Quinn Knits a Twisted Yarn

Some studio time and some home time

I started off this morning in the studio and got some work done on my little paper clay dolls. I had planned to get on with some drawing in the afternoon. So as I got colder and colder in the studio I decided to pack up and take the drawing home to central heating, I'm a bit of a wimp I know but hey it's hard to work with cold fingers.

Above placing arms and sewing felt skirt for the little lady.

Trying 'Dad' out in a box. Below is the sheet of little drawings I did this afternoon, I'm hoping to make them into brooches, I'll let you know how it goes. I'm experimenting with new materials at the moment, things I've had in stock for the last year just waiting for life to calm down a bit so I can put some of my ideas into practice. Then again things are cranking up again, but in a good way, moving house in four weeks, I've also set March as my month to open shop and just to keep things super charged I've been offered freelance work (model making for animation) so it's all exciting stuff, just need to get some early nights.

Quiet Weekend

The children were with their Dad this weekend, and due back any minute so I've left this a bit late. But today I did something I have not done in years, an afternoon nap!! I put a dvd on, Sophia Loren & Gregory peck, wrapped up in blankets on my bed and promptly fell asleep. I have to admit this probably has a lot to do with going out last night (again something I haven't done for a while)

So I still feel a little groggy and just a tad guilty that I should have been packing this weekend and not partying and sleeping, oh well. I'm going to add a couple of pictures, these cloth dolls are waiting patiently in the studio to be finished, a sort of owl & the pussy cat theme.

Kids have arrived back, I'll try to pop back later!

In the Studio today

I finally remembered to take the camera with me this morning, so I have lots of photos of this weeks progress. I also have a couple of images of postcard samples I had made up of my drawings.

Here I found the original drawing for this blog, I had based the doll characters on these characters but was working from memory as I have no internet connection at the studio. But today I found it hiding in an old sketch pad and think they all fit together quite nicely!

I have painted (Gouache) and varnished the heads & bodies. I've made a blue felt hat for the girl and added a bit of hair. And started to sew felt trousers for the little chap in glasses, who is very loosely based on my Dad, the lovely lady next to him inspired by my beautiful Mum. 

Here they are lined up in egg cups, I've had these hanging around in my studio for ages and they have become the perfect holders for drying paint and varnish work.

'Dad' got a felt collar and once I had completed his trousers I whipped him up a little shopping bag so he could go and buy his newspaper.

I'm feeling my way through the making of these dolls as i don't have a definite construction plan, I've attached the arms with wire and felt discs to stop the arms and body rubbing. The legs are fixed and stuffed so he will be standing, no opportunity to sit down and read that paper I'm afraid!

Below Mum and Dad are having a chat about needing their arms and legs pretty soon.

Below arms have been pinned in place awaiting wire fixings.

My work table this morning, checking through the postcards of my drawings from Moo.

And last but not least, Clown is nearly complete, just a little work left to do on his satchel. A productive week, lots to think about over the weekend, have a good Friday night and I'll be back soon.

Today in the studio

So this is todays progress on paper clay dolls. Above are three sculpted and sanded dolls with one that I've started painting, the idea is to make up the characters from the drawing above that is my blogs banner. The painted doll is the central character with the blue hat. I have envisioned these characters in all kinds of finished forms but had never come up with a solution I was completely happy with, so far I'm excited with the way the paper clay is working, I'm still debating how much will be worked in textile/yarn etc.

The little hangers are from when I was a child, they arrived at my studio today with a load of wonderful fabric scraps from my Mum, who is having a big clear out after running her own business for years as a designer/dressmaker with her two partners. I unpacked some today, bits of liberty tana lawn, linens and silk, there's nothing better than sorting through a load of  new fabric/ yarn/ lace/ ribbons/buttons....I could go on.

The rotund clown is taking shape with arms and legs being added today, in the background is one of my revamped vintage dolls.

Below I'm choosing hair and starting to paint the second doll.

Below, being varnished.

The only downside to the paper clay is I discovered my puppy likes to eat it! two dolls chewed and six clay buttons eaten, I'll need to watch this along with straw hats!

Tomorrow I'll take some pictures of my new fabric scraps, I forgot to do that today. But now I,m going to pop over to Spoonflower to play around with some fabric designs I'm working out around some of my drawings.

Family

So this picture doesn't exactly represent our weekend. in fact the girls and I made this a few weeks ago, it was a huge success. But since the last couple of days have been pretty miserable I felt like I needed to re-balance and remind myself of the lovely moments we do achieve. We ate the above bread in one sitting, hot with butter and jam.

