Good morning. I have been sculpting on the weekend and taking pictures, as usual, not happy with the progress. I feel better about it today – good enough to post.
Sculpted torso, baked, sanded. Washed the dust off thoroughly with dishwashing liquid and brush. Dried thorougly in the – just an air blast – without heat.
Tried the umbrella – wrong angle of arms at the shoulders, does not work. Carved out all the clay around shoulders. Decided to leave arms and shoulders alone for the time being and make hands first. Here is hand going around that thing:
Sculpted hands and legs and baked and sanded and washed and dried and here is what I have up to this point. Still a few things that I don’t like and will correct them tomorrow – but overall I am happy with the way it is going.
December 15, 2009
Becky is all sculpted. There are some things I like and some things I don’t like about her – but that is normal. With each sculpt I start to get disappointed with my own sculpting skills at about this point. It is ok, I tell myself to just keep moving and hopefully do better next time.
I am, however, eagerly looking forward to dressing her – I always enjoy that part, as it is, of course, much easier, much more fun and – last but not least – it will cover up some parts I am not thrilled about. So here you go, this is what I have by now.
December 16, 2009
Good morning! I was supposed to paint Becky’s face today and make eyelashes and hair, but instead I made her shoes and spats (spatterdashes). I was thinking about how to make shoes – thought I figured it out and decided to make them first and get it out of my system, so that I can concentrate of face painting without the distractions of the shoes.
Here are the pics step by step. The boots made out of thin black leather (glove grade), the laces – thick sewing thread, spats – white stretch lycra fabric, spat fasteners – thin elastic band, buttons – black , the glue is .
I think I will change the elactic band to just white thread, as it looks a bit too thick on the pictures.
December 18, 2009
Good morning! Becky has a face, eyelashes and hair. The eyelashes are made out of feathers, one by one.
This time, instead of , I made eyelashes out of feathers tips – and liked it better. The general principle is the same. It works best on glass eyes.
1. Search out and lay out feathers, , sharp , toothpicks.
2. Cut off tips of feathers tiny pieces 1/8″ long.
3. Apply very thin line of to the upper eyelid (blue on diagram). Do a part of the lid at at time, as dries fast.
4. Wet a toothpick and holding it UPRIGHT VERTICALLY pick up a few “eyelashes”, making a small “bouquet”. 1-3 eyelashes at a time is good enough.
5. Press the “eyelash bouquet” (red on diagram) into the line (blue on diagram), aligning the bottom of the bouquet with the line where the lid meets the eyeball (green on diagram). Keep going until you have a decent number of eyelashes all around the lid. Don’t sigh in frustration as the eyelashes will fly away, you will have a mess and will have to start all over.
6. Wait a few minutes to allow the to set, but not harden completely. With a craft knife or scalpel, working on a small area at a time, press in and upward into the line where the lid meets with eyeball (green on diagram). That will tuck the and the roots of the eyelashes under the lid and re-align the eyelashes so that they extend more forward and even a little downwards at the corners.
8. All of this is easier said than done, but it is possible and practice makes it easier each time you do it.
Becky’s hair is made out of . Those are natural ringlets – I did not curl the hair. The step by step description of making hair is here:
Here she is, I think she is lovely – and looks like what I imagined her to look like. Bedsock (a fellow dollmaker from OOAK Guild forum http://www.ooakguild.com/index.php?name=Forums ) said she reminds her of old Pear’s Soap adverts. I looked them up on the internet – yes, that is the look I was going for.
Last update December 19, 2009
I am sick – I think it is just a cold but it is rather strong - I am running 102 degrees F (38.9 celsius) fever and cannot even walk without holding to the wall – dizzy. Right after I posted yesterday’s update I started to shiver and feel woozy. Had to lay down - woke up in a few hours – no better, actually worse. Shivering and sweating alternatively since that time – have to stay in bed and come down only to get my medications and check the email. Thankfullly, I am a packrat and found quite a few cold meds in my cabinet – there is no driving anywhere, as we are snowed down rather well. It would be nice to have somebody here – but it is not an option – I don’t want my sister or my daughter to drive in this snow – they both live 1.5 hours away. So they don’t know, lol – they might now if they check my blog. I will post when I feel better and catch up with work. My mom who is coming in a few months to settle and live with me - from Russia – is worried that she will miss snow. I took a couple of snapshots – front and back of the house – there will be plenty of snow for her!
