More Bravura

Here's a couple shots of Bravurs's back view without her purple cape on, so you can see more of the cool 'skin' Barb gave her and the pretty fabric flower Yvonne attached. What a vain one Bravura is!

My Cool-Aberration Doll is Home!

Yep, after traveling about 7800 miles over the course of the last 12 months, Bravura Personified has returned home to NC! And boy has she evolved!

Here's what she looked like when I sent her off on her journey last June - just a raw paper mache torso, head and arms stuck in a glass vase "skirt".


And here's what she looks like after visiting seven artists throughout the US and Canada.

Isn't she wonderful?! She evolved into an old Vaudeville dame reminiscing about her glory days. She's everything I hoped she'd be and more.

Karma in SK, Canada made her air dry clay face. Em in WA beaded around it. Robyn in CA added an audacious headdress and sparkly long eyelashes. Mary Anne in ON, Canada stitched up a sparkly beaded cape to match the glittery purple and green bodice fashioned by Barb in NY. Em in WA crocheted copper wire and beads into a glimmering stole and matching hip sash.



Bravura's skirt includes a photo transfer on hand-dyed fabric from Yvonne in TX, sheer ribbon danglies from Karma, the crocheted wire sash from Em, and a boa belt and strands of beads from Barb.


Mary Anne decorated a bottle for collecting the tears of Bravura's abandoned lovers, and Yvonne sent her home with a luxurious ostrich feather.


Jeanne in OR made Bravura's hands and a cigarette and holder perfectly befitting an old Vaudeville broad. Jeanne even had Barb send some of the boa she'd used, so Bravura's feather cuffs would match her belt.


I hung the itsy bitsy book of broken hearts that Mary Anne made on the prissy lace purse that Barb made. (The book is tiny - only 1/2" wide!)


Yvonne added this beautiful fabric flower to the back of Bravura's shoulder. I haven't gotten any back view pics of Bravura yet.


Now tell me Bravura ain't an exceptional piece of collaborative work! I wish everybody could see her in person. She is so cool. She sparkles all over and you can just feel her snooty personality. She's very full of herself.

Her journal is wonderful, too - stuffed with treasures to the very last page. I'll get pics of it soon.

Kyra of Art Doll Cool-Aberration 2009

I've finished Kyra, my last doll in Art Doll Cool-aberration 2009. She goes home to Barb in NY June 1.

Kyra is a volcano goddess. When she came to me, she had great big boobies (curtesy of Em) befitting a goddess. But she was really lacking in the hip and booty department. Instead of resorting to more cosmetic surgery, I convinced Kyra to go with a hip flounce that creates the illusion of more hip and fanny. I also colored her body skin to match her face and added some buttons that help blend in her white belt and also go with her tattoos. After securing her wings (by Jeanne) to her shoulders, I decided to restyle her long ponytail into a bun so it wouldn't get tangled in her wings. Last, I made her a torch - every self-respecting volcano goddess needs a torch.








And here're my pages for Kyra's journal. My first page documents the actual contributions I made to Kyra - her flounce, buttons, torch, etc.


The next page refers to Kyra's alone-ness. Earlier in her story, it was revealed that Kyra can't have a lover because her fiery touch will incinerate a mortal.


However, Kyra's heard of some super heros made of metal (Ironman, Man of Steel, etc) who may be up to her fiery embrace. She's rather picky, though... She's already rejected the Tinman without ever having met him. Says he's a nerd...


If you'd like to see Kyra's progress thru all eight artists participating in Art Doll Cool-Aberration 2009, go to our project blog here. Take a look at all our dolls while you're there.

Soul Mates

I got my next (and last :( ) Art Doll Cool-Aberration doll, Kyra the volcano goddess, this week. Since I hadn't mailed Shudayra off yet, I snapped a couple quick pics of the two of them together. It's obvious they're soul mates, eh?




Kyra belongs to Barb in NY. She's already visited 6 project artists. I'm her last visit before she heads home to Barb.

Happy Birthday to ME!!

My little paper mache Birthday Queen.

More Shudayra

Shudayra is all ready to continue her journey. If you're interested in viewing her artist-by-artist progress, check out our Art Doll Cool-Aberration project blog.



I added an eye bead and 3 sand pebbles from Topsail Beach, NC to Shudayra's rune bag.


And here're the entries I made to her journal.




Next she's off to visit Barb in NY. Then she'll be returning home to her mom, MA, in Ontario.


Bye bye, Shudayra!

Brooch Impression

I really like the way this tag turned out.

It's not real obvious in the pic, but the horse sticks out like bas-relief. I took a small square of watercolor paper and soaked it in warm water for a couple/few minutes. Then I sandwiched it in paper towels to remove the excess water. Took it out of the paper towels and laid it over this brooch. (I removed the pin from the brooch first so it'd lay flat.)


I kindof pressed and molded the paper around the brooch for a couple minutes and then laid it aside to dry.

Next I lightly sprayed a couple coats of Krylon glossy clearcoat to each side of the embossed tag, letting the Krylon dry between coats (it dries really quickly). I did that to seal the tag so I could paint with acrylics without wetting the paper and losing the impression. Then I painted it and added the little text labels.

The tag has been incorporated into Shudayra's journal which I'll picture soon.