MY THIRD DOLL IS THE FIRST PORTRAIT WORK

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12711763/?claim=u5t4xj8vphd">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Two of my dolls had already been in progress when I realised that I want to start the third one. And I was absolutely sure who it should be. No doubt!  It will be my husband portrait doll. 

From the very first lesson I was fascinated by the idea to create a portrait doll. In my thoughts I was often sculpturing any random face that attracted my attention in the street or better in the bus or metro. A stranger is sitting in front of you and you have enough time to scrutinise any of his or her features, facial muscles and wrinkles... Such imaginary modelling seemed rather easy. Just take the clay and start kneading it and shape the desired character. At that moment I didn't comprehend how difficult it was!

Why did I pick my husband's image for a portrait doll? The answer is very simple. There were two main reasons for this. First, his face is very interesting for modelling, so called "sculptural" type of face. And second, this is a model which is always available! Invite him to make himself comfortable on the sofa (which he is so eager to do), and he is at your disposal for as many hours as you need. 

It didn't take me long to realise how insidious turned the apparent simplicity of the task. The features which were so dear and familiar to me refused to merge into clay. I always thought that I can recognise this face blindly just touching it and I believed that my finger memory will easily transform my tactile feelings into sculpture. Nothing of that kind!

I had been torturing my clay piece for the whole week. Thanks to my husband, he didn't mind numerous time-consuming posing sessions. Most of the time he was happily lying on the sofa, reading a newspaper or watching TV. From time to time he was checking my work and making some critical remarks, like: "My eyes are much bigger!" or "This wrinkle is not so deep!" This was another revelation for me: every person subconsciously wants to look younger and better than he is. And the artist must do this without loosing the portrait resemblance.

Finally the sculptured head was ready and approved by my husband. I sewed the clothes - a miniature copy of those he wears in his life: jeans, a shirt with a vest and a linen scull-cap. I gave him an umbrella, and his beloved Louis Vuitton handbag, and the newspaper he likes to read. 

Of course, the doll is also called Grigory like its prototype. It has been exhibited at several fairs and now it is peacefully standing on the cupboard. It gives us joy and pleasure! 

THE DREAM OF VIOLA PLAYER: FINALE-APOTHEOSIS

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12711763/?claim=u5t4xj8vphd">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

It's my pleasure being with you again, my dear friends! We are just two steps away from the finale of the story.

Last time when we met the Viola Player doll, he got the new hair and turned into a very handsome artistic personage.

The doll fair-exhibition began the next day after the hair cutting and styling. The theme of my doll exposition was "Masks and Masked Doll Characters".  The portrait doll of Mr.Yury Bashmet didn't fit the theme at all. But I was so eager and impatient to show Maestro's new look to the world that I brought him to the fair and simply put the doll on the table before me.  

By the way, I forgot to mention that Mr.Bashmet celebrated his 60th jubilee in January 2013. The celebration was widely covered in the mass media and Maestro attracted a lot of attention at that time.  That was another reason why I wanted to exhibit my Viola Player doll at the March 2013 fair when Yury Bashmet's name was still on everyone's lips.

For three days Mr.Bashmet has been sitting on the Viennese chair holding his feminine-shaped viola and smiling cunningly at the fair guests. Needless to say that he had greater success than my masked dolls. What flattered me a lot is that people especially praised his hands. I was happy! 

On the fair last day when I was busy sewing something at the back of my exhibition cubicle I suddenly heard a voice saying over my head: "Oh, God, luckily you didn't sell him yet!" I raised my eyes and saw a young man pointing to the Viola Player doll. He introduced himself and told me that he was working for Maestro. He had already seen the doll two days ago and decided to buy it as a gift for Mr.Bashmet's jubilee. He photographed the doll on his phone and showed the picture to the musician's close friend. The friend approved the doll and the idea of such gift.  So my customer returned to the fair on the last day to buy the doll. The Viola Player doll was carefully packed and handed to the customer. 

I was so overjoyed that I couldn't remember how the fair ended. Shame on me that I didn't make any picture of the doll while it was exhibited.  After the fair had finished I asked one my friends visiting me those days to share his photos with me.  So the only piece of evidence I have now is this poor phone made picture:

This is the happy end of the story. I do hope that my doll made its own long and hard way to the lucky finale. The best lot for the portrait doll is to be gifted to the prototype. I am extremely happy that it happened to my Viola Player doll. My special thanks to dear Ms.N whose critics, though being rather bold, encouraged me to improve my work and get a better result.

Happy jubilee, dear Maestro! Viva music!

P.S. Dear friends, don't forget to photograph the work you are making! Our creations leave us, but the memory of them should stay with us forever. 

THE DREAM OF VIOLA PLAYER: MAESTRO'S NEW HAIR

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12711763/?claim=u5t4xj8vphd">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

OK, my friends, we are very close to the end of the story.  I won't take much of your attention today.  

Maestro's hands were done and fixed to the doll. It had taken me quite long before I gathered all my courage to redo the hair.  My viola player doll's old hair was of sheep mohair. Being of the right colour it was of the wrong texture: too silky and dim.  Instead of sheep mohair I decided to use goat fur which is rigid and shiny.