December 21, 2009
I am up and moving after 2 days of being bed-ridden. Still no sculpting – I need to ship 74 packages and answer 74 thousand emails. I am still snowed down, the big truck came and plowed the street and I shoveled a narrow path from my garage to the street – the path is only about 40 feet long, but it took a lot from me to do it. The snow height is comes to the knee. I need the path to put the packages into my mailbox. I have a huge long garden toolbox (my neighbor said it looks like a body box when I first installed it) - that is where I leave the packages for USPS pickup – to keep them out of the weather. Anyway, I made a path to that mailbox and to the street for the mailman. I do hope I won’t get pnemonia from this little exercise. But I am feeling very well, surprisingly. I am going to pack and ship all day today – my only wish is that I had some cream for my coffee.
Perfection….as always!! Nat….I was just wondering….how did you figure out how to do the armature the way you do it. It is so sturdy & well made….& so detailed for being so small. I’ve never seen one like yours….you put so much work into it….it’s amazing! Every detail…from beginning to end…..That’s what makes you a fantastic artist….you put your “all” into every detail. And working on such small parts is not an easy thing to do……it’s fascinating!!
Glad to answer, Joyce, thank you for your kind comment!
I figured out and made my first soon after I made my first couple of dolls. When I first started sculpting OOAKs, I bought a CD on how to make OOAK fairies, followed instructions – it seemed to me I did it rather religiously – but the doll broke in several places. I made another doll and followed the instructions and it broke again – in the neck and in the groin area. It burned too, as I wanted to make sure the clay baked properly. So I decided it is not underbaked clay – so must be me – a slender delicate armature is obviously sufficient for many great OOAK artists – I see them making gorgeous OOAK without breaks, but not for me – I am a special case – I am too rough or clumsy or not getting some secret knowledge. So I decided to hammer it on my own.
Well, now, at some point in my past I studied Architecture in the Polytechnical Institute in Russia – spent 2 years there before switching to the University. I did not finish the Institute, because I was disappointed and rather bored with the program. You see, I somehow was under the impression that when I become an architect all that will be required of me is to draw spectacular structures of future on large sheets of expensive thick white paper with finest pens in beautiful black ink. When the studies started I was surprised to find out that architects need to study not only history of art and architecture and similar refined matters, but also math and calculus and physics and resistance of materials and types of bricks and grades of cement and how to weld and all kinds of boring stuff. So I fled the Institute after two years (I would have done it sooner, but was afraid of my father) and continued my education in the Tver University, with a completely different Major – English language. But some of that engineering learning did sip through my head.
So the inspiration came from that source – I remembered the rigid rebar armatures of buildings, modular structures, etc. So here you go – the result was the . I sell it – click on the link. It is expensive, as it takes quite a bit of time to make it – and time is precious here. But if you are interested but too poor to buy it, you can look through this blog and you will be able to figure it out on your own from my work in progress pictures. is good and strong – I sold many of them with glowing feedbacks – and the fact that I see knockoffs on ebay now confirms this fact. Some wise guy bought it from me and now sells them on ebay – without my permission. I am too busy to prosecute and also I look at it philosophically – immitations are inevitable, I think – whenever an idea or product of some value, however, miniscule, appears on the market, the knock-off birds of prey immediately start to discend.
I called my armature Brickhouse after a great song – here it is – enjoy!
December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas!
I spent the morning dressing up Becky. Fun! Stockings, bloomers, pettycoat, coat, hat. It was going well – easy-breazy and I enjoyed it so much that I did not notice how the time passed – as it is after 1 pm, I am going to stop and finish tomorrow – clean up the glue mishaps (a q-tip with acetone cleans up nicely), style Becky’s hair, make a muff, the box for Becky to carry, make snow on the base, maybe a doll or a teddy bear for Becky to carry, etc.
