More about Emily ....

A few days I posted a very blue Emily as part of my homework in Suzi Blu's Les Petites Dolls online class, which I am having great fun doing.

Emily has progressed to having a dress and a layered background. The background is just watered down craft acrylic paint mixed with glaze medium and large amounts of kitchen towel and baby wipes, a couple of rubber stamps (a stamp with old writing and Rhonna Farrer Flourishes) and a stencil. I didn't have any stencil paint so I used Distress Inks for the flowers, which gives a lovely delicate feel, rather than the look of being actually painted.
Can't wait for the next lesson to see what you add next ....I'm even more proud of her now.

Les Petites Dolls ...

This is a photo of my first real drawing effort in the Suzi Blu online class I'm doing. She was actually drawn (by me !!!!) onto a piece of 12" x 12" birch ply wood and then the outline is burnt using a Creative Hotmarks Tool (I always knew it would come in handy one day - lol).

The face is shaded with various watercolour and non-watercolour pencils and the background is painted with the first layer of ordinary craft acrylic paint. You're supposed to be using Stewart Gill paints but until I know whether I'm going to carry on after the class is finished, ordinary acrylic paint will do.
I have called her Emily, after my grandmother who taught me to knit and sew and who would have been dead proud of me for doing this ....

Mixed Media with Suzi Blu

As some of you may know, I recently joined an on-line course run by Suzi Blu - Les Petites Dolls (see the posting in late August). I really don't know what the matter is with me lately but everything I'm doing at the moment is taking over my life - lol - but in the nicest possible way. (I have also signed up for the latest Shimelle course - Learn Something New Every Day - but more about that another time).
Anyway Les Petites Dolls is all about drawing Dolls. I have said many, many times before that I cannot draw but as Suzi says - there is no such word as can't ..... so here are some photos of my offerings so far ....This is a Homework piece, called as you can see, Head Tilts. The object of the exercise is to draw Faces with Eyes looking in different directions and with different expressions. I think that some of these look positively alien and demonic ...Another Homework piece, Gestures. While it looks childish (which is what it is supposed to be - lol) it showed me that I know absolutely nothing about perspective, shape or form. Still onwards and upwards ....More homework practice. The lower face looks totally scary and spaced out !!!!

And more homework - using colour and shading. I have to say, I am quite proud of these ....
This is where I am up to at the moment. The object of the exercise is to draw your Doll onto birch plywood. You then burn the sketch into the wood. I have a Creative Hotmarks Tool - something I bought ages ago because I saw it on the TV and thought, as you do, 'I got to have me one of those' and then promptly only used it the once - lol. Once you have burnt your Doll you then dress her with papers and then apply loads of different types of paint and stuff. That bit will have to wait now until the weekend.
So there you have it ... what do you all think?

Les Petites Dolls .....

Looking at a Blogland friend, Linda's blog, I have signed up for an online course called Les Petites Dolls which is all about ....... Drawing !!!!! There is loads of other stuff too but mainly Drawing. For someone who (thinks she) can't draw - I must be mad - lol. Mind you, as Suzi says - You Can Do This ....

The course is great, there are videos and PDF's to download and 24/7 support from the message boards, discussion threads and the other people all over the world doing it.
Last night, while I was waiting to give the gorgeous Fin his last feed, I started messing about with a piece of paper and a pencil. You have to bear in mind that I haven't started the course properly yet because I need to get a circle template and a sketchpad but I have watched the two videos ....

You also have to bear in mind that the course is quite structured (which suits me fine) and you have practice homework to complete before the next stage .... I shall be sitting on the naughty step because my messing about went a bit too far - lol. These two little sketches are the end result in the middle of a page full of the most dodgy eyes - lol (that's why you need a circle template ..... but I am soooooooo pleased with myself .........
Do tell me what you think - honesty appreciated - lol