I sit and watch her "sleep", my little girl, un-assmbled, barely painted, wrapped in a blanket. I look at her and where before I saw her imperfections, I only now see her beauty. What color of hair should I give her? Black maybe, like Cody had... her skin is fair so black will suit her well.
I went (unwillingly) shopping for her today... well not *for* her exactly, I just popped in the store to see if the Spring clothes were in (they were and I think I've decided on Little Wonder's Outfit!).
I've always loved this sculpt, ever since the summer when she was born. I begged Ruth to take her, as I really couldn't afford to keep her but I wanted one of her to keep. I am so happy she is home to mommy at last :)
I haven't even touched the preemie... don't get me wrong, I love her too and I am dying to put her together, but there is something so familiar and sweet about Romy... My little girl... a vinyl little girl.
I really hope I am allowed to post pictures, I don't want to step on the company's toes :)
So for now, I sit and look at her, half done, all pale and small and fragile with her hands open in sleep, what is she dreaming about? I can't wait to get to her, doing her up, dressing her and showing her around...
Oh what fun I will have photographing her!!
My little girl...
Friday, March 14, 2008
New Vinyls By Simply Reborn Dolls
Today I got my prototypes of the two new babies I sculpted for Simply Reborn Dolls.
This was a good month because I got my Mommy Loves You and now these two and I am over the moon :)
I just love this new vinyl, the Simply Skin II. The color is lovely and correct and it's soft and smooth BUT not THIN to the point it can't keep its shape like it happened with Ben.
I am happy with the sculpts although as expected some detail was lost when the sculpts were translated to vinyl but still very detailed both of them :)
Of course my first love is the newborn version which I've named Romy (after my favorite actress Romy Schneider).
I can't wait to start reborning them but I have orders to finish first so they will have to wait... patiently :)
It's odd to receive prototypes ... some companies take so long you've forgotten all about the sculpt details and the vinyl seems foreign to you. Or worse, it's been years and you have moved on, improved greatly, and suddenly you see your earlier work just released and you go "wow! was I BLIND back then?". I mean don't we all do that? Sculptors and reborners alike? Don't we all think we're much better now than two years ago and laugh when we see our earlier work? I do most of the time :)
It's not that I was "horrid" two years ago and I am a master now... but I am constantly trying to improve my work, I study and study and sketch and draw and sculpt the human baby form trying to achieve the ultimate realism and correct anatomy and this has SOME effect right? I mean I am improving sculpt by sculpt, even a tiny bit... so when I see older work, even if it's good work I go.. "yeah, I now do this feature much better".
Or as my boys grow so do my sculpts... I am about ready to take the plunge and sculpt OLDER babies... a few months old...a few years old...
But anyway... this post was about my little prototypes. Girls you won't be disappointed!
I hope I will be allowed to share pics :)
Hugs
Tina
This was a good month because I got my Mommy Loves You and now these two and I am over the moon :)
I just love this new vinyl, the Simply Skin II. The color is lovely and correct and it's soft and smooth BUT not THIN to the point it can't keep its shape like it happened with Ben.
I am happy with the sculpts although as expected some detail was lost when the sculpts were translated to vinyl but still very detailed both of them :)
Of course my first love is the newborn version which I've named Romy (after my favorite actress Romy Schneider).
I can't wait to start reborning them but I have orders to finish first so they will have to wait... patiently :)
It's odd to receive prototypes ... some companies take so long you've forgotten all about the sculpt details and the vinyl seems foreign to you. Or worse, it's been years and you have moved on, improved greatly, and suddenly you see your earlier work just released and you go "wow! was I BLIND back then?". I mean don't we all do that? Sculptors and reborners alike? Don't we all think we're much better now than two years ago and laugh when we see our earlier work? I do most of the time :)
It's not that I was "horrid" two years ago and I am a master now... but I am constantly trying to improve my work, I study and study and sketch and draw and sculpt the human baby form trying to achieve the ultimate realism and correct anatomy and this has SOME effect right? I mean I am improving sculpt by sculpt, even a tiny bit... so when I see older work, even if it's good work I go.. "yeah, I now do this feature much better".
Or as my boys grow so do my sculpts... I am about ready to take the plunge and sculpt OLDER babies... a few months old...a few years old...
But anyway... this post was about my little prototypes. Girls you won't be disappointed!
I hope I will be allowed to share pics :)
Hugs
Tina
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The new Babies :)
Here are some pictures of my 3 most recent babies...