The fabrics used – stockings nylon – for stockings, silk gauze and lace for bloomers, lace for pettycoat, stretch velour and decorative rope cord for for coat, felt for hat, ribbon edge for hat ribbon.
Here is what I have – enjoy your Xmas!
December 26, 2009
Becky Victorian Christmas Shopper is done!
There was just a few details I added today – the muff, made of artificial white fur. And snow, of course. The snow on the umbrella, coat and under Becky’s feet is – First Snow White Glitter mixed with White Aurora Borealis Glitter. I lightly sprayed (VERY lightly) with spray adhesive and sprinked with , dusted off after 15 minutes or so.
This is it – Becky is done – I enjoyed making my Xmas Shopper – I hope you like her!
Nat,
She is looking good.
I like the way you have her hand holding the umbrella. Too bad the picture doesn’t show the other side of her so you could see if she is holding the umbrella in both hands or not. You definitely have the right body shape for a little girl. Glad to see you are able to keep up with sculpting, I think it gives you a balance and grounded foundation for whatever the day brings.
Keep up the good work, hun.
Pam
Nat,
I don’t see the areas that you don’t think look right.
She looks like a little girl, her form is very nice. I cannot see any areas on her that do not look like a proper little girl. So, I ask you where are the places you are not happy with? Maybe if you point them out, I will understand what you are talking about, but from what I am seeing her body and face look like a little kid. I happen to have several children that I am around who are all between 3 and 8 years old, and other than the genitals, they look very similar at that age. I am here to tell you she fits right in with the body and face of a fivish aged kid. Since you are not needing to make an anatomically correct child, I think she is perfect. It is a shame that you have to cover up all off the detail you put into the sculpture when you dress her, but it would be a very disturbing vision to see a little girl in the snow with nothing on but her smile and an umbrella. You have a wonderful eye for anatomy which is what makes your sculpts so wonderful. The fact that you worry over features that you are going to be covered in the end is part of what makes you such a good artist/sculptor. Your nudes or semi-nudes are notoriously well made with unbelievably well sculpted bodies. Your anatomy is spot on. You like most artists are probably harder on yourself and your creations than the most ruthless critic would be. Now, not that I want you to get a big head or anything (not that you are likely to have time before you beat yourself back down over another area that is not to your exacting measure), but if you ever wonder if you are not good enough or that you are making a mess of things, you need only to come to the comments area and see what your watchers are writing to you or about you and your work. If that does not do it, if it is not enough to convince you of how amazing your work is and what an unbelievably creative, artistic, intelligent, wonderful, extremely skilled, masterful, sculptor you are, then all you need to do is email me and tell me what you don’t think is working. I will be sure to illuminate you as to what a wonderfully talented woman you are.
For the moment, until I know what part of this young victorian girl you feel is off, I will simply stand by what I have already written her. Keep it up.
Pam
oh, Pam, sweetheart – thank you – you are such a wonderful support! You made me feel wonderful – and sort of undeserving all that praise – but I will take it! Thank you
I will tell you what is wrong – here is the dirty laundry list:
The forearms are shorther than they should have been – mistake in wire proportions and I don’t want to cut her again to correct it – because those arms were HARD to make
the legs seem to be too feminine – not childish and I have no idea how to make them child-like – other than just study children anatomy – but that is for next time. By the way – it is very hard to find pics of undressed children on the web – well, I guess it is a good thing, but does not help me with anatomy.
The more I look at her face, the less I like it – but that maybe because it is taking me a while to make her and I am just getting tired of her face – that happens to me every time, and goes away when the sculpt is finished – then I fall in love again.
the back of the neck is slightly weird – but I don’t know what is wrong.
the feet are too small – but I did it on purpose, as she will have real leather boots – but still right now they are bad to look at, lol
thank you for the note, you are a dear – thank you from the bottom of my heart
Natasha, she is wonderful. I am so excited that you are back blogging and sculpting again. We missed you so much! I learn so much from all your experimentation. I make little girls all the time and I wish mine were as nice as yours. Her proportions look perfect to me! I love to watch how you figure things out, like the umbrella. Great!
