"Heaven, I´m in heaven....." Update on Hannah and a bit of this and that.

Hi, today I want to show you what makes me so happy! Today I recieved a large box of scraps of long haired  pieces of fur! I buy them from this lady. the price is very cheap too! 150 danisk kroners for 1 kg! (approx $18)  

Iordered them in mainly brown, black and grey colors, and I cant wait to make beautiful hair with it!

This fur will fit a young boy or perhaps a troll? 

Beautiful long curly hair for an old witch?

Long black 6" hair for a younger witch?

Oh - there is a cat in there.... Julie is going crazy with all the fur... Biting and licking and rolling herself in it... 

Curly light grey for an old hag?

I really love the fur. It is so nice and soft, and smells like goat ;-) Perhaps that is the reason my cat is going insane - hi hi!

Another thing to share tonight is news about Hannah. For those of you who have been following my progress with this doll, I am sorry I haven´t posted final pics of her. The reason is that there is something terrible wrong with her outfit. At the beginning I really loved it, but soon I started to really hate it....Her slim elegance was tucked away in a clumsy dress. I will make her a new very soon. Her legs are terrible too. The keep on bending a little biy out of shape. I think I will remove her stockings and quilt padding and sculpt them completely with Magic Sculpt. In this way I can´t pose her legs, but she will again look slim and femenin like she did in the first stages of her development. 

See for yourself:

She is lying on the table for easier fotographing only. She can srtanly stand on her own proudly without support.

Here is her lovely face. She still need some eyelashes, but I really like her kind facial expression. She is a good witch ;-)

Finally I would like to recommend a good book about creativity. It is a very old classic about keeping a journal, to expand ones creativity and spiritual development. It was published back in 78, but I think it is still fresh and relevant. I was wondering if perhaps blogging was the new way of keeping an journal? What do you think? 

"The diary is the only form of writing that encourages total freedom of expression. Because of it's very private nature, it has remained immune to any formal rules of content, structure or style. As a result, the diary can come closest to reporducing how consciousness evolves." ~Tristine Rainer

Hannah has got some more clothes ;-) (Part 7)

I am making Hanna´s dress. I still need a blouse underneath, but I think I ´ve got the design right ;-)
I´m so happy to see her getting finished. I totally love her facial expression. She looks at you like she is asking you a question, or trying to figure you out. I´ll share better pics soon.

We have a dreadfull hurricane here in Denmark. They call it "Bodil" (#stormdk, #bodil). All trains stopped all over Denmark (first time ever). No bridges open and ferries cancelled. It is quite nice to stay inside and listen to the heavy wind outside. It will be interesting so see what the world looks like tomorrow!

Part 1: http://www.solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/10/starting-new-art-doll-please-welcome.html
Part 2: http://www.solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/11/please-welcome-hannah-part-2.html
Part 3 :http://www.solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/11/hannah-has-got-new-ears-and-hands.html
Part 4: http://solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/11/hannah-is-coming-along-nicely-now-with.html
Part 5: http://solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/11/please-welcome-hannah-part-5.html
Part 6: http://solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/12/please-welcome-hannah-part-6.html

Interesting video with tip for painting doll eyes

This is a very interesting video demonstrating steps for painting eyes. I loved it!

Please welcome Hannah (Part 6)

Part 1: http://www.solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/10/starting-new-art-doll-please-welcome.html
Part 2: http://www.solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/11/please-welcome-hannah-part-2.html
Part 3 :http://www.solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/11/hannah-has-got-new-ears-and-hands.html
Part 4: http://solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/11/hannah-is-coming-along-nicely-now-with.html
Part 5: http://solannsworld.blogspot.dk/2013/11/please-welcome-hannah-part-5.html

Hannah is coming along nicely, and I want to show you her progress.
I have worked on her body, and give her more qulit batting. I don´t know if she is done. She is still a bit skinny, so I won´t dress her just yet.
I have painted her face. I do acrylic washes. She has emerald green eyes now. Hannash also needs eyelashes. I have some fake one from Hong Kong and will try to use them.
Her hair is almost done. The orange color was wrong, so I changed my mind and gave her dark brown. She is just adorable, and I cant wait to make her hat and dress!

How-to make an abstract watercolor painting of a female

We are taught a creative technique at my art school, and I thought I would like to share it with you.

It is a way of starting the abstract painting, and it is also very fun to do too.

First you do a series of sketches as a  study. It can be whatever subject you want. We´ve done both flowers and a mannequin at the classes. 

Start your studies with lots of paper, a pencil and a pocket watch. You will now do 30 seconds sketches. My art teacher told us to be like ants. Trace the subject or model onto the paper and walk your pencil on the paper like an ant. You can´t go back, and you cant jump. Just walk really fast, and trace your target all around the edges. When you have done this exercise several times, put your pencil in the opposit hand and do the exercise again. You can do one minute sketches now. Keep doing this, and then try to shut your eyes. See if you can imagine the subject in your minds eye, and let your hand trace on the paper like an ant. You don´t need to worry about details. Just trace around the edges.

Your drawings will perhaps look a little like this: 

Please, don´t judge my artistic accomplishments by these sketches....

Now you are done and can choose among yoursketches and then transfer them to your watercolor paper. You can do this any way you want. I just did some freestyle sketching. Others would perhaps use a projector.  

Your drawings will only be a part of the background structure, so please don´t worry about the aesthetics. In the end, nobody will be able to see your bodies in the painting anyway. Not very much that is...

Tape your watercolor paper onto a non-absorbent surface. I taped it in four equal squares. This allows you to work on all of the squares at the same time.

Okay, now the really fun part starts. I used:

• black ink
• clean water to dilute and clean the brushes with
• watercolor brush and acrylic brush. Also a very thin liner brush
• two complementary colors (I used turquoise and red-orange)
• salt
• straws
• aquarelle pencils 
• acrylic liner (white)
• coffee or black the (yes, that´s right. Works wonders!)

Now you start with the black ink. Just paint like you want, and add colors as you go. Blow the very wet paint with the straw to create the fun shaps and "runners". Put salt in the wet paint too. Remember to keep it there until the painting is completely dry. Then brush it off. Use the acrylic liner in the end, and keep it simple! Remember the frase: KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid!) Easy to say, but so very hard to remember ;-)

Also, remember to keep parts of the paper blank. 

Here are my paintings:

See that you dont recognize the female body anymore? I mean, there is a hand and a breast and such, but you don´t see the complete figure. I like my paintings so much that I am having them matted and glass framed! What do you think?