Thursday, October 06, 2016

Dragon and Moth Fairy Paper Dolls

Paper dolls are so fun to make! I made these a few months ago and finally put them in my etsy shop. Finding the perfect color for the dragon took ages, it was just so hard to decide! I made the drawing first, then made copies to color to see what looked best. The green seemed the most natural, but I'm considering making a rainbow version. 
I used watercolor for the underpainting and used gouache for details. There's a bit of pan pastel for light touches of color.
It's perfect for sheer veils to add depth or contrast. 
Fairies are one of my favorite subjects for paper dolls; possibly because I was so fixated on them as a kid. I remember seeing an antique photo of girls watching fairies fly around them and using a magnifying glass to figure out if it was real. A big part of me didn't want to know if it was real, but my nature is a curious one.
It didn't really matter if it was real, I just loved the idea of magic. But then, who doesn't? I place these guys around my studio, so it looks like they just landed to make a delivery. 

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Paper doll process

I've always had a fascination with paper toys. As a kid, I made houses and characters out of scrap paper, magazines and shiny pieces of foil. I loved opening the flat box and watching a whole world tumble forth. It was like a fairy tale room that was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. Anyway, I still make paper toys and it's still fun to create characters and watch them develop from a sketch, into a finished piece. 
The smaller unicorn is the first draft from the sketch. I made the larger one after, making notes and more sketches to improve the form so it would look good in multiple poses.
Making this crow was surprisingly challenging. Drawing shapes that captured a crows striking form took several drafts. I had a tendency to draw a blackbird, with its lighter body and smaller beak. It's getting there, the body could stand to be a bit bigger and the wing tips longer.
I've had this guy on the drawing board for awhile. I've made a few variations, but I think this one is the strongest. I'm going to make the base of the tentacles wider and change some of the shapes, so that they can be in more varied poses. 
The final steps include making a light pencil drawing, with all the pieces arranged so it's easy to see how they are supposed to go together and then painting the drawing with watercolor and gouache. My favorite part is cutting out the final and putting it all together. It's always a pleasure to compare the sketch with the finished piece. Now I'm off to paint!

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Summertime 2016

Hey everyone! Here are some pictures of what we've been getting into this summer. We went down to Orlando to visit family after Bead and Button and it definitely felt different. I was surprised by all the support of local businesses with signs up, of cars around town with stickers, all with mottos around themes of 'never stop dancing' and 'we are the pulse' and 'we are Orlando '. I admit I felt emotionally raw and sort of unable to look this business in the face, as it were. Part of me wishes this year would just go ahead and be over. The other part, that knows I can't be a hermit and stay in my studio and not communicate with the world, is trying to find the good. 

It's searching out the best seafood lunches near the beach, seeing how long I can stay in the ocean before Greg forces me back to the sand, it's finding the biggest, fattest blueberries. 

I've made a lot of new work lately, but I'll save that for another day. This post is all about simple things.

We did the Asheville farm tour this year and had so much fun visiting local farms and looking at all the animals. As you might guess, we were spoiled for choices. This is at Hickory Gap farm. I can't remember the other names.
The kids wanted to roll around with them. I said 'no'. For one, it's too hot, second, my mom would flip out. Plus, that's just weird, even for me. Also, I crocheted that sweet hat from raffia. It's a bit too floppy.
Sleepy piggy, I love you.
Selfie, with Greg looking on with a bucket of blueberries. Those berries made excellent muffins. Every time I see a picture of myself I think of my friend Claudine asking why I didn't put on some lipstick for that picture. It would add a bit of contrast. There's probably an app for that.
Guess what Max's favorite animal was? That's right, an alpaca. He couldn't stop petting them and they didn't mind one bit.
Look at that face! Growing up so fast.
Found really good fried seafood. Not as good as my moms, but what is?
Love the light here, how it was simultaneously bright and dark at the same time. A huge rain storm hit minutes after. I had fun having the kids guess what sounds they were hearing. Their faces when I told them that the deep chuffing sound was a gator! Don't worry, we were on a raised path, with steep walls that would be difficult for gators to climb up on. I was raised in areas like this, so I know what to look for, as far as local wildlife.
This is near the space station, where I spent many a field trip. It really is beautiful in the late afternoon. 

Thursday, June 02, 2016

New for Bead and Button 2016!


Hi there! It has been pretty busy at Green Girl Studios! I've been carving mostly, with some excursions into painting, hiking and zoo visits. Above is a pic of Max, posing in an owl at Knoxville Zoo. 
Here's a shot of my new root baby on one of my paintings. She looks a little like coral, too. The painting is on a wood panel, with a limited palette of quinacridone crimson, Prussian blue and white. I think I'm almost finished with my limited palette stage. We shall see.
This is Craggy Gardens, where that hiker got tied to a tree a couple weeks ago. We were there at the same time, oddly enough and didn't see a thing. I guess we were too focused on the landscape.
Behold! Look at all that work! That's what I see, when I look at this. This has to be one of my favorite batches ever. You'll probably notice a few pieces from awhile back that never made it into production, like the hand and cuff, the tiny snake link and the mermaid in a jingle shell. The molds were damaged, so only a few were made, I I retooled the waxes and Greg molded them. I think they are better this time around. There's also a piece my sister Sheila made ( the rectangle flying heart pendant) almost a dozen years ago. It has a beautiful quote on the back 'there is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.' - George Sands. I decided to carve 'the mind has a thousand eyes, the heart but one.' On the back of the eye in clouds pendant. I struggled with that one, since I had so many great options. I was tempted to put a piece of a Coldplay song on it 'look at the stars, look how they shine for you'. But I think I'll save that for later. My friends on fb had a ton of suggestions and it was fun seeing what the piece inspired. Anyway! I really like this batch of goodies and I'm pleased I have almost all the new pieces on the website.
http://www.greengirlstudios.com/newest-pewter-designs/
Of course, I'm saving a few to debut at the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee. It begins June 9-12.