Natash you have really captured the child love her and I hope your having fun now with her and soon you will have her finished yep going to be another beautiful piece of art
Nat,
I like the shoes and spats the are adorable.
As for the dirty laundry list, they don’t show up in the pictures, as far as I can see. Maybe the upper arm is a little short on the left arm (the one not holding the umbrella), but I had to stare at it a while to see that and it will not show up when you dress her. Her legs are fine and you no longer need to look at her feet now, so that one is gone.
Do you heat set the paint for coloring her face? Can you put her in the oven with the shoes and spats on? Just wondering. If you don’t believe me there are two people above this that think she looks great too. The reason you see problems with her is because you are sitting there staring at her day in and day out. She, as are all of your sculpts, quite wonderful and beautiful. Thank you for all of yourself that you put out for us to see.
Pam
Karen, thank you – I missed it myself! welcome back!
Diana – glad you think so – yes, I am having fun with her!
Pam, you are right, I am over it by this morning – she is fine, I have to just take a deep breath and consider it a learning curve. Yes, the shoes got to go the oven now – but I think it will be ok. There is very little painting to do – just blush on the cheeks and lips, tiny amount of paint – it should heat set within a few minutes, so I hope the fabric and leather holds. If not, I will redo them.
My pleasure – no need to thank me – I enjoy it and it is rather flattering to see all the attention – thank you dear friends.
WOW! This sculpture is truly amazing – I’m really enjoying watching her as she progresses; your attention to every little detail makes for a wonderful and lifelike piece. Thank you so much for also sharing your techniques and tips. Very helpful. Nancy
Natasha, you are doing an ASTOUNDING job and I think she is adorable and beautiful. You are capturing the innocence of the child with her expression and so far I love every aspect of her. Watching your progress has added to MY learing curve too! THANX for sharing. I am really looking forward to watching her progress and especially her completion.
Natasha,
I love the hair and eyelashes, the eyelashes make me think of my daughter’s when she was little (entirely too long for any one person to have, especially on a child), but isn’t that the way it works, only the children get to have the luxuriously long dark eyelashes that most women would kill for.
It took me a minute to realize that her hands were white because she has gloves on. I like the styling you have on them as well.
I must admit that she looks a bit risque at the moment what with her hair and face done, her umbrella over her shoulder, and her white gloves, spats, and the black shoes, but not a stitch of clothes on.
She is going to be quite the beauty when you get her clothed, as she has a very charming face now.
Not much more and she will another completed work for you.
Well done.
Pam
Perfection….as always!! Nat….I was just wondering….how did you figure out how to do the armature the way you do it. It is so sturdy & well made….& so detailed for being so small. I’ve never seen one like yours….you put so much work into it….it’s amazing! Every detail…from beginning to end…..That’s what makes you a fantastic artist….you put your “all” into every detail. And working on such small parts is not an easy thing to do……it’s fascinating!!
I hope you have a speedy recovery. So sorry you were so ill.
I was reading your reply and it answered an internal question I had. You *do* have an engineering background! No one else would have been able to figure out the things you have without it! LOL A few years ago I purchased your “recipe” for the Brickhouse Armature and have used it ever since. It WORKS!
Glad to hear you’re feeling better – take care of yourself. Anxiously awaiting the completion of your latest sculpture, as it is truly a delight!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Nancy
Hi Nat,
I am glad you are feeling better, sorry you were so sick. It is hard when you feel awful and there is no one to help you when you need it. I am not sure which is worse, being ill and no one to help or being ill and someone helping when you don’t need or want the help.
I hadn’t known where the name came for your armatures, but I can see your architectural training showing through in your sculpting very clearly, from your marvelous armatures to your structural processes in establishing a sturdy base and the care you take in mounting your sculpts to their basis.
I hope you have a Great Christmas.
Pam
Thank you, Karen, for your kind endorsement! I am very glad it works
Thank you, Nancy!
