Today I wanted to share with you progression of my first art doll I ever made around three years ago, and my latest art doll in hopes to inspire and show you how hard work, practice and dedication can take you.
I get a lot of messages saying that I am talented or gifted etc., but talent will only take you so far. You have to grab it, embrace it and nurture it.
This is the first art doll I ever made, it has no armature, the head is heavy and doesn't sit up, but I was (semi) happy with what I achieved with no tutorial or any experience, I knew it was the beginning of something I enjoyed and wanted to teach myself more. I revisited it and highlighted the areas I could improve on and applied it into my next doll, I still do this with every piece of work I ever do.
Haru the spring caribou, I still have this doll with me. She was the first doll I ever made an armature for and was also the first doll I experimented with fabric dying. I had no idea what to use or how to make an armature, so I tried a few materials and techniques that didn't really work quite well. She's a little hard to pose and a little unsteady, but more importantly I learned some valuable lessons.
Solaris the solar flare wolf was the first doll I ever fully furred, the fur was difficult to work with and I wasn't sure of how to put attach it or how to cut it. But again I took the plunge and tried a technique I had I my head, I now have refined that technique which I used today. I've learnt a lot about fur direction, how different furs behave and how to apply it, all from persistence and time.
Dune the desert kangaroo was the first doll I tried face shading with, I didn't know what the results would be nor if it would even look any good, but I tried it anyway and boy am I glad I did. Shading is such an important technique for my dolls; it adds that extra bit of depth and realism, but I never would have known if I didn't take that risk.
Hitodama the spirit wolf, one of my latest dolls, he is the result of constantly trying new techniques and processes, persevering through times of feeling uninspired, frustrated, making mistakes and research. I refined and tried many different techniques to settle on a process that works for me, however there is always room for improvement and I learn something new with every piece I make.
Dedication is the hardest of them all, one can get easily discouraged and frustrated when you make a mistake, but one thing you must remember is MISTAKES ARE IMPORTANT. You need to make them, why? Because you will learn the most from them, so don't be afraid to make a mistake, try something new and out of your comfort zone, you will be surprised with how much you can achieve.
Start creating...
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