All I Want for Christmas...

The other day I showed you one of my paper mache Santas who was holding a stocking with a black kitten in it. Santa had a surprised look on his face, and I'd explained that he'd probably been surprised by finding little Amy waiting under the Christmas tree for her kitten. Amy had whispered to Santa that all she wanted for Christmas was a black kitten.

On Christmas Eve, after her parents had gone to bed, Amy crept downstairs, and wrapped in her blanket, she waited under the Christmas tree. She didn't want to miss Santa's visit! Well, after about a half hour, Amy's eyelids got heavy. She fell fast asleep. Santa arrived a short time later to find her there.

Four or five years ago, I used to draw or paint ACEOs, ATCs, tiny pictures, whatever you want to call them, to sell on Ebay. I haven't drawn or painted any in quite a while. Today I decided to illustrate my Santa from the above mentioned post, along with Amy sleeping under the Christmas tree.

I sketched the picture onto a 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" piece of vellum bristol. Then I filled in the areas where I wanted color with thinned acrylic paint. After the paint dried, I re-sketched the entire picture right on top of the paint, adding more detail, with graphite pencil. I would have loved to do this final step with a very fine point technical pen, but mine dried up. I like the look of the graphite pencil sketch over the acrylic paint. Finally I added paint-on glitter all over the tree. The scan actually looks a little bit grainier than the original.

I hope you've enjoyed viewing my ACEO, ATC, or little picture. If you missed the original post about this Santa, you can see the sculpture that inspired this picture by clicking on the above photo.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for dropping by. I'd love to hear any comments you'd like to leave.

Later,
Maggie

Pouty

I promised my sister Maddy, from Santa and the Mrs., that I would post the doll that I had created several years ago.

Just before Maddy came to visit last month, I had been looking at the dolls that I'd made and then put away for one reason or another. Agnes May was finished at one time... She was entirely stuffed fabric. Including her head. But I didn't like the way her face had turned out, and her wild red hair made her look like Ronald McDonald.

So, it was "off with her head". First time I ever had the nerve to do that to a doll. I assured Agnes at the time that she wouldn't feel a thing, and when she woke up she would be prettier. I also removed her arms and reattached them with button jointing so that they would be able to change position. I'd just finished her new head, made from paper mache, when my sister first saw her. After Maddy went home I added hair to Agnes. Then I made a rag doll for her to play with.

I guess Agnes May is pouting because Gramaw doesn't have enough fabric left to make a dress for Agnes that will match Dolly's. Or maybe because Gramaw always says "Sure you can go out to play... Have fun, but don't climb trees, play in the mud, or get your dress dirty." Agnes can't have fun without getting dirty. She'll come back with her braids undone and her ribbon missing, her shoes dirty, the hem of her dress stained and rumpled.

Anyway, I digress... Agnes has a cloth body with a paper mache head. Her cute little shoes are paper mache applied right over her cloth feet. Her long braids are yarn that was unraveled and sewn to a muslin "scalp" and then glued onto her head. "Gramaw" ties them together in the back so that they don't get in Agnes's face while she's playing.

Peek-a-boo. You can't see much of her cute little drawers unless Agnes pulls up her dress a little.

And here's a closeup of Dolly (below). Agnes and Dolly are inseperable. Well, actually, Dolly has a short piece of floss threaded through the back of her dress and tied with a slip knot around Agnes' arm.

Well, there she is in all her pouty glory! I love her turned up nose, and tearful eyes, and the photo doesn't do her lower lip justice. Maddy loved her, too, and took home a pattern to alter for a doll she wanted to make. Her's has jointed arms AND legs, and her head turns, I think. I can't wait to see how Maddy's doll looks. She's going to post it Friday!

Thank you for dropping by. Please leave a comment if you have time.

Later,
Maggie

Whimsical Santa

I finished this whimsical Santa earlier this week. I've painted his robe and hat in my favorite faded red, Adobe Red. I hope they never stop making this color.

Santa is seen delivering a special present to an especially good little girl. Amy had whispered into his ear that all she wants for Christmas is a little black kitten. No dollies, no electronics, just a kitten.

Santa told Romeow all about Amy, and the little kitten is eager to meet his new family.

Santa stands 11" tall, and is sculpted completely from paper mache clay over a clean coffee creamer bottle. Acrylic paints in Adobe Red, Silver, White, Alpine Green and Coral. He's been sealed and glazed with an "aging glaze", and then sealed again with a poly acrylic satin finish.

I've made his expression less serious than previous Santas. I painted his eyebrows quite high over his baby blues. He looks surprised. I believe Amy must have been waiting under the tree so that she wouldn't miss Santa's visit.

A few more views of Santa:

Santa is wearing his favorite robe... the one with the big silver button at the top.

Well, there he is. This happy Santa will be going into my Etsy shop soon.

Oh, I almost forgot! I just want to share something with you... You may remember "Mr. Moonlight" from an older post last year. He will be appearing in the Summer 2012 issue of Art Doll Quarterly, due in stores in about a week, on May 1.

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope to hear from you soon. Please leave a comment to let me know you were here.

Maggie

Santa's Back!

It's been a while since I posted a new Santa. I finished this one last week.

He's a traditional style Santa. He holds a "bottle brush" tree in his right hand that has been decorated with red balls and sparkly "snow".

His "mug shot" above. His eyes are rather hooded, he looks a tiny bit intense, I think.

I sculpted him from paper mache (what else?) over a clean coffee creamer bottle, with a tiny bit of modeling paste to smooth out his face. He is painted mostly in Barn Red, Wicker White, and Missippi Mud acrylic paints. I crackled the red and brown areas. The red areas were then antiqued with thinned white paint that was rubbed right off, and the remaining areas were antiqued with a brown stain.

He will be appearing in my Etsy store soon.

I am working on a few more Santas that I'll be posting soon.

Thank you for stopping by, and as always, I love to hear from you, so please leave a comment to let me know you were here.

Later,
Maggie