Featured Personal Work (in progress): Thespians (2022 - current)

I continue to firmly needle felt the underlying thespian skull.

I add core wool as needed for nose, cheeks, chin etc. At this phase, I am sculpting facial features. Throughout this step, I stretch doll-skin fabric across the face to see how it is translating to being covered with dollskin (the next step). I use pins for the eyes to get a feel for how the features will translate when covered in doll-skin.

I cover the head tightly with doll-skin making sure that the ribs of the skin are vertical. I hand stitch the seams as I go and cut out fabric to shape to the head (I like using ladder stitch when possible because it is flatter than most other stitches). This is a messy process, but I do not worry too much because the hair will cover the back of the scull. I also pull a thread through the mouth area to help create the lips.

At this step I embroider the eyes, add make-up to the face and freckles.

I am not much of an embroider (yet), so the eyes require slow work.

I use a mix of 12 and 14 gauge wires to create the basic armature.

The fingers and hands have evolved through several iterations.

They are a wire and flexible clay combination that is attached to the body armature. In the current version, I leave the wire for the fingers exposed outside of the clay to help prevent breakage when posing the hands.

I now use black clay for feet which this image does not show. The feet are a combination of clay, wire and wool. The base feet stabilizes the thespians' balance.

I also wrap the body armature with clay in the arms and legs (baked before adding the head) to form 'bones' so the thespian has a bias towards bending at the joints.

Not a whole lot to say about this phase, except that it is slow work that requires patience to avoid breaking needles and continue to firmly build up the character.

At this point, I start to think about who the character is and what kind of body I think will suit them.

With some earlier exceptions, their bodies are covered with black doll skin for their legs, and skin-colored matching the face for their tops. This requires a lot of hand stitching.

In their eventual finished design, they will all wear shoes/boots to cover the clay feet and gloves to cover the transition from their hands to their bodies.

They will also have removable clothes, armor, accessories etc. that match their role in their diorama.

Eventually, each will get their own mohair yarn head cap sewn to their heads. Then a mohair weft will be sewn to the head cap.