Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog! Take a second to peek around and check out some of my previous posts. Of course, I would love to find out what you think as well, so make sure to comment. See you around! More ...From May 2009 new online lessons will be available
about finishing a doll:
painting your doll
making a body
costuming
and hair and hats
It is possible to sign up for all four lessons or one or more of the separate lessons.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you might have any further questions.
Marlaine
Last weekend was the closing date for sending in entries for the DABIDA Award 2009. We received more than 50 entries from all over the world!. All DABIDA artists received the entries in the meantime (without knowing the names of the makers) to give their votes for the top 10 pieces. The quality level is very high and it really is a joy to see this beautiful work. It was hard to decide on the best 10 pieces. What is best?: Best overall appearance? Best idea? Best technique? Best use of materials? Best in theme (Spring)?
I decide to vote with my heart: the ‘WOW” factor, even when it was a tiny little wow because sometimes these little wows can say more than the big ones.
A comfort is that I am only one of the DABIDA members who have to give their votes. All votes together will decide on the top 10 pieces to be featured on the DABIDA website from next week.
In March the 3 best entries will be announced. On the next DABIDA (April 5th) the DABIDA artist members will vote for the final winner.
The 2009 NIADA Convention will be held in Arrowmont, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, September 8-13 2009. Maybe we will meet there. Detailed information is available on the NIADA website.
I will be teaching a 2 day class ‘Head, Hands and Feet in Direct Sculpted Porcelain’ and together with Ankie Daanen a 2 day class ‘Dutch Touch Theatre’.
Details and registration on www.niada.org/masterclasses.html
Pictures NIADA, Atlanta 2001 (exhibition and workshop)
We are in the third week of my online sculpting class with an active and talented group. On the class forum I have posted two interesting sites:
www.beautyanalysis.com
showing the ‘perfect face’ based on phi (golden ratio) with a lot of examples and differences in age, sex and race. And of course how to check if your own face is perfect. I am sure we all are perfect. Could be interesting when sculpting faces.
One of the students asked me about making wings. I don’t have much experience with wings for dolls, the wings I made were for my animals and are too rough but maybe this could be useful if you want to make a doll with wings:
http://lindasmithoriginals.com/tutorials/cicada-wings/wingsblogad.jpg
and
http://lindasmithoriginals.com/blog/2009/01/18/tutorial-faux-cicada-wings
Also working now on new online classes about painting, the body, clothing and hair and hats.
Together with Ankie Daanen I will be teaching the ‘Meet the Dutch Touch’ class on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in May 2010. Sounds really exotic to me. We will have a wonderful hostess, Marla, who I already have met in my 2008 Paris Doll Holiday and Workshop Week. If you are interested please click here for further details.
Pictures of the results of one of the Meet the Dutch Touch workshops: Meet the Dutch Touch New York City area 2008
For me it will be my second visit to Canada. Years ago I was in Ottawa for teaching a porcelain sculpting class. My aunt Ann lives there and of course I have visited her.
As a board member of the Dutch and Belgian Institute of Doll Artists DABIDA I am very proud to announce that Brian and Wendy Froud will be our special guests on the 3rd DABIDA Day in Essen (Belgium) on April 5th 2009. Brian and Wendy surely are a source of inspiration for almost everybody who is making fantasy dolls. Years ago I have met Brian and Wendy in Santa Fe, NM at the legendary Santa Fe Doll Art Shows
Brian looks like one of his own characters and also Wendy with her long waving red hair looked like one of her own faery creations. I am looking forward to meeting them again. They will make the 3rd DABIDA Day a very special one.
A couple of years ago we were in the U.K. for our family holidays and there I saw the typical landscape and the weird knotty trees. I could understand where Brian gets his inspiration. It is easy to believe there in faeries and goblins.
Book introducing DABIDA members: http://marlaineverhelst.com/bookdabida.htm
Just finished two new pieces:
Livestock: marlaineverhelst.com/livestock.htm
and
One horse, six fishes: marlaineverhelst.com/onehorse.htm
My yearly workshop in France was a party again. From The Netherlands we had Ans, Erica, Ineke, Marie and Tosca. Ans and Erica were there for the 5th time. From Australia Sharon, from Belarus Kristina, from Canada Marla and from the USA Gayle and Leslie. Several family members were joining the workshop participants and had a great time in France as well. We had a colorful and inspiring group and the weather was good (and so was the French wine). We even had some Summer days. The results of the workshop are awesome:
Pictures 2008 workshop.
The next Paris Doll Holiday and Workshop will take place from October 24th – October 31st 2009.
Yesterday I started the jury process for the National Polymer Clay Guild
I am a juror for the section ‘Sculpture object’ in the yearly Progress and Possibilities challenge. I don’t work in polymer clays but I was asked to judge the work based on my own experience, background and knowledge. Although it is going to take a lot of time (over 100 entries) I enjoy it very much. The quality level is amazing and I see so many beautiful things that I feel like a child in a candy store. On the weaker pieces I try to give my honost but positive comments knowing how much love and efforts the artist has put in it. Having fun,
Marlaine
Together with my fellow DABIDA members Ankie Daanen, Yvonne Flipse, Nel Groothedde, Tine Kamerbeek, Ana Salvador and Gerda Schaarman from The Netherlands I am invited for an interesting project in Lithuania in the last weekend of June. Together with local Lithuanian doll artists and doll artists from other countries we will work together with Lithuanian celebrities (politicians, actors, writers, musicians, business people). The doll artists have to bring one of their pieces for an auction and one piece that is half done. The piece in progress will get finished working together with one of the celebrities. On the picture my half done piece. I tried to come up with something that could have input from a second ‘artist’ (the Lithuanian celebrity). We will have to paint and decorate the boxes and put something inside. The theme of the project is ‘Love’.
I hope to post a picture of the finished piece later. Fall 2008 there will be a big auction on Lithuanian television with all the dolls that were finished in Lithuania. The project is a charity event for children with cancer and will have a lot of publicity.
I am looking forward very much to the trip to Lithuania.
Marlaine
