Main project...Hula woman

I am going to try separating each of my projects with their own thread. This will follow my first doll project, I hope, to completion. My time frame is about 1 year to turn out a complete finished and ready to go Art doll that represents a Hawaiian Hula dancer for the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival here in Hilo. It will be a limited edition. My learning curve is steep since I have never made a BJD or done much casting. A bit daunting...
So here goes...
She is an adult woman with fairly natural proportions modeled on the local type of Islander. I think she will be about 46 cm tall and I will do her traditional Hula costume as well. I have started her in Super Sculpey, left over from making puppets years ago but am trying to learn to use Apoxie because the Sculpey must be so thick or it crumbles. I am pretty much an instant gratification type of artist so the Apoxie is making me crazy. In all these years I have never carved, drilled or sanded Sculpey before so that is also new.

I am sorry for the poor photo quality. I'll get a better camera someday. View attachment 145 View attachment 146 View attachment 147

 

I can only get 3 pics per post, so trying to add more... View attachment 148 View attachment 149 View attachment 150

 

She hasn't got joints in her elbows, knees, wrists or ankles yet but I had to try stringing to test the fit. I can see several problems so far... View attachment 151 View attachment 152 View attachment 153

 

A few more views... View attachment 154 View attachment 155 View attachment 156

 

Thanks. In absense of feedback except for my worst critic (Mom) I am re-doing the poor thing. Last night I took a knife to her. Re-shaped her head, removed her face and ears, took off the shoulder caps, moved the holes to string shoulders and hips. That is going to lead to many other changes ( like new, smaller feet, probably) but change is good, right? Right now I feel a little sick about it but already I can see she is less crude. I still want her to be "earthy" so I hope I don't go too far. I really do "pretty and dainty" very badly--much better at "terrifying and horrible". I just hope she works out!

 

I am putting in my website which my husband started for me a while ago. I just looked at it for the first time yesterday. Very incomplete as a record of my stuff but sweet of him to do it, even without my participation. I think I will start to blog my doll projects there and also add some relevant past works. As I work on these dolls I have realized I have been trying to make this kind of doll since I was about six years old. I had nothing to work with but cardboard, crayons and a limited supply of brad fasteners. I did jointed cardboard animals and people through college. I'll find the remaining ones and photo them for my web site. I did try to make 3-D dolls as a little kid, but all I had was a pocket knife and a piece of scrap wood. I never had clay until high school when I also started doing huge complex paper mache' animals and birds. None of those have survived. In college I fell into a puppetry class and went on to make that a career for many years. Making various puppets for the past 35 years pretty much satisfied me but now I am back to those dratted jointed dolls...at last.

 

So now I've put the 5th face on the same poor doll and worked a bit on joints. I like the idea of the shoulder arrangment but need to improve the elbows and the knees are a fail. I think her feet need to be redone smaller and the hands/wrists are also a redo. BUT...I like where she is heading. I don't want her too anatomical but very natural in movement/poses. Would love you all to look her over and offer input. (Without imput I tend to get insecure and do drastic things. EEK.) Thanks.

 

Sorry the pics are so big. I am not good at Photobucket.

 

I think you are right. (I also wish the photos hadn't come through so huge!) I am fighting the seen-at-a-distance esthetic that has ruled all my theater experience of the last 40 years. I will try a new base for the next go-round as I started with a too round head shape to start with and just carved off the features each time I was unhappy with her looks. She is, however, awfully close to the reference photos I used for our local blend of types. The wide rather round face, apple cheeks and flat nose and eye type are pretty typical in this locale. Then again, I have never been good at "pretty" and really have always hated the typical "doll" face, even as a child. Thanks for the links!

 

Thanks for the comments, Twigling. I am not familiar with Flumo. Guess I had better read up. The body has been carved on a lot without adding back a coating of new Sculpey. The face was much rougher than the body just few days ago! I may trim it up before I stick in a box for a couple of months. I am facing 7 weeks of houseguests and then Mainland travel to see to care of elderly parents, so must put my toys away for awhile. I'll decide whether to do a new head or mess with this one more when I return. Also time to re-read your Zen article before diving back in.(thanks so much for that-You are the best)
About the shoulder/ hip thing...the hip actually behaves just right as is. The shoulder must have really good true movement and will completely exposed in the traditional Hula costumes I have planned (not bare-breasted, more like a tubetop.) It is a problem. I loved the look of the shoulder cap but realized she wouldn't have the over-the-head movement ability. I need to work out something more delicate in there.
I figure as long as I am enjoying it it can't be all bad, right?