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Posted on November 22, 2006 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Pigs in Progress by Max Bailey

These are “Horatio and Hannah“, my first original, one-of-a-kind hand-sculpted art dolls, in progress. This is my first time using Creative Paperclay, and it has opened up a whole new world of art dollmaking possibilities for me.

Horatio, the papa pig, has an entirely hand sculpted head of paperclay over hand carved styrofoam, with painted fabric ears inserted. I smoothed the paperclay into the fabric for a seamless look. Hannah, Horatio’s little piglet daughter, has a hand sculpted paperclay snout smoothed into her fabric face. They will both be painted with acrylic paint and sealed with matte varnish for protection.

Posted on November 19, 2006 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Angelicat and Angelifish, Original One-of-a-kind Cat and Fish Folk Art Angel Dolls by Max Bailey

Everyone who has or ever had a cat knows that all cats are angels. With her innocent and angelic expression, this petite white cat is adorable.

She’s only 8 and 1/2 inches tall from ear to toe. She can sit on a chair (chair not included) or she can sit by herself. Her cute little curled tail will support her back in a sitting position, and her small size allows her to sit prettily in your favorite curio cabinet, or nestle in anywhere among your favorite collectibles. Sitting, she’s only 4 and 3/4 inches tall.

Her quilted wings have been attached separately and are painted with feathery blue detail.

She has sweet little high-button shoes with black soles, painted on.

Her faded blue apron sets off her lovely blue eyes. I painted a pattern of wavy water across the bottom of her apron just for her good friend Angelifish.

Angelifish is very colorfully painted and detailed in shades of blue and green, highlighted in yellow to give him that wet “fishy” look. He gazes up adoringly at Angelicat, and is suspended from her apron button with pearl cotton cord.

Angelifish is only 3 and 1/2 inches long. In addition to being Angelicat’s best friend, he makes a wonderful ornament for a small Christmas tree.

Both Angelicat and Angelifish are signed and dated. From top to bottom and beginning to end, they are true one-of-a-kind original works of art.

I made my own patterns for Angelicat (and her apron) and sculpted Angelifish from paper clay without using a mold. I painted them both (my favorite part of the process) with acrylic paints, and sealed them with matte varnish to protect them.

Angelicat, with her friend Angelifish, are my first original art doll set.

Update: Angelicat and Angelifish have already been adopted. Thank you!

Posted on October 10, 2006November 14, 2018 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Art Doll Beginnings

I’ve completed my first set of original, one-of-a-kind art dolls, and these are some of the sketches I drew for them, before I turned them into patterns to sew. Above is “Serenity Starr“, and below are “Cottontail Charlotte“, and “April May“. They all turned into angels, and have since flown off to their new homes.

Once I had an idea of how I wanted them to look, I experimented with making patterns for them, using 100% cotton sheeting. I used a sateen-finish sheeting, so I would get a nice smooth surface for painting. I learned that your initial doll shape changes a lot once your doll is stuffed, and so adjustments are necessary. Your pattern design usually needs to be a little wider than you think, and slightly taller.

Each angel got a set of hand-quilted wings, which were stuffed with 1/4 inch batting, and then hand sewn onto each doll body. I made wooden stands for my angels first, so I would be able to leave the right amount of space between the wings and the doll bodies. That way, I was able to slip the stands between the wings and the bodies.

Next up, I’m going to be trying some hand-painted, jointed art dolls, for a little more dimension.

These are some of my sketches for pattern prototypes. They’ll be sewn, stuffed, and then redrawn until I like the results.

For instance, I’m going to redraw those feet, above, because they came out more pointed than I wanted them to be. Making patterns for doll bodies and doll clothing takes a lot of experimentation.

I’m going to be experimenting with Creative Paperclay, and Li-Qua-Ché pourable papier mâché, to add some sculpted parts and details to my fabric dolls, as well.

Posted on March 10, 2006November 14, 2018 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Robin, Original, One-of-kind Folk Art Angel Doll by Elizabeth Ruffing

“Robin”

When the days start becoming long,
And the skies turn from gray to blue,
Robin sings her springtime song,
And life begins to start anew.
She calls her friends from whence they’ve flown,
And says it’s time to fly back home.

Robin is the fifth in my series of five original, one-of-a-kind angel art dolls. She cradles a robin in her arms, as she has the special ability to speak to birds. Her blond curls are encircled by a garland of pink springtime flowers.

Robin is entirely painted by hand, using acrylic paints. She is a work of art, meant for display only. She is varnished for protection and preservation.

She has her own oak-stained wooden stand, which was handmade just for her. It slips in between her hand-quilted wings, and her body so she can stand.

Update: Robin has already been adopted. Thank you!