• Though I said and have painted my final figures within the last week I decided I still wanted to glaze my tiles which I did near the beginning – due to previous experience I already knew how these coloured slips would look with a clear glaze
• I thought doing so that if still like to the outcome for the transparent glaze with the coloured slips really makes them pop and bold
• Two class members had two different glazed that being blue and green and I decided to use these while they’re already mixed for the plain tiles

• Within glazing you need to mix the bucket of glaze in an “8” shape making sure you really get all of the excess of bottom and make sure it thorough
• You can do this with either a stick or the mixer
• Within doing glazing you must be in the separate room that is just for glazing and must always be cautious of health and safety – hair being tied back, apron – as previously said i refer back to the sheets in which are located throughout the ceramics room
• Once fully mixed it’s a matter of dunking the ceramic piece in the bucket for for about 2-3 seconds just in and out
• You then ALWAYS clean the back with a damp sponge for glaze is like syrup when it’s in the kiln and will glue to the kiln – washing the bottom prevents this or if your doing a full piece that needs glazed then you can use stilts to prevent the glaze attaching

• I actually really like the effect of the coloured slips with the texture and transparent glaze, though it’s much better with a glaze it’s just not enough for me to have the colours and small details I imagined for my final figures and I’m glad that I decided on painting over doing this
• Below I use two glazes and this shows a prime example in which why I didn’t want to use ceramic techniques within my figures also and I think I made the right decision as it’s allowed me more time painting and it’s prevented it from ruining my work for it is so temperamental
• Though some came out better than others the last one is a prime example of how it can just come out bad – showing the lots of bumps and uneven surface, this definitely takes away the feeling of craftsmanship and looks more like a mess
• Even though I did this late, I felt I wanted to do this for myself to reassure in the decision making I made during the third week – I’m glad I stuck with my gut and did the hand-painting

Meanwhile this is also why I decided on using white clay throughout all my work too – due to me already having experience within ceramics I felt white clay would work best in what I wanted to achieve

WHITE – white clay is a soft clay and maintains shape quite well whilst also be mailable to work with, it works well for the the colour is white so when slips, glazed or paints added it applies well. The consistently is smooth which also allows it work better for sculpting and forming nice organic shapes.

RED – red clay is much more smoother (wet) than white I find and I feel it much harder to sculpt with for this reason alone, often I find it’s hard to maintain shape with the clay. The consistency is very like white clay but as mentioned before more wet – often resulting in it sticking to your hands. For these reasons alone I went against red for I needed something that could hold shape well for my figures especially within the exaggerated features of my figures. The colour of the red clay also doesn’t work in my favor as well for the colour slips and so on will have a different tinge.

RAKU – raku clay is very gritty and works best for sculpting rather big works and maintains its shape greatly – though I do love working with raku and knew it would hold shape well – you can’t get the smaller details in as well with this material and the grit alone puts me off for you can see the grit when it’s fired. It’s also a dark grey before fired and when fired goes like a pale orange/pink.

I’m also aware that within all these clay you can mix the clays to produce work but I still didn’t find this needed for what I was trying to produce – I’m aware of each clays advantages and disadvantages but few confident from my experience so far in which was best to work with – looking at my final works I am glad with deciding to use be clay in which I did – for all 5 figures I feel are made to a quality in which I am satisfied.

• Complementary colors are two colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel. As an artist, knowing which colors are complementary to one another can help you make good color decisions. For instance, complementaries can make each other appear brighter, they can be mixed to create effective neutral hues, or they can be blended together for shadows.

The Basic Complementary Colors

The color wheel can be divided up infinite numbers of times to include all gradients in between these basic hues. What is most important to understand is that no matter the shade or tone of the color, the opposite color is always its complementary.

Complements Make Each Other Pop

Mixing Complements 

Learn the Basics of Contrasting Colours on the Colour Wheel

Use opposite colours to create complementary colour pairs

Two colours from different segments of the colour wheel are contrasting colours (also known as complementary or clashing colours). For example, red is from the warm half of the colour wheel and blue is from the cool half. They are contrasting colours.

