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Guess who came to town?!

I didn’t think we’d even get to vote in the primaries, and I certainly didn’t think I’d see Bill Clinton out this way. We got there two hours before his arrival, but it was worth it. He was a truly great speaker, as he’s been whenever I’ve seen him…only this time I got to see him in person. Pretty cool.

I was a little worried when I saw the vintage Ford pickup they had set up for him to stand in, and when I heard the loud twangy country music over the speakers. I was afraid the whole thing was going to be in a talk-down-to-the-country-people vein, but I’m glad to say it was not. He has a way of really connecting with people, getting their attention, and keeping it. He talks to them with great intelligence and respect. It’s impressive.

Anyway, not something you get to see too often, either in a person, or in this town.

So, tomorrow we’ll be on our way to vote here in North Carolina…
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Maryanne the Ragdoll Cat, Original One-of-a-kind Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey

Maryanne the Ragdoll Cat, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey“What am I?” Maryanne asked her mama one day.

“You are a Ragdoll, my dear,” her mama replied, looking fondly at her little daughter.

Maryanne the Ragdoll Cat, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyOnce in a while, Maryanne wished she had someone to play with, such as a little sister. So when her mama asked her what she would like for her first birthday, Maryanne said “I would like a Ragdoll, Mama.”

“I will see what I can do,” her mama answered thoughtfully, which to Maryanne was a very good sign.

Maryanne the Ragdoll Cat, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyFor the two weeks before her birthday, when Maryanne had gone to bed, she could hear her mama’s foot on the treadle of the old Singer sewing machine, late into the night. She wondered if perhaps her mama was making her a special dress to wear on her birthday.

Maryanne the Ragdoll Cat, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey When the big day came, Maryanne’s mama presented her with a large birthday box, which thrilled Maryanne to no end. Surely it was the Ragdoll she had asked for.!

“Her name is Margie,” said Mama, as Maryanne took the lid off the box. “She is your very own rag doll.”

Maryanne the Ragdoll Cat, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyBecause she was such a kind and considerate daughter, and because she knew her mama had worked so very hard, Maryanne hid her disappointment. Margie was not the little sister she had expected, but she said thank you and gave her mama a big hug.

Before long, Maryanne came to realize that her rag doll Margie was in great need of her assistance. The poor thing had no whiskers. And how was she to hear with those big long ears that were tied at the top with bows? Worse than that, Margie had no tail!

Maryanne the Ragdoll Cat, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyMaryanne took good care of Margie. She took Margie everywhere she went, and grew to love her quiet ways. Indeed, they became inseparable.

That is how Maryanne came to be known as the Ragdoll with a rag doll.

Maryanne the Ragdoll Cat, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyMaryanne is a beautiful bicolor Ragdoll cat with China-blue eyes that reflect her sweet disposition. She wears an old-fashioned blue dress gathered up at the sides. It drapes softly over a skirt striped with many colors to match the lower sleeves of the dress. Three gold buttons accent the front, and a large pink peony adorns either side.

Margie wears a pink jumper over a lighter pink blouse with a white collar. She has black tights and brown high-button shoes with gold buttons. Both Maryanne and Margie have white petticoats.

Maryanne the Ragdoll Cat and Hyacinth the Blue Persian, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurines by Max BaileyI hand sculpted Maryanne and Margie from paperclay, and they are original one-of-a-kind works of art, meant for display only. No molds are ever used in my work.

Maryanne’s whiskers are made from stiffened cotton thread. Margie, of course, has no whiskers.

Maryanne and Margie are completely hand painted with acrylic paints, then signed and dated and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. Maryanne rests firmly on a turned wooden base that is stained and sealed in golden oak, and she stands 9 inches tall. She comes with a hang tag, a certificate of authenticity, and a copy of her story.

Maryanne the Ragdoll Cat and Felicity the Ragdoll Kitten, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurines by Max BaileyPlease click here to visit Maryanne’s adoption page.

Maryanne’s kitty friends are Hyacinth the Blue Perisan, and Felicity the Ragdoll Kitten. They are not included.

