Grapefruit Baby's Grapefruit half

The messy project that I've been putting off has finally begun.
This is the first layer of the grapefruit half for my "Grapefruit Baby" that's been on hold for months. I can only handle one project at a time when they're not going the way I want them to. Having conquered what I think is the final sculpting obstacle for Birdie's head, I set her aside for the afternoon and tackled this mess. It's the first time I've tried Durham's Rock Hard Putty, and it's kind of fun! This layer has to dry for about 12 hours and I'll give it another coat. Much easier than papier mache, especially since I can't find wallpaper paste in a powder form anymore. Flour is like gold these days, and it's hard to keep the resulting paste from getting moldy if we have too much humidity in the air.
So more on this as I add layers, and also photos of Birdie's head after final sanding, and newly "born" Grapefruit Baby head sculpt as it progresses.

My invitation to you this afternoon is to go find some goo to get your hands in, it's very enlightening!

Behind Schedule

The best laid plans can get sidetracked; unless we lock ourselves in a room and cut off contact with all of the outside world, sometimes things like family illness and freak snowstorms in October can throw us off track. Fortunately I always find my way back, look at the time I've lost, shrug it off and keep going. As long as I keep taking photos along the way to help me record my progress and don't get so carried away with making up for lost time, all is well.

At this stage all fat layers are finished, waiting for first layer of  nylon skinning.

I'm approaching this one a bit differently; I will  completely finish and attach the head before  building up neck muscles and matching the nylon.

The head sculpt, though the main elements are built, needs many hours yet of sanding and tweaking to get the expression I want.

This is only my second experience with a mixture of LaDoll and paperclay.

My old standby, the heavy wet gray waterbased stuff that is so easy to work with, has just proven impossible to finish into anything light enough to be practical. The same with Sculpey, it just dries too heavy even when hollowed out.

So onward and upward, and though I have chosen to spotlight Birdie's process, I am still working on my Grapefruit Baby and the African American nine year old that will go to Convention next Spring. A weakness of mine is to focus so completely on one project at a time that I lose sight of the others, but I'm getting better at multitasking.

Of course I need a bigger Studio, more storage space, endless supplies...

Happy Creating friends, see you next time!

Birdie- Muscle Layers

It's time to post updates on Birdie again, I don't know where the last few weeks have gone. I have given myself a deadline of Nov. something or other for her completion, so I need to get with it. If only Life didn't keep getting in the way of work... raise your hands if you work at home and frequently encounter people who feel that your time must be spent lounging around and maybe doing a bit of light housekeeping! SO of course you are free for plenty of volunteer projects and such.  Some days I feel like yelling " I am not retired and looking for things to fill my days, I am an Artist!"

Anyway, here is Birdie with all muscle layers sewn in and some fat layers in the early stages. I always leave the feet and hands for last as they are the most delicate and prone to being mis-shapen if handled too much before the layers of nylon skin are sewn on.

The next photos should show all fat layers completed, ready for skinning, and with at least an armature for the head, to check proportions before the actual sculpting begins.

Meawhile, for all of you who are self employed and sometimes feel as if you are following someone else's agenda, take courage and have faith that you know what you are doing.

Happy October!

Birdie is Decently Covered

Birdie now has her batting "skin" covering her yarn base, her stomach muscles and leg tendons in place, and is about to begin the build-up of muscles. Progress slows down a bit again, as the exciting beginning stages are done and now it's all about sewing tiny details and many tedious references to anatomy books.

We've had a solid five days of rain here in the Northeast, good weather to sit under a desk lamp on one side and an Ott-Lite on the other.

In a way that's a good thing, as there is no crisp sunny weather tempting me outside to do Fall chores!

Felt Bones

Happy September!

Not a lot of dramatic progress to show; since Hurrican Irene loomed over us in thought if not actual event for more than a week.

We came through it pretty well, no lasting power outages unlike many right around us. Lots of debris to clean up but that's a small concern.

Thanks all for prayers and concerns about our roof, I'm hoping a resolution is on the horizon!

Above shows Birdie before her felt bones were put in place , and below is after the ribcage and pelvis was covered, knees and elbows sewn in place.

Next step is to build tendons on the thighs and cover them with white nylon prior to actual muscle structure. 

Meanwhile a trip to the lake is called for, just one day to eat whatever we want and just stare at the lake and take  pictures of boats and maybe a Heron if I'm lucky!

Birdie has found her Center

She may not look like much yet, but at this stage of creation, skeleton constructed of wire and wrapped in yarn, Birdie has achieved the center of gravity that allows her to stand in the position I pictured when I first sketched her inspiration; "Fairy in the Wind" back in 2008.

It's always a thrill for me when the sculpture can stand on it's own two feet and I can see the "line" the Masters talk about.

Next I will start building felt "bones" like kneecaps and elbows that are put in place before the major muscles begin.

This is the exciting stage, where things can progress quickly and it still feels fresh, no mistakes yet that can't be corrected.

Thanks to all of you who have expressed interest in the process, I will try to record every step that takes us further on the path to the finished character.

I am hestitant to name a date for that.

There may be some bad stuff coming to take my attention away, though I try to bury my head in the sand and keep on plugging away at the worktable.

Keep a happy thought for me, and may your days be sunny in your little corners of the world!

Marionettes, Commissions, Soft Sculpture...and Pickles

It's Pickling time again, and if last year's crop was anything to go by, I'm going to be up to my ears in sticky counters and utensils from now until Sept!

Last year the cukes came so thick and fast that as quickly as I could fill a basket with the proper size and find time to set aside a whole morning, six more had ballooned up to "too big for bread and butters" and had to be made into Dills or Chow-Chow.  I could swear I had checked under every leaf for the little escapees, but I ended up with sixteen jars of dills, about ten bread and butters and five of Chow-Chow.

I need some kind of cucumber goggles that highlight the things in neon orange or Day-Glo pink!

Making slow progress on the Soft Sculpted Infant; it helps to post photos here because some days the changes are too subtle for me to see since I've been looking at it all day.

Even slower progress on the Marionette, since I picked up a commission (my first!) and have to work up a sketch for the client.
Another infant, maybe a bit bigger than the one I'm working on now.

Which brings me back to pickles, and wondering if I should just give the cucumbers away, or use them for compost. They are such a lot of hot sticky work when I'm supposed to be sketching, or sewing, or sculpting.
But is there any sound more satisfying when all the sticky work is done than that wonderful slurpy pop from each of the five jars neatly capped and waiting on the counter?
Sitting here listening to them sound off one by one is a small spot of  pleasure in my day, and really some days you can't ask for more than that!