Art Doll Quarterly Magazine

I am so pleased to share that I have been published in the Winter 2013 issue of Art Doll Quarterly magazine which is now in stores and available online for purchase.

Here's a peek at one of the dolls who is featured in the article.

I will provide more images from the magazine in my next blog post along with information on how you can win a very special art doll!

Can't wait 'till next year....

I had such a good time at the Stamford, CT Art-Is You Art Retreat that I wished I could have stayed a couple of more days.  And I already can't wait 'till next year!  Sallianne and Ellen are two of the most generous and dedicated women I know to put these Art Retreats together which has grown (in more than quadruple its numbers!) in just a few years. Their hard work and persistence paid off as they, with every event, help the mixed media art world meet and come together.

All of 2011 I planned (and saved $) to be able to take two classes and participate as a vendor at the Art Trunk.  It was waaay worth it!  The teachers graciously and happily shared their techniques, and the vending night left me with empty boxes to bring home.  Here are pics of what I made in the classes and some new M Ann M Creations/Watermelon Party Shop items that were for sale at the Art Trunk.

Jodi Ohl's - Confessions of the HeART workshop

For this workshop, Jodi asked the students to tell our secrets to the canvas by revealing only bits and pieces of our most sacred thoughts through blocks of hidden treasures, painted treasures and unique 3d elements as we created a painted block collage entitled, “Confessions of the HeART”.

We were supposed to prepare beforehand with the theme of the class in mind; but I really don't have any secrets like that to tell.  So I went into the class just thinking "I'd paint some flowers and birds or something".  So the results of my work don't really portray any secrets...but then again...as much as I complain about being a mom (something that I REALLY didn't see in my future just a couple of years ago)....the truth is, I love my children more than anything and I am so happy they came into my life.  More important, I really feel that the TIME they came into my life (8 years into marriage and after some rough times) was truly a blessing. These 2 tiny people are like a glue for this little family of 4.

Doreen Kassel - Charming Music Box Sculptures

Oh boy, did I have delusions of productivity going into this class!.  The music mechanism I chose to purchase beforehand played Row, Row, Row Your Boat.  I also brought with me, to the class, a vision of a sailboat surrounded with waves and a little girl and boy sitting in the boat rowing oars and splashing the water.   Little did I know that I DO NOT like working with polymer clay and I DO NOT like working with oil paints.  I had never really used these two mediums before so realizing my vision was not going to work out as planned, I simplified my project theme and ended up with this little sailor instead.  I think he came out quite well and so cute, thanks to help from Doreen and my fellow classmates.

Here are some of the items that I made to be sold, first, at the Art Trunk.  Whatever didn't sell is now available at either of my Etsy shops.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/MAnnMCreations and http://www.etsy.com/shop/WatermelonParty

Paper and Tulle Dress on a wire dress form

Pumpkin, Snowman and Sunflower Surprise Balls

Art is...You East Coast Mixed Media Art Retreat

I'm so excited the Art Is...You retreat in Stamford, CT is this week!  Make the trip if you can.  The Art Trunk (vending night) is worth the trip alone for mixed media artists and crafters.  It might be too late to register for workshops but make a day out of it and go to the mall, the movies or a museum in the day time and stop by the Art Trunk at night, from 6-10 pm on Saturday, October 6.  I will personally take a few amazing classes and then participate as a vendor.  I will have some new surprise ball designs for sale and other never-before-seen great paper project kits!  I will post all of my new offerings on this blog and on ETSY after the event.  Hope to see you at Art is...!

Handmade Dress Form

When I made my paper cancan dress, I was asked to send it along with something to display it on in the exhibit.  I searched the internet for days looking for an inexpensive, light weight, non-plastic dress form but I couldn't find anything!  So I decided to make my own.  If you'd like to make your own too, you will need to have a dress form to begin with - yeah, this kind of defeats the purpose of needing to make your own - but in my case, I was able to borrow a dress form to use as my "mold".

