Friday, March 6, 2015

how I make my Rat art doll ........ sandy mastroni {{{ SOLD }}}


 this is how it starts .  I use any fabric { usually cotton } as long as it's good and sturdy fabric . This is material from a curtain panel .  I draw the shapes , sew it up .


Sewing all the pieces together takes time .... the legs , arms ,ears and tail are cut separately , stuffed , and each piece is hand sewn into the body . Stuffing is so important .... time consuming , because I pack in the stuffing , pack it in hard , shaping things as I go . Then I paint the whole piece solid black . get it dry { I have no patience , I use a hair dryer }
Looks awful at this stage , doesn't it ? !!!!


 Then I dry brush white paint on , letting some black show through , letting black sit in all the crevices .
Then I paint colors on her . soft pink for her shirt , a blue for her skirt
I then apply a generous coat of polyurethane varnish all over the doll ..... let it dry , making sure it is very dry before I continue.
finally ...... I brush on Folk art medium , which is a dark brown antiquing gel ..... wipe some away with a soft cloth, leaving some brown in the crevices , adding any more details ....... like polka dots and stripes , dry brush red onto cheeks and nose ....... derwent Inktense pencils used around the eyes .  I might add a few more whiskers , black threads stitched through and secured . On the back .... I usually put a button with some wire for hanging . Sign my name on the back


ALL DONE ......... I'll be putting this rat doll in my etsy shop soon , Her name is Greta
**** she's in my shop now ! **** {{{{ sold }}}}}
also > was this interesting to see ?  If you think it was , please let me know . I've been neglecting my blog , not sure who still looks at blogs , seems like Pinterest and facebook have taken over the blogs !


11 comments:

Корисні поради - город, сад, дім said...

Шикарно !

cgillette said...

love your stuff, and always love hearing how people put stuff together! fun to hear new techniques! will love to hear more. I made curtains for my dining room inspired by the photo of your curtain with all the doilies on it! Hope you are not freezing back east...I would tell you our temp out here today but you would hate me....
Cathy Gillette

cgillette said...

will be checking on your blog through facebook because it is too hard to remember all my accounts, and I never use this one on google...

Sandy Mastroni said...

Hi Cathy ...... Oh , that's so good you made the curtains
I was inspired to make mine from " Sea Angels " blog
I think her blog is in my links
She has a beautiful blog
and I loved " Posy " blog too , but she doesn't post anymore , still good to look at her blog though . I miss her
I wonder if she is okay { her blog is in my links }
yes .... I'm looking forward to spring !!!

Paper rainbow said...

I loved seeing how you create your wonderful creatures. Keep blogging please!

Sandy Mastroni said...

oh good .... thank you .... I will , ......I really really appreciate your writing to me

Ellen said...

I enoyed reading about how you made it....thank you.
I'm also trying to get back to my Blog on a regular basis before i open my Etsy shop but I have to agree that facebook and pinterest seem to have taken over.
I recently opened a special facebook page just for my artwork ( I do have a personal one too) and in a couple of weeks it generated 127 "likes"...the equivalent of followers, where as my Blog seems to have stalled at 40.....but I did neglect it over my illness last year.
I have purposely avoided pinterest as I
think it could be a time stealer.....
Ellen x

angelique said...

Sandy, your work is always inspiring to me, and to see how you made your rat is a treat. Thanks for being so generous.

Sandy Mastroni said...

dear Ellen and Angelique Thanks so much for writing !
Things have been a little hectic here , but I'm hoping to do more blogging
There is something special about blogs , more personal .....
I am in love with Pinterest though
I could live without Facebook

Marylinn Kelly said...

Yes, this was very interesting to see. It was very generous of you to share your process. Your version of doll-making is something I'd like to try, at first maybe making larger versions of some of my rubber stamp designs. Thank you so much. And without Facebook, I wouldn't have found you. It is perhaps an unlikely source of blessings. xo

Sandy Mastroni said...

Hi Marylinn
SO happy you visited my blog , thank you !
and glad to know you saw me on Face book !!!!!
Thanks Marylinn !!!!