Smurfette Genie Doll

"Genie Doll"

by Mrs. Art Doll Maker

What is a genie supposed to look like? Despite flipping through a ton of photos for inspiration and ideas, I continued to envision a lavender Smurfette-style genie, wearing a variety of fresh Sping-green fabrics, dyed from the different plants and flowers she hand picks along her hikes in the forest. Her favorite activity is playing between the candy coated mushroom caps and chocolate pine cones that fell from the cocoa trees and dipping her toes in the chilled waters of the creek with her other Smurfette friends.

Why is she purple and not blue like the other Smurfs?  Her family are direct decedents of world-renowned harvesters from The Lavender Valley of France. After harvesting lavender for decades, their skin slowly became dyed from blue to their now purple color and their bodies give off a wonderful lavender scent from absorbing the oils from the flowers. These physical changes became permanent and continue to be past on throughout the generations.

So, just remember, if you ever catch an unexpected hint of that wonderful lavender scent, one of these genies just might be nearby. Make a wish and wait for it to come true!

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My First Altered Barbie Using My Splatter Method Technique To Doll Making

"My Shaman Team"

Altered Barbie and Photo by Gloria von Gesslein

aka: Mrs. Art Doll Maker

The Goddess Dolls Online Yahoo Group had an Altered Barbie Challenge this past month and boy, was this a challenge for me.  This was my very first time altering a Barbie and I didn't really know where to begin or what to do. 

After researching techniques to learn how to "properly" alter them and what other people were doing in this area for inspiration and guidance, I tried several attempts but miserably failed each time. Nothing I did seemed to work.

Since the deadline was fast approaching, I instead thought about falling back on some of my own methods to see what I could come up with.  Still, failure after failure. Nothing was coming out the way I had planned. 

Finally, I thought, okay, I gotta something out and was going to turn her into an icicle doll which was working out well. In the end, I turned away from this because it seemed more like cheating since she was covered up completely with fur/feathers instead of actually being altered. That wasn't the purpose of the challenge.

Then, I decided to play. So frustrated by this time. Let's make a mess. Spread out the paints. Bring out the glitter...must have glitter!  What doo-dads do we have to use and let's throw it all on.  I call this my "Splatter Method" Technique which I have used for many years and have always found great success with it.  Both Barbie and I were covered in paint, washes, glitter, and everything else that we touched. Basically, we were rolling in the stuff.

At first, she looked atrocious to say the least. I discovered years ago, even though something can look disastrous when you're in the process, stick with it because it might turn out pretty good.  

This is what I came up with. 

"My Shaman Team"

Altered Barbie and Photo by Gloria von Gesslein

aka: Mrs. Art Doll Maker

Detailed Photo

She has words on her body which says Break Thru, Doorway, Flight, Centered.

Ironically, some of the words on her wings were smeared with paint and almost form a sentence. Those are: daily, energy, around, that, you, congruence (come together).  I interpreted it as the daily energies that are around can affect how you come together. 

Then, I noticed little splatters of paint right next to another 3 words but they are not highlighted like the ones above, They looked like little asterisk and underline marks. These words were: judge ourselves and breakdown. 

Opposing messages. When we judge ourselves, there's a breakdown in our spirits. 

But, when I put the two messages together, there's a connection.  The daily energies that are around can affect how you come together and how you're feeling about yourself, positively or negatively.  Did you ever walk into a room or talk with someone and feel completely drained?  Or, feel energized and really good? 

This reminded me to be watchful who I bring into my life and make a conscious effort to live in a positive environment.  Life and days are just too short.  As we get older, time continues to fly by in the blink of an eye. You look up and ask, "What happened? Where did all that time go?"

Aside from that, I love African and tribal art. It is so inspiring. The colors, the patterns, the textures, the symbols, the earthy element, everything about it touches me deeply.

At the end, the piece reminded me of something shamanic which is how the name was derived. As the faces were being cut out and reflecting on her painted mask, the words, "My Shaman Team" kept coming to mind.

Tutorial: Painting Cloth Doll Eyes Color Chart

Photo Courtesy of Nedesembegenirsin Blogspot

I found this step-by-step eye color chart helpful to refer to.  Its a little difficult to read the writing because of the font but hopefully you'll be able to make it out. Its easily see when enlarged. 

