Art Dolls- work in progress

I love making art dolls. They are always so much fun, especially when they start to come to life. When I make something, I usually start out with a few sketches in my sketchbook. I like to keep one close by so when an idea comes to me, (even in the middle of the night) I can jot it down before I forget. With these dolls I had a general idea of what I wanted. I knew I wanted them to be made from muslin and stuffed painted. So here are two of my art dolls, in progress.

I created paper patterns first, then traced them on the muslin fabric. I then sewed them on my sewing machine leaving an opening at one end to rightside the pieces out. Using "pinchers" and a crochet hook help get the job done. I stuff them w/ polyfill and sew up the hole.

Now the pieces are ready to be painted with gesso and sanded. Doing this is like preparing a canvass to be painted. I repeat the process several times till they get just right. Now they are ready to be painted!

On this one I made a bottom for her to stand on out of sculpey and glued it in place. It also helped weigh her down so she could stand on her own. I am making one doll like that with seperate arms attatched, and the other doll will have the more traditional body w/ legs. More pictures coming soon, so keep checking back for the finished result.