It was just a single day left before March 2013 Dolls Exhibition when I got down to work. I peeled off the old hair from the doll's head as it was a potato. The look of the bold viola player was so funny that I simply couldn't stand it.  I glued the new goat shiny hair to the head.  Mr.Bashmet suddenly became very handsome but... he looked like an American Indian! Long straight black hair!  His hair definitely needed some light waving. 

The problem is that I have no curling or waving device at home. But that afternoon I was planning to visit my hairdresser (a good friend of mine) to have my own hair cut. I came to my friend and while she was cutting and drying my hair I asked if she could share any waving device with me.  She smiled, plunged in her working drawers and brought to light this fantastic appliance:

It was gorgeous but no doubt it came from the previous century.  Since I had no choice, I took it. Though being so antique it worked perfect! I heat it over the gas-ring and waved the doll's hair. It took me about 15 minutes to make the hair styling I needed.

I couldn't believe my eyes! Yury Bashmet changed completely. He had an absolutely different look. Now the resemblance was evident.

Let's take a small break, my dear readers.  Next time you will hear the final chord of my Viola Player saga.

Good night!  Take care of your beautiful hair!

THE DREAM OF VIOLA PLAYER: MAESTRO'S NEW HANDS

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12711763/?claim=u5t4xj8vphd">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Hello, my dear friends! Are you still here?  It makes me happy to have all your ears:))

Do you remember the severe critics lesson I was taught? How did I take it? I decided to improve my doll. As I told previously, two remarks on my "Viola Player" were absolutely fair: wrong hands and wrong hair. Everything is possible! I can redo both! 

I started with hands. First I studied carefully a lot of Yury Bashmet's photos where his hands can be seen clearly. He has quite a big palm with long fingers of beautiful 

masculine shape. He always wears a massive golden ring on his right little finger. I selected several pictures, laid them before me, and started modelling the Maestro's arms.

I must admit that I never worked on the doll's hands so elaborately. The respected Miss N. told me that hands could be often more important than the face. While sculpturing I realised how right she was! Human hands are so unique and expressive that they have a lot of character in themselves. And when it comes to a portrait doll, THE HANDS MUST REFLECT PORTRAIT RESEMBLANCE AS WELL AS THE FACE.  

I worked hard two days and finally the new hands were ready. Unfortunately I was absolutely stupid because I didn't photograph them.  During the first year of my doll making I wasn't accustomed to take pictures of what I was doing.  I feel so sorry for it now!  The only piece of evidence I have at the present moment is a pair of Mr.Bashmet's "old hands".  Here they are!  Aren't they ugly? 

I keep them as a reminder to myself of the hands' crucial role in the doll's image.  Being ugly they still remain useful to me. 

I will hold on the "new Maestro's hair" story for the next time.  Good night, my dear friends! 

Don't forget how BEAUTIFUL AND IMPORTANT OUR HANDS ARE! 

THE DREAM OF VIOLA PLAYER - SUCCESS OR FAILURE?

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12711763/?claim=u5t4xj8vphd">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

The portrait doll of Yuri Bashmet was ready and I showed it at the first dolls' exhibition I participated in October 2012. People liked it a lot, made pictures of it and complimented me. One of the popular newspapers "Moskovsky Komsomlets" covering the exhibition even published a photo of my doll in its on line issue. Needless to say that I was absolutely happy. 

A month later I participated in the other exhibition where my "Viola Player Bashmet Doll" took part in the competition "Dolls Master".  Again the doll attracted a lot of attention, was shot and praised. 

Bashmet Doll's photo appeared in the other media source "Rossyiskaya Gazeta".

At the last day of the exhibition I met my master, that lady who was teaching me to make a violin (see my previous posts). Do you remember that it was her advice to give my violin/viola a feminine look. Let's call this respected lady Miss N.  So I was very excited to see her.  Miss N. was one of jury of the contest and I was very eager to learn her opinion on my work.

I showed her my "Viola Player" doll and asked how she would have evaluated my first portrait doll experience. Of course I wanted some constructive criticism, but... what I heard was much beyond all my expectations...

Miss N. said that she could see no character in this doll, no image... Just a YELLOW-BROWN BLUR... 

I was totally destroyed. Apart of a "yellow-brown blur" concept I was also told some really valuable and fair comments.  The two principal of them were: WRONG HAIR and WRONG HANDS. The hair I stuck to my doll's head was of a wrong texture - too soft and dim. And the hands were made carelessly without proper working-out of details. That was absolutely true.

At that moment I was so frustrated by such severe criticism that I wasn't quite able to distinguish the fair remarks from a subjective negative view. And what is more important: having learnt the basic doll making technique I didn't get a very important skill yet - I DIDN'T LEARN TO PERCEIVE CRITICISM. 

This was a lesson to learn. How did I take it? Read my following post. 

Thank you very much for the attention to my creative torments. I wish you good luck and a nice day!