Monday, December 2, 2013

Stella: My First Troll Art Doll

Some of my most cherished moments have been spent creating art with my nieces, Willow and Sheyenne. We usually paint, make melted crayon art, or draw. When Willow came to visit back in August, we decided to try something different and make polymer clay sculptures!

Willow and I didn't waste any time before getting started! We sketched ideas in our sketchbooks and looked for further inspiration in books and on the internet. Willow decided to make a teddy bear sculpt and I decided to delve into the wonderful world of art doll making!


Some of my sketches!


After we finished sketching, we created wire armatures. Willow decided she wanted hers to be attached to a base so I drilled two small holes into the untreated piece of wood we bought at our local craft store. Once our armatures were made, we began sculpting.  I used beige SuperSculpey and Willow used white SculpeyIII.

Willow working hard on her Teddy Bear Sculpture!


I sculpted a head, hands, feet and tail for my troll. I left the wire on the body exposed so it could be posable! Willow on the other hand, sculpted the entire body of her teddy bear. We baked our pieces in the oven for the required amount of time and then let them cool.


Three Stages of Hands


Afterwards, I got out a box of craft paints and paint brushes while Willow prepared our work area. Willow mixed and used her paints full strength and I used a blushing technique that I saw in this YouTube video by Twinessence:

 

A few coats of paint later and Willow was finished with her sculpture! She created such a cute character and she did so with great craftspersonship!  


Willow's Finished Sculpture!


Willow finished just in time for her to have to go back home, but I still had a lot of work to do. My troll's head, hands, feet, and tail needed to be attached to it's body!! I attached them with wire and a little bit of glue. I then wrapped the exposed wire with quilting batting and glued the edges down. 


Wrapped in Batting and Waiting for Clothes


I selected a couple different pieces of cheesecloth that I had dyed naturally a couple of weeks before and a piece of wool scrap. The cheesecloth was cut into strips and wrapped around her body to create a shirt and pants. The wool scrap was wrapped around her torso and sewn to create a dress. After I finished with her clothing, I cut some Tibetan lambskin that I got off of a coat from my local thrift store. I applied the hair to her head and her tail with a fabric glue. A small strip of cheesecloth was used to create a headband. A few paint touch-ups and a light combing to her hair and she was done! It wasn't until she was finished that I gave her a name... Meet Stella...






Stella with her new friends!


I hope you enjoyed the story of how my first troll art doll, Stella, was born! Please stay tuned for more postings about my creations and other related news!

Thanks for reading!

-LeAnne Carole





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