Welcome to another chapter of
Holly Horrorland's
I wanted to make a Mina Harker
as a companion piece to my
And when I say Mina Harker,
I don't mean this one,
 |
| (although I will make her one day, complete with red dress) |
I mean this one
 |
| (Steampunk style, with hat!) |
So, I got out my paperclay and started sculpting.
And I looked at the head sculpt closely and thought,
'This isn't Mina. This looks like Claudia.'
This Claudia.
From Interview with the Vampire.
All that pout and wickedness, right?
So, I did a wig try-on.
and a rough sketch on the raw, dry clay.
Pale skin, red lips,
hectic cheeks, dark eyes.
I hope when I paint her
she keeps this vampiric glow.
There are a lot of references to dolls
in the book/film.
Although it's the first time I've seen a doll collection
used to hide a body.
As Lestat and Louie
dress her up like a doll,
I'll be putting Claudia into something very fancy.
Like this, maybe?
I hope she likes it.
I'm thinking of making her a coffin.
To see part 2 of this WIP
Claudia looks like my ex wife. Seriously, you have an artistic gift. What a doll and so is Claudia.
ReplyDeleteA coffin? Yikes :)
Enjoy your weekend, Rhissanna.
Gary
Well, thank you! Complete accident, I assure you!
DeleteAs for the coffin, it'll be very comfy, with satin pillows and silky ruffles. And pink. Girly pink. Think of it as a bed, with a lid.
The delicate touch you have in creating these dolls - it's amazing!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I try to go with the flow, which is why this doll is now Claudia and not Mina. You could say they create themselves.
DeleteBTW, I nominated you for a Sunshine Blogger award http://kestrilsrhythmsandgroove.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-bit-o-sunshine.html
DeleteSuch lovely attention to detail.
ReplyDeleteLestat and Louie would be so proud !
Ahhh ;)
Aww! That's the nicest thing you could say! I hope she lives up to their reputation.
DeleteOooh this is beautiful! I looove Claudia! Will you be selling her? I might have to try and save up!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely selling her! I'm just wondering about how to make the coffin, and how to keep it light enough to send through the mail. Stay in touch. If you're still interested when she'd finished, I do layaway. :)
DeleteOh, yes! Claudia definitely deserve her own little coffin! She's fangtastic! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right! I think, as I'm doing Claudia sleeping, she absolutely has to have a coffin to snooze in. And possibly a little doll to hold.
DeleteSqueeeee... a little doll to hold would be so adorable!
DeleteAh, a doll too! That would be too perfect! :)
DeleteDefinitely a doll, then!
DeleteI like how she spoke her name to you while you were sculpting, and turned out differently than you had imagined. I'd love to see Winona's Mina one day :)
ReplyDeleteDolls will do that, and they resist progress until they've made it clear who they are. Sometimes that happens quickly and I'll stay up all night to finish. Sometimes it takes forever, and a doll will wait for years before she's ready. There will be a Winona Mina, one day, because I have to make that red dress.
DeleteTotally agree with your choice of Mina...but you made absolutely the right decision over Claudia!!! Beautiful china doll, sleeping peacefully in her velvet lined coffin :D XXX
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not alone in my Mina preferences. I was looking forward to making her riding hat with veil and the long red scarf, but the doll insisted she was Claudia, so Claudia she is. I'll have to make a flowery bonnet, instead.
DeleteOh Rhissanna! I'm so glad you wet with Claudia instead!
ReplyDeleteAlthough Mina would make an amazing doll too.
I simply can't wait to see her in all her glory, complete with coffin and doll!
I love seeing all your work in progress :)
Thank you so much! Yes, I feel better now the doll has decided who she is. The coffin is going to be a first, though...
DeleteI always loved Claudia and was seriously saddened by her demise in the story. I'm glad to see that you have resurrected her, or at least have brought her back to the status of the living dead.
ReplyDeleteI hope I can do her justice, as a child who looks like a doll and is treated like a doll. Dressing her is going to be a lot of fun.
DeleteLove steam punk but happy to see sweet deadly Claudia resurrected for the Soirée, stunning face, I bought air clay, just that Monmarte cheap stuff, I have always hankered to make a doll, but I really think anyone who paints is trying to give life to some vision, so at least when you make a beautiful child vampire in 3D it is to me, a step closer in making your character 'real'... Yes love her... Oh and the pics from the films too :)
ReplyDelete
DeleteI wish I could take credit for the decision, but it's what the doll decided, not me! Oh! You bought some air dry clay! I hope you have fun with it. It's very forgiving, you can shape and smooth it with sandpaper (or emery boards) and if you want to start over, dampen it down and try again. Your portraits would translate beautifully to clay. I'm looking forward to seeing what you make!
She is going to be so beautiful and wicked! I love her! I can't wait to see the coffin! Big Vampire Hugs ;o)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stacy! I have no idea how I'm going to make this coffin! I'm hoping to find a box that's big enough and build on that...
DeleteLove seeing hoe the doll came together. I am signing up to see more via Blog Lovin :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! And thank you so much for the feature. Support and encouragement mean a lot when we're all working alone in our little corner of the internet.
DeleteLooking forward to getting to know more of your work.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm hoping to get some images up this week.
DeleteA Steampunk coffin! I think the doll decided to look a bit different from what you intended at the beginning because deep inside she knew you really wanted to make a coffin with shiny gears and such. I can't wait to see the glow on her face.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, it could make it easier to open from the inside, right? Maybe with a clock in the lid, measuring the time from dawn to dusk? See, now I might have to make another doll, a Steampunk Vampire doll, to fit a steampunk coffin. *adds to dollmaking list*
ReplyDeleteWow. Thanks for sharing your process. I cannot wait to see the coffin.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love seeing other people's WIP, so I thought people might like to see mine. Besides. I didn't get her finished in time, so a wig test and a face sketch was all she got. I'm still looking for something light but sturdy to make the coffin.
DeleteI adore Claudia and your doll of her! So much that I may adopt her, if Laura doesn't snatch her up first. ;)
ReplyDeleteI also love your Vampire Killing Kit!
Thank you so much for joining the soiree, twice!
Thank you for running this soiree! I had a lovely time, met lots of lovely people and didn't get bitten, once!
DeleteI can't stop saying how amazing you are. I love your talent! Hope to see the coffin soon.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sherry! I'm hoping to see the coffin soon, too. As soon as I work out how to make it. You're my go-to guru on the uses of cardboard. Do you think cardboard would be strong enough?'
DeleteI love Claudia so much, Anne Rice's vampire stories are some of my absolute favourites. Real, dreamy, creepy, tortured romantic vampires!
ReplyDeleteOh! yes! I hadn't realised Claudia would be such a big hit, but it seems she has a lot of fans!
Delete