Nanetta: Inspiration On My Street

Nanetta: Inspiration On My Street: "An unfortunate robin's nest fell from the tree several days ago. I picked up the blue cracked-up egg that once nestled there. It isn'..."

Inspiration On My Street

An unfortunate robin's nest fell from the tree several days ago. I picked up the blue cracked-up egg that once nestled there. It isn't a good specimen, but a beautiful color to memorize. (No photo of the egg). Surprisingly, the nest was still in the grass and in fairly good shape after foot traffic, rain, dogs and wind.

Banjo and I went to the bank. He was going his own way. I was trying to get him comfortable on the leash, so I just followed along. He led me to a corner of the bank where this incredible creature was hanging around a gas meter. I ran home to get my camera and it was still there when I returned. I ran inside to get a quarter to show the scale of this guy.

I had never seen a moth this size, let alone one with a bright red head and legs. It's body was striped. It stayed a long time, seeming to struggle. I was afraid it was injured. There was something white attached to his leg, preventing him from flying. I asked a young man to help the moth. I found a paper clip to help remove the debri stuck to the insect.

After much observance, the young fellow and I saw the debri was gone. He had become free of it. The young man remarked that the "debri" was in a pattern. The tiny objects were adhered to the cement as he scratched at a set with the paper clip. Suddenly, we realized that HE was a SHE and the debri was her eggs.

I had never seen a moth move it's wings back and forth, separately. I have only seen the wings move together, up and down, in a flying motion. He said she would perhaps die after laying her eggs. I hoped to find her and keep her, should that happen. At the same time, I realized, I have kept her. She is right here in all her glory.

Yupo Octopus Cameo

First of all - What is Yupo? Yupo is a synthetic paper. It is water resistant, sturdy, easy to cut and a good medium for acrylic, watercolor, alcohol ink and more. Here I am using it blank.

What is Yupo Octopus? It is a new product just released. It is a sticky-backed version of Yupo. The adhesive quality is wonderful for layering, making stencils, great for paper dolls, window art and more. I have barely begun to experiment.

Above, you can see a bad cut not worth weeding. It shows one layer of the cameo. There are five layers in all. Each layer is stacked to create a special effect. The negative space shows the cameo has been removed from the sheet. I often got mixed up in designing as it requires some backwards thinking.

The great thing about the Octopus is that it can be instantly adhered to the previous layer easily. Why is it called "Octopus"? Because the stick-to-it quality is not adhesive at all, but microscopic suction cups. I have been sticking pieces of it all over to see what it will stick to!

This is the cameo, unlit. As you can see, it appears opaque.

Light behind the cameo creates a soft, three-dimensional effect. I think I will use her on a night light. I am so pleased with my first successful cameo. Oooh! Wouldn't she be pretty on a window? I am going to design some roses for her.

Nanetta: Paper Doll Studio

Nanetta: Paper Doll Studio: "Mini Mod is trying on wings, tiara and a red dress before she even gets her arms. She is standing across from her blank twin. She hardly se..."

Paper Doll Studio

Mini Mod is trying on wings, tiara and a red dress before she even gets her arms. She is standing across from her blank twin. She hardly seems to notice. If only I could say it was unusul for my workspace to be this cluttered.

A little assembly line of doll clothes customizing lies before the odd shadow that is cast by my laptop. These clothes are held onto the doll with magnets.
Scissors and Sharpies are always close at hand, regardless of what I am working on. The orange Fiskars are reasonably priced and handy for precise trimming and cutting.

I especially like the double-tip Sharpie seen above. It has a regular tip and a fine tip. I edge with the former and detail with the latter.

X-acto knife, needle tool, more pens and tiny clothespins encircle the itty bitty fashions - all at the ready to help make each piece unique. Boxes of minutia are everywhere.




Plotting Mini. Silhouettes on a computer screen represent cutting lines for my Klic-n-Kut Maxx Digital cutter. You can see Mini Mod's parts, including alternative ideas as in the different stands. Reasearch tells me there is no right way. Many artists have innovated different ways to make their dolls stand. I ended up using the oval design - the simplest one.