Using Contrasting Colours 

• With me being in college over the last 3 years, I find it’s easy for me to forget to record my health and safety for I do this naturally now as I’ve become more experienced within ceramics and 3D

I feel keeping this separate to my other blog posts makes it more accessible rather than hidden somewhere in between

I’m aware that this is something that I always need to consider and vigilant about for mistakes can always happen and I can always be introduced to new areas such as I was with the resin pendants

Ceramics – To keep in mind

3D Room – Machines

• 

• It’s important to always take notice of the health and safety within each room and for each machine you’re using. DO NOT ATTEMPT to use any machines without being shown by a specialized teacher with the correct knowledge

When not feeling confident with machines – always go to teachers for help and DO NOT risk injuring yourself

ALWAYS follow bullet points and wear the right equipment eg goggles, dust masks, apron, gloves and so on suited to each machine or room

• So as planned in my book and I have decided to make some little pendant charms in which can be used for the figures to wear
• This now an experiment for I don’t know how the pendants will look on the actual figures as it could make them look abit tacky but I feel it’s always good to go big and then strip back – within my book I same up with quick designs as said before a way in which relates to that person but not as literal

• For this I was going with the idea of using lost or found objects to put into the resin mould – the resin molds were shaped like little jewels which I much preferred as I feel this quality to them will make them less tacky and due to them being smaller it won’t look too much on the figures also
• I also wanted to try use as many of the mould pieces even large because if I didn’t get the pendants I feel would be suited I could always still experiment with these and see the result and can always do this process again

• Before doing so I had to set myself up and cleaned the items I collected at the beach – I used items at the beach for the little stones and shells are naturally beautiful and consist of a nice variety of colour and texture whilst still relating to the song swim by Jacks Mannequin – a song that my sister Lucah loved & was played at her funeral

• Within doing this tried to gather the stones and shells in small collections suited to colour so it would be easier to combine or use just one solid colour for the pendants with ease – also making it easier for me to spot out the best pieces

• Normally have 100ml and then 2.5ml of catalyst

• Then use the weighing scales and pour out the 100ml of casting resin into the small cup

When pouring we want to pour slowly to prevent air bubbles within the resin

• The resin has a resin like consistency – when doing this you need to always use gloves, have hair pinned back, apron and glasses for health and safety
• Then we put the lid back on the resin – it’s a solvent and this creates a strong a smell coming out of the tin
• We want to make sure the resin and catalyst don’t come into contact, we want to decant a small amount into the lid (catalyst makes it set) it never sets on its own it’s need something to mix with and that makes it go hard when both materials combined for example like plaster and water – creates a chemical reaction

So small amount into lid – try not to knock this over

• Get rid of air bubbles, you only want 2 and a half ml using syringe
• 

Squirt from the top so that syringe never comes into contact with this so that we can re use the syringe again

Put lid back on catalyst

• And now I have a cloudy, now it it needs to be mixed very slowly – not really fast to prevent air bubbles as the molds I’m using are really delicate
• We will bang on the cup to bring up the air bubbles but that’s a risk as it’s messy, so slow and steady wins the race here
• Using a wide lollipop stick as it really mixes all way through, tends to be easier to mix on a slant/side as your bringing the stuff from the bottom to the top – thoroughly mixed
• People who tend to have sticky casts, it can often be because the catalyst isn’t thoroughly mixed through
• Its worth that’s that extra time to make sure it’s mixed all through, if you can still see those streak within it then it’s not fully done

• As the charms/molds are really small I need to consider how I will pour – so you can use a syringe but suggested to make a little knozzle just pour in very carefully
• To fill the mold pieces it’s only a matter of a few drops – don’t be too concerned about going over as you can sand off any of the extra bits
• Now is at right consistency and has no streaks so it is ready to pour
• A slow pour prevents air bubbles – you won’t no air bubbles for this will show in your pendants

• Pour over the top central rather than the sides, try keep stones in position you can use little cocktail sticks to reposition or to add small amount of inks which can create colour – you only need a tiny bit – you can make faces effect and the more makes the resin more a solid colour
• Always wear gloves whilst doing this as you don’t want it on your skin

• Within positioning the pendants I always reflected back to my design ideas of meaning within my book to refer to – meanwhile making always considering aesthetic
• As mentioned previously I wanted them to have hidden meaning and not be literal here’s some of the references in what I was following:

• These are a range of my charms and I was very pleased with the results – all of them having meaning towards them – the orange and blue is related to my mum and her love for cactus – she’s used these little stones to fill the pots with
• The shells representing the song swim
• And I’ve used black glitter to relate to space with my sister becca (rabbit) to represent her love for star wars
• And with my youngest sister she’s loved embroidery and has done it since a young age so I used her own threads with the resin to create a charm