We can be found on social media here: Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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Expanding my choices

Even though I’ve already transferred my drawing, I continue to have other ideas about how I feel like painting, in general. I went on a run to pick up some masking fluid today, and an extra kneaded eraser. I hung out in the art supply store for a while, seeing if anything might intrigue me. I picked up a couple of different painting surfaces, held onto them for a while, and put them back. I finally settled on some Claybord/Aquabord that is meant for use with watercolor. I keep looking for a one-size-fits-all painting surface solution since I keep feeling frustrated. This sounded like a good potential compromise, if it works well. I’ve never tried it, and so it will be interesting to see what effects it gives. It will also be interesting to see if I try it, considering all the wavering I’ve been doing 🙂

This surface is also available in a cradled format, which gives it that deep profile which is popular as of late. Personally, I do not feel all that contemporary, and prefer frames to that more modern look. I like to have the option to put a painting in a frame, and your framing options all but disappear when your painting has a thick profile like that. I feel like I’m butting heads a lot lately with what I perceive to be popular, and I’m getting unnecessarily confused over it.

I’m also feeling drawn more toward fantasy art, angels in particular. Something is brewing inside and I’m not sure what it is yet. A sense of dissatisfaction, some nervousness, perhaps a desire for comfort. I don’t know. I feel like I’m having some growing pains.

I suppose the sane thing is to stay the course with the four small drawings I’ve already done, and do them on the watercolor paper I’ve already cut and marked. I’ll see how I feel about it as I go.

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Forging ahead in the face of uncertainty…Transferring

Moving on…This a quick rundown on transferring a drawing to watercolor paper (or a surface of your choice). The first step is to cut a piece of tracing paper slightly larger than your original drawing, and tape it over the original drawing. I’m using Scotch 3M Safe-Release tape (the white kind you find in art and craft stores) so it won’t disturb the surface of my sketchbook when I remove the tracing paper. There are different kinds of artist tapes, that don’t leave residue, for different surfaces. I use a mechanical pencil to outline the main areas of my drawing onto the tracing paper. I use solid pencil lines to represent areas where I will want to paint a hard edge (like the outer edge of the head), and dotted lines where I will want to paint a soft shaded edge (like a shadow).

Once I have a tracing, I tape my watercolor paper to a firm surface, my work table in this case. I tape it down with Scotch Drafting Tape this time, for a more secure hold. I don’t want it to slip. I tape my tracing in place over the watercolor paper using the Safe-Release. I can keep an eye on the tracing if it starts to move, and so it doesn’t matter as much. To be more secure, you can use the drafting tape instead. I sharpen a hard pencil. I like to use a 2H. If it is too sharp or hard, it will cut the tracing paper. So experiment first for a good balance.

I slip a piece of transfer paper (I use Saral) between the tracing paper and the watercolor paper. You can use homemade graphite paper, if you wish. To make some, take a piece of tracing paper and a 2B pencil (the wide flat ones work best), and cover the paper with graphite. Once you’ve covered it, take a cotton ball with some rubbing alcohol on it, and rub it across the graphite-covered surface to even it. Let it dry and you’ve got your own transfer paper. Carefully trace your drawing with your hard pencil, avoiding leaning too hard on your drawing as you go. Putting an extra piece of paper under the ball or side of your hand is helpful so you don’t make smudge marks through the papers with your hand.

When you’ve transferred all your lines, remove the tape from one corner of your tracing and double check that you’ve gotten all the lines transferred. Once everything looks fine, remove the tape and the graphite paper. Don’t slide it any more than you need to. Lifting it up makes fewer smudges. You will have some smudges anyway.

Take a clean kneaded eraser and press and release the eraser on the watercolor paper, gently lifting the excess graphite off. This is how you get the smudges off, but you also want lighten your lines, if necessary, leaving only faint lines to paint by. Some watercolor colors will lock the graphite lines in place and you won’t be able to erase them. So, it is best to work with the faintest lines with which you can stand to work. Knead your eraser frequently to avoid putting the smudges back onto your paper. Kneading it keeps it “clean” (at some point, it will become too full of graphite and you will need to get a new eraser).

That’s about it. If you are transferring to canvas, you will want to secure your tracing to it with canvas tape (tape for use with canvas), because the others won’t hold. If you have canvas on stretcher bars, you will want to put a book or some other filler under the canvas to keep it rigid while you transfer your lines.