Mini Mod's design includes a face stencil. You can see the cut-out area as white. This makes it easy to reproduce her features by hand. Check out her guitar. It is made of six pieces! What is the loopy thing and all the circles? The circles are tiny washers to ease movement of the paper joints. I cut many at a time, because they are so easy to lose. The loopy thing is an unfinished leash for a pet yet undesigned. Any suggestions?

Paper Doll Poses

Posing for photographs to be used in designing paper dolls has a few requirements. The most important consideration is the silhouette or outline your body will make. A good pose is one where the arms are away from the body as above. I prefer this as it makes a nice form for sleeves and shows off the waist.

The face is at a 3/4 view, which is a flattering view for nearly everyone. I have designed several dolls in profile. A close-up is helpful in getting every fine detail of the face.

This model of yesteryear has an inspiring profile. She is a timeless and classic beauty. Were I using her for a paper doll, I would trim the hair from the neck to give the neck more style and make it easier to design necklines and hats.

Lucy's main pose is nearly ideal for me. Her legs are separated at the knee, making for a strong stance and feminine pose. Her hands are delicate, shoulders straight, waist defined and the expression on her face - that really sells it. Notice in both paper dolls how the shoulders are bare and the base outfit - shorts or lingerie are tight-fitting to allow the best building of clothes on the model.

The alternative pose is very popular. Not only are hands on the hips a sturdy pose, but it allows for the doll to hold items in front of her. However, it is not one of my favorites. I like to see the hands.

Dita is personification of the ideal feminine form and this pose would be perfect if her arms were posed another way. As for the body, I love the way she is standing, the waist is nipped in with the corset and her legs are fantastic. Look at the lines of her body against the background. The simpler the backdrop, the easier it is to visualize a cut-out.

When posing for a paper doll, keep in mind the shoes, hair and accessories. Would a doll of you wear heels, flats or cowboy boots? Are you known for wearing hats? Do you play an instrument, have a hobby or dig stripey tights? What kinds of clothes would you wear? Would your wardrobe be realistic, fantastic or casual and glamorous? Are you a Lucy or a Dita?

Fairy Flyers

Fairy Flyers are miniature paper mobiles that are strung on wires and affixed with a magnet so they can go anywhere a magnet goes. I hang them from my metal work lamps. If you want to hang them from somewhere that does not have a metal surface, (such as a lampshade), you can place another magnet behind the flyer magnet to hold it in place, with the lampshade in between. I bought 100 magnetic clasps years ago. They were not secure for jewelry and being the magnet hoarder I am, could not discard them. They work perfectly for my little fairies as the figures are lightweight.

This little lady is a design from my book, Silhouette Style. She is cut from Yupo paper and colored with alcohol inks. She is glazed with a paper glaze. When dry, details are painted with translucent iridescent paint, glazed again and sprinkled with glitter. When the glaze is completely dry, the fairy is glued together. Her body is actually four pieces. Her wings are two pieces, treated with a crackle glaze.

Shot in front of fiber-fill synthetic batting and twinkle lights, this violet fairy flyer seems to be on her way lightly. This one utilized a new hanger design. The hanger is hidden between the wings. For some reason, it threw off the balance of the fairy and she went into a nosedive. She gets a pretty glass flower belt and the problem is solved. Well, for this one. Now back to the drawing board on the hanger....

Violet is also the palette for this tiny girl. She is a little over 2" tall. The figures start out white. I drop alcohol ink on the surface. It dries unevenly, which I encourage by touching it with a brush as it is drying. I spatter alcohol onto the dried ink and it makes little bleached variations that I enhance with the iridescant paint. Her skirt is trimmed with a coarse silk ribbon.

I can't seem to remove this shot, so let's talk about the wire. I found that bending the wire is more interesting and effects the way the fairies turn. I put fishing swivels on some of them to give them a nice spin.

Orange and sunshine yellow combine for vibrant color splashes. She is not glazed. If you look closely, you can see the variegation in the wings. Her dress is embellished with the tiniest pearl sequins I have ever seen, and teeny hologram stickers from Dillons, of all places.