Monday, February 22, 2010

PAPER DOLLS

PHILOSOPHY ANGEL PAPER DOLLS

Philosophy Angel- Madame Butterfly

Many little girls like paper dolls. In my case that would be an understatement. I absolutely loved them. I had literally hundreds of them in all shapes and sizes. My friend, Karen and I played with them from dusk till dawn.

There was a magazine out in those days called “Children’s Playmate Magazine.” The centerfold each month contained the sweetest little paper doll imaginable. When the beginning of the month approached, Karen and I would make several trips a week to the drug store that carried ‘Playmate’ in hopes we would find our treasure. We were never disappointed with our little centerfold of the month.

I loved paper dolls so much that my parents had to humor me when we went on family vacations. My dolls always had to come along. I’d lug them into our old Chevy by the box-ful. I’d play with them all the way to our destination and all the time we were gone. My parents couldn’t figure out how I could be content for so many hours just talking to those dolls.


Close-up of Madame Butterfly

Now that I’m an adult, I sculpt, draw, paint, quilt etc. women’s faces and figures. Finally, after all these years, paper dolls, which are now called paper art dolls, are in vogue and it is natural for me to want to try my hand at making them.

I’ve been influenced by two different paper doll artists but I’m making sure that I create my own style, which is still in a state of evolution. Laura of Creative Whispers has very creative dolls as does Linda of Eclectic Visions of an Altered Journey.

The way that I constructed my first doll, which I am featuring here, was to use a free template from The Enchanted Gallery. It really is a very basic Goddess shape that I have drawn before but it was nice to have a ready template. I made the body with wax resist crayon and acrylic, I attached a ready made set of butterfly (or angel if you will) wings and sculpted an original face from paper clay. I added silk yarn for hair and attached one of my favorite sayings to the front. "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?" I will be adding my own philosophies to each of these dolls. I’m happy with the first one, but I am expecting far more from myself in the near future.

My friend and neighbor, Judy Light Ayyildiz, wrote a very special book of poems entitled Mud River. In the collection is her poem of “Paper Dolls.” I love what she wrote in her poignant message and could not agree more.

Paper Dolls

Hid in the August attic heat, Jeannie, we waltzed them on dusty boards-our stiffelbacked beauties with their modelperfect mates,
romancing in a world of gowns and furs,
glamour bought so cheap, cut so even,
fitting our imagination to a
T. Jeannie,you were mostly mouth
and smiling in those days, while the furtive
wasp fashioned its paper nest
snug on the ceiling of our place.
We believed she would never sting
as long as we allowed her room. Jeanne,
we dressed them up, but never took them out
and down the steps into the swarming streets.

~ Judy Light Ayyildiz ~


Silhouette of Paper Art Doll- Madame Butterfly


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18 comments:

  1. Love your philosophy angel, and your stories of playing with paper dolls as a kid. I loved them, too. Wish I'd known about that magazine back then!
    Beautiful poem.

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  2. Paper dolls....I had so many when I was little and also drew my own - with the most lavish wardrobes. What fun.

    Your paper art doll is beautiful!!! Stunning actually.

    Sue:)

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  3. Oh she is so wonderful- gorgeous work!

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  4. Cheryl she takes my breathe away,wow !!!!
    What a way to start my day,your so positve..
    Madame Buttefly is just fabulous beyond words, I love her. The colors,texture and her face.She is a Healing women. You are such a talented lady, your art is so inspirational.Viewing your art work gives such a peaceful feeling.
    Your a doll Cheryl, you have such a lovely face. You shine brightly....
    I enjoyed reading about your love for paper dolls, a pleasure to visit your blog.
    Thank you for your kind words, truly touches my heart.
    Happy Creating,can't wait to see what is next on your creative art journey.
    Big Hugs, Laura. xoxx

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  5. She is so beautiful, love visiting your blog.
    Debby

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  6. When I first scanned your post, I thought it was more than one doll. She is simply stunning and holding her in the window adds a whole new perspective. I love all the detail in her.

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  7. Hi Cheryl,I added your blog link to my blog post today.I just loved your new Madame Butterfly,I want to share her with my followers too. She is stunning and love the colors..She looks like stained glass, another favorite of mine.
    Have a nice day and can't wait to see what you create next.
    Big Hugs,Laura. xoxx

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  8. she is wonderful, well done and thank you for taking some inspiration from me :)

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  9. Your paper dolls are divine indeed. I can see the goddess. A friend is going to write a tutorial on how to make traditional simple dolls. Maybe you would like to see it?

    http://mythcolour.blogspot.com/2010/02/ragladies-and-saint.html

    Thank you for your comment earlier today. Susan, is a friend, not my sister. The confusion may be that her sister was visiting her from the UK at the time that she wrote the post.

    xJ

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  10. Cheryl,

    Thank you for your comment on my blog and becoming a follower too. You are most kind. I love to write about my methods and share my process with followers. So here I am spending more time at your blog after the OWOH mad dash!. I read your entire post on your trip to Cancun. I so much enjoyed your post. And this post was beautiful too. The history behind your paper doll addiction explains a lot. I think I am going to have to follow you too! Thank you for all the heart you put into your words!
    k

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  11. Hi Cheryl,
    welcome on my blog, as you requested I have added a google translator on it, and my reply is an opportunity to visit yours and your lovely dolls !!!
    Will come back !

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  12. Beautiful! My fav is the silhouette due to the light filtering through.
    Hugs Trace

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