Delphine Completed

This has been such an enjoyable project because I have been under no pressure to get it completed in between quite a few summer visitors and social occasions. Sometimes deadlines are the enemy of enjoyment!

"Delphine" (not sure if this is really her name, but it will do for now) is complete and I'm quite happy with the outcome. Just to remind you, I made her to wear the antique baby shoes given to me for my birthday a year and a half ago by my sister Linda. I wanted her to be a bit special, so I painted her head with oil paints - there is just that little added something using oils instead of acrylics. 

"Delphine" is a 22" (56 cms) jointed cloth doll with a sculpted cloth-covered head. I made her wig from lincoln sheep fleece. 

She is wearing the combinations and smocked dress that I posted about previously and I have added commercial cotton baby socks, a petticoat which I trimmed with a crochet edging, a winter coat with stitched detail edging and hand-knitted mittens, scarf and beret. She's dressed for mid-winter, even though it is high summer here right now! A little shoulder-bag with an embroidered hankie inside completes her. 

A SUMMER PROJECT

I usually find that summer gives me some spare time to work on a special project or two. This summer, I decided to make another large oil-painted (head) doll to fit a pair of antique child's shoes that were a gift. I made one a while ago as a special order and thoroughly enjoyed the whole process. I'm now retired so I can make things at my leisure and as I choose. This doll will have a jointed cloth body and will probably end up being around 21" (53 cms) tall. 

                                                               The antique child's boots

I sculpted a head from air-dry clay after working out the approximate size it needed to be, using the boots as a guide. 

                                              The head sculpt. 

The sculpt was covered in cotton knit fabric, which was sized, sanded, gessoed and under-painted ready for the oil painting process.

The prepared head, ready for painting.

Oil painting takes quite a while, because it is done in multiple layers, which require drying time in between.

The first layers of oil paint.

                                                                  Subsequent layering

While I was waiting for the layers of paint to dry enough to continue, I drafted a pattern - hopefully it won't need to much adjustment. I've also been working on the wig. And thinking about clothes and finishing touches.