new clothes on a new creepy little voodoo art doll

Sorry for the unannounced sabatical. Lets just say it was very, very much needed and drop it at that.

I am working on my larger male doll with the wrap style head. He is wearing a suit and tie now. I either use vintage ties to make my dolls suits, or new suiting type material. This is the latter. It is a new pinstripe fabric that has a little give in it. He has a grey fabric around his neck and a small trim tie that I have tied. He still has no hair or feet, or hands. Thats next!

When I make the clothes, I just trace around the body the form of the doll and cut out the basic shape. I try to make the fabric clothes as simple as possible- they aren’t going to be removed from the doll so they are often sewn on or glued in place. Suits and shirts though have set in sleeves and are hemmed and sewn and can be removed. Suits and shirts are basically a rectangle of fabric large enough to fit around the doll, then I cut some slits in the fabric where the arms would go and sew in small fabric “tube” shapes that work as sleeves. I usually iron lapels, and when I attach the arms and hands the sleeves will be folded up to the legnth that I need and glued in place.

Ignore the white one on the right (for now) it’s in progress too- I don’t know what it wants to be right now.

Now that that's done, we can finally be together

Handmade OOAK voodoo art doll.

one night in bangkok

One night in Bangkok

Handmade voodoo doll- about 10 inches tall with a handmade linen body, handmade clothes from vintage ties, handsculpted face with trim for hair.

making an art doll part 2 (ish- and more)

After the doll body is made, I have to decide what the doll will actually look like. I make the face next.

I use polymer clay- conditioned and baked according to the directions on the back of the package. I have a dedicated oven just for the clay because it does release chemicals.

I make 3 different types of faces- whole head and neck for when the doll doesn’t have a fabric head

Sorry this isn’t the greatest picture- this is when it comes out of the oven- no paint applied yet….

1/2 head with or without neck (the face folds over the edges of the fabric head )

This face has turquoise beads for eyes and the rest is handsculpted. This face has been baked and painted.

and the face mask- this just goes where the face would normally go- no overlap.

I used a piece of wire to make the designs in this face cab.

I use acrylic paints when the faces are baked and cooled to show the details by shading etc….

Once the face is done (and hands and feet if you want to make those) then it’s time to make the clothing. I don’t attach the face, hands or feet until the doll is dressed and ready to go.

More about hands and feet later.

How I make a creepy little art doll-

A few people have asked how I make my dolls. So, I decided to put the latest dolls on line in their various stages. This is the end of step one.

I first draw out on a piece of paper the size of doll I want, cut out of linen the outline of the doll, then stitch it together. Sometimes I make my dolls without a fabric head because I plan on putting on clay head and shoulders on them. Sometimes they get a fabric head because I just will use a clay face mask on the doll.

These are just art dolls, not voodoo dolls, and are just stuffed with fill and various fabric scraps. I sew them together, stuff them, sew them closed, then sew the limbs on the torso. I usually then use upholstery thread to reinforce the seams. If they have a fabric head I make sure that the neck is stuffed stiff so hold up the weight of the face and hair.

The next step will be to construct a face for the dolls.

Handmade folk art/outsider art/voodoo doll

I hold the key to his heart

I hold the key to his heart

She’s finished!  Her name will be ” I have the key to his heart” The dress is finished, trimmed in jet beads and velvet, the hair is full and complete, her face and hands have been handsculpted and attached to her handsewn linen body. She holds a vintage key in one hand and a black feather fan in the other. She is on a handmade, rustic, wooden stand simply painted black.  She has 2 heart pins stuck in her chest.

Latest handmade art doll in progress-

She is obviously not done- no face, her hair is crazy and her clothes are still a bit unfinished.  But she’ll be assembled and ready to go in the next week or so. She still doesn’t have a name either.

Boy, I do have a lot of work to do!

It’s a painting! “sometimes a girls gotta choose”

This is 16 x20, acrylic on canvas. The frame is a vintage piece  purchased at a garage sale.

Under constuction- but here’s a sample!

This is a test- a first post.  By the new year I hope to have this site up and running . Until then, here is an example of my dolls.