Update on the fairytale dolls

 Still working on this project. My paperclay made some cracks, so I had to put some more diluted paperclay on the doll. After that, I sanded them all down, untill det studio was covered in fine white dust ;-)

After sanding the dolls, I changed my mind aabout the wolf´s fur, and covered his whole body in a very string joint compound and made some structure looking like fur. After sanding them again, I painted the base coat using some cheap acryliv paint.

Tip: I have a lot of acrylic paint, and I usually use the cheap quality for priming and basecoats. I like to paint with very expensive paint, so I am not using that for that. 

Tomorrow I will sand the paint again and perhaps give it another layer. Then I´m going to start painting the faces.

I had an idea today. I was thinking about hair and accessories as eg a crown. How to make then stay ontop of the head? I think I want to try to drill a hole in the head, and make wigs that have a stick that fits the hole. Small crowns can also fit in the hole. I must think about how to make that. It really could work, because these dolls are going to be moved, and I don´t want to worry about things falling of the doll. That kinda ruins the magic, don´t you think? 

Now, I´m off to bed. I must get up early tomorrow, because I have an very early appointment with a speech therapist ;-) I need to learn how to breath properly ;-) I´ll tell you more about it later...;-)

Good night! 

Puppet finally finished!

FINALLY!!!! 

2 years ago, I attended a course in puppetry, at a very famous puppet theatre here in Denmark, called Teater Refleksion. 

Tonight, my puppet is all finished! Can you believe that? After I finished the construktion of the doll, I left it for a very long time....I guess I was a bit scared of finishing it alone, because I was worried that I would destroy my perfect puppet ;-) 

Here are some photos of the process: 

This was my idea. I wanted a puppet, that would look like a little boy. 

The head was sculpted with treemass, and glass eyes.

The torso was carved in balsawood

He is looking soo cute!

Legwork. You wouldn´t believe the amount of work involved with that....

Here he is! I liked him like this too!

Puppets like to hang out with famous people too. This he is with Boxy Georg. 

More photos and poses: 

I call him "Garnet". It is danish for "the yarn", and is a nickname because of his hair ;-)

I will use him in the kindergarden, as a puppet interacting closely with the children. I have this very old antique suitcase, as will be his "home". I can´t wait to start telling stories and playing with him infront of the children. He is very mobile and have so beautiful movements!!!

And hello to you too, my little friend!!

I just love the moment, when my dolls look back at me and say: "hello?"

This one just need some clothes :-) 

Wonderful puppet shows this weekend!

I love puppets! Whenever I can get a chance, I go see a puppet show. This weekend in a danish town called Silkeborg, they have a annual festival called: "Festival of Wonder". 4 days of fantastic puppetshows, both international and domestic. I usually see a couple of shows every year, and this weekend I´m going to se two very interesting shows.

The first one is:

Train Theatre, Israel: The Chelem Legend, Fool Moon

In Denmark we all know Molbo stories. There are many tales about a group of people we laugh at and love at the same time.

Jews have similar stories about people from the Polish town Chelem.

This is the background of the story The Chelem Legend - Fool Moon, in which Lemech and Layzer take a magical journey to find a new moon, instead of the old one which was stolen!

The story unfolds in a huge pop-up book, aided by puppets and shadows. Galia Levy-Grad performs this lively tale together with a Danish translator.

The show is accompanied by original Klezmer music.

The next show later the same evening is this:

Theatre du Rugissant, France: In the eye of Judas / Dans l’OEil du Judas

Old Giacomo is dying. His mind is already confused and he is viewing reality as if through a prism. During the night memories and images of his past invade his loneliness.
The building where he grew up is still standing, ice cold and frightening at the top of the town. The drama he experienced there is seen through his own childhood eyes and memories. His memories take us from one apartment to another. We walk the hallways and catch bits of human nature playing out in a door opening or in a stairwell.
We observe the building as if a camera is fixed in the eye of the narrator. We see everything in a new light, an optical illusion, contrast between light and shade, twisted. “In the eye of Judas” is a tale of restlessness, racism and lost love, and we see how ordinary people, influenced by group pressure and hateful opinions, can change into terrible tormentors.
Adding to the dramatic nature of the performance, the audience will experience fantastic set design, music and outstanding puppet manipulation.
Come and take a look through the key hole, if you dare.

I just can´t wait! Next Tuesday I´m going to see a third show. It´s the fantastic dutch puppeteer Neville Tranter!

Stuffed Puppet Theatre, Holland: Punch and Judy in Afghanistan

Nigel, a puppeteer, has come to Afghanistan to entertain the allied troops. His assistant Emilie goes sightseeing, riding on a camel. The flash from Nigel’s camera frightens the camel, which runs off in panic with Emilie on its back.

