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!