With myself I wanted to incorporate something abit more funny and random and used the Lindor wrappers of strawberry and cream ones and cut small to make not recognizable for its a pink metallic and used that to relate to me

The inks really worked beautifully within some of the charms and had a nice faded effect – I much prefer the ones that are more subtle than all coloured

I then looked at all my charms available and picked which ones I felt related most to each person ^ read above and needed now to make them into jewelry for them to fit the figure

In doing so due to never doing so before the Teacher guided me and then made me me make my own – this can be tricky due to the wire being so small, more fiddly – using a mix of tool to bend and cut into place

• Within doing each pendant I had to drill a hole into each one to then be able to push through these rings so that the chain could be attached to – I decided to stick with gold for it matches the figures

Within doing I need to consistently consider health and safety and be wearing goggles to protect eyes and hair ties up out of way

Within setting up screw on the piece to fit the smallest drill part and place in so that it’s tight

Once tightened I can use oil in which will prevent it from sticking and make it easy to go through the pendant/shell

• These charms came out clean minus one which will need sanded so this works in my favor as it’s less time consuming

• Using tools km which to make these gold loop and cutting to size – within most the jewelry here I want them to dangle
• These are the selection in which I picked and I’m very much happy on the choice
• The big heart will be for the mother for she is the dominant figure and the big heart represents her caring nature, I used smaller beads to add to aesthetic and make the jewelry more interesting

• For the small threaded pendant I had to use sanding paper (wet and dry) which consists of different grain. This is a matter of taking the pendant and adding water to sandpaper and rotating continuously in an 8 movement so that it makes it even – after doing so with tool above (hand drill) I change the end to suit a polisher and use polish to clean my piece as it was rather sticky

• This method worked well as you can see above and left it with a nice clean finish

• Then it was a matter of adding these now jewelry pieces to the figures and personally I love how they look and think they add more character within them and having a stunning effect

• Within these I decided the chain shouldn’t be gold as I wanted it to contrast a little and I used chains in which belonged to the members again it having a hidden meaning but not obvious to the outsider

I’m made up with how these look and do not feel they are too much – I feel they make each individual piece more unique and interesting to view – making you question it even more. I loved this technique and see it definitely working well in the future for future projects ahead. The method is rather simple but is time consuming but would definitely say it worth it, especially for you can use any materials and it has uniqueness to it – no pendant can be exactly the same. I will definitely be keeping these for display – the chain was a matter of sizing up to the figure and cutting the chain and linking up after, I decided I wanted the pendants to below the yin yang so that it was still on full display as that’s an important symbolism within these figures.

• Now that my figures are finished and or the kiln, all figures are perfectly fired with no cracks which I’m absolutely made up about
• Within my experience in ceramics over the last few years I feel I have gained the experience to prevent my ceramics exploding in the kiln as I’m aware of ways to stop this but even so it’s easy for many mistakes to happen within ceramics
• As the figures were coming out at separate times but only within 24hrs a part I could make a start everyday, I found for the painting going in between ceramic figures and allowing myself time to have a break from each and for the paint to dry that this worked better for me
• I used this quick final design page to reference from – I feel when actually painting this is where I’ll show more skill within colour, shadings, contrast and complimentary colours – overall happy with my concept

To begin with I started with mouse for mouse and tiger came out the kiln first and I got the base colour down with the grey and left white areas for the eyes which will later be painted

Within this I knew it would take layers in order to create more depth and shading so once the first layer was down of the grey, I move onto the collar and create a base colour of a pale purple

As the mouse dried I started the base for the tiger and used this really bright bold orange which I just adore, I mixed orange with a little bit of a bright yellow to try make the colour pop abit more as I knew black would be getting added and would really contrast well

Once the collar painted I started to do the body a darker shade of purple, again reflecting back to my tester pieces and using contrasting shades of each colour against each other to make it more visually engaging

This time time being much more efficient with my application of paint on the ceramic surface – using white & black to darken the colours to create more depth

Within especially the ears here and also the body you can see white brush stokes moving in upward motions, I wanted the colours to blend into one another but also loved the effect of the brushstrokes showing and decided to keep some more visually noticeable than others

I feel small details like this are important for the little details really add to make it more precious and to a better high quality, yes it’s more time consuming but it’ll be worth it as I progress

As you can see here also as said previously with the eyes I felt they looked to flat on there own being just one colour, I used the black to be the pupil and the white shine to give my figures a more realistic element to it. This allows it feel more alive and less dull overall – I much prefer it like this to my previous tester

ALL eye colours suiting to the actual eye color of the person for this also represents the actual persons identify and though the figure is animal it’s still bringing back these human characteristics that make us, us.

