ArtdollsbyKim

Knitting, knitting, knitting!!!

2011-04-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Well, haven't been too busy making dollies lately..just got lots going on in other areas of life right now. But, in my spare time at night while everyone else is tuned into the tv I sit and knit sweet little outfits for OOAK babies. Here are a few examples of my work!
This cute little onesie is from my own pattern. They look just like the big ones once they are put on a doll!
These cute little sets are just right for Spring! They seem to be very popular on ebay these days. It's a fun way to spend my time and the reason I learned how to knit is that I have problems in my wrists and crochet really irritates them. Now and then I will add a crochet piece into the mix but for the most part I just knit, knit, knit!
I use mainly three ply yarns that I get from the UK. They have the nicest yarns to work with for the smaller items! I list outfits as often as I can on ebay and I'm always up to taking orders too! Thanks for dropping in!

Hair rooting tutorial!!!

2010-11-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to finally have figured out how to root the hair into my OOAK baby heads! After a bit of frustration and failed attempts I had a brainstorm in the middle of the night and couldn't wait to get up in the morning to try it out. I worked all day to get a finished head and try my theory out and from the looks of the pics it worked!
This is a sweet sleeping Asian baby I did. She has hand rooted gorgeous black hair. I have noticed the darker the color the more select you have to be with it. I've done the same theory on a four inch baby recently and am still blown away each time I do one at how life like the baby looks. Hair can be combed, brushed, wet and styled!
This is my latest one with rooted hair and she is currently on ebay. You can find me under ebay seller kimr3066. I also have the tutorial listed for sale on ebay and etsy. I've sold quite a few and all the feedback is amazing on them. I am so glad to be able to share this method with other artists and can't wait to see their results with it!
So, this is what keeps me busy and not blogging, lol! Thanks for taking a peek!

Baby Summer is done and on ebay!

2010-09-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

Finally got her finished when the kids went back to school. She is such a sweetie! Measures in at 12 inches with her legs bent. Doesn't she look sweet sleeping in my yarn basket enjoying the nice weather?
This i what I am including with her. A super cute outfit I got on ebay from Shabby, footed pants, matching hat, white hooded jacket and pink shirt. I also crocheted a lacy sweater and bonnet for her and found a cute kitten bottle and small bunny. She is also wearing a real preemie sized Pamper!
This painted hair took forever, four plus hours of layering the genesis paints and had to do sections so I didn't smear what I already accomplished!
She is one of my all time favorites to day. I seem to enjoy the larger sculpts as I have more room to work but at the same time the smaller ones fascinate me too. I do all different sizes depending on my moods.
So now this darling is on ebay and waiting to find her Forever Mommy. I am hoping she does well with all the hours that went into creating her! If you'd like to see her auction or maybe bring her home :) you can see her here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160476223840&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
or just put her item number in which is 160476223840
She ends on Tuesday!

Progress!

2010-08-31T07:14:00.001-07:00

More progress pics....I love the shape of this ones head so decided I didn't want to cover it in hair and went with the painted hair....all told it took about four plus hours of painting each little hair.
Had to do a section at a time and then keep adding layers as I set each one.
Tiny painted lashes. I will post more pics of her as she comes to life. Kids are back to school today so working on her legs, arms are done also and just need some more painting on them.

New Baby in the works!

2010-08-25T11:44:00.001-07:00

Ok, I started a new baby and decided to take pics as I go. A work in Progress! If I'd remember how to upload them in order here I'd be doing something, lol! Anyway, this is how she started out, as a ball of foil.
They don't look like much when they start out do they? But it is strange how I can see them taking shape in my head as I work.
This one will be pretty big, about 12-14 inches when done. I've been posting on the forum over at OOAK Guild and if you'd like to track her progress you can check her out there....this is the link:
http://ooakguild.com/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=149341#149341

New Baby

2010-08-02T10:12:00.001-07:00

Ok, so there is a new baby in the house for a few days anyway. Just waiting to hear from his new Mommy and get him sent along. I just love this ones wee ears!
I made his body like a onesie so he looks cute undressed. A matching hat really finishes him off nice I think. He went thru a lot of changes from the get go, had to add more head once I got the face I wanted....
The cute little paci is from Jenna at rasbubbyhill. She sells them in packs of five with some doll house wax for only 8.99 plus shipping! A great deal and they are so cute! I've used them from 6 inch to ten inch babies.
Going to miss this little guy and have enjoyed sitting here looking at him. Now I need to get busy on a 6 1/2 inch and then a 19 inch newborn! I will have to post as I go when I start on that one! Lots of work on one that size!

