Yearn - Dare

This art piece is an unexpected combination of a Gwen Lafluer Art Deco stencil with a self portrait, printed words, square mini-brads, and a real snakeskin. The elements shouldn't work together, but yet somehow they do.

I have always loved Art Deco. I fell in love with the period when I was a college student. When I got my hands on Gwen's Art Deco collection of stencils, I couldn't wait to try them out. I used my favorite go to color--pale aqua--which I painted onto smooth watercolor paper. Once it was dry, I carefully pulled some molding paste through two of the stencils.

Two Art Deco stencils by Gwen Lafluer with molding paste on a painted background.

As an experiment, I decided to add some color to one of them to see how which colors worked and what kind of paint covered the molding paste. At this point it was still just an experiment.

Color was added over the molding paste with assorted acrylic paints and inks.

The color looked pretty good, but the three circles seemed to need something different, so I tried some crackle paint on top.

Crackle paste was applied to the three circles.

I liked the effect, but didn't know where to go from here. So, I put it to the side and worked on some other projects. I kept looking at it and wondering what to do next. That wondering went on for almost three months.

The painted Art Deco background surrounded by sari scraps, Turkmen jewelry parts and other art supplies.

When I received a new shipment from Gwen's shop, I thought some Turkmen Jewelry Parts or Sari Scraps might work with the deco background that had been hanging around in my unfinished art pile, so I "auditioned" some elements. I auditioned old photos and various combinations of metal, coins, photos, and sari scraps. I also darkened some of the color and added spots of brown chalk ink to both the background and in the crevices of the crackle paste.

Audition of carefully trimmed sari scraps on the Deco background.

Audition of sari scraps and old photos with the Deco background. Can you guess who the baby is?

More sari scraps and vintage photo printouts.

A vintage headshot of my mother with sari scrap pearl flowers didn't quite work.

Assorted sari scraps had the right colors, but didn't work well with the background.

A stamped and painted image with Turkmen jewelry parts gave a Medieval feel, but still wasn't quite right.

A Victorian woman plus sari scraps looked interesting.

The Victorian woman with a sari scrap hat and gold Dresden trim also looked good.

Some were so-so, some were dreadful but none wowed me. The Victorian woman with sari scraps and Dresden trim was almost the winner, but the design seemed too safe, too sweet, to cute for that moment.

I started thinking about Gwen's 2018 stencil release and got really inspired by the words on one of the stencils: "What could I do if I wasn't afraid to try?" Although her new stencil was not available at the time I was creating this piece, the words stuck in my head.

With those words in my mind, I threw caution to the wind and grabbed an ATC-size printout of one of my own self-portraits and placed it in the center of the deco background. The printout had been created in Photoshop, using half of a scanned, original oil self portrait placed next to the same portrait with computer-designed enhancements. Weird, but interesting. Kind of fearless. I liked it. I liked the way it didn't go at all with the background. It wasn't at all deco. It wasn't pastel. It looked, on the background, the way I was feeling at that moment, so I trimmed it and glued it on.

The contrast of the self portrait with the Deco background was interesting,
but the beautiful Turkmen circles made it look like a lightswitch plate.

 I didn't love the Turkmen parts combined with the self portrait (although I do adore Turkmen parts!) so I decided to try some words on top of the crackled circles. I rummaged through my collection of printed words and found two that echoed the sentiments that I was feeling: yearn and dare. They were printed on clear Avery mailing labels, so trimmed them and carefully placed them on the top and bottom circles. I liked it, so I peeled away the backing and adhered them to the center of the circles.

The design seemed to need a little something more. I was feeling fearless and a little weird, so I rummaged through my stash of organic supplies (compliments of nature-love and ArtistTribe sister Jackie Neal) and found the skin of a garter snake. It called out to be part of the design, so I glued it on with gel medium. I didn't want it to crumble or fall off so I covered it with matte medium and added some random stamps of an old Julie Balzer stamp with embossing ink, then sprinkled on Seth Apter's Beeswax Baked Texture and heated it until the embossing powder melted.

The snakeskin and part of the background with granular Beeswax embossing powder, just before heating.

The heated Beeswax embossing powder worked, but the design needed just a little something extra.

The piece seemed almost done, so I left it alone. But it also seemed to need just a little something more, so I slept on it.

In the morning, I added three square metal mini-brads on the left top to balance the snakeskin on the right side. The color and shape of the brads enhanced the piece's balance, and the squareness and metal echoed the strength of the words yearn and dare.

While I was making this piece, Gwen's words had me thinking about what I dreamed of when I was younger, and how fear held me back. I remembered that as a teenager I dreamed of being a fashion designer, but I was afraid that I wasn't a good enough seamstress to be accepted in design school. I was also overwhelmed by the application process, and by the idea of creating a portfolio. So, I studied the field that my parents thought was a good choice, and got a degree in a subject that I didn't like. I was yearning for an art career. After getting my bachelor's degree, I decided to apply to a special one-year program at FIT. It took me an extra four years to believe in myself, but the yearning was there, and I finally did dare to go after the career I wanted. I studied fabric design, then became a fabric designer and print stylist, happily working on New York's famous 7th Avenue for many years.

