I joined another workshop group at Artful Gathering in something completely unrelated to what I've been doing, just to keep the "little grey cells" (as Poiroit calls them) from becoming stuck in a rut. The workshop is only for 6 weeks and it's another one of those that I can take at my own pace since it is already on video. I have been working with clay, and the instructor is well known (in the art world) for her clay work, especially in whimsical Santos. So that's what we started off with. She also has instructions for whimsical animals, but because I have not been doing very well this past week, I am not sure how many I will get done. But! On to my Granny Santos! (Warning - a lot of pictures today!)
Here's all the supplies. Doesn't it look like fun?
And first off, I found I do not have the requisite doll head (it looks like a bad Barbie imitation), so I scrounged around in my "toy box" and found the eyepatch I had when I had eye surgery. Soooo, pop off the blue rubber rim, attach a small cork for the neck and a small Styrofoam ball for the head and voila! (So, yes it pays to be a pack rat!
The clay has been added, I decided I'd add beads to the wire halo, and a filigree piece to the neck. The white beads are only on there to make indentations as it dries.
another shot of the head
Now the lampshade for the body; the instructor uses the kind that has wire "ribs" and tears the shade fabric off. I had these lampshades left over from the closing of my antique store and I could not let them go to waste, even though they have no "ribs", so mine is going to look different. Well, it already does since I decided to use beads!
Using dry floral foam to give my torso a way to top the shade. We also used a product which dries hard like plaster casting.
upside down view
So now she is on the shade! With extra girth, I might add.
She now has some hands, and some stamping in the torso and everything has been covered with gesso and then dry brushed with paint. The trim was removed from the shade.
side view
back view
Sari ribbon. The instructor uses white sari ribbon (strips made from making saris) but mine came in a bundle of color which lit my heart up because I prefer color to white!
Before the beeswax is applied
The finished Granny Santos! (my name for her)
Finished - side view
Finished - back view
So that was a new adventure and I enjoyed it very much -3D art! - it was great fun and I will probably make some more, if only to use up my supplies; but it will still be great fun! My instructor loved it!
What do you think?
Click on any photo you would like to see closer!
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