Hello finally!

2010-07-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

Wow! Time flies I guess, I didn't realize it was this long since i posted! Well, first things first, my Dad got sick last year and was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and lost his battle on December 6th. It was a hard road for our family and still is. He is very much missed and it was the hardest thing I've ever been thru in my entire 39 years.

Then life got in the way I guess, just busy all the time with the kids and sculpting and making dolly clothes....I will try to get here once a week to update all my wonderful followers on my doings. I'm currently working on a super cute awake baby boy and have a sweet baby girl listed on ebay...find me there kimr3066!

Also, for anyone looking for amazing cards, invitations and amazing quilled ornies please hop over to see my friend Cindy at sweetdesigninc and visit her etsy shop. Cindy does some amazing work and her prices are TDF!

In the works for me are bundle baby kits, everything you will need to make your own wee bundle baby including a face mold...I'll post some pics when I get them ready. Somewhere in the near future I'm going to try my hand at making OOAK playpens also.

Until next time happy creating to all my fellow artists out there, check back soon, you never know when I might pop in!

Bigger baby head

2009-11-19T09:57:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while again...I got busy for a few weeks and this past Monday had surgery for a deviated septum...still recovering from that and haven't done much all week. Last night I started on a larger head. This is where I am at so far.
I definitly see all girl in this one. She still needs some tweaking here and there, ears need work but so far I like the way she is looking.
She will be about an 18 inch baby when finished and I am not sure what I will do with her at this point. I'd like to have a kit made one of these days! That is another project I'm starting on soon, my first reborn baby! Waiting on some supplies but I've got the purple wash all done and ready to go. This is going to be a learning experience for me as I've never tried to do a reborn...once i get started I'll post some pics. I'll also try to remember to put some of this one as I go.
Thanks as always for stopping in for a peek!

Scribbler Award

2009-10-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

My good friend and fellow artist Denise of dlynneartdolls was kind enough to pass this scribbler award on to me. I'd like to take a moment to thank her not only for the award but for being such a good friend for almost three years now. Denise and I met on a forum many moons ago when we both started to sculpt and have been each others sounding boards all this time. I know I would have given up the idea of even attempting to make something other than a Shrek look alike long ago had it not been for meeting her. Denise is a very talented lady and I am glad to call her my friend! Thanks girl!

Ok, now the condition of this award is that I must pass it on to five others so here are my five:
sweetdesigninc
babiesbysuzanne
kimfillio
nataliescholl
tinakewy

These are just a few of the many talented artists I follow out there and I hope you will go visit them and get to know them.

2009-09-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Well, here she is! Just a couple more little things to do and she will be ready for ebay. This is my favorite size baby to make outside of the lifesized ones. She took a while to do but I think the end result was worth all the work.
She is quite the little handful! She looks just as good dressed as she does undressed and is sure going to add a lot to any collection she ends up in!
I am really going to miss this one but with two little boys in my house I don't dare collect them. Besides that it is always fun to do an auction and have some lucky Mommy win them.
I love seeing where they end up at the end of auctions and currently have ooak babies in just about every state and almost every country too! One of these days I'll have to do one of those maps on frapper and see where they all are! Thanks for taking a look at her!

2009-09-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

Well, it sure has been a while again! Life got a little crazy over the last month so didn't have much time to post...I've been busy though and have been making lots of little solid poseable babies and they seem to be popular. The head in this picture is for one that will be about 8 inches when complete and is going to be all solid but poseable, where you can move the head arms and legs. It is a lot more challenging than doing the tiny ones I've been doing though! Today I am working on the body and limbs will follow...I'll try to post pics as I go!
This is one of the smaller ones that i did. She had no trouble finding a home and I've done quite a few others since. They are made by making the head, torso and limbs all separate and then elastic stringing them together. I also cover the holes where the elastic goes so it is hidden. They are fairly easy to dress as long as you are careful.