Thank you, Pam – I think the real worst – which I used to have around here and not anymore – is when you are sick and need help and there is somebody who could help, but does not.
Merry Xmas to you, dear friends!
I will use this free time (nobody is shopping) to sculpt tomorrow morning
Oh my what an exciting thing to find you finished her !!! I just love her I am glad that time got away and you were able almost finish then wa hoo you did it another wonderful piece of art and the best yet is you will be sculpting another very soon I can hardly wait
Hi Nat…
Well….she is gorgeous….beautiful job. Thanks for explaining about your armature background….it definately shows in everything you do….as they say….your past ..good & bad ….creates who you are today……..and you are great in everyway….Cheers to Natasha!!!
Well Done Nat,
As I expected, she is absolutely beautiful and just as I have said to you many times, your sculpts are always very meticulously done and perfectly beautiful. Okay, so I haven’t used those exact words before, but I have expressed the thought, belief in your abilities. Now, sit back and admire your talent. Look at ‘Becky,’ “The Little Shopper,” with your artists eyes as though you had nothing to do with her making, and tell me what you see, what she looks like and how she makes you feel. Remember to put it out of your head that you did any thing with her, be objective, not critical. Look at her as though it is for the first time.
I will tell you what you will see, you will see a very beautiful little girl with an umbrella, dressed in victorian fashion with a Christmas package, who is day dreaming of Christmas morning. You will notice the artists unbelievably close attention to detail, the precise manner in which the small girl was sculpted, painted, coiffed, and dressed. The sweet expressive face and her expression. The finely detailed face and tiniest eyelashes. You will be amazed at how immensely talented the sculptor that created this beautifully crafted work of art is. Then I want you to remember just who it is that actually created this little sculpture and tell her what a magnificent job she did. Make sure you record the praise. So that on the next sculpt you start, when you begin to get down on how bad this is or how that isn’t turning out as you expected, you can play the recording of what an amazing artist you really are.
I got so side tracked by Christmas that today is really the first chance to catch up with how you were doing, low and behold, she is not only done, but for sale as well. I was flabbergasted to see that you already had her up on ebay.
Again, well done! Very well done, Nat.
Thank you for continuing to invite us into your studio, life, and workings of your sculpting. You are truly incredible person.
Love ya, Pam
PS Cannot hardly stand to wait for the next one to begin.
She’s wonderful, Natasha! Congratulations on another wonderful piece! So glad you are back to sculpting. I learn so much from you for new techniques and products. It’s always an adventure reading your blog.
Stay warm!
BTW: Miss Agnes’ Sublime Brownies are wonderful. Please thank her for me.
Joyce, sure thing – thank you!
Pam, thank you! you are WAY to kind, lol
Karen, thank you! glad you liked our treat you make me blush
Pam, you are right – now, in a few days, I am able to look at her and say – yes, I am proud of her, she is a wonderful sculpt I certainly did my very best and will continue to improve – the next one.
thank you again!
I am glad that you can see her as we see her for a change. So, any ideas for the next one? Bring back a shelved piece or start a new one from scratch? Or start a shelved piece from scratch?
Just curious. Christmas is over the new year is upon us and it is back to the hum drum of daily life and I need a new fix of watching you sculpt. No pressure.:)
I hope you have a great new year.
Pam
Thank you, Elena!
Pam, still not quite ready for the shelved – although pulled them out and looking at them – rusalka, namely. I do want to complete her. Meanwhile started something I was dying to make – BJD. Started a new post – already a little bit to show – check it out – thank you for your kind interest – means a lot to me.
Hi, I just found your website and love your work. I think your little girl is perfect and her eyelashes are to die for! Can you tell me where I can get an umbrella like hers? My dolls are needing one too.
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[...] Morezmore #24Victorian Christmas Shopper (Part 2)*** [...]
Nat,
She is looking good.
I like the way you have her hand holding the umbrella. Too bad the picture doesn’t show the other side of her so you could see if she is holding the umbrella in both hands or not. You definitely have the right body shape for a little girl. Glad to see you are able to keep up with sculpting, I think it gives you a balance and grounded foundation for whatever the day brings.