I also made the yin yan semicolon but when it came to actually making it, when looking at my testers I felt the black was too strong and made the yin tan the only focus. So I decided upon using the colour suited to the individual and using the opposing colour to then highlight/border around it using the gold to make it standout more so

As previously mentioned I said I wanted to incorporate eyebrows and deeper eye sockets to create more character to my figures rather than adding big cheeks and etc to the faces

I feel just by doing these two things has worked and made the figures a lot less child-like and I like the shadows that these ones consist of, there’s a lot more shape to the forms

• Throughout doing the pieces I was continuously using the likes of white and black to the figures or a darker shade of the base colour to create depths and fur strokes
• Like the mouse I then started to do the eyes for the tiger suited to the persons eye colour, which I’ll do this for ALL figures, this making it more related to the actual person

I then begin painting the black stripes of the tiger – I decided upon longish ones going on the sides of the face symmetrical to one another and smaller ones going all around the ears – I really love how the ears look especially and feel the comparison of more larger spaces out ones to the smaller closer ones has a nice variation

I then at the back of the head and neck wanted to make it less symmetrical and more realistic for a tigers stripes wouldn’t be exact but with the front it’s easier to make symmetrical and flows better than if odd

• I then start to build on the collar for mouse and start to incorporate the pattern and yin yan just like how I did with my tester but this time for the yin yan not using black as I feel it was just too bold and distracting on the eyes, I want my audience to be able to look around the figure with ease
• I’m really loving the eyebrows especially on tiger, I’m glad I decided to incorporate the use of eyebrows as it adds a lot more character to them

I then begin to start adding the stripes in which was designed in my book, I’ve decided on the siblings to all have matching 2 stripes and the mother (lion) to have 3 stripes for this is the powerful mother figure that will be standing infront

Using the lines for all also makes them all a lot more alike one another and becomes a consistent theme which therefore makes these more collectable but the likes of colour and pattern being different but all designed to fit in hanfu dress style again to make similarities to make them all collective

On the collar I begin to make wave like shapes, my aim for them to be be simplified to keep the message of it relating to the song swim hidden

I use a dark green around the waves to bring out the two other tones of green, making it bold and visually eye-grabbing

• I then add gold to the collar around the waves, I really love the way this looks and it makes it appear much more luxurious, however due to size of my paintbrush I wasn’t able to paint as fine and I feel the waves are much less notice but I can definitely see them more within the lighter green

• I tested acrylic previously and applied gouache over to see if will still stay on over the acrylic as I said on tester I wasn’t too sure about acrylic but thought for my first I could still give it a go and see how I feel about it
• As expected I felt the acrylic was too harsh and heavy for the overall piece so I decided against using this material and changed it back to using the gouache for it flows much nicely and is much more delicate and suits the gold better

• This is where I also started to do the pattern within the bottom of the base and for the mouse I wanted it to consist of more gold with a darker tone of purple following on the top of each stripe – which I feel works nicely together

• Though said previously also that I’d prefer less primary colours, though these colours are still primary, I feel the the fact that I’ve incorporated more shades and patterns and contrasting colours it takes away from it looking rather plain like my testers

My teacher also introduced me to possibly using a tutu for my mouse as due to the rounded shape it suits it well and makes it look super cute and precious.

I only wanted to do this with one figure though for if more I feel it would be too much and I had already planned charms in which the other figures would wear so this evens it out also

I thought of maybe keeping the bottom of the base acrylic but still wasn’t feeling it and just didn’t like the appearance of the material so decided to perhaps make the bases gold

• Bit by bit my mouse was progressively getting there and I decided on using little gems suited to the complimentary colour of the mouse to enhance the decorative element – I tested this on my tester rabbit with super glue to see how it would look and how the glue would take to the surface
• It took well and I decided to go forward with this and also wanted each figure to have the application of the gems different to one another – though I wanted the collar to consist of only one solid colour of gems for the lions gems I wanted to consist of 4 rows of each other siblings to represent her being the mother and us being her seeds (daughters)
• The gems applied well and I loved the gems as it creates movement and captures the light and brings them more to focus due to three dimensional shape to them
• I now decided also that I wanted the gold base to be consistent within all the figures again to stick to this collective theme

• I then decided as I had a few of my figures out at this point to get the base colours down and start working from one to the other, to give myself a break from each, therefore making it easier for me to concentrate on each one

