Thursday 6 December 2007

Remember Rita? Siren of the silver screen...

I made two of these for the craft fair too. And nobody bought them either!



(click on photo for bigger image)

I wanted to try out a new body pattern. I felt that my mermaids should be a bit more 'voluptuous', more in the siren luring sailors mould. I made the body in flesh coloured polyester suede, rather than colouring it. The tail is handpainted white polyester suede. First I roller'd it with a sponge roller loaded with a wash of pigment powder. Then I stencilled a design on with fabric pens. When it came to the face and hair, I was thinking 1940s screen idols. I wanted a sort of 'come hither' look. Not sure I managed that. I fastened the tail with covered button joints for a neater appearance. The bodice, skirt and headdress are silk and organza scraps run through the needle punch machine and decorated with beads. The seaweed is scraps of an embroidered silk gauze sari, also run through the needlepunch machine, cut out and stitched on. More beads for a bit of glitz and glitter and she was done!


(click on photo for bigger image)

This version is quite big, she measures 2ft (60cm) from top of head to tip of tail.

2 comments:

Shashi Nayagam said...

I think she is lovely. A pity that no one bought her. Perhaps craft fairs are not for these kind of dolls. They should be sold in specialist shops where the customers are of different calibre and looking for these sort of items.

Liz in Kansas said...

Your mermaid is lovely. And I think you got the expression just right - she mustn't be TOO bold! The faces on all your dolls are charming. Not too surprising with your skill in drawing faces anyway. Keep up the good work.

Liz in Kansas where it is co-o-old!