Well, Hello Dollies!

Dolls are dear to the hearts of  many people. As much as I love three-dimensional dolls, I have always loved paper dolls even more. I have fond memories of receiving new paper dolls on special occasions, and of seeing the Betsy McCall paper dolls in the McCalls magazines at my grandmother's house. So, it's no surprise that as an adult, I am especially enchanted with making arty paper dolls. One of my friends recently started an online art paper doll trading group, so I got to work right away.

The first theme is "artists choice," so I started rummaging through my scrap papers looking at them with a new eye to see how each scrap would translate into an arm, leg or torso. I also spent some time rifling through fashion magazines for interesting heads, printing and painting my own heads with stencils, stamps, and watercolors. My dolls usually cry out for wings and crowns, funky shoes and skirts too.

My work table with assorted doll parts and heads to choose from.

Left: Paper Doll body from Retro Cafe Arts; Right: head stamp from Lynne Perrella plus assorted body pieces.

For most of the body parts, I used a template from Retro Cafe Arts. Reprints of vintage paper doll parts are also fun to use, and available on the internet from many sources, such as The Graphics Fairy.

A face stencil from StencilGirl was used for some of the doll heads.

A stencil from Stencil Girl had nine heads that were just the right size for my template. I dabbed black ink through the stencil, and also flipped the stencil and made nine more.

Color was added with Derwent Inktense Blocks.

I added hair, ears, and more color to the stenciled faces.

  I added my own lines for the hair and ears. With Derwent Inktense Blocks and water-soluble colored pencils, I added details. After they dried, I carefully cut out the ones I liked best.

Some of the faces were very close together on the stencil, leaving little room for hair so those faces needed hats and crowns.

 For wings, I used a large butterfly stamp that was purchased at Ink Pad NYC. A magical effect was achieved using the stamp with Seth Apter's Baked Texture embossing powder. I used a variety of embossing powder and background colors for the wings. For more subtle dolls, I used a mini wing set and small crown stamp designed by Birgit Koopsen. German Dresden Trim Gold Bourbon Crowns from Gwen Lafluer's website topped several heads--some distressed, some left shiny.

This was a test page leftover from creating grunge-effect backgrounds painted on a recycled manila file folder. I used the left side to make butterfly wings and the right side for body parts.

Once I got started, my worktable looked like a doll factory. I had an assortment of body parts scattered around, and kept mixing and matching them. I like to use mini brads to assemble the dolls; the brads allow the dolls to be posed, and also makes it easy to tuck the arms and legs up and down so they fold up very small for storage. Unlike three-dimensional dolls, 20, 30 or more paper dolls can easily be arranged to fit inside a shoebox for storage.

A folding tray table was used to try out different combinations of body parts
before mini brads were added to hold the dolls together and make them poseable.

This green-toned doll has a supermodel's magazine photo face, mail art scrap body parts, embossed wings
and a Dresden Trim Bourbon Crown.

 On another, I used a Dresden Trim gold medallion and distressed it to look like an ancient warrior's helmet. To enhance the warrior/goddess effect, I added little gold wings on her feet. Later, I gave her a gossamer ice blue skirt, made from a sheer fabric gift bag with the bottom cut off.

This doll has the feel of a female warrior, with her elaborate Dresden Trim crown, embossed wings and winged boots.

Washi tape and a downloadable rose from Gwen's collection were added to enhance some of the body parts. The large and small wings have added bling with embossing powder from Emerald Creek.

Two different floral washi tapes were added in a cross design to enhance a body made from commercial scrapbook paper.

This doll has a small downloadable rose and several washi tapes on a collaged body.

Four of my favorite dolls--I couldn't quite part with any of them.

It was hard to decide which to keep and which to trade. Once I made a doll that I loved, I didn't want to part with it. Finally I created one that was perfect for my trade partner: a hipster fashionista steampunk-inspired doll. She has a magazine face, big embossed wings, distressed rust body parts made with Seth Apter's chalk paints, and most magical of all--a skirt made from an embellished Silk Sari scrap--one of the new items on Gwen Lafluer's website.

The word "seek" was made from an Artistcellar pocket stencil used with chalk paints and Baked Texture Patina Oxide, and the clock parts were gifted to me in an art trade.

On a background of chalk paint layered to imitate a rusty surface, I stenciled and embossed the word SEEK,
and also flipped the pocket stencil to get the opposite image.

This detail shot shows the embellished sari scrap skirt and clock parts.

It was hard to part with this very special doll, but I received something wonderful in exchange.

In the first trade, in exchange for my "seek" doll, I received a fabulous creation from artist Ann Sullivan Barnes. She used components from Character Construction to make this fabulous doll, which she named Liberty. Liberty also came with a beautiful red, white and blue carrying case.

