2016 MAD Magical Art Dolls Workshop Registration is Open

Hey all! Just wanted to let you know that registration is now open for the 2016 Workshop with Sherry Goshon and Jean Bernard.  Follow the link:  http://bit.ly/1oBofW5

Cost $275 for teacher fees and expenses.  We need a minimum of 12 students for the class to make.  But there is room for more.  Class will be held at the Hardesty Regional Library, Frossard Auditorium, in Tulsa, OK.

See pictures below of the class doll in progress.  This is a lovely head designed by Sherry Goshon.

Conference Delayed

I regret that it is necessary to move the date of the Conference to 2014.  We are looking into the weekend of May 30-June 1, 2014.  More details soon.  We are confirmed that Jessica Hamilton will still be coming.

Linda Misa is still coming to Tulsa to teach her classes on October 11-13, 2013. The venue for the class will be Hardesty Regional Library. Her visit is being sponsored by Tulsa Dolling Dames.

If you are interested in the class with Linda Misa, please contact me at magicalartdolls@yahoo.com or magical-art-dolls@googlegroups.com and I'll send you information on how you can still attend her class.

Laurie

Web site and Registration are open!

I am so very excited to let everyone know that our Web site is up and Registration is open!  I admit I was a little worried, but it is beautiful and worth the wait!  :-)

www.magicalartdolls.com

Laurie

Linda Misa's classes

I very excited to announce the two classes being taught by Linda Misa for the Magical Art Dolls Conference. 

Her 2-day class is titled:  ...."don't judge me, underneath I really am a Princess"

Linda's class description:

  

What we will be covering in this workshop...

Full paperclay head sculpt and face painting

How to adapt a cloth pattern with paperclay overlays and armature to build up shape.

Working with both patterned and plain fabric and altering it with the use of paint, stamps, stencils and free machine embroidery......i.e. how to use up some of your not so pretty stash and turn it into a unique piece of fabric!

Underpainting techniques (optional) for a slightly "prim" look.

Easily adaptable ideas for wigging your doll.

Making accessories using paperclay and your imagination!

I encourage students to use this time to learn the steps they want to continue with for their own doll making journey. It is meant as a flexible classroom, where I will do my best to work with each student in the direction they want to take or simply work their way through with the design I have made.

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Her 1-day class is a wonderful fabric collage piece!

This is a fun 1 day workshop that will give students some skills and confidence to take some of their creative passion out on a canvas!

I work with both paper and material as well as stamps, stencils, buttons, threads, paints and whatever embellishments that can be either glued or stitched in place! and we apply all this to the canvas. This is why it is such a good crossover class to do...all you will probably need to buy is the canvas!

Size of works are based on a very portable 10"x12" framed canvas.

Then using either my images or the students we learn how to successfully transfer and work them into the picture to create their own masterpiece. It really is a no holds barred technique that has stunning textural results that are very satisfying and easy to achieve.

Come take the step with me.

We are so excited to have Linda as one of our teachers!  Stay tuned!  Official web page and registration opening SOOON!

Barbara Schoenoff's Class Dolls

Barbara Schoenoff has truely delighted with two wonderful creations for the MAD Magical Art Dolls Conference!  She will be teaching two classes:


Furies - 2 Day class



A 2-Day class:  The Furies


They are a study in motion and embellishment and involve soft sculpture, metal leafing, beading, working with Angelina, and insetting eyes.  All skill levels.  If pre class work is finished, no sewing machines needed for class.



And a 1-Day class:  Gaia

Creating a face and embellishing is the focus, using burlap, metal mesh, crinkle georgette, beads, pleated ribbon, shibori ribbon, you name it it can go on there.  All skill levels.  If pre class work is done no sewing machine will be necessary for class.

Jessica Hamilton's Classes for MAD

I am pleased to announce the details of the first of our classes.  These are the two classes being taught by Jessica Hamilton.

Sculpt Your First Ball-Jointed Doll

2 Day Workshop by Jessica Hamilton

Ball jointed dolls move and pose so beautifully. Wouldn’t you like to make your own? In this workshop, you will create your own 10-11” ball jointed doll—I will walk you through step-by-step. I designed this workshop for the beginning to advanced doll maker. If you can make basic clay shapes, like a ball, a log and a tear drop, and if you are comfortable learning to blend these shapes together, you can build your own ball-jointed dolls!

I will show you how to

      ·         Sculpt a complete head with glass eyes

      ·         Create the ball joints that allow you to pose your doll

      ·         Sculpt strong body parts to support your doll

      ·         Color and blush the face and hands

      ·         String your doll

You will come away from this workshop with a doll you’ve sculpted yourself. You will also receive my complete sculpt a BJD PDF tutorial for free, just for taking this class. A $65 value! This PDF tutorial is packed with detail and will ensure you don’t miss any steps when you recreate a doll using the methods you learn in class.

Note: There are two types of BJD construction I teach—the first is a partial ball joint system with solid legs (this speeds up the process, but you still learn the ball joint basics). The other is a completely jointed body. While you will receive the knowledge to create both types, the doll we complete in class will depend on your experience level. Depending on the pace of the class, we may not complete our dolls in class, but I guarantee you will come away with the knowledge and confidence to finish your doll at home.