Here are some work in progress photos and instructions.  The dress form took about three weeks from start to finish because I wanted to make sure it was completely dry in between the steps.  I also made a stand for the dress form using a wooden curtain rod and a wire basket; but the following steps are instructions on how to make the dress form to simply sit atop a table, desk or dresser.  I didn't take enough photos but I hope you get the idea.

Materials:
Dress form (to use as a mold)
Large plastic garbage bag
Masking tape (2 rolls)
Heavy duty scissors
Paper pulp
Cardboard
Newspaper or plastic bags
Paper mache (I used vintage sheet music and 3/4 school glue + 1/4 water to make the paper mache)
Varnish or other sealer

Instructions:
Step 1:  Drape the dress form with the large plastic garbage bag.

Step 2:  Cover the dress form with masking tape.  (I used an entire roll of 2" tape just for this step).  Since my dress form has arms and a longer torso than I needed,  I ended up with three openings that would later be closed up.

Step 3: Cover the dress form with paper pulp.  It is necessary to apply the pulp with the dress form laying on the ground so that it doesn't drip off.  I applied pulp to the front side first and let it dry for three days.  Then I applied pulp to the back side and let it dry for three days again.

Step 4: When the pulp dried, I measured and marked a line all around the bottom edge.  This is a very important step to ensure that the form will sit level when complete.

Step 5:  When the paper pulp dries it will be very tight to the dress form so the easiest way to cut off the pulp is with a "t" shaped incision in the back.  You will be cutting through the layer of pulp, masking tape and the plastic bag as these are all stuck to together now.  Be very careful when making your cuts so as not to damage the dress form underneath.  Tip: To ensure that you do not cut into the dress form "mold" when slipping the sharp scissors under the plastic bag, cover the tips of the blades with tape.  Remember that the tape is there so you wouldn't want to close the scissors all the way when cutting.

Step 6:  Carefully slip off the dried pulp over the neck.  You may have to slip your hand underneath the layers to loosen it up and off the mannequin.  Don't worry if you make cracks or holes as these can be repaired (during step 8).

Step 7:  Cut off the excess paper pulp/tape/plastic along the marked line on the bottom.

Step 8: Close off the incision mark (and any cracks you may have made) with more tape and paper pulp.  Let it dry for three days.

Step 9:  Tightly fill in the empty cavity of the form with crumpled newspaper to make it solid and sturdy. (You can use plastic bags instead).

Step 10: Close off the arms and bottom openings with cardboard circles/ovals, tape and paper pulp.  Let dry completely.

Step 11:  Cover the dress form with the paper mache.  Make sure the paper mache is not dripping wet as it will make the paper pulp soft and cause the form to cave in. Be very careful when handling the dress form at this point because the moisture from the paper mache will seep into the pulp and make it vulnerable to cave-ins.

Step 12:   When the paper mache is dry (about two days later) apply a protective coating of varnish or sealer.

Time and patience was needed to make this dress form out of paper pulp and paper mache.  If you'd like an easier method, I've heard of people making them using just duct tape!  And there are so many pretty duct tape patterns and colors on the market that I'm sure it would come out just as nice.  Making a dress form from scratch was quite an undertaking but it was well worth the results!

Paper Animal Art

I came across a series of children's books that are beautifully written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins.  All of the creatures in his books are created using a collage of carefully chosen papers.  My favorite book of his is titled "Actual Size" in which some animals are displayed at their entire actual size while others can only be featured by what fits on the page of the 11" x 9" book.  I like this book best because it shows close ups of the paper revealing it's unique texture and makeup.  Here are a few images from his books and website.

Aquatic Surprise Balls

Three new and super cute surprise balls available at my Watermelon Party shop on Etsy.

Art Doll Giveaway Winner!

The art doll giveaway winner is ....

All the entries were written on strips of paper, placed in a Faberge mini teapot and only one was randomly picked.   Su Johnson doubled her chances to win by leaving a comment AND liking M Ann M Creations of Facebook and it looks like it paid off.   She is the winner of her choice of The Mad Hatter marionette!  Congrats Su, and I'm so glad he's off to a nice home!