This is Alyssa. She is around 12" long and a full sculpt.
Alyssa 1
Alyssa 2
This is James. He is life size newborn size and his upper body is totally sculpted with a jointed neck.
James 1
James 2
James 3
And this is Twin A for Denise. He is waiting on his awake brother :)
Twin A
Ugh, I hope I finish all my orders soon :) I really need a small break!!
T.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
A ladybug for Spring...
Today was a weird and exhausting day!
It started in the wee hours of morning when my son decided he wanted to stay up... until 3am. Somehow I ended up with both of them in my bed until finally at 3.30am I gave up, picked them up carried them in bed and in a very stern voice I waved my finger in front of their noses and told them if they dared get out of bed again, so help me God I would spank them so hard they wouldn't be able to sit for a week. And guess what? It worked with no spanking involved... not that I have ever spanked them but the threat worked. I was child free until around 7am! Yay!
Then Cody started the day with a dreadful cough, runny nose and a temperature. John followed... I worked some during the day after I slept for a couple of hours from 8am when the nanny arrived until 10am. Sorry but I had missed half my sleep last night!
And then I got two wonderful parcels in the mail. One was from Brenda in the US. I got my ordered Pins from her. One reads "I love making babies out of clay" and the other says "Yes, I still play with dolls!" lol.
I put them on my handbag ;)
Then I got my outfit from Milly Me (Thea). Now I will be honest with you. At first I thought it was very pricey and had second thoughts about buying it... but when it arrived, OMG it is SO worth EVERY PENNY!! It's amazingly well made, like high end boutique well made. Thea did a marvelous job!
It's a complete ladybug set and I am saving it for an Asian 3 month old I am sculpting in between ordered work. Love love love this outfit!
Thank you Thea, you are incredible and your work is fantastic. I am so looking forward to getting more of your outfits for those "special" dolls ;)
On another note we've had two partial births today: Baby Alyssa, a 12" JUST BORN full sculpt baby was almost born today. She is only missing her arms and Nicole's first baby, the sleeping one, had her or his head baked today. I love this head and I think it's one of my best. Nicole, you won't be disappointed my friend with the twins, they are coming along SO nicely!!!
I hope to bake the awake baby in the weekend. I can do arms and legs fairly quickly... for the life size ones it takes me about two hours per limb... most of the time is taken by doing the detailing :O)
I love making hands the best though... feet being a close second lol.
And and on another note, our power company went on strike today... I had a baby with a 104 fever in the car after taking him to the ped, a prescription for antibiotics and what nots and because of the stupid strike all the over night pharmacies were closed because they had not power! And I got home to find our entire block was out too. I dragged my half asleep feverish pre-schooler 2 floors using the stairs, you idiots always wanting more money power company goons... and then I couldn't put him in the shower to lower his fever and I couldn't put on the humidifier for him to breathe because we had no power!!
Thankfully they had decided that each block will be without power for 3 hours so we got our power back at around 9pm and then the next block went black. I will fill the prescription for Cody tomorrow morning. Apparently his tonsils are SO infected he requires Claripen, an antibiotic used on AIDS patients for it's potency. And I am SOOOO loading everyone up on Vit C from tomorrow onwards. I had it with my family being sick ALL THE TIME for the past 4 months. If I see another runny nose on either child or adult so help me I will cork it ;)
T.
It started in the wee hours of morning when my son decided he wanted to stay up... until 3am. Somehow I ended up with both of them in my bed until finally at 3.30am I gave up, picked them up carried them in bed and in a very stern voice I waved my finger in front of their noses and told them if they dared get out of bed again, so help me God I would spank them so hard they wouldn't be able to sit for a week. And guess what? It worked with no spanking involved... not that I have ever spanked them but the threat worked. I was child free until around 7am! Yay!
Then Cody started the day with a dreadful cough, runny nose and a temperature. John followed... I worked some during the day after I slept for a couple of hours from 8am when the nanny arrived until 10am. Sorry but I had missed half my sleep last night!
And then I got two wonderful parcels in the mail. One was from Brenda in the US. I got my ordered Pins from her. One reads "I love making babies out of clay" and the other says "Yes, I still play with dolls!" lol.
I put them on my handbag ;)
Then I got my outfit from Milly Me (Thea). Now I will be honest with you. At first I thought it was very pricey and had second thoughts about buying it... but when it arrived, OMG it is SO worth EVERY PENNY!! It's amazingly well made, like high end boutique well made. Thea did a marvelous job!