Keep up the good work, hun.
Pam
Thank you, Pam!
yes, you are right about that! 
Nat,
I don’t see the areas that you don’t think look right.
She looks like a little girl, her form is very nice. I cannot see any areas on her that do not look like a proper little girl. So, I ask you where are the places you are not happy with? Maybe if you point them out, I will understand what you are talking about, but from what I am seeing her body and face look like a little kid. I happen to have several children that I am around who are all between 3 and 8 years old, and other than the genitals, they look very similar at that age. I am here to tell you she fits right in with the body and face of a fivish aged kid. Since you are not needing to make an anatomically correct child, I think she is perfect. It is a shame that you have to cover up all off the detail you put into the sculpture when you dress her, but it would be a very disturbing vision to see a little girl in the snow with nothing on but her smile and an umbrella. You have a wonderful eye for anatomy which is what makes your sculpts so wonderful. The fact that you worry over features that you are going to be covered in the end is part of what makes you such a good artist/sculptor. Your nudes or semi-nudes are notoriously well made with unbelievably well sculpted bodies. Your anatomy is spot on. You like most artists are probably harder on yourself and your creations than the most ruthless critic would be. Now, not that I want you to get a big head or anything (not that you are likely to have time before you beat yourself back down over another area that is not to your exacting measure), but if you ever wonder if you are not good enough or that you are making a mess of things, you need only to come to the comments area and see what your watchers are writing to you or about you and your work. If that does not do it, if it is not enough to convince you of how amazing your work is and what an unbelievably creative, artistic, intelligent, wonderful, extremely skilled, masterful, sculptor you are, then all you need to do is email me and tell me what you don’t think is working. I will be sure to illuminate you as to what a wonderfully talented woman you are.
For the moment, until I know what part of this young victorian girl you feel is off, I will simply stand by what I have already written her. Keep it up.
Pam
oh, Pam, sweetheart – thank you – you are such a wonderful support! You made me feel wonderful – and sort of undeserving all that praise – but I will take it! Thank you
I will tell you what is wrong – here is the dirty laundry list:
The forearms are shorther than they should have been – mistake in wire proportions and I don’t want to cut her again to correct it – because those arms were HARD to make
the legs seem to be too feminine – not childish and I have no idea how to make them child-like – other than just study children anatomy – but that is for next time. By the way – it is very hard to find pics of undressed children on the web – well, I guess it is a good thing, but does not help me with anatomy.
The more I look at her face, the less I like it – but that maybe because it is taking me a while to make her and I am just getting tired of her face – that happens to me every time, and goes away when the sculpt is finished – then I fall in love again.
the back of the neck is slightly weird – but I don’t know what is wrong.
the feet are too small – but I did it on purpose, as she will have real leather boots – but still right now they are bad to look at, lol
thank you for the note, you are a dear – thank you from the bottom of my heart
what i have already written about her. Pam
oh, don’t mind my funk:) watch me getting all excited – once I start to dress her up
a very happy 24th 
she will be a wonderful sculpt after all
Natasha, she is wonderful. I am so excited that you are back blogging and sculpting again. We missed you so much! I learn so much from all your experimentation. I make little girls all the time and I wish mine were as nice as yours. Her proportions look perfect to me! I love to watch how you figure things out, like the umbrella. Great!
Natash you have really captured the child love her and I hope your having fun now with her and soon you will have her finished yep going to be another beautiful piece of art
Nat,
I like the shoes and spats the are adorable.
As for the dirty laundry list, they don’t show up in the pictures, as far as I can see. Maybe the upper arm is a little short on the left arm (the one not holding the umbrella), but I had to stare at it a while to see that and it will not show up when you dress her. Her legs are fine and you no longer need to look at her feet now, so that one is gone.
Do you heat set the paint for coloring her face? Can you put her in the oven with the shoes and spats on? Just wondering. If you don’t believe me there are two people above this that think she looks great too. The reason you see problems with her is because you are sitting there staring at her day in and day out. She, as are all of your sculpts, quite wonderful and beautiful. Thank you for all of yourself that you put out for us to see.