ATCs

2009-08-18T07:46:00.001-07:00

So my good friend Denise (Dlynneartdolls) turns me onto these ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) and I must say I am having a lot of fun making them! What a great way to be crative with all kinds of mediums! Some are funny, others are serious as you can see!
I've mostly been doing collage type ones with different papers, stamps, punched out designs that I sponge paints on. Different ribbons and textures really add to the dimension on them too!
I do plan on trying some painted ones soon. It has been a while since I picked up the brushes and paints and I'm looking forward to getting back into it again along side of my dolls of course!
If you are artistic in any way I recommend trying these cards out. It is a great way to meet other artists and you will end up with a nice collection of cards from all different genres and locations around the world. There are even swaps for just kids so it is also a great way to get the kids creating too!

I'm still here!

2009-08-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it sure has been a while since I popped in here! Spent last week goofing off while the kids were at camp. But, now it is back to work and the break was nice. Just finished this little 7 inch sweetie and she is listed on ebay now. She is darling and sure to find a good home!
I knitted her little outfit and was pretty happy with the results for being a brand new knitter! The romper was pretty easy and then I winged it on the hat for her.
I am going to modify the romper so it can open in the back. I am really enjoying knitting and find it is lots easier on my hands and wrists. Besides all that I love the way it looks! Jessica seems pretty comfy in it! Hoping to get over here more often. Sometimes as an artist I get so caught up in my creations I forget to share them! Right now I am working on a super cute happy face that is sure to be a winner! Also going to get started on a romper for it so that will be ready when the doll is! Thanks for dropping in as always and happy creating to all my fellow artists out there!

Coconut chews

2009-07-17T09:38:00.001-07:00

COCONUT CHEWS

Made these yesterday and they were super yummy. For all you coconut addicts like me out there they are pretty easy to make.
3/4 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. shortening (half margarine or butter softened)
1 1/2 c. flour ( all purpose or whole wheat)

2 eggs
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 TBS flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. flaked coconut

heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix powdered sugar and shortening. Stir in 1 1/2 c. flour. Press into un-greased 13 x 9 x2 pan. Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
Mix remaining ingredients.Spread over baked layer and bake for 20 minutes. Cool. Frost with Orange frosting (see below) if desired. Cut into bars about 3 x 1 inches.

Orange frosting (more like a glaze)
Mix 1 1/2 c.powdered sugar, 2 TBS margarine melted and 3 TBS orange juice.

Tiny elf baby

2009-07-14T10:59:00.001-07:00

Well, I finally got a little baby I am happy with. Since I started making OOAKs I've tried a few times to make tiny ones and usually end up frustrated. This summer I seem to be learning a lot of patience and haven't been rushing to get things done including dolls. If I don't like an arm I re- make it. If I don't like the hair I start over....
This wee one is "Blossom", she is just a hair over 3 inches long and has a tiny cloth body filled with pellets and fibrefill. Her arms and legs are elastic jointed so she is easy to pose and dress. She has a little head of blond hair and her pouty little mouth and even those teeny tiny nails were all glazed!
I used puppen Rose for her. It is such a nice firm clay and so strong when cured! I like the lighter color of it and it is so smooth also when cured. I just did the barest of blush on her. She even has teeny tiny creases in her little feet. Each of her toes was put on one at a time and blended into the foot. By the time I got to the littlest ones they were smaller than the end of a grain of rice!
I took the pics outside in the shade and love this one...with the sun reflecting on the blanket she looks like a little angel! If all goes well tomorrow she will head for ebay and I'll do an economy buster low start bid auction on her just to have some fun! I know whoever gets her is going to love her a bunch!

Finally!

2009-07-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

WEll, after over two weeks of hard work, chopping off hands and feet, waiting for hair...she is finally done! I am so happy with the way she turned out!
This picture is so neat! I don't know why it blurred like it did but it adds to the magic!
She looked so nice sitting in my gardens having her photo shoot. I am going to really hate parting with this fae for sure!
I really like these clay wings. Wasn't sure at first if I could do them like I wanted but was happy with the results. Up close they look like flower petals and remind me of that old type glass that looks metallic almost. She should be flying over to ebay tomorrow if all goes well.

Updates finally!