It's a complete ladybug set and I am saving it for an Asian 3 month old I am sculpting in between ordered work. Love love love this outfit!
Thank you Thea, you are incredible and your work is fantastic. I am so looking forward to getting more of your outfits for those "special" dolls ;)
On another note we've had two partial births today: Baby Alyssa, a 12" JUST BORN full sculpt baby was almost born today. She is only missing her arms and Nicole's first baby, the sleeping one, had her or his head baked today. I love this head and I think it's one of my best. Nicole, you won't be disappointed my friend with the twins, they are coming along SO nicely!!!
I hope to bake the awake baby in the weekend. I can do arms and legs fairly quickly... for the life size ones it takes me about two hours per limb... most of the time is taken by doing the detailing :O)
I love making hands the best though... feet being a close second lol.
And and on another note, our power company went on strike today... I had a baby with a 104 fever in the car after taking him to the ped, a prescription for antibiotics and what nots and because of the stupid strike all the over night pharmacies were closed because they had not power! And I got home to find our entire block was out too. I dragged my half asleep feverish pre-schooler 2 floors using the stairs, you idiots always wanting more money power company goons... and then I couldn't put him in the shower to lower his fever and I couldn't put on the humidifier for him to breathe because we had no power!!
Thankfully they had decided that each block will be without power for 3 hours so we got our power back at around 9pm and then the next block went black. I will fill the prescription for Cody tomorrow morning. Apparently his tonsils are SO infected he requires Claripen, an antibiotic used on AIDS patients for it's potency. And I am SOOOO loading everyone up on Vit C from tomorrow onwards. I had it with my family being sick ALL THE TIME for the past 4 months. If I see another runny nose on either child or adult so help me I will cork it ;)
T.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
On creating babies...
As many of you know, I am the mother of 27 month old twin boys... going through the terrible twos... or as I would call them "the horrible two's".
It's not that my boys are not pure joy, on their good days... or that I love them any less when they are being impossibly naughty or tantrum-y. Or even when they say "no no" to putting shoes on before we go out after an exasperated twenty minute struggle to slide tiny pants on tiny legs that won't stop moving... but there are days, most days in fact, that I feel simply drained by all the struggle. Sometimes I think "I just want them older... cooperative for the most part... I want them to play alone for 30 minutes while I do dishes ... " and it's true. I do want all of these things... but I do enjoy the here and now of raising them too.
A few weeks ago the bigger of the two, Cody, who at 27 months is nearly the size of a 5 year old (wears a 9 1/2 size shoe and is over 40" tall!!), dislocated my left wrist while at the dentist's. My wrist which was always "strained" then got a recurrent case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome... and today, after my sons dutifully removed my splint calling it "boo boo gone bye bye" (as if the SPLINT is the actual boo boo) because I didn't want my little ones being afraid by it... and I couldn't wear a sweater to hide most of it because it was too darn hot... I somehow misplaced it.
So I spent the day not wearing my splint... I then very cleverly (Not) tried to lift my 35 lbs son and swing him over to his bed after his bath... unfortunately somewhere in the middle of this motion, I felt an incredible shooting pain from, un-splinted, wrist and I almost dropped my baby... however in a feat of motherly super-human-ness, I bit my lip, tightened my grip, and landed my baby safely on his bed.
I then proceeded to jump around the room, holding my wrist, yelping in pain.
After a vigorous application of some analgesic ointment, I sat down (still without having located my "boo boo" aka splint) as my angels sucked on their bottles of milk and tried to fall asleep. This is a new one... all their lives they had been put in bed wide awake and slept through the night. Then they turned two.. and now I have to sit in the room with them until the fall asleep. If I leave, chances are the will demolish their room, remove their diapers, jump on each other multiple times and generally take about two hours until they are asleep... in a havoc wrecked room.
So instead I sacrifice an hour of my time each night, sitting out of sight in the room, with the occasional "go to sleep NOW" gentle nudging to a too feisty but exhausted pre-schooler and then I back out, very slowly, very quietly all the while praying I don't make a sound and wake up a preciously sleeping angel...
So today, I was thinking of my "inspiration" baby lying on my work table waiting for an ear and arms... the newborn little girl with the disgruntled expression that has so captured my heart and on which I work on, on my breaks from ordered sculptures.