Ariel the Bird Goddess

Ariel the Bird Goddess

14" x 7"

Multi-Media

Art Doll and Photo by Gloria von Gesslein, 

aka: Mrs. Art Doll Maker

Here is my Hoffman Challenge Doll. The pics do not do her justice.  Her wings really are even and she really does have a nose.  The only thing I wish I added was faux moss on the base.  

Techniques: applique and wrapped fiber method. Headdress: each feather was manually attached. 

Materials: Found and recycled objects, Swarovski crystal, beads and trim, faux foliage and feathers.  

Ariel the Bird Goddess

14" x 7"

Multi-Media

Art Doll and Photo by Gloria von Gesslein, 

aka: Mrs. Art Doll Maker

Close Up View

Inspiration: Mythology - See details below.

"Ariel, the Bird Goddess: Element of Air

She does not belong to an actual mythology, but to mythology as a whole due to her long past. She first appeared in the Paleolithic Era, her image carved onto totems.

Her worship achieved equivalent importance to the Great Earth Mother.

Throughout classical antiquity, She appeared linked to the worship of many important goddesses in the form of their sacred bird companion and alter-ego, e.g.

• Aphrodite's dove
• Athena's owl
• Saraswati's peacock

Her gift to the magical arts was a form of divination called Ornithomancy. 

Keeper of the powers of Air, She possesses multiple aspects:

• the Maiden whose singing brings the dawn
• the Mother of Winds who hatches the Cosmic Egg
• the dark-winged Crone who guides spirits of the newly dead into the heavenly afterlife

These different aspects are often connected to the kind of bird that attends Her. 

Ariel the Bird Goddess

14" x 7"

Multi-Media

Art Doll and Photo by Gloria von Gesslein, 

aka: Mrs. Art Doll Maker

Detailed View

From the songbirds of the Celtic Rhiannon to the vultures of Egyptian Mut, the Bird Goddess brings messages and omens on swift wings from the Otherworld.

She covers Her children with the soft feathers of Her nurturing breast and feeds their bodies with Her sacred Eostre eggs.

Souls are weighed against the feather of Her Truth and Her keen eye sees through all deceptions into the Future.

Her sharp talons and beak tear away the gross material forms, allowing the imagination to soar free.

She is the archetypal antecedent of the Valkyrie and the Christian Guardian Angel, as well as familiar fairy tale heroines, such as the Swan Princess and the Lady Hawk.

Her names come from all over the world:

• Sumerian Lilith
• Carthaginian Tanith
• Saxon Ostara
• Celtic Morrigan
• Polynesian Tuli
• Greek Leda
• Finnish Lunonatar
• Haitian Marionette
• Hopi Crow Woman

Ariel the Bird Goddess

14" x 7"

Multi-Media

Art Doll and Photo by Gloria von Gesslein, 

aka: Mrs. Art Doll Maker

Side View

Whatever She is called, She is the ancient Power of Flight which connects our spirits in the first breath of dawn to the Element of Air. 

This representation of the Bird Goddess is the second creation from the mind and hands of Wynter Rose MacCrossen-Ravenheart and is part of a series of plaques honoring the Five Elemental Powers."

Mythology info quoted from Jodan Slavik, and Worthpoint.

Doll Making: The Scribble Method

Free Clipart from Clipartheaven

If you think you don't know how to make dolls, well, I'm telling you right here and now, you do.

Aside from there being countless numbers of books and other excellent resources for you to turn to for step-by-step instructions, you also have the best intuitive teacher out there.

YOU.

That two and three year old baby inside of you.  You knew how to draw then. You didn't know any different. You followed your own process, giving freely of yourself...exploring the blank pages and walls and...in my case, the washing machine with your crayons.  Within those baby scribbles are images into other worlds just waiting to be brought out into 3-dimensional form.

Get back to your roots and try this method again.  This is my all time favorite method I use regulary and "developed" myself years ago to break out of blocks and self-imposed blocks I ridiculously placed on myself.

I use the biggest sketch pad I can find in the art and craft store.  The really HUUUGGGGE ones and place it on the floor.

Free clipart from Findfreegraphics

I get down and with my eyes closed, I start scribbling all over the page in wide circles and lines...all over, to the very edges. Work that arm. Sweeeep across the page. Circles and turns and dives with whatever writing instrument I feel like using. I stop when it FEELS right.  This process usually takes a couple of minutes.  No sharpies at this point.  DON'T PEEK NOW while you're doing this!