Pam
Karen, thank you – I missed it myself!
welcome back!
Diana – glad you think so – yes, I am having fun with her!
Pam, you are right, I am over it by this morning – she is fine, I have to just take a deep breath and consider it a learning curve. Yes, the shoes got to go the oven now – but I think it will be ok. There is very little painting to do – just blush on the cheeks and lips, tiny amount of paint – it should heat set within a few minutes, so I hope the fabric and leather holds. If not, I will redo them.
My pleasure – no need to thank me – I enjoy it and it is rather flattering to see all the attention – thank you dear friends.
Natasha I am so glad your having fun with her and her shoes and spats are ever so perfect how natural looking !!
WOW! This sculpture is truly amazing – I’m really enjoying watching her as she progresses; your attention to every little detail makes for a wonderful and lifelike piece. Thank you so much for also sharing your techniques and tips. Very helpful. Nancy
thank you, Diana!
Thank you, Nancy!
Natasha, you are doing an ASTOUNDING job and I think she is adorable and beautiful. You are capturing the innocence of the child with her expression and so far I love every aspect of her. Watching your progress has added to MY learing curve too! THANX for sharing. I am really looking forward to watching her progress and especially her completion.
Natasha,
I love the hair and eyelashes, the eyelashes make me think of my daughter’s when she was little (entirely too long for any one person to have, especially on a child), but isn’t that the way it works, only the children get to have the luxuriously long dark eyelashes that most women would kill for.
It took me a minute to realize that her hands were white because she has gloves on. I like the styling you have on them as well.
I must admit that she looks a bit risque at the moment what with her hair and face done, her umbrella over her shoulder, and her white gloves, spats, and the black shoes, but not a stitch of clothes on.
She is going to be quite the beauty when you get her clothed, as she has a very charming face now.
Not much more and she will another completed work for you.
Well done.
Pam
Natasha you sure did get the look very nice wonderful really her face is ever so sweet and the eyelashs cool loveing her.
Thank you, Sandy!
Thank you, Diana!
Thank you, Pam!
I really like the way this sculpt is going – looking forward to succssful completion.
Perfection….as always!! Nat….I was just wondering….how did you figure out how to do the armature the way you do it. It is so sturdy & well made….& so detailed for being so small. I’ve never seen one like yours….you put so much work into it….it’s amazing! Every detail…from beginning to end…..That’s what makes you a fantastic artist….you put your “all” into every detail. And working on such small parts is not an easy thing to do……it’s fascinating!!
Thank you, Joyce – glad to answer – see above – the last update. Thank you again!
I hope you have a speedy recovery. So sorry you were so ill.
I was reading your reply and it answered an internal question I had. You *do* have an engineering background! No one else would have been able to figure out the things you have without it! LOL A few years ago I purchased your “recipe” for the Brickhouse Armature and have used it ever since. It WORKS!
Best regards and stay warm..
Glad to hear you’re feeling better – take care of yourself. Anxiously awaiting the completion of your latest sculpture, as it is truly a delight!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Nancy
Hi Nat,
I am glad you are feeling better, sorry you were so sick. It is hard when you feel awful and there is no one to help you when you need it. I am not sure which is worse, being ill and no one to help or being ill and someone helping when you don’t need or want the help.
I hadn’t known where the name came for your armatures, but I can see your architectural training showing through in your sculpting very clearly, from your marvelous armatures to your structural processes in establishing a sturdy base and the care you take in mounting your sculpts to their basis.
I hope you have a Great Christmas.
Pam
Thank you, Karen, for your kind endorsement!
I am very glad it works
Thank you, Nancy!
Thank you, Pam – I think the real worst – which I used to have around here and not anymore – is when you are sick and need help and there is somebody who could help, but does not.
Merry Xmas to you, dear friends!