By the end of my probation, errr, time with the boys, I had decided she would be called Alyssa, that I would add a magnet to her skull for a magnetic bow and that I will indeed give her jointed arms for dressing because I had remembered I have a lovely dress just her size, stuffed in one of my clothes drawers.
So... an hour not entirely wasted ;)
Next step: order a Tina replica to sit quietly and intimidate the kids into falling to sleep with her "I kid you not mister go to bed NOW" look ;)
Hopefully I will finish Alyssa this week... along with all my other projects... sigh.
T.
It's not that my boys are not pure joy, on their good days... or that I love them any less when they are being impossibly naughty or tantrum-y. Or even when they say "no no" to putting shoes on before we go out after an exasperated twenty minute struggle to slide tiny pants on tiny legs that won't stop moving... but there are days, most days in fact, that I feel simply drained by all the struggle. Sometimes I think "I just want them older... cooperative for the most part... I want them to play alone for 30 minutes while I do dishes ... " and it's true. I do want all of these things... but I do enjoy the here and now of raising them too.
A few weeks ago the bigger of the two, Cody, who at 27 months is nearly the size of a 5 year old (wears a 9 1/2 size shoe and is over 40" tall!!), dislocated my left wrist while at the dentist's. My wrist which was always "strained" then got a recurrent case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome... and today, after my sons dutifully removed my splint calling it "boo boo gone bye bye" (as if the SPLINT is the actual boo boo) because I didn't want my little ones being afraid by it... and I couldn't wear a sweater to hide most of it because it was too darn hot... I somehow misplaced it.
So I spent the day not wearing my splint... I then very cleverly (Not) tried to lift my 35 lbs son and swing him over to his bed after his bath... unfortunately somewhere in the middle of this motion, I felt an incredible shooting pain from, un-splinted, wrist and I almost dropped my baby... however in a feat of motherly super-human-ness, I bit my lip, tightened my grip, and landed my baby safely on his bed.
I then proceeded to jump around the room, holding my wrist, yelping in pain.
After a vigorous application of some analgesic ointment, I sat down (still without having located my "boo boo" aka splint) as my angels sucked on their bottles of milk and tried to fall asleep. This is a new one... all their lives they had been put in bed wide awake and slept through the night. Then they turned two.. and now I have to sit in the room with them until the fall asleep. If I leave, chances are the will demolish their room, remove their diapers, jump on each other multiple times and generally take about two hours until they are asleep... in a havoc wrecked room.
So instead I sacrifice an hour of my time each night, sitting out of sight in the room, with the occasional "go to sleep NOW" gentle nudging to a too feisty but exhausted pre-schooler and then I back out, very slowly, very quietly all the while praying I don't make a sound and wake up a preciously sleeping angel...
So today, I was thinking of my "inspiration" baby lying on my work table waiting for an ear and arms... the newborn little girl with the disgruntled expression that has so captured my heart and on which I work on, on my breaks from ordered sculptures.
By the end of my probation, errr, time with the boys, I had decided she would be called Alyssa, that I would add a magnet to her skull for a magnetic bow and that I will indeed give her jointed arms for dressing because I had remembered I have a lovely dress just her size, stuffed in one of my clothes drawers.
So... an hour not entirely wasted ;)
Next step: order a Tina replica to sit quietly and intimidate the kids into falling to sleep with her "I kid you not mister go to bed NOW" look ;)
Hopefully I will finish Alyssa this week... along with all my other projects... sigh.
T.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Inspired...
I stumbled upon a sculpting treasure the other day... a wonderful Greek magazine about pregnancy and birth.
Now, all parenting magazines are of use to a sculptor as we buy them (all) and cut away, saving out favorite baby pictures in an album. Pictures in magazine and the press are btw, free game and you can use them to sculpt even a portrait ;)
Now this magazine is unique for two reasons: it's Greek and it's about birth!
It's important that it's Greek because over here we are more "liberal" with nudity photos so I got some AMAZING HUGE photos of the baby as she was being born, step by step from start to finish.
And then it came with a DVD showing the birth unedited ;)
By the end of it, I felt so inspired! I really want to use the photos to make a "literally just born" baby. I realized that although mine are newborn and I do have the anatomy down, they are more in the stage of being a few hours old, all washed and cleaned, blood flow established (so no blue hands and feet), wrinkly, but less, all clean and fed and snuggled with mom.
I wanted to sculpt the "JUST-BORN-TWO-SECONDS-AGO"... blue feet and all.