When you're done, open your eyes. Stand up straight and look down. Do you see any images that pop out at you?

Walk to the other side. Look down at what you did. Do you see anything popping out at you from this side?

Do the same for the next 2 sides.

Take the images that pop out at you the strongest and with a really big black thick Sharpie marker, outline the images that call to you.

More than one image will most likely overlap with others. When this happens, I get a piece of copy paper and trace over it. Sometimes, I may have to tape several sheets together if the image is large.

You may also want to use different colored thick Sharpie makers to trace out the different images to keep them separated so you can distinguish between them.

Then, cut everything out.

Now the fun begins. Yes, the fun!

Free Clipart from clker

Take a big black button.  Use this as an eye.  Place it on different parts of the images you cut out to see where you want the face is. You'd be surprised at where a face can show up. I once put an eye where I thought the butt to be but it worked great as a face instead!

Once you have your head or heady/body, start playing with the other pieces to see what could be arms and legs, or just a big hand or oddly shaped foot.

Don't forget to label the sections what they are so you won't forget afterwards, Believe me, they won't look like anything when you first trace and cut them out. But its the placement of the eye and playing with the pieces when everything comes together.

Okay, now you have your pattern pieces. Get your fabric. Any kind and sew your doll together. If you don't like the fabric, don't worry about it. Use gesso to cover it up and repaint it whatever color you like.

You can use a glue gun (if gessoed) or fabric glue to add other pieces of fabric to it.  Wrap trim and fibers and colorful yarn around it, adhering it along the way.  Add beads, faux flowers, leaves, anything you want etc.

Voila! You have your very own designed art doll. And it WILL be grand! Trust me. Trust the process. Keep going until it is finished, even if you think it looks like a mess. Its what you do with it once its sewn together, the embellishing that pulls it together!

If you try this, share you photos with us!

Ariana - The Lady Bug Goddess: A Compilation of Broken and Recycled Parts

"Ariana - The Lady Bug Goddess"

About 20" x 14" wingspan

Multi-Media

Art Doll and Photo by Gloria von Gesslein, aka: Mrs. Art Doll Maker

Upper body view

One of my favorite things to do is to recreate something out of nothing or basically what we consider to be throw away items. Its the challenge to see how a worthless item can be turned into something interesting and beautiful. 

Ariana speaks directly to that.  She was created with lots of broken parts that I recycled and resurfaced.  

• The body is from a broken jewelry bodice. 
• Swag across her body is a piece of broken bra jewelry
• The wings are a petticoat from a Victorian doll.
• The arms are from a broken nutcracker.
• The legs are little wooden candlestick pieces. 
• The antennas are chenille stems and pompoms (I actually handmade them. I made an entire box of pom poms just to use up yarn.)
• The base is from a broken art doll. I added faux moss, funky trim, a little faux broken egg to match the butterfly and the nest is made from Easter basket grass)

Ariana was created for a swap and resides with her new Mom.

"Ariana - The Lady Bug Goddess"

About 20" x 14" wingspan

Multi-Media

Art Doll and Photo by Gloria von Gesslein, aka: Mrs. Art Doll Maker

Full body view

"Ariana - The Lady Bug Goddess"

About 20" x 14" wingspan

Multi-Media

Art Doll and Photo by Gloria von Gesslein, aka: Mrs. Art Doll Maker

Detailed view of bird's nest and blue egg

"Ariana - The Lady Bug Goddess"

About 20" x 14" wingspan

Multi-Media

Art Doll and Photo by Gloria von Gesslein, aka: Mrs. Art Doll Maker

Detailed view of hand painted face

Soaring Winter Goddess of Love

 Created by Glo von Gesslein

8" x 10"

Created in an ornament swap for my partner in the Goddess Dolls Yahoo Group.  It can be tucked in a tree or hung from a doorknob or wall.  It glitters and has lots of pieces to soothe the eye candy beast. (I just wondered what an Eye Candy Beast would like look and will add this to a list of future projects to work on.

Made from fabric, trim, faux flowers, paint, clay, feathers, glitter.

