06.30.08
Posted in Work in Progress, Rants & Laments at 10:01 am by Deb
Not sure why, but it seems lately I have a hell of a time photographing my dolls so that they don't look weirdly foreshortened. I take the photos, then I have to go check the doll again because their legs look short and their heads look too big in the picture. I wonder if I've got something set on the camera that's causing a distortion–I check the dolls again and again, and they're ok. I set the camera at a lower angle, and then they look like they're looking at the sky. WEIRD.
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Posted in Work in Progress, The 40 Fairy at 9:41 am by Deb
Got some more studio time in this weekend, made a bit more progress on the "40 Fairy." She got baked, painted and dressed. Still not sure what I'm going to do with her base, so I just hit it with some primer for now. Might spray paint it gold. I've got some cheesy looking wire wings with nylon stretched over them I might use–they kind of fit the goofy ballerina "costume" look. Haven't decided yet. Hope to get her hair done tomorrow.
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Posted in Work in Progress, Tristan at 9:10 am by Deb
It was nice having Thursday afternoon off–just enough time to give Tristan his hair and details. Didn't get him photo'd till this weekend. Here he is:
Details–click to zoom in.
Wondering what a Scotsman wears under his kilt? Wonder no more.
The following are x-rated–you have been warned!
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06.24.08
Posted in Work in Progress, Rants & Laments, Tristan at 1:23 pm by Deb
Just for fun, I looked up the Clan Logan website. As I suspected, the clan tartan looks nothing like what Imperial Tartan Company labels as Clan Logan. Granted, every tartan has it's variations, but as usual with Imperial, this isn't even close. Poor Tristan is more likely dressed in the "Xmas Holiday Tablecloth" tartan, but it's colorful and one of the few that's available in miniature. *sigh*
Here's the Logan tartan from the Clan Website:
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Posted in Work in Progress, Tristan at 11:21 am by Deb
The latest Scotsman, wearing Clan Logan tartan. At least that's what it said on the label. Imperial Tartan is perfect in scale, but I think some of the clans are just stuff they made up because I have yet to find one that actually looks like the real tartan it's named for.
He's going to get wild black hair, and maybe a beard. That, and he still needs his brooch and other details. His shirt needs fixing around the sleeves. I gotta find a lighter weight fabric for the shirts–Mom's muslin scraps are just a bit heavy. As always, he's got all his "parts."
Here he is nekkid and only half baked
(click to zoom):
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06.23.08
Posted in Work in Progress, The 40 Fairy at 3:58 pm by Deb
Well, I started work on the "40 Fairy" but she doesn't look anything like Tessie O'Shea. I decided not to even try–all the photos I have of Tessie are happy, grinning shots, and the 40 Fairy needed to look kind of wistful and sad, so I went off in that direction, and let her come out of the clay on her own. So here's the first progress shot. She'll get a lumpy leotard, poofy tutu, droopy tights, and a bent wand. I think her hair will be light brown with streaks of gray. Her legs haven't been baked yet, and her arms still need filling in. I'm debating on how to do her wings–I think they should look tattered.
Here's another link to the song that inspired her:
"Nobody Loves A Fairy When She's Forty"
(song starts playing after page loads-wait for the vocals–it's a hoot!)
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06.17.08
Posted in Rants & Laments at 10:54 am by Deb
I just got the sad news that Harting Graphics closed up shop in February. I worked with Ted Harting for at least 5 years for signage at the Museum– a great guy, with a good company that had been in his family for generations. I don't know the particulars of what happened, but it made me very sad.
Hard times for small business, these. Hard times for any business, except Big Oil–$65 to fill my truck yesterday. Bloody pirates! I never thought the Franklin Mint would go under either. There's no job security anywhere anymore.
I worry that I must be crazy trying to do this with the economy the way it is right now. I shouldn't bitch about my job–at least it's a paycheck while I try to make a name for myself. And people are starting to buy my dolls in spite of it all. It's just hard finding the balance of time between the paycheck job and the "real" job of dollmaking.
I pray to all the powers that be that Jim and I don't suffer any more crazy job upheavals before we can get things paid off and put up the new house.
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Posted in Work in Progress, Rants & Laments, Tristan at 10:33 am by Deb
I decided to work a bit more on my Scotsman or at least keep him going before I start work on Tessie. So when Jim crashed out and went to bed at 7pm, I went down to the trailer determined to get something done. I spent an hour on the worst pair of hands I've ever made. Frustrated, I squished them, gaved up and went to bed.
Working at night during the week is just not going to happen–I'm crapped out from the day's BS at the Bank, not focused, and generally make a mess of things. At least in the mornings, I'm starting fresh.
No more flopping back into bed after Jim leaves for work at 4am. There's two hours there I can use to get things done if I'm smart about it.
Sometimes I feel like I'm trying to do all this with MY hands tied behind my back. Just not enough hours in the day.
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06.16.08
Posted in Work in Progress, The 40 Fairy at 2:43 pm by Deb
A character has finally bubbled to the top and is going to jump the line: Tessie O'Shea doing "Nobody Loves a Fairy When She's Forty"
Lois Alt used to do that number with the Ardensingers road shows, and it was hilarious, and I thought it might make a fun character for the upcoming doll show. So when I searched for the lyrics to the song online, I found the lady who made it famous back in 1934–Tessie O'Shea. I'd never heard of Tessie before this morning. Apparently she was considered the Ethel Merman of the UK. I was going to try and find pictures of Lois, but I think Tessie is just perfect. It's been a great romp getting to know her from the bits and pieces I find online–a fascinating character, she was.