Crying, puffy, less attractive ;)
So I forfeited last night's sleep to work on a new sculpt because I do have work to do (custom orders) and I didn't want to put that aside to work on something I was inspired to do.
It went unexpectedly well. In only 4 hours I had a completed head, crying expression and all, and half a torso. This is a 14" sculpt.
Can't wait for tonight so I can work a little more on her.
But for now, I've loaded up on coffee and I am back working on Denise's baby. I will have the head finished today. Boy, will she be surprised (in a good way) ;) lol
And a Little Wonder update: I got my COAs for her/him and they are AMAZING. Love this shop, they did an amazing job!! You will love them ;)
And Barbara sent me an update... she said she is "perfect" lol. (yeah I knew that already - being a biased expectant mommy myself lol)
Only roughly 1 month until I have the first few here!! YAY!!!!
Roll March, Roll!!
And a little not so happy update: my wrist's dislocation by my 2 year old a few weeks ago, has turned into a full fledged Carpal Tunnel Syndrome recurrence and I have been in a splint all this past week.
I remove the "glove" part of the splint to work and I CAN work (although I shouldn't according to the Dr but try telling the gas company that due to CTS I can't pay the bill this month :( or to the garage that I can't pay for my car repair this week). Then the day before yesterday I forgot to remove the splint while I slept and woke up with a very bad case of some sort of rash/allergy from the neopren. Ugh.
I can't even lift a cup of coffee reliably with my left hand without the splint. I think it's time to schedule that surgery... as soon as the boys have grown enough to not need me 23 hours a day, I have enough money saved up in the bank so I don't have to work EVERY day (aka take a vacation) and I am done with all my custom orders so I don't keep people waiting. Let's see... enter all the variables... hmm does the hospital have an opening for December of 2012??
Have a great week everyone!!
Hugs
Tina
Now, all parenting magazines are of use to a sculptor as we buy them (all) and cut away, saving out favorite baby pictures in an album. Pictures in magazine and the press are btw, free game and you can use them to sculpt even a portrait ;)
Now this magazine is unique for two reasons: it's Greek and it's about birth!
It's important that it's Greek because over here we are more "liberal" with nudity photos so I got some AMAZING HUGE photos of the baby as she was being born, step by step from start to finish.
And then it came with a DVD showing the birth unedited ;)
By the end of it, I felt so inspired! I really want to use the photos to make a "literally just born" baby. I realized that although mine are newborn and I do have the anatomy down, they are more in the stage of being a few hours old, all washed and cleaned, blood flow established (so no blue hands and feet), wrinkly, but less, all clean and fed and snuggled with mom.
I wanted to sculpt the "JUST-BORN-TWO-SECONDS-AGO"... blue feet and all.
Crying, puffy, less attractive ;)
So I forfeited last night's sleep to work on a new sculpt because I do have work to do (custom orders) and I didn't want to put that aside to work on something I was inspired to do.
It went unexpectedly well. In only 4 hours I had a completed head, crying expression and all, and half a torso. This is a 14" sculpt.
Can't wait for tonight so I can work a little more on her.
But for now, I've loaded up on coffee and I am back working on Denise's baby. I will have the head finished today. Boy, will she be surprised (in a good way) ;) lol
And a Little Wonder update: I got my COAs for her/him and they are AMAZING. Love this shop, they did an amazing job!! You will love them ;)
And Barbara sent me an update... she said she is "perfect" lol. (yeah I knew that already - being a biased expectant mommy myself lol)
Only roughly 1 month until I have the first few here!! YAY!!!!
Roll March, Roll!!
And a little not so happy update: my wrist's dislocation by my 2 year old a few weeks ago, has turned into a full fledged Carpal Tunnel Syndrome recurrence and I have been in a splint all this past week.
I remove the "glove" part of the splint to work and I CAN work (although I shouldn't according to the Dr but try telling the gas company that due to CTS I can't pay the bill this month :( or to the garage that I can't pay for my car repair this week). Then the day before yesterday I forgot to remove the splint while I slept and woke up with a very bad case of some sort of rash/allergy from the neopren. Ugh.
I can't even lift a cup of coffee reliably with my left hand without the splint. I think it's time to schedule that surgery... as soon as the boys have grown enough to not need me 23 hours a day, I have enough money saved up in the bank so I don't have to work EVERY day (aka take a vacation) and I am done with all my custom orders so I don't keep people waiting. Let's see... enter all the variables... hmm does the hospital have an opening for December of 2012??
Have a great week everyone!!
Hugs
Tina
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