I will use this free time (nobody is shopping) to sculpt tomorrow morning
Oh my what an exciting thing to find you finished her !!! I just love her I am glad that time got away and you were able almost finish then wa hoo you did it another wonderful piece of art and the best yet is you will be sculpting another very soon I can hardly wait
WOW!! She is stunning. Just beautiful.
I recently discovered your blog, and your sculpts are beautiful. Your little Victorian Christmas shopper is wonderful. Look forward to reading more.
Thank you, Diana!
Thank you, Debbie!
Thank you, Marlene – welcome!
Happy Sunday!
Hi Nat…
Well….she is gorgeous….beautiful job. Thanks for explaining about your armature background….it definately shows in everything you do….as they say….your past ..good & bad ….creates who you are today……..and you are great in everyway….Cheers to Natasha!!!
Well Done Nat,
As I expected, she is absolutely beautiful and just as I have said to you many times, your sculpts are always very meticulously done and perfectly beautiful. Okay, so I haven’t used those exact words before, but I have expressed the thought, belief in your abilities. Now, sit back and admire your talent. Look at ‘Becky,’ “The Little Shopper,” with your artists eyes as though you had nothing to do with her making, and tell me what you see, what she looks like and how she makes you feel. Remember to put it out of your head that you did any thing with her, be objective, not critical. Look at her as though it is for the first time.
I will tell you what you will see, you will see a very beautiful little girl with an umbrella, dressed in victorian fashion with a Christmas package, who is day dreaming of Christmas morning. You will notice the artists unbelievably close attention to detail, the precise manner in which the small girl was sculpted, painted, coiffed, and dressed. The sweet expressive face and her expression. The finely detailed face and tiniest eyelashes. You will be amazed at how immensely talented the sculptor that created this beautifully crafted work of art is. Then I want you to remember just who it is that actually created this little sculpture and tell her what a magnificent job she did. Make sure you record the praise. So that on the next sculpt you start, when you begin to get down on how bad this is or how that isn’t turning out as you expected, you can play the recording of what an amazing artist you really are.
I got so side tracked by Christmas that today is really the first chance to catch up with how you were doing, low and behold, she is not only done, but for sale as well. I was flabbergasted to see that you already had her up on ebay.
Again, well done! Very well done, Nat.
Thank you for continuing to invite us into your studio, life, and workings of your sculpting. You are truly incredible person.
Love ya, Pam
PS Cannot hardly stand to wait for the next one to begin.
She’s wonderful, Natasha! Congratulations on another wonderful piece! So glad you are back to sculpting. I learn so much from you for new techniques and products. It’s always an adventure reading your blog.
Stay warm!
BTW: Miss Agnes’ Sublime Brownies are wonderful. Please thank her for me.
Joyce, sure thing – thank you!
you make me blush
Pam, thank you! you are WAY to kind, lol
Karen, thank you! glad you liked our treat
Pam, you are right – now, in a few days, I am able to look at her and say – yes, I am proud of her, she is a wonderful sculpt
I certainly did my very best and will continue to improve – the next one.
thank you again!
FANTASTIC SCULPTURE!!!!!!COMPLIMENT!!
I am glad that you can see her as we see her for a change. So, any ideas for the next one? Bring back a shelved piece or start a new one from scratch? Or start a shelved piece from scratch?
Just curious. Christmas is over the new year is upon us and it is back to the hum drum of daily life and I need a new fix of watching you sculpt. No pressure.:)
I hope you have a great new year.
Pam
Thank you, Elena!
Pam, still not quite ready for the shelved – although pulled them out and looking at them – rusalka, namely. I do want to complete her. Meanwhile started something I was dying to make – BJD. Started a new post – already a little bit to show – check it out – thank you for your kind interest – means a lot to me.
Hi, I just found your website and love your work. I think your little girl is perfect and her eyelashes are to die for! Can you tell me where I can get an umbrella like hers? My dolls are needing one too.
Thank you, Andrea!
The umbrella – I made it – here is the step by step
http://morezmore.com/myblog/2009/11/27/christmas-shopper/
thank you!
She’s beautiful & it’s so great you are willing to share step-by-step how you made her.
Marilyn
Than you, Marilyn!