2021 Topic 7: Stamp Mash Up JOFY, EEG, ESN, I&D minis {by Keren Baker}

2021 Topic 7: Stamp Mash Up

Hi everyone, it's Keren Baker with you today, and I'm here to share with you an exploration into going vintage (or not) via creating an art doll.

I'd created a bag recently with some children's dress forms on and quite fancied recreating something similar in a papercraft style using the 4 different designers in the Mash-Up topic. The whole idea began with the shells! When I was looking through Sara Naumann's collections I saw the seashells, thought 'wings' and then set about trying to find all the other elements that would be roughly the correct scale.

I had it in my head that this might be the time for a little foray into a more vintage style. I've always drooled over those people who seem to do it so effortlessly (like Jennie Atkinson). So I'd made a sketch and thought 'what would Jennie do?' and decided she probably wouldn't be using bright white mercerised cotton to stamp onto. So I tea dyed it (another first).

Truth be told, two things scare me (artistically). One is the colour cream, beige, nougat etc. and the other is 'too much'. To soothe the whole 'this isn't white' thing I thought I'd attempt my second new thing; smocking. I love texture and wanted to stamp images on the dress but thought a little sewing might get me back to my happy place. As this isn't about sewing- here's one picture showing the whole smocking process.

After creating some arms from striped fabric, I got to the wings. I stamped the beautiful shells from ESN48.

After stamping the shells, I loved the simplicity of it, but really wanted to add more layers.

I added some stencilling and then really disliked it, so stamped the shells in black and thought I'd add a Duralar Matt layer over that, that had some Grunge Paste stencilled over and perhaps..(experiment no.3) adding some Infusions onto the non-porous surface. (You can see my dotty disasters in this next photo).

I used Royal Blood & Sleight Blue Infusions, sprayed them over the stencilled Grunge Paste using PS247. I love the way that the Infusions just seep around the Grunge Paste.

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Assembly was altogether more tricky than I realised. I had stamped the bottom of the dress (which I realised I should have done before but I didn't know what length the smocking was going to be; I'd thought the smocking would just be on the bodice but it ended up being a natural dress shape) so I stretched the fabric and just went for it using the Mini MN48 which I also cut in half so I didn't ink past the measuring part.

 

I adore the randomness of the unravelling fabric threads.

My challenge was how to present the art doll. This is where I sadly left Jennie behind. I just wanted to add colour to some mountboard, so grabbed some Mid Century colours (that's vintage, right?!).

Using my next designer Jo Firth-Young, I chose one of her new sets JOFY102.

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With some blending and dry brushing, I added the colours and stamped using Stazon Pigment White which is a brilliant newer Stazon white and much less messy than the previous White. By the time I'd finished it, I didn't want to cover it up!

Adding some Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Haystack to the face of the doll helped make the project more unified. I used the Mini MN10 and overstamped with the tile image from EEG26- bringing in Emma Godfrey's stamps into the project. I also added the curved image from the Mini to act as a necklace and help disguise the raw edges of the smocking.

Deciding on the middle of the dress- I wanted to add her heart. She doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve, but in a more literal place. This doll is all heart! I've used the Mini 60 (MN60) stamped in white over some Baltic Blue and surrounded by a cut out frame from the ESN48 set.

You can also see the flowers from the JOFY102 set, and those flowers were added for a headdress and also tucked under the skirt. 

This was a real up and down project. I got to this point (shown below) in the project and wanted to stop and maybe just add frilled cap sleeves and no wings, but then it wouldn't have been a mash-up project. 

However, I still love the final result plus I got to use the shells we'd had some food in as a bonus for staging the photos! If you look closely, you can see the sentiment 'life is good' at the bottom of the mount using another Emma Godfrey set EEG02.

Have you made any art dolls? It's a great way of letting your hair down creatively and anything goes really. Next time I'd like to try dolls with moveable limbs and a way for them to pose. I didn't quite manage vintage, but it's more muted than I'd usually do and I have tried to embrace off-white! Experimentation doesn't always bring perfect results but it allows you decide differently next time and you never know when you'll discover something incredibly exciting.

See you soon,

Keren x

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2019 #8 Put a Brush on it: Brush Doll with EAB {by Etsuko Noguchi}

2019 Topic 8: Put a Brush On It

I love how in this post Etsuko has totally transformed a brush into a 'doll' The bristles look like her skirt/legs an there's a wonderful transfer technique in the mix too, it is fabulous! ~ Leandra

Hi everyone, it's Etsuko My Favorite Things with you today, and I'd like to share with you Brush Doll using Alison Bomber 'Words and Pictures' fabulous new stamp set.

I chosen the wonderful love quote from 'Wuthering Heights' of her love stamps edition. I made the doll that Catherine's lonely face and she drift to the moors with her wings.
Jane Eyre, Wuthering Height and La Petite Fadette were my favorite books in my early teens, and always imagined the scenery of the scene as there were no forests and plains near us.

At first I prepared 2inches painting brush and Heavy Gray White Board for the doll body and dress.

Next I stamped by Ink the Dog Mini10 on Smoothy Heavy White Card and colored the doll's face. Then I scanned and printed it.

I used the Clear Tar Gel to the printed doll face for transfer and left it overnight.

When Gel dried the face transferred to a book paper. ---Sorry this book paper was not from Wuthering Heights.

I usually use some design paper for a doll dress, but this time I used PaperArtsy stamps and Fresco paints to make collage. All papers was brushed brayered and stamped.  This is using Double Denim, Glacier Ice and Snowflake Fresco paints on the Smoothy Regular White Card. These stamps from Courthney's new stamps ECF06.

I made wings and upper part of dress from this paper.

This paper using Mud Splat, Eggshell and Steel Gray Fresco paint, and ECF04 Courthney stamp.

This paper was sober when it was put together, so I used a stencil and added Vanilla Fresco color.

Used Blue Lagoon, Smurf and Glass Blue Fresco paints.

This bottom of the dress paper, I want need some texture but not much, so i used Seth's baked texture and some embossing powder.

I added wonderful love quote from EAB09 by new Alison's stamp, used black embossing powder onto the painted Glacier Ice Smoothy Card. I cut it and put on the top of the dress and this is from the bottom of her heart.

Finally I added red heart and flower hair ornament to her and hanging wire.
This is a finished Catherine Doll. I made very simply and few steps. I think that anyone can easily and fun to make various your own Brush Dolls.
Please try and enjoy.

Thank you so much for visiting.
Etsuko xxx

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