Dollmakers on Thursday: Something Wonderful.

A doll is usually expected to be a human figure,

 interpreted however loosely. 

Fine.

So, whats the difference between a doll and a sculpture?

Jean Goujon. Diana with a Stag.

 Well, a doll has personality, 

given to it by its creator or its playmate.

It can be involved in running narratives; in games,

 it can provide comfort.

Baby Panda

It is Someone.

So, I'm offering these as wonderful candidates for

 Dollmakers on Thursday 

because these 

creations are clearly beings with personality.

They are posable, with sculpted , painted heads.

and soft coloured fur.

They can be played with.

I stumbled on these a few days ago on Deviant Art and I am awestruck.

These glorious figures are all designed

and hand made and coloured and painted and posed and photographed by

Wood Splitter Lee.

Gorgeous, right?

 You just want to pick it up and stroke it and pet it.

By posable,  the creatures can bend and stand, do handstands, even

You can find the artists animals on Deviant Art,
where she also has a gallery of her sculptures,

her paintings and her digital art.

You can also find her on Facebook, and 

buy her amazing stuff on eBay. 

I'm in awe of her talent, of how hardworking she is

 and the sheer originality and flair of her creatures, from the noble,

Snow Leopard Wolf

to the cute.

Egyptian Fire Dragon

Does she make human figures?

Yes, she does.

Ok, I know this is an elf, not a human.

I hope you've enjoyed these as much as I have.

Just for extra awesomeness,

the artist is only

 nineteen years old.

Baby Snow Leopard Dragon

I know!

Hence the awe.

Please go and see her stuff.

Dollmakers on Thursday and why I love the Internet.

Remember, when you could only make a recipe if you had the recipe book? 

Remember when you could only see your favourite part of Dr Who when it was featured on the telly?   

 If you can remember this, you're probably a Baby Boomer because there's a whole generation who will never know this because everything they want to look up is here on the internet!.

 The internet is one of the things in life which has fulfiled its promise

 and everything I ever what to know is here, 

If I want to see an image, I go to Google, if I want to see a movie, I go to YouTube and if I want some dollmaking  inspiration and techniques, I go to A Cloth Doll Maker's Diary.

A Cloth Doll Maker's Diary is written and curated by Mary Ann, who is an absolute sweetheart and has put a lot of time and care into a collection of  tutorials and videos that are pure gold for dollmakers and  crafters.

There are videos for demanding techniques, like turning fingers (which I can't do...) 

and painting doll faces  (This last one is given by the wonderful Antoinette Cely). 

There are also items that are of value to all crafters, 

 like the Smash Book or making kraft paper into faux leather.. 

And for all of us feeling the pinch that inevitable after December, 

there's an amazing collection of links for freebies 

It's an extremely valuable resource,

 all beautifully presented, with Mary Ann's charming  text and eye for the interesting, 

and all collected in the one place.

She has her own blogs , one for making mice

and one for her imaginative and delightful dollmkaing.

She's even a huge Steampunk fan, too.

So, if you're a crafter, or a dollmaker, you should pop over and see what Mary Ann has on offer. 

There's always something good, inspiring and creative, 

I miss my mac...

And this is a doll. 

A doll, people!

A Steve Jobs action figure!

See more here.

I'm going to do a post on the BJD, (that's a ball-jointed doll) but I thought this was so amazing it deserved a post all to itself.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year

Image from 

the wonderful Junking Gypsies

Free Image Friday