Limited Edition Water Dragon Works in Progress Part 1

In my soft sculpture Pet Shop of the Old Ones magic animals line, I have a water dragon named Siku.

I've been thinking that making hybrid soft and hard sculpt figures in limited editions could lower the cost of some of my pieces. I'm hoping that this will make them more appealing to more customers.

I haven't done much clay sculpture in the past few years so this piece has been a challenge. The head, wings and torso will be cast in resin and hand painted. I plan on inserting an armature in the bottom of the torso and using batting and fabric embellished with beads to create the tail.

I'm looking forward to combining paint, fabric and beads to create these new pieces.


I'm working with an oil based clay called Chevant. It's used in the special effects industry, car and industrial design. It comes in several hardnesses and holds textures and details beautifully. It also smells and feels unpleasant if you love real clay or wax like I do. But I'm getting used to it... I think it might grow on me eventually.

I'm thinking of doing these animals in small editions of 12 to 25 at the most. I was also thinking it might be a fun kit sort of project too.

Bug is Complete! Works in Progress Part 3

I finished the wings on Bug last night. I've now given her the name Moira in honor of
the Dancer who inspired me as I
worked on this piece.
I'm happy with how she turned
out, but I really need to find another way to
do wings, using a buttonhole stitch took forever.

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?

Works in Progress- It's Always Something.....

Well, I'm bopping along on my doll-making book. The pictures look pretty good....I think.

But, now I'm worried about the dark ground I'm using. I like it because the colors stand out to me. Some people see the black as too stark.

I'm going to just go with what I've got because I really hate stark white grounds and I really don't want to make 3 more dolls. I also have to stop 2nd guessing myself if I want to get this book done.

Works in Progress--Photos for Book in progress

I started a book sometime ago on how to create a half doll like my blue and green creation Nerina.









Well, I've gotten the sections on how to make a metal armature for a half doll done.








Yesterday I worked on photos on how to cover the armature with yarn and batting. I am getting the hang of photographing as I go. I found it kind of frustrating at first. Today I'm working on pictures of sewing the first layer of fabric to the batted armature.


Yes, all these are random photos....I'm not giving away this process for free ......:)



Eventually these steps will give you a doll that looks something like Nerina. I 'm enjoying this writing exercise, but I am still nervous my written directions will be difficult to follow.


But I'll never know if I can do this if I don't try. If everything goes well, I should be done soon.:)

Works in Progress Dragon Woman Part One

I've been playing around with designing a freestanding figure. The skirt has a metal frame and a covered wooden base inside the bottom of the skirt to add stability.

The interior of the wings have sections of lace covering them and the exteriors are covered in velvet.

I'm working on the head now. She's going to have yellow lizard eyes. I'm debating on whether to her sculpted fabric or beaded hair.

After the head I want to add some more draped fabric and beading to the skirt.