I think that mostly a blog is a happy kind of place, I know that's how I feel about it, I want to share the good bits but sometimes it's probably ok to add a bit of reality to the home made bread image, incidentally the above recipe (which is from Mary Berry's Baking Bible) worked for us because the individual balls could be kneaded and shaped by each child without argument, as we had four each.

I guess what I'm feeling is a little saddened by the way our weekend unfolded, the children fought non stop and I was too tired to be an effective mediator. Instead I grumped around wishing I could escape to my bedroom with my book, when I did go upstairs to round the girls up for bed I discovered my room and bedding had been reorganised to create a den, which I suppose was slightly better than Saturday night when I got into my bed to find it scrunching with discarded sweet wrappers. 

so back to the good bits with some pictures and then an early night for me. This picture is from the summer and it makes me smile, Rosie had chopped her own hair off a few days before this picture was taken which shows her holding up a little box with a front tooth that has just fallen out, she has also just been treated for head lice, hence the greasy locks. Add in the dirty vest and she's sporting quite a look!

Below is Sadie sporting a clowns wig we bought for Halloween.

And here is one of our cats Bonny happily snuggling up to the new pup Grayson. The cats and dog have given the children so much pleasure over the last year. I was just going to say I never regret adding a puppy to our crazy mix when I heard him upstairs, I've just pulled the last scraps of my straw hat from his jaws! 

And Grayson still owns a hat, but he looks much better in his than I ever did in the straw one.

And I'll finish with a picture of Tom loving his cat and dog. I think I've missed my early night so I'm off now. 

 

 

 

Studio Progress

It's Saturday morning and between prizing my daughters apart from their daily fight to the death and walking the dog I thought I might squeeze in a quick post. I'm exhausted but bubbling with ideas, it has been hard work forcing myself back into the studio whilst racked with doubt about my future. But getting back to my blog, Flickr and Etsy has been inspiring, I've even set up on Face book!

Despite having to move again at the end of February I'm hoping to have my Etsy shop back up and running soon. I have a Que of dolls waiting to be finished and find new homes, they are well and truly tired of being chilled in my studio. Above and below are images of the paper clay doll I am working on, she is teaching me a lot along with her little clown companion.

So when I have completed these two I want to make a series of smaller paper clay dolls for my shop, as well as getting cards printed from my drawings, like the Thank you drawing below.

It seems I'm out of time, my son is awake and although the cries are no longer murderous the noise level is just not conducive to coherent thought. I will leave you with a couple of images of my studio space (which I know is very messy, a tidy up is on my to do list....really it is)

Back soon x

Dolls & Drawings

I'm in the studio every day, it's cold but the sun is shining and this has lifted  every ones mood immeasurably. Today I also went to a talk for people wanting to set up their own business, it was interesting and has given me a lot to think about.

I am taking time to find my creative flow, lots of ideas but not quite sure where I want to take them, especially with the added considerations of how to make this a viable business. Above are the beginnings of my first attempts with paper clay (for the heads) with textile bodies. I enjoy mixing up the different textures of the materials, and am going to try some different characters, kind of linked to my drawings. I would like them to incorporate different skills, sculpture, painting, sewing, knitting, to be accomplished but not overly polished.

She reminds me of a childhood puppet or story character. Below is a rotund clown character based on one of my drawings. Both dolls are works in progress, I don't have a clear finished image for either doll.

Above is bird boy, a pencil drawing on paper. Below is love birds, pencil on paper.

above is the Easter Bunny, ink & pencil on paper. Below is a princess, pen & pencil on paper.

And the last image today is 'I hear your music', pen & pencil on paper. My scanner is not behaving so I had to photograph the drawings, hence the rather poor quality. All the drawings are ideas towards producing some prints and cards for my shops. So I'm going to watch a bit of telly with a cup of tea and off to bed, good night and thanks for having a look at my bit of the web.

 

A Very Long Time Away!

Well today is the day I've finally decided to sit down and explain my long absence. The last 18 months have been long and hard for the kids and I, we have moved house twice and are facing our third move at the end of February. For the last 6 months we have been living a long way from schools, friends, family, it has been tough especially with my eldest just starting secondary school.

So our third move although slightly insane in terms of actually being able to squeeze some last little sparks of energy out of me (I feel like I need to go to sleep for six months like a grumpy bear).....it is an unmissable opportunity to move closer into town again. 

Today I would also like to introduce the new member of our family, the lovely Grayson who is a sweet whippet pup.

Along with the move I am also trying to get into a more positive place about my own work, I am back in my studio experimenting with paper clay dolls heads and deciding which textile dolls to produce. At home I have been drawing with a view to producing some printed cards and paper dolls. I have some images of drawings and will take my camera into the studio soon to document the progress I've made there.

So I hope 2011 is treating you well so far, and I'll be back soon with more pictures.