 Nigel tries to find his assistant, a search which brings him to Tora Bora, where he encounters Punch Bin Laden. Nigel is in extreme danger but survives to discover what has happened to Emilie.

 Besides the naive Nigel we meet the heartless TV reporter, who is only interested in sensationalism, and the nervous UN soldier, who is out of place in these harsh regions.

 Punch Bin Laden and his bloodthirsty wife, Judy, seem to be in complete control of the situation. They amuse themselves with playing cat and mouse with Nigel.

 A humorous, unique and thought provoking interpretation of the old Punch and Judy tradition.

I think I´ll get lots and lots of inspiration from these talentes artists.

Saturday I´m participating in a abstract portrait paint course. I cant wait to show you the result!

Please welcome Hannah! (Part 2)

http://www.solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/10/starting-new-art-doll-please-welcome.html

I am doing some progress with my new witch. I´ve worked hard with her face, and now I´m finally satisfied.

Here is what I have for now:

My favorite part is her big nose! Perhaps it´s a thing from my training in puppetry, but I just love dolls with bog noses. (Puppets have big pointy noses because it makes it easier to see the direction the doll is looking). Some people claim that dolls are a representation of our own self, and just like dogs often look like their owners, dolls do too. I like the idea! I have a big nose too! All my dolls are little aspects of me! 

Back to the doll: I baked her twice. My studio oven can´t do 275 F (130 °C). It´s a digital oven, and it can only bake at 257 F or 293 F, so I have to keep an eye on the doll at all times, and bake a bit longer than usual. Really stupid actually. 

I totally ruined a doll once because I baked a doll with too high temperature. Just take a look:

Another one with a really big nose, right! I think I pushed the wrong button, and baked him at 446 F! After a couple of minutes it started to smoke! Never, ever do that! Keep an eye on your doll at all times, and use an oven thermometer and a timer.

After baking, I sandes her down with my buffer blocks (from my background with nail art). They are very good! I like them better than regular sanding paper. 

Finally I give the head a coat of Translucent Liquid Sculpy. It smoothes the skin and give the doll a nice finish. Bake at 275 F for 6 minutes.

Now I´m going to start her hands. See you later this weekend for more updates. 

Old projects getting finished - Jubiiii!

Years ago (6 to be exactly...) I started a project late one night. I wanted to make a baby dragon hand puppet. I cut out all the parts from the pattern in this book:

You can see him on the front, the red and green dragon, and he is called Georg in the book! 

Well it went as it oftem does for me, I gave up half finished...

I think I had problems understanding the process, and so the unfinished puppet was being stucked far down a cabinet in my studio. Tonight I found it accidentally, and know what? I finished the puppet! Jubiiiiiii! I must have gotten smarter during these last 6 years, because I had absolutely no problem understanding what to do! Here he is: 

Don´t you just love the feeling, when you suddenly figure an old problem out? I learnt a new word yesterday: Eureka. Let´s check wikipedia: 

"The exclamation 'Eureka!' is famously attributed to the ancient Greek scholar Archimedes. He reportedly proclaimed "Eureka!" when he stepped into a bath and noticed that the water level rose—he suddenly understood that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body he had submerged". 

So I have an Eureka! feeling! It feels so good to finally finish the project. I have soo many of those lying around.

Do you always finish your projects? 

The birth of a doll

Boxy George // Kasse-Madsen from Teater Refleksion on Vimeo.

I am a big fan of the danish puppet theatre "Teater Refleksion". My puppet was made with inspiration from this caracter, Boxy Georg.

You can´t really see it yet, but my doll will be soooo cute! And it can allmost walk, just like Boxy Georg. Please look at the Vimeo.

I was fortunate enough to participate in a 3 weekends long workshop at the theatre in Aarhus. Look at this cute photo:

I couldn´t help myself, and just played along with the puppet, and took some photos of them together. It was a little special thing for me, to let my doll play with the theatres puppet. Being such a fan of there dolls, and never quite understand, how they animate them so beautyfully, and then be lucky enough to try to move Boxy Georg, feel him, talk to him, and let him teach some of his tricks to my little puppet. It was truely magical :-)

Later, I will share some of the photos from the whole workshop. 

Puppet is allmost finished

Update on my puppet! I am allmost finished with the constructional work, and it is very animational! Tomorrow I will start painting, dressing and making hair!

Working on my puppet!

This is my allmost finished puppet. I am participating in a animational workshop this weekend so it is about time for him to be finished :-) I'll keep you updated on his progress the days to follow.