• Putting down the base colours wasn’t hard to do and the application is rather fast due to the surface being so smooth, so this decision I’ve made has worked in my favor
• Though the application is quicker now, I have become aware with mouse as that was the first to be complete that doing the pattern, smaller details and gems is much more time consuming than what I would’ve thought
• Then like mouse for ALL my figures will consist of the same method of application but the design varying and suited to my designs – so it’s a matter of following these as a guide whilst making

I used really lovely deep red against the yellow and just love the colours together, like mentioned throughout the pattern will consist of triangles (same as lion) to relate back to the inspiration and history/culture of the Russian dolls and this creates a heraichy between the two figures (mother & seed) as well as them both being in the cat family

As I only had a week to paint these, I was bringing them home with me as planned and bit by bit was gradually getting there with them

I especially loved the pattern on tiger and wanted this to consist on lion but lion to have a different variety of triangles for I want each figure to be unique for each individual it represents is unique

• Then I was starting to get to a point in which tiger was complete and started to add gems but this time gems being much closer together, as this is the smallest figure I knew I’d have more gems and as mentioned earlier wanted them to vary to one another and did all the gems 2 shades of the main colour for each figure to match to the paint shades
• I was debating whether to create a triangular pattern within the center of the lion but decided on sticking to my designs I made and using this big gold line within the center, as mentioned the lion consisting of 3 stripes or show its dominance – the big gold stripe was to create contrast against the two others as with it being the largest size – there being much more space to fill

• And the gems for the lion consisting of each sibling colour as stated before but it is going down in age order – relating us all back to us having that connection as a family

I also used these dark red lines to bring out the lighter shade of red and to highlight the gems more, I feel these colours of the gems worked really nice together considering not all the colours are supposed to go with red but the mane and gold breaks that up and makes it complement the overall piece

This is all 3 nearly finished and my other two still in kiln, within all 3 I still need to incorporate ribbon and I have bought some and held against the figures to make sure I feel it’s suited which I also feel confident in. The ribbon definitely adds a lovely touch and makes it appear even more luxurious

The difference in texture against the matte background draws the eye to it. The shiny against matte really works well here

All 3 also need to have the yin yan completed – for the tiger for it having the colours consisting of yellow and white I decided the dot and semicolon will be red to suit the base as if it was to have the opposing colours of yellow and white inside it just wouldn’t be noticeable with these colours as for the others it will be noticible as the colours separate more and yellow and white didn’t have enough contrast between the two

• I lined them up and was aiming for more a triangular shape for display with them going off in age order (twins either side, me and meadow) while suiting to the triangle arrow shape displays there role and also relates back to the dominant figure (mother/lion) pattern – showing it in formation suited to her
• However here the squirrel and tiger need swapped for I want a rounded one on each either side to make it balance out in shape

• I then started doing rabbit again suited to my designs and within the gems I decided to add some going in threes rather than on there own as I wanted to keep them all being different consistent

I wanted the pattern of the bottom of the rabbit consisting of more gold suited likewise the mouse for they’d be either side

I wasn’t too pleased with the application of how I did the collar but with the gold paint once it’s painted on there’s no going back as when you paint over the gold it doesn’t take as well, so there wasn’t much I could do. Despite this I feel I’m being picky more than anything

While always taking in consideration the back of the figures for this is just as important. I want the back to also be able to be viewed especially as I want the back to have a bow

The bow at the back relates more to the hanfu dress inspiration as well as the theme and adds a more feminine touch

• Like all started with squirrel but found squirrel rather difficult to get the colour right and had to consistently reflect back to the images on my previous post to try get the right colour – that’s being a deep brick red
• To get this colour I had to mix the following colours red, brown, yellow and orange – this worked well once I achieved the right colour
• As I thought the holes which were put into the tail using needles covered really well after application with paint
• I liked the tail I made for the squirrel – I wanted more a hair pattern in direction to show the shape of the tail (long) as for mane on lion being in all directions to show it being more rounded
• Slowly bit by bit coming together…

• for the squirrel I found painting the pattern much harder for the shapes are much more organic (circles) usually I don’t struggle with doing so on paper but for the surface is more rounded it therefore makes the painting on the figure much harder to apply them but I knew with layer It would eventually even out more but was frustrating nevertheless

This is an example in how I created more fur strokes and depth into the faces giving it a more realistic element to it then blending it with paintbrush and a little bit of water – this method worked well throughout all of my figures