Treasure Goddess: With heart in hand, she gives openly and freely like a blossoming flower

"Treasure Goddess"

17" x 9"

Art Doll and Photo by Glo von Gesslein

 

 

Every challenge and swap I participate in always teaches me something very meaningful...something I didn't realize before about myself or seeing the world in a different way...and through the eyes of other doll artists, which is always FUN in and of itself!

Some artists see the world as whimsical, some melancholy, some very spiritual, others very nature based and so on and so forth.  They may not even realize it themselves but you get to see it in the pieces that come from their souls. They're all very innovative and resourceful with turning "nothings" into "treasures". Open hearts. Giving hearts. 

 

 

"Treasure Goddess"

17" x 9"

Art Doll and Photo by Glo von Gesslein

Multi-Media

Full body view

 

 

Another great reason to participate in these projects is it gets the creative juices flowing that you wouldn't necessarily get by doing things yourself. When that happens, more and more ideas begin pouring through. (Have a sketchbook or notebook nearby to try to capture everything so you can remember later.)

 

A third reason to play with a group is it's a great way to banish creative blocks which we all have found ourselves in at one time or another.

 



 

 "Treasure Goddess"

17" x 9"

Art Doll and Photo by Glo von Gesslein

Multi-Media

Detailed view of upper body

 

 

Treasure Goddess is a piece I created in one of my favorite doll clubs, The Goddess Dolls Yahoo Club.  This group is so much fun and they come up with the best ideas. 

 

This challenge was called The Same Ten Things Goddess Doll Challenge. Every player received the same 10 items to work with.  We were curious to see what goddesses we came up with using the same materials. 

 

(This is a spinoff of the last challenge we did from the Summer called The Ten Things Goddess Doll Challenge. You can see the results in the prior post: Khuhula-Akiki: A Creative Companion. In that one, we received 10 items to work with but each player  had a different set of materials to use. No one received the same 10 items.) 

 

In this latest challenge, The Same Ten Things Doll, everyone received the exact same 10 items. Purpose? We wanted to see what goddesses we came up with using the same materials. We all view the world differently and have different things going on internally. This became an expression of our journey to our souls. What would come out?   

 



"Treasure Goddess"

17" x 9"

Art Doll and Photo by Glo von Gesslein

Multi-Media

Detailed view of inner veil

As you can see, I love layers upon layers upon layers.  Complexity. Texture. Connections. Touch. Symbolism.

Deeply lost in the process, unaware of my surroundings and rumblings of my stomach, I kept thinking, "look at all this stuff", referring to some of the materials I was working with. Things we would normally just toss in the trash. And, here I was trying to figure out how to bring new life to something that society would deem as trash, no value.

We dismiss so much in life that can bring us happiness, joy, peace, wisdom, healing, fun, laughter, just everything great that life has to offer. We're a Get-Rid-Of-Society, always measuring one thing against something else. And if we think it doesn't have our definition of what's "worthy", we trash it.

 

But, if you take a second look and open ourselves up...just a bit, even just a little, you'll find beauty right where you are, with what you currently have.

Okay, it just may need a little "tweaking" perhaps.

Or maybe not.

In this case, some of the items I received did get a makeover to bring out their beauty. Others were paired with something else to enhance what was already there to be appreciated.

These items that normally would have been thrown in the trash, that this goddess is now collecting, are actually life's treasures. 

These words became a mantra in my head over and over and over gain:

      With heart in hand, she gives openly and freely like a blossoming flower
 

 

 

 "Treasure Goddess"

17" x 9"

Art Doll and Photo by Glo von Gesslein

Multi-Media

Detailed view of mid-body (1)

"Treasure Goddess"

17" x 9"

Art Doll and Photo by Glo von Gesslein

Multi-Media

Detailed view of mid-body (2) 

 

"Treasure Goddess"

17" x 9"

Art Doll and Photo by Glo von Gesslein

Multi-Media

Detailed view of lower body (1)

 

"Treasure Goddess"

17" x 9"

Art Doll and Photo by Glo von Gesslein

Multi-Media

Detailed view of lower body (2)

 

"Treasure Goddess"

17" x 9"

Art Doll and Photo by Glo von Gesslein

Multi-Media

Detailed view of base (1)

 

"Treasure Goddess"

17" x 9"

Art Doll and Photo by Glo von Gesslein

Multi-Media

Detailed view of base (2)