She's my next project. Can't wait to get started on her! I did start on another Scotsman yesterday, but he might just have to wait if Tessie has her way.
Here's a recording of Tessie with the Billy Cotton band, funny as hell.
Click here for lyrics and recording
"Nobody loves a fairy when she's forty
Nobody loves a fairy when she's old
She may still have a magic power but that is not enough
They like their bit of magic from a younger bit of stuff
When once your silver star has lost its glitter
And your tinsel looks like rust instead of gold
Your fairy days are ending when your wand has started bending
No-one loves a fairy when she's old"
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06.12.08
Posted in News, CanCan Dancer at 9:44 am by Deb
Off she goes to her new home–Judy's collection. She's been bugging me for a long time for one of my dolls, and I decided this one was hers when I finished her back in January. Judy was nice enough to let me hang on to her till she got back from IGMA. She was one of the five that went for my Artisan evaluation.
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06.09.08
Posted in General at 8:54 am by Deb
I ought to invite people for dinner more often. I got absolutely zero creative work done this weekend due to scrambling around cleaning my filthy house, and all that consisted of was kitchen livingroom and bath. I did steam the stinky carpet in the livingroom, and I mopped the kitchen floor, so it was more than light cleaning, I suppose. That and I did get the AC units in the windows after cleaning the barn crud off from their winter storage. I've let things go all to hell for spending my weekends in the trailer working, and the house has gotten beyond disgusting. That, and it's hard to get motivated to clean a place that still looks like crap when you're done.
I did manage to tar the trailer/studio roof with that wonderfully wretched silver reflective goop yesterday. For what little good it will do–the roof has disintegrated to the point where it's paper-thin in spots, but hopefully it will get through one more round of seasons before we junk it. I caulked the leaks, managed not to fall off the ladder, and probably got more of the stinky sticky stuff on me than the roof itself. I got the air conditioner up and running, and between that and the reflective roof coating, it might be workable down there this summer. Rusty was basking in the AC on his chair all day yesterday, and who could blame him–it was 98 degrees with 100% humidity this weekend. UGH.
We're probably going to be baling hay this coming weekend. I think it's going to be back to the hour or so before work if I want to get anything done in the studio. And I have to–there's so many shows coming up!!! Starting to feel like I've bit off a bit much with all I need to get done.
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06.06.08
Posted in Murphy's Law at 8:32 pm by Deb
This law recognizes the fact that almost everyone thinks they're an Art Director.The fact that you have been doing this for 25 years does not indicate to them that you have the first clue what might look good, and what will look amateur and unprofessional.
Just when you've got a nice clean design, all text changes made, layout approved, files collected and ready to go to print, the client shows it to a friend, who makes a few comments, and then then they decide at the 11th hour to get all "designy" with it. They present you with some horrid MS Word "clip art" they found that they want to use for their "new look," and expect you to applaud their cleverness. And you spend your entire weekend screwing around with it, knowing you're looking at two possible outcomes:
1. They'll just love the trashy, messy, busy, cutesy, hard-to-read mess they've made of it and it will go to print that way with your name on it as the guilty designer.
2. They'll say, "gee, you were right, it does look awful, so how about if we try (insert another dumb idea here)" and you'll get to waste two more days dicking around with it before they decide to go with what you had in the first place.
This law also states that the first option is often modified using the first part of the second option, before the outcome of the first option happens.
This is why I hate this damned business.
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Posted in News, The Road King at 10:41 am by Deb
Just received final payment for the Road King. He just got back with the others from IGMA. He'll be heading out to his new home in New Orleans tomorrow morning, where he'll be part of a miniature bar scene!
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06.02.08
Posted in General at 2:13 pm by Deb
I think I've got it. Several characters have been fighting to get to the head of the line: The Cat Lady, Meg from Brigadoon, The Three Little Maids, but it finally dawned on me. Scotsmen. With Jamie on his way to the UK, I am now officially out of Scotsmen. Maybe that's why the Sailor guy wasn't working–he needs a kilt, not a uniform. I think I'm going to make a couple of them, since they seem to be popular. That, and I have about 40 yards of miniature tartan just waiting to be used. They will, of course, need some Scottish wenches to go with them.
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Posted in General at 9:52 am by Deb
Another weekend that flew by in a blur. Saturday rained like hell, and I spent the day in the trailer putting things away and trying to tidy up a bit. I even managed to plug the nasty old fridge back in, stocked it with some wine and spring water, and put my clay in there so it won't bake in the heat. Got the AC unit in the window, and got out the old dingle-ball curtains that I can close when it gets hot. I was going to get some of that reflective roof tar for the thing, but we ended up doing yard work for Jim's mom all day yesterday, so that was a wash.
Now I'm trying to figure out what character to do next. Usually if I just sit and think on it a while, one will bubble to the top, and I'm off and running. I started with the Sailor guy, but ended up squishing him and starting over. He's hanging on the banana stand now in a baggie. I'm just not into him, but I don't have anyone else coming forth at the moment either. Got some boring meetings today, maybe I can think some more on it then.
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