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Wigs that Wow

1 Day Workshop by Jessica Hamilton

Now you can create your own stunning wigs for dolls of any size. I will share with you my fail-proof step-by-step methods for making perfect and imaginative wigs for your dolls.

I will show you how to

·         Create a wig in most any shape you desire

·         Design a removable wig that fits your doll perfectly, the first time

·         Make the wig light-weight so it doesn’t put a lot of strain on your doll’s neck

·         Work with and manipulate fibers to get the styles you want

·         Embellish the wig for a one of a kind look

You will come away from this workshop with a finished wig you’ve made yourself and you’ll be armed with the knowledge to design and create as many additional wigs as you desire.

As you can see, the dolls are so very lovely.  We will be offering Jessica's classes as a 3-day enroll for both classes or a 2-day "Scultp Your First Ball Jointed Doll" with Linda Misa's 1 day class (TBA) or the 1-day "Wigs that Wow" paired with Linda Misa's 2-day class (TBA).

Supply lists and other important information will be coming soon!  Be on the look out for great things to come!

Laurie

Musings from the Chair

Every so often, I get this panic feeling. OMG! What if I can't pull this off? What if I am in over my flippin' head?!  But then I think, this is too important. I can't screw up. So I won't screw up.  Now--if you know me, that does not mean that any number of things won't go wrong. I do have a gift for things going haywire. But, I am nothing if not confident even in the face of the impossible. Or at least tremendously difficult.

That's how I became a doll maker.


Ivy, the third doll I made from Patti Culea's book.
She was in the library display



I work at a library. My co-worker and I were checking in materials and she had a book in her hand going on about how cool it would be to have a bunch of these dolls. I looked at the book, Patti Culea's first book in fact Creative Cloth Doll Making. I looked at the patterns, read some of the instructions and said: "I can do that."

She meanwhile was looking through another book that had pictures of fairies and a fairy wedding.  She wanted cloth fairy dolls dressed up for a wedding. I wasn't sure about that part.  But she created fairy paper dolls with the wedding clothes and I made a couple of dolls using the patterns in the book and we put together a library display.

So, it didn't take me long to realize this dollmaking stuff was more complicated than it looked. No matter how many times I read the description I couldn't figure out how the finger turning worked. So those first dolls were all about the very basics. Just so you know how VERY clueless I was. I traced the patterns painstakingly using tracing paper for fabric. 

But for some reason, the less I knew about what I was doing, the more I was determined to figure it out. I liked the complexity of the challenge, I love working with fabric and the idea of fabric as art. But a lot of the directions just seemed alien. And the supplies. I didn't understand Shiva paint sticks until I watched Patti's first video. That came out last year.


Early doll head. Looks like a Dr Seuss character.
Or something. This head came off and was
replaced with something better last year.
She's in my collection of head fails.



Fortunately for me, some 2 years, a job change, a Renaissance Faire for the library, and several attempts at dolls later, Jayne called the library looking for a meeting room space for a group called "Tulsa Dolling Dames." I am required to ask every group what their group is, what the purpose of the meeting is and if it is open to the public before I can book the room. And she told me about this group of women who make art dolls from cloth and they were having a teacher from Canada teach a workshop- Adele Sciortino and she guessed people could observe, but she didn't think anyone would be interested. And I said, well, I would be. 



And I was. There was an actually group of women in Tulsa who made the dolls I was trying to learn how to make!

Hot diggity!



Doll head I made with Barbara.
Eyes are still too high, but improving.
It will take another couple of years and class with
Diane Little for me to start making good faces.
But I keep Barbara's first lesson handy for reference.



Those ladies took me in. They've given me fabric, trim, stuff, but of more value-- friendship, time, talent, knowledge and infinite kindness. They didn't put down my poor early dolls, they just gently redirected me with patience. They showed me how to use freezer paper (OMG what a difference! Time saved!). Jean taught me how to make fingers and turn them! Barbara made me come to her house and spent an afternoon showing me step by step how to make faces. (I think she got fed up with my eyes being too high on the face and the lack of color in the face),



Doll ornament I just made.
Much better with face, huh?



I watched them work and learned everything they would teach me. Ten years later, I'm STILL learning anything and everything they will teach me and still benefiting from their abundant generocity.



So here I am, organizing a doll conference in Tulsa.  I've known for a couple of years that I wanted to find a way to give back to the doll making community that taught me how not just to be a doll maker, but an artist. There are no conferences close to Tulsa (Austin, TX and Albuquerque, NM are the closest). And I knew I had enough knowledge and experience at organizing events on a small scale I could do this. After all -- how hard could it be? 

All I can say is THANK GOD for Diane Little. She is my doll making and conference Mentor.

We have three great teachers. A good hotel. Things are coming together. Keep checking back. Web site is in progress and registration will open January 15, 2013.  I'll keep posting so you know what's going on. And more than you ever wanted to know probably.

Laurie