01.30.08
CanCan: Finished
See final photos here:
http://www.whitehorsestudio.com/dolls/dolls_cancan.htm
01.29.08
Larry Update
Larry's coming along nicely. Got his hair and beard this morning while I froze my ass off in the trailer before work. I might have got more done, but I noticed a crack in his right forearm that didn't show up till I painted him. DAMN. I had to pick it out and refill with new clay, then sit there with the heat gun to spot cure it. Cleaned off the paint with acetone, but there's still some discoloration. SHIT. He's got a few cracks in other places too, but they'll be under his shirt so I'm not going to mess with them. Left him bald on top–he'll have his infamous cap with the fish hook and a Git-R-Done patch on his noggin anyway. I'm thinking of re-doing his boots–I think they're too small.
I've also come to the conclusion that my home-made "glass" eyes are too big for this scale. Gotta re-think that for the next one.
01.28.08
Larry the Cable Guy
Ok, I need a break from crazy detailing, so I've started on my favorite Redneck Character. Hope to get him painted and dressed tomorrow. I think he needs something more rustic for the base–like a stump! Have to go out and dig through the woodpile and see what I can cut up.
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Can Can Dancer finished
These are just more crappy workbench shots, but she's done at last. Might be my best piece so far. I put another coat of satin finish on the base after I shot these. Wired the skirt instead of spray starching and pinning–I think it worked out ok.
I hauled off and ordered the trade show covers for the display and table. Now I just have to get cracking and make enough dolls to fill it for the show in March. Ebay is stinking it up right now–even the big names aren't getting much for theirs. Better to save these for the show.
01.25.08
Can Can Dancer
I took advantage of having the ML King Monday off this week, and got started on the first new doll of 2008–a CanCan dancer. I bought the fabrics and all last November at Philadelphia Miniaturia with the idea in mind, brought the stuff home and forgot about it. I rediscovered the bag of goodies last weekend while trying to clean up in the trailer a bit, and got inspired.
I spent the entire day Monday sculpting and assembling her. I kept her right leg poseable so I can adjust her "kick." The base is one of those cheap, 99 cent wood things from Michael's craft store. I glued a piece of dollhouse parquet floor to the top to look like a dance hall floor. Not sure if I'm going to stain it or just varnish it. I'm thinking stain–make it look old before the final finish. I had to put an extra tube & rod in the toe of her boot to keep her from swinging around because the one in the heel is angled so much. Big pain in the ass, especially when I drilled right through the toe of the boot and then had to fix it. I really should listen to Rusty (the studio cat) when it's late and he tells me it's time to quit for the night.
So now I'm back to the 5 am hour-before work routine. Yeah, it's crazy early,
but I feel a whole lot more alive than when I flop back into bed for an hour and then fight the alarm clock again. The trailer is FREEZING down there in the morning, even with three space heaters cranked up full blast. I can't wait to replace that old POS next year. Heat and running water would really be nice. That, and the only thing holding the floor together in the kitchen is the old linoleum, and the ceiling in the back room is going to cave in any day now. I have everything back there covered in plastic just in case.On Wednesday morning before work, she got painted. I tried Eneida's fake glass eyes tutorial. Not crazy about how they turned out, but not bad. I like inset eyes better than painted ones, but next time I will use classic white fimo instead of the translucent for the eyeball itself.
On Thursday morning before work, she got bloomers and fishnet stockings.
And today, Friday morning, I finished the petticoat. It's sticking out at all weird angles, but I'm not going to set it in place till I get the dress done. The red fabric in the background is for the dress.
I've taken a leap and booked a table at the FSMC Miniatures show and sale for March 30. Now I have to get some dolls done to fill my display! I have the five Pre-Raphs that didn't sell at the museum, two Kilted Scotsmen and the Snow Angel so far. I'm going to shoot for finishing one a week between now and then, that will give me 10-12 more to sell. I sat down and made a list of all the characters I want to work on, and I will decide each week which one I'm going to do.
I was planning to start a redneck "Larry the Cable Guy" sort of character tomorrow, but I want to get her finished first. Maybe I'll sculpt him in the morning, and work on her while he's baking. He won't be a full-body sculpt like she was, and hopefully won't take so long.
Nothing like a little multi-tasking.