"Liberty" by Ann Sullivan Barnes

"Liberty" detail shot

These type of paper dolls can also be a great shared project with children, and, depending on how they are decorated, make great additions to seasonal displays. Imagine Halloween paper dolls in scary witch costumes riding a broom or lucky leprechauns with a pot of gold!

Here are some of my favorite creative dolls I have received in trades over the years. I hope they inspire you to give paper doll making a try.

Teapot/geisha doll by Leah (last name unknown)

Mythical, magical midnight ball "Bartholomew Badger," by Joann Robinson

Turn of the century Zetti bather "Liam," by Joann Robinson

Turn of the century Zetti bather by Jeanne Draachreider

Tea party/geisha "Mi'" by Joann Robinson

Marie Antoinette theme: Madame DuBouffant, by Deb Benedict

Steampunk Doll by Kay Milam

Mizz Prissy BuZahrd by Jeanne Draachreider

Mermaids and Mermen theme; Stan the Toucan Man by Marilou Bain

Congratulations to Gwen Lafluer! Her online shop has just turned one year old. To celebrate, she is offering a really great discount--15% off Mixed Media supplies and downloads. She has a really unique and inspiring collection...I really want everything on her site! Happy shopping!

Turkmen and Fabric Boho Necklace

 I'm crazy about fabrics. Crazy about beads. Crazy about Turkmen jewelry parts, crazy about lapis. For weeks--maybe months--I had been trying to create a necklace with some of the gorgeous Turkmen parts that Gwen Lafleur carries on her website.

One day I accidentally placed a length of orange ribbon by the parts I was puttering with on my jewelry tray and decided that I just HAD to combine orange with the dark blue lapis Turkmen pendants, Turkman Waziri and Kuchi Pendants, and silvery Turkmen jewelry parts.

The Turkmen jewelry pieces looked great together on the design tray, but were too heavy when all used together.

The problem was that the orange ribbon wouldn't thread through the Chinese blue and white beads from my jewelry stash that I had incorporated into the design. So, off I went to the Garment Center to find orange beads or thin orange cord.

When I got home, neither the new cord nor new beads worked. And they didn't have exactly the size or color I wanted so I ended up with red beads and turquoise beads.

The red and orange beads weren't quite right with the Turkmen coins and Chinese blue beads.

Neither the red nor turquoise beads really looked right, so I took them away. The orange silk cording didn't seem strong enough to support the heavier Turkmen parts. Then I came up with a design that looked good on the tray, but when I strung them on the wire, it didn't hang right, it was waaaay too heavy. I also realized that I already had a necklace (created a few years ago) that was very similar sitting right in my jewelry box. I put the tray and beads away and slept on it.

This design looked pretty, but was almost identical to a necklace I had made previously.

Then I decided to start over. I puttered and puttered, adding and subtracting beads.

 

Finally I pulled it all apart, pulled out a few lighter weight Turkmen pieces, mixed it with the red and turquoise beads, added some rolled fabric beads I had made years ago, and decided to aim for a festive look. (Fabric scraps were cut into long triangles and rolled on a skewer to create the beads. They were hand-stitched and a few decorative seed beads added for accent.)

The handmade fabric beads were a lightweight, colorful and refreshing addition.

While deciding what to string it on, I remembered some colorful Spice Market Yarn. I "auditioned" it next to the beads and it seemed just right. The colorful "warm base" twisted fibers were just the thing to unite the fabric beads and lighterweight Turkmen elements.

The spice market "darn good yarn" went nicely with the handmade fabric beads.

Some lightweight Turkmen jewelry parts were mixed with the fabric beads.

I wanted the cording to show, so I decided to try tying the beads and baubles on with knots. I tested a small piece to see how it worked.

Small silver beads were used to keep the Turkmen parts from sliding off the knot.

To keep the Turkmen pieces from sliding over the knot, I added a few silver-colored spacers.

The colored beads had a tiny hole and the cord wouldn't go through them. My solution was to use a small headpin and turn a loop so the bead would hang off the cord.

A closeup of the bead with a turned loop, and the blunt needle used for stringing the necklace.

Several closures were tested, but a simple knot worked best.
The necklace is long enough to slip over the head without requiring a fancy closure.

The question, once all the beads were on and knotted, was how to create the closure. The cord was too thick for the silver closures I had on hand, and the little crimps were also too small.

I decided to make it long enough to go over my head and tied it closed.

The "Darn Good Yarn" was tied securely before being stitched to hide the ragged ends.

I didn't like the raggedy edges so I wrapped them with a pinkish-red thread and stitched it down neatly...well, not perfectly, but my wobbly stitching blended in pretty well with the colorful cord.

An blanket stitch was used to secure the loose ends of the closure.

The finished necklace is lightweight and fun, and makes me think of summer...maybe it is because the central Turkmen part that hangs down reminds me of a fish, or maybe it is the gingham check and calico prints that the fabric beads were made from. I picture myself wearing the necklace with a summer tee shirt, a flowing gauze skirt, walking barefoot along the beach boardwalk, watching the waves break on the sand, and feeling totally relaxed and recharged.