As said with more layers, the patterns are beginning to look more rounded and perfected

I’m really happy with the colours within this figure especially and the pattern, it reminds me of totems – some being distinctive with pattern and contrasting colours

• This is the yin yan semicolon – close to the heart and has a core meaning for each figure. Them all being in the same area helps recognize them as a collection, like likewise with pattern placement and dress style.
• I used fishing line I loosely weaved it though the netted material so it can simply be tied and knotted to the figure whilst being able to move it to suited shape with ease, excess fishing line cut after placement is correct

• Then a matter of carefully wrapping the ribbon around a making a neat bow – I then looked at any pieces of the skirt that were longer and cut with scissors to make it even all way round and gently tugged instead to create creased lines following around the figure

• It to give more scope I would’ve liked to experiment more with different netting and colour but overall I was instantly in love with this pale pink netted material and feel the pink complemented the other colours beautifully – I feel if it was purple or green that it would’ve been too much – this being an additional add on
• I like the idea of layers but as it was an additional add on I still wanted the pattern that consisted around the figure be on show
• Tiger also now having now attached but with a thinner ribbon for this figure is the smallest and if it was to have a larger ribbon you wouldn’t see the small waist as much – small waist makes the bauble shape stand out

• I then as previously mentioned used a darker reddish orange tone that I mixed using red and orange and applied it around the face of the lion – I wanted to create an ombré effect going from dark to light. Relating more the warm colours of the figure whilst giving it a sense of movement.

• I also used a dark shade (brown) to create an outline around the eyes to make them stand out more and likewise with the pupil and shine added on the eyes it gives it a more realistic and more bold appearance. I did this for ALL but the darker shade relating to the base fur colour of each figure so rabbit – darker shade

This is lion and rabbit now finished and I’m now getting to a point in which all are nearly completely finished minus squirrel. I’m really happy with the outcome of al my figures so far but really overworked myself in the meanwhile. I had to spend a lot of nights at home painting them late, this didn’t work in favor as much for me keeping on top of my processes as much but I feel the pressure of doing so was definitely worth it as I’m really chuffed with the appearance of my work.

And this is them finished,

• When the figures came out the kiln, they both came out well – though I was made aware of the a problem in which I hadn’t but in mind and I needed to put a hole in where the slip cast was so that air flowed to stop it from exploding in kiln

• As my figures aim was to be be illustrative and rather quirky, I decided on using gouache paint first for its very colorful and light and shows brush strokes really nicely whilst being quick to dry – which makes it easier to get more details in a shorter time that what I would with say Acrylic
• I really liked how gouache applied to the ceramic piece, it really soaked well into the clay
• Within the face this is when I realized I didn’t as much like the rounded face and wanted it to be less circular and have more depths within it – for I felt it just looked rather dead and emotionless.
• I also recognized that perhaps the eyes needed some further detailing to make them stand out further as the colour on it own is pretty flat on its own
• I really loved with the gouache the fact you really could add in these smaller details just as little white fur strokes – the smaller details made it appear less flat and my aim within my future figures was to add much more depth and detail to them
• By using the gouache I feel I’d now already decided that I did in fact want to use this material towards my finals – there’s many advantages to using this material – I would say the only downside to this material is if it was to get wet it would damage the overall piece but for the use of what I’m making it’s a decorative piece – it shouldn’t and wouldn’t be placed in an area that is exposed to liquids
• Going by my designs for the rabbit, I had decided upon using the colours green and purple – something in which I wanted to keep consistent with ALL figures is using complimentary colours and contrasting colours within the figures to really enhance the appearance
• Meanwhile the figures flowing into one another with warm and cool tones – lion, tiger being warms colours and other figure being cool colors. It’s nice to have a variation of them flowing throughout which also makes it more interesting to view when figures together in family grouping
• Then I started making the collar which I stated within my designs that I wanted to incorporate pattern on the all figures collars
• I really feel the complementary colours work week with each other, meanwhile using a darker/lighter shade of each colour really make the colours pop a little bit more and contrast against each other.
• I do feel I’m going to stick with the use of complementary and contrasting colours but also include gold to make the figures look much more luxurious for this if often what gold is associated with and as previously mentioned I want these figures to be like little precious gems

