Rodeo Girl Class with SuziBlu

I finally had the time to sign up for one of SuziBlu's online classes. I've been wanting to since she introduced the Petite Dolls, but didn't have the time to commit. The Rodeo Girl class is a series of 4 videos that allow you to finish a complete piece. It covered everything from lining up a face, using colored pencils (which I desperatly needed help with!), collage techniques,adding "grubbiness" and finally coating with beeswax.
I had a great time with this course. Her instructions on using and blending the colored pencils was invaluable for me. I could not be happier. She provides a pdf of the sketch with the class, but I choose to sketch my own versus tracing her pattern even though I stuck with the exact same design. I simply wanted to push my drawing/proportion skills and try my had at the body and face dimensions. Anyways, I really enjoyed this project and would highly recommend her classes to anyone wanting a class in developing faces.

I have begun to get back into my art, mostly due to this class. I've been busy drawing and coloring faces trying to get my shading better and better. Its nice to be back into art and relax through the process once again.

I hope you are doing well. Thanks for stopping by.

Sister Art Doll

I made this doll way back when Stampington & Co. first put out the challenge for "sister art." I decided to made a wonderful sister doll and I wanted her to open up so she could store all the secrets that sisters develope over their lifetimes. I started with a plain old wooden box from the craft store. I painted it a very messy blue/purple smear that appealled to me. I then went about collecting quotes on sisterhood from around the web. I formed legs and arms from polymer clay and used store bought molds to form her hands and feet. I shot wire through all her appendages so that she is loose and moveable. I painted the polymer segments and cut up quotes and glued them all over. Her torso, which includes boobs I sculpted out of a gluey paper mess, highlights the quote:

She is your mirror.

She is your mirror,

shining back at you with a world of possibilities.

She is your witness,

who sees you at your worst and best,

and loves you anyway.

She is your partner in crime,

your midnight companion,

someone who knows when you are smiling,

even in the dark.

She is your teacher,

your defense attorney,

your personal press agent,

even your shrink.

Some days,

she's the reason you wish you were an only child.

~Barbara Alpert

She opens up to show a mirror, words that brought my sister to minds, a paper heart that is multi-layered-just as my sisters heart, a locking drawer-because even sisters need to have some privacy, bottles holding precious shared memories and secrets.

Her head is made from a Mrs. Buttersworth syrup bottle. She had to be sacrificed and now I'm still using syrup stored in a tupperware. Her brain has the deepest sister secrets all balled up together with enough glue involved that those secrets will never escape.

She is embellished with many more quotes and topped off with some raffia type curls. I opted to not submit this for the magazine I originally crafted it for. Instead, I gave this to my sis for her birthday yesterday. I think she really likes it.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're doing well.