Linda September 21st, 2008
My Satyr is finally finished. I was having terrible problems getting his picture taken to my liking, so I took him to my garden trellis and got some better shots. Dh and I are planning on investing in some serious $$ in a camera and equipment and perhaps that will help(–eek, is it possible that it is operator error?!) Anywhoooo, the doll is approx 18inches tall. Papr clay hands, hooves, and head. The body is wired so he can be positioned differently. As I mentioned earlier in my blog, I had bought some bone earring thinking I could wear them but they were just too big so they worked out perfectly as his horns. The head was built upon a plastic Halloween skull.
He somehow offended Dionysus. There was a dispute over who made the best wine. Well, personally I would not argue with a god but this fellow did and you can see what happened. Dionysus decreed that his eyes would be plucked out by ravens to feed their chicks. He has been reduced to begging and playing his pipe for his supper. Some other forest people took pity on him and made him a robe to keep warm in and to cover up his “judgement” when he feels the need. He sits along woodland paths listening for foot steps of kind hearted souls that will give him a few “pennies” for his bread. If you run in to Dionysus, remember this poor fellow and ask if the god would relent and restore his sight, he has learned his lesson.
Linda September 6th, 2008
(Just wanted to say here that Dh posts my pics to my site and adds the titles..he thinks he is very witty?!)
Above is my latest work. He has been transformed from a plastic Halloween skeleton head to a Satyr. O.k., a blind satyr. He is approx 18 inches tall. I have 2 bone earrings that will eventualy put on his head when I “wig him”. How he is posed will be his final pose–he will be a blind beggar with a pan pipe..how I arrived at this, I truly don’t know. He is done with Das paper clay (as with all my sculpts)…I am very pleased with how he has turned out so far. My question to you gentle reader is…how should he be dressed??? I was thinking of putting a monk’s type robe on him so it would kinda cover his face and make him more mysterious but Dh was horrified. He think he should look more like Mr. Timnus in “Lion, a Witch and a Wardrobe.” He seems darker than that to me…any suggestions?????
Linda August 27th, 2008
Ok, bear with me on this one…..when I was at work one day (my son and I clean a craft store 3 nights a week), I saw these skulls in a bag. My first impression was that I could make some dolls out of them…then as I was sitting in my studio my muse visited me and whispered that perhaps I could sculpt over them.
I use air drying clay (they are primarily made of paper–I will never use the poly clays due to the potential toxicity–now off my soap box). When I and other doll makers make heads and bodies you must put a light inner core. This help to keep the weight down as well as help the clay cure thoroughly. I have tried aluminum foil (as per Jack Johnson) and most recently Styrofoam eggs (per my Dutch Touch class). Both give passible results but I am always looking to improve. These skulls are hollow plastic and have the built-in right dimensions. I added the paper clay to a head and this is the result. Yes, the photo is fuzzy-I have been having a heck of a time with my camera (anybody got any suggestions for a good one?? And where to get a good deal??) I really like how the head turned out, it seems appear more “real” to me. I am now working on his body.
I am stuck on my gypsy doll–I am waiting for Scott to quilt her skirt. I was going to work on the “frog” doll but was getting frustrated with his size (I WILL go back and make him, I always do. I rarely leave a project unfinished, yes, that is strange for an artist isn’t it???) But when I got going on this head it just seemed to “fall” into place and I can hardly wait to work on him. He will be a blind centaur–I bought some earring at the State Fair out of bone and they are too big for my ears but they will work perfect for horns on his head. I have been wanting to make a centaur for a long time but have been distressed by how “demonic/devilish” a face with horns looks. I will post more pictures of him as I progress…I am trying a different body constrution too, I want him to be sitting. And then there are his hooves to work out, hmmmmm.
My Satyr is finally finished. I was having terrible problems getting his picture taken to my liking, so I took him to my garden trellis and got some better shots. Dh and I are planning on investing in some serious $$ in a camera and equipment and perhaps that will help(–eek, is it possible that it is operator error?!) Anywhoooo, the doll is approx 18inches tall. Papr clay hands, hooves, and head. The body is wired so he can be positioned differently. As I mentioned earlier in my blog, I had bought some bone earring thinking I could wear them but they were just too big so they worked out perfectly as his horns. The head was built upon a plastic Halloween skull. 