• To create the yin yang semicolon and have a perfect circle I used a 5p coin to get the shape but doing so worked well but I was also aware that this could be done with ease freehanded as I don’t really struggle drawing circles and due to the surface not being flat of the figure using a coin can be more difficult to use
• I do like the ting yang on the chest and like the idea of it being a symbol that’s near the heart of all figures – like it’s the core
• So this is the figure painted with all gouache – however I still wanted to experiment with acrylic to see the differences of each materials on the ceramic surface
• Both have two different textures, gouache being matte and really bright colours as for Acrylic is more shiny and isn’t water based like gouache – so perhaps using the acrylic could work well for base to be able to handle as gouache can transfer onto your hands
• I also thought could the two different textures of matte and shiny look nice contrasting against on another?
• Unfortunately I was being rather careless with figure and knocked it over which resulted in me breaking the ear but for this is a tester I’m not as concerned and aware now more-so that I need to be much more careful with figures as there fragile especially with the likes of the ears and more exaggerated features

• I then used a gold metallic paint in which I ordered online and it worked great on the ceramic surface and didn’t pee which I was worried about
• The gold metallic didn’t look tacky and had a nice sheen to it, it was more of a bronzer rich gold – I knew by looking at the application of the gold that I wanted much more to be incorporated. I didn’t feel it would be too much for it wasn’t too much on the eyes and just enhanced the colours more than distract

• I then furthered with the gouache and created this checked pattern and using gold to enhance it as a border and I really loved the look of it – though within my designs and research I had mentioned I was intrigued by using ribbon relating to hanfu dress

• I used a small piece of ribbon against the waist of the tester piece and much preferred the ribbon in comparison to the painting and this also worked well in favor for it being less time consuming – within using the ribbon I did want to make a ribbon at the back to suit more to the hanfu inspiration
• I also feel using ribbon makes it much more luxurious though I was worried originally of it making it look tacky but glad I used for I feel I definitely want to incorporate with my final figures
• I also explored acrylic at this point on the bottom of the base and didn’t really like the material on the ceramic however did like that it didn’t transfer on your hands
• With the acrylic it was really bold and also felt it was abit too much for something in which I wanted to be quirky yet luxurious and it felt like too much on the eyes

• I also realized within the tester where I’d added whisker holes that I did not add enough holes and with three on either side it looks rather silly – so for next time I want to incorporate much more

• I also painted on using the gold paint the Chinese symbol meaning ” loyalty ” in Chinese suited to the research I did about tattoos and I thought it could play a collective theme within all my figures to represent each person
• I didn’t like this as much and felt it was too much on show, however I did take in mind that it could be a hidden message within the figures as hidden messages have been a consistent theme in which I wanted to include within the figures – whether that be through the colour pattern, symbols and so on

Overall I was happy with the outcome of this tester piece but was also aware of how much I wanted to be changed within the making of my final figures. I did like the shapes in which I chose within all my designs but wanted the change to be within the application of paint and to include much more pattern and gold paint to really make these figures much more luxurious and eye-grabbing.

I feel throughout I am now aware of the changes and have mentioned some above in which I feel will be best to incorporate or leave – I’m still not sure yet with acrylic for I feel it works well for the no transfer and if better applied it could look better but I am not sure yet.

• I then moved onto lion which consisted of much more texture as I said I wanted to compare both textures smooth and rough.

• I straight away knew this was definitely a big kk with me and didn’t like the application of paint on the lion and it took a lot of time to just reach into the little markings and I knew this would be a problem when wanting to design pattern as the application and trying to make more perfected lines within the pattern making would be a problem here

For that reason alone I have decided against using texture on the base of my final figures but do like the texture on the mane and feel I want to keep this within it and perhaps used texture as well for squirrels tail

I didn’t feel the need to paint the entire lion for I was instantly put off with the texture and feel I would just be wasting valuable time if I was to continue apply paint

Within looking at the lions face I didn’t like how rounded the head was and wanted it to be more oval and human like, I’ve went through stages in which I just couldn’t decide whether I wanted it to be more human or animalized but feel I’m more persuaded for the more human faces but having the features such as ears and using paint for say the nose and mouth to represent more towards it being animal – I feel both elements of human and animal are essential especially with the animal being the representation of the person

Within my final pieces when it comes to painting also I want to add more shadows and more depths I’m interested in creating an ombré effect within the mane of the lion going from a dark more reddish/orange to more light orange

I also want to show more depth by using more shading with white and black or different tones of the base clooirnkf the fur

For the eyes as previously mentioned I want them to be much more detailed and by doing so I’ll add a black bubble and a white mark in corner as a white shine – just making them slightly more realistic and possibly using a darker shade around the eyes to make them standout abit more