It has been such a wonderful summer so far!

My commission sign painted by the very talented Carolee Clark!

This summer has been great! It is quite funny to say so, because my life isn´t great at all right now. My mother is very terminal sick with cancer, and I am on a leave from my job to take care of her. Still, so many wonderfull things have happened this summer, and it makes me think, that we must remember and cherish the happy moments we have, when we have them. 

Here´s a list of wonderful things I have experienced this summer so far:

• I got married to my life-mate and partner in crime! I like being married! After ten years of engagement, we finally did it. He is such a wonderful man, and now my husband, and it just feel´s good and right. 

• I got to see Loreena MacKennitt in concert in Berlin too! That was one of my biggest wishes, and the experience was totally magical! I can´t show you a picture of the concert, because it is not allowed to take pictures during the show, but I can show you a little video I shot during the sound checks: 

• I got to take my youngest daughter Selina on a trip to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. We had 5 days of hanging out, eating out, shopping and visiting art exebitions and museums. She is leaving for bording school in a a couple of weeks, so this was a trip to make up for all the time we will miss in the year to come. 

• I participated on a 3-weekend long puppetry workshop at the wonderful danish puppet theatre "Teater Refleksion" and was taught to make a wooden puppet. Another of my biggest wishes. 

Not quite finished yet, but you get the picture. 

• I have been a bif fan of Carolee Clark´s artwork for some time. I just love her wonderful Halloween style with witches and lovely calligraphy. Normally I couldn´t afford any of her works, especially because of  the expensive international shipping, but some time ago, I got a little extra money, and I asked her if she would show me the kindness and paint me a commission sign. Fortunatly, she accepted! We agreed on the tavern style sign, and I told her what I wanted to be painted on it: myself and my husband as a witch and a wizard, and my two daughters. I also wanted my two naughty rascal cats Arthur and Merlin in the front. The sign turned out marvelous! She even made the cats look right!! I am so thrilled! The sign is on it´s way, and I cannot wait to see it hanging there in my hall! 

• I got to be a member of the the "Bards, Ovats and Druids! Every month they send me study material, and I am very excited about it! It is something I have been wanting to explore for a very long time. 

Could you blame me for being so happy? 

Did you ever experience wonders, at the most difficult times in your life? 

My puppet is getting along nicely

This is the final weekend at the worksshop held at Teater Refleksion. I never dreamt that there could be so much work in puppet construction :-) My puppet is no way near finished, and I only have two more days of work! 

The biggest difference between an artdoll and a puppet, is that the puppet is constructed to be animated. An artdoll is only made to be still and looked at. Every detail and part of the puppet is made for use in a show and animation, and therefor it must be very sturdy and durable. 

Normally when I make an artdoll, I focus om the charming details like facial expression and clothing. A puppet on the other hand, is only alive when in motion. Details are not that important, because a puppet normally is viewed from several meters away. 

It is quite an challenge for a unpatient person like me, but also very very interesting. 

I am working on his feet wich are quite an construction! Let me show you some of the details:

Unfortunately, my doll is the one to the left. Hopefully, it will end up looking a bit like the one to the right. That puppet was from a fantastic play called "Pist" by the way. 

You wouldn´t believe the amount of work in those legs! They are made of 12 different pieces of wood, that all must fit 100 %!!! I had to glue 3 pieces of wood together to have the correct thickness. 

My teacher, the talented Mariann Aagaard keeps trying to make me understand the importance of those legs.

"If they arn´t at an angle, you will never make the puppet walk!" 

She must be right, after 20 years of experience in puppetry.... 

Reflections upon Refleksion

I am soo tired today.... After spending the entire weekend at the puppet theatre Teater Refleksion participating in a workshop (Construct your own puppet), I am totally worn out. Just why I am so tired, is quite a mysterie, because I accually didn´t DO much. I just spent hours after hours carving balsawood, drawing, sculpting the head, contemplate over proportions and so on. At the theatre, there are no computers, no tv, no radio and no mess. Everything is still, clean and simple. Allmost Zen. It ia magical. I guess that I am so tired, because I have learnt so much, and have been so much in the present moment. Coming home Sunday evening, I had to fetch something in my own studio in my basement. Oh my godness! Can I accually create anything in this mess? My studio is a complete apposite to the beautyful Zen-like studio at the theatre.
I have to do more thinking about this: Creativety and organized living. Right now they are miles apart in my studio....
The workshop goes on for the next two weekends. I will add more reflections and pics along the way.
At the very first day we got to see a puppet performance "Boxy-George". Beaytiful and moving. You can see the trailer here:

Snapshots from the workshop: