Art dolls (a work in progress)

As we are in the midst of winter and under a couple of feet of snow. I tend to stay in more and settle in front of our fireplace to blog, write, create or watch documentaries with my Beloved or join our children in coloring, reading, playing with Legos, or watching them play Wii. I have had more time to play with clay and am working on two art dolls at once.  I find inspiration from other blogger's work and here (and here too), Gritty Jane's site Cloth and Clay, art books and my own creative muse.  To begin, I usually sketch what I would like to create in clay.

Then I form a structure with foil and knead clay (I most often use Original Sculpey oven bake clay) until it is soft and form it around the foil structure.  This is when the magic begins. I work and smooth and form until I like what it is becoming.

Once I am satisfied with the doll, she goes on a pie tin and into a 275 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes per 1/4" of thickness.

After lightly sanding the baked doll, I will prep the surface with Liquitex Clear Gesso or Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer.

While I am waiting for my doll to dry, I begin to think of design and colors.I use acrylic paints, pencils, and fine tipped Sharpies to complete the doll.  When these two are finished, I will post them. If you have any suggestions for the Frida doll or twisted hair doll (like theme or colors) I would love to hear from you. And if you leave a comment, would you please become a follower too?

Blessings and happiness in the midst of a busy, winter day.

One more thing, I have to thank my oldest sister Trese for introducing me to clay art dolls.  She came to visit three years ago and brought along some clay and taught me the basics. This "Senior Frog" and "Miss Kitty Kat" are the first sculptures I made. I have taken a few pottery classes in the past  but, I had no idea how much fun sculpting could be or that I could even do it. Thank you my sweet, talented sister.

Here is my first doll.