2009-07-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

Would have posted some pics sooner but it's been a slow go on this girl. With the boys home for summer I seem to grab bits of sculpting time these days. She is still waiting for the rest of her hair to come but is in the home stretch now. She has taken the better part of two weeks but I am glad because she is teaching me patience!
She was sculpted as always without any molds over a strong wire and clay core armature. I used Puppen Rose which is one of my favorite colors for faes. It is a bit rough on my hands, either that or they have been spoiled by the nice soft ProSculpt I normally sculpt in!
Her wings are also clay and sculpted on wire. There are two layers of clay with feathered edges. I painted them with pearl acrylic and a bit of metallic bright red blended into it...they remind me of flower petals. She is such a regal looking girl, I thought she needed some extra special wings. They are completely removable also.
She wears just a piece of torn silk guaze about her waist which is easy to remove as I intended for her to be nude. To dress her at all to me would just take away from her entirely. I don't often do complete nude faes but this one has a wonderful feminine air to her and as an artist I believe that should be celebrated and not hidden.

Just stuff

2009-06-26T09:03:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week I took the dog out for a walk....our field is loaded with clover. For as long as I can remember I've always looked at clover with the hope of finding the elusive four leaf one and finally did! Couldn't believe it and have it pressing in a book. Going to try to find a way to preserve it into a key fob or something.
Then yesterday I was spading my garden and pulling weeds since we actually had a rain free day and while spading I hit this pretty large piece of quartz. It is a strange find as we normally don't find such large pieces here in New England. I think I'll put it under my pillow tonight and see if I wake up feeling better!
In between finding charms and stones yesterday I mushed three heads before I got to this one. I have some tweaking to do on it but going to let it sit for a while first. I used puppen rose on this one and not sure as of yet what she will be. Going to try to get the armature made today and see what she says.

2009-06-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

As I said, you just never know what will be living on my desk. I based out a foil head last week and it was just sitting there...then the other day I got the urge to work on it. Sorry I didn't take a pic of the foil head but this is where I was a while later...taking pics really helps you see things in a different perspective and I can see lots of things to tweak on it so far...
So, after some tweaking and taking the ears off I am getting there. For some reason I think the eye slits need to be a little lower and the cheeks need to be pushed up some more. I took lots of pics as I went and kept tweaking...
Now I'm getting somewhere but after smoothing with a bit of oil I can see one side of the lip is down a little bit and one eye slit isn't very straight...more tweaking comes.
Finally getting where I want to be and have added a bit of color with some chaulks. I tend to do this lately as I can get a better idea on hair color. I will still add more layers with Genesis paints before the head is completely finalized...
This one was taken before the oven. Looks more on the boy side to me which is funny, when I do smaller babies I don't often get boys but the larger I go the more boyish they get...strange. The hair is combed out tibetan and will (hopefully) get baked in, I often have trouble with it sticking but love this look. Eventually I want to learn to root the hair right into the clay. I will post updates as I go, this will be about a ten inch baby when finished!

Ghoulish girl updates and the March Hare

2009-06-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

So, change of plans on the ghoulish girl and decided to just have her arms down at her sides. She looks truly ghoulish and ghostly now..soon to arrive on ebay and see if she can find a new keeper!

On the other side of the desk is the very late March Hare, he seems to have broken the clock and is sure to be in big trouble with the Duchess now! He is solid sculpted over wire and foil and painstakingly hand painted. He even has a few whiskers! Sure to add enchantment to any Alice collection.
He is just a mere 5 1/4 inches to the tip of his standing ear! A bit of pink flocking was added to his feet, nose and the inside of his ears. He has two real buttons on his shirt just to give a bit of depth and texture to him. He will join the little ghouly girl on ebay and if they don't find new homes there will go to my etsy store, soon as I open it!

Ghoulish little girl

2009-06-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

So after half the day yesterday trying to concoct a name for this blog here I am along with my newest creation...a ghoulish little gal if I do say so myself! She came out of the clay I think to match my creepy mood that sprung up last week. Although she isn't quite finished I am happy with her ghoulish good looks so far.

She is dressed mainly is off white laces. A nice wide pleated lace worked for her skirt while a more filigree type was used to trim her arms and legs with and also made a nice collar. She has a spooked out do of lavender and white tibetan hair...sort of like mine in the morning!
Her hands are behind her back...now, what should they hold? Lots of creepy possibilities aren't there! A poison apple, a knife, a ghoulish head...what do you think?
She is also still in need of a name...once these little things are finished she will be listed on ebay and if she does not sell then she will be banished to Etsy until her new keeper comes along.
Tune in soon, other critters currently living on my desk are the March Hare from Alice in Wonderland and a bird like critter...... I haven't quite decided what he is yet but he may make for an interesting give away....until then happy blogging and thanks for taking the time to visit!