about the "good"- "evil" connotations some buyers might see in these 2 pieces, but trying to sculpt a 2 inch cat made of flames or a tiny cloud cat and make the flames and clouds identifiable seems ridiculous to me.

I know what I'm sculpting and why, so I'll just have to let it go. I can't be responsible for what ideas other people bring with them when they view my work.

I'm excited because I'm going to shop for paint this weekend. I'm anxious to see these pieces painted.