It's a Wrap

It's a Wrap  is  my newly devised workshop to be offered in 2011... wrapped art dolls. During the last couple of weeks, I have been busily trying to create a few samples for the workshop promotion. My ideas behind the concept for this workshop were: 1) make an art doll without a sewing machine; 2) use found objects and 'recycled'and 'upcycled' materials; 3 ) use  one or more wrapping techniques: and 4) include a surprise or something unexpected as part of the doll.  All of the dolls also use polymer clay and some have air dry clay bases as well. And so here is  the first of the samples "Unravelling" - no sewing at all, an armature made from sticks, wrapped with leftover wool, and an old bead sample, and for the unexpected, the doll is starting to be unravelled by a little bird nesting on her head.

Sample 2 " Clearing away the Cobwebs" is made the the same way ... This one is my own favourite, although I took ages to make the cobweb.

A reworking of an old idea - wrapping 'scrumbling'  leftover bits was the beginning of sample 3, 'Tropical Baby Blue" and then I made  lots of polymer clay shells or are they barnacles? The little surprise at the back of the base is a Christi Friesen style polymer clay fish.

Not surprisingly the next two samples were designed to fulfil a couple of Christmas challenges - just another attampt to be organised this year! Mother Gnome started off as a soda water bottle, and then  did she not only became an old lady, but a Christmas themed art doll, looking very satisfied with her basket of freshly baked (polymer clay) gingerbread men and Santa kisses ( a special Christmas biscuit treat) .

I am going to rework this poor elf doll, Last Year's Lights? as I overwrapped his arms and  now they look like gorilla arms. I did give him an outing today for a "show and tell" but was a bit embarassed  by his "out of proportioned" body.  However, he did charm everyone even though his clothes are made from recycyled baby socks, old paint rags and scraps of an old T shirt. I did break one of the rules here - the overshirt is a  demo sample piece of patchwork  which was originally made on the machine.

If you are interested in this workshop, please contact me, via the comments below. I hope to be offering this workshop at various venues next year. The workshop 's aim is not to make art dolls exactly like these samples, but to learn and use the wrapping techniques to create a unique mixed media figurative sculpture. It is a really wonderful workshop - lots of fun and inspiration for beginners especially or for those experienced textile artists who just want to try something different.