I’m sticking to the mouth being like this for all the figures, I find it really cute and I did feel maybe I should maybe add teeth and so on but felt this could just make it look abit silly rather than the quirky, cute appearance I want for these and I was happy with this look so I decided to stick with it

Even though I’ve only done 2 figures with paint I have also used paint on my stick head figures and I just love the gouache too much not to incorporate it, I feel painting the figures over using the ceramic decorative touches is much more suited. It has a much more personal touch to it and to me this is something in which I want to be personal. I really want to be precious with my figures and treat them like little gems for what they represent to me is so important to me.

Now my is to start to finalize my designs and start making – I feel the design making will take some time finalize. I want to use big sheets as well as my book to come up with designs and I feel the big sheets will help within size guidelines for what I want. My next plan is to focus on designs and then start making

Wk 4 – focus on finalizing design ideas

Wk 5 – practical all week!

Action plan

• For now I know what shapes I want for my figures but I’m still unsure on the design that’ll be painted on – so my focus on Friday is to begin making the slip casts and extruded pieces so that over the weekend the slip casts will be ready to come out and the extruded forms will be wrapped up with damp newspaper and bag wrapped over to keep moisture locked in meanwhile still drying out slightly for it to have a better consistency as when first extruded very soft

• My focus for next week (week 5) is to focus on making the figures – I will focus on design within my own time or when I’m waiting for figures to dry – as mentioned before it’s quite a time consuming process but as there’s 5 I feel I will be busy during most the week and probably will produce 3 then the next week probably 2 in half a week.

• Then I’ll need to allow them to fully dry and fire – some could get put in tester kiln – sooner better as I want to get a start on them ASAP so I can decorate them to a high standard eg paint

• Monday & Tuesday there are classes in the morning & one in the afternoon so within that timeframe on the Monday morn I’m going to make small charms/pendants which will be personalized and inside will have hidden messages relating to each person – this could work as a necklace or as an earring to decorate my figures.
• Currently interested in using resin and dropping either found objects or materials in which belong to each member – objects in which could relate to something about them without it being so literal so for instance my mother loves Elvis > Jailhouse Rock > perhaps I could use metal wired bars and place then inside the resin > decorative and not obvious whilst still holding a lot of meaning to said person

• Within this idea I could use a mix of materials to create stunning little pendants – whether it be a pendant with a gem suited to the colour of the figure or something more meaningful
• Been playing on the idea of reflecting back to my profile within my book so for Lucah (mouse) could hold sand within it or a small shell – representation of the song Swim by Jacks Mannequin that I mentioned or could even be sand – I also want her figure to contain waves for her pattern now for I feel it represents well for her figure.
• I’d prefer for the mouse for it having earrings for the placement of ears works better than say what it would for the rabbit as it hang better

• With Becca (rabbit) I liked the idea of representing something for her love of star wars – this makes me think of sci fi and then that relates to space, possibly add colours of blue and purple and glitter to make like a cosmic space

• Within these if necklaces they could each have a different chain or band to hold the charm on – my sister Lucah is more Boho so for instance maybe a brown thin leather bang for necklace would be more suited

• With my mothers being the dominant figure, I thought a gold chain could work well for hers as it should stand out more and I feel it will suit more so due to the colours of her figure being mainly red with complimentary being yellow
• Within doing any of these I need to consider the thickness – I feel once figure is ready I will only ever truly know best suited size once finished

• I’m yet to still come up with ones for me and Meadow, over the weekend I will have a look around the house and seek things I could potentially use and experiment on Monday with items
• Once I have a collection of pendants I can then choose by visuals and meaning or aesthetics which is best suited for each figure – whole taking in consideration that not every figure needs one

Method

• So as mentioned previously I will be using the slip cast method and extruder to create my figures

Slip Cast – works better for bigger figures, once got base (slip cast) you build torso and shoulder & head. Good method and probably much quicker than the extruder method but disadvantage is slip cast dries fast and isn’t as malleable as the extruder method, there for harder to manipulate the shape of the slip cast – this is why I’m using more straight and tall shapes with this method for it only needs slight manipulation – Mothers (lion), Becca (rabbit), possibly me (red squirrel)

Extruder – the extruder works good for more rounded shapes, the extruder gives you the right thickness and when using softer clay through the extruder it allows you manipulate the clay well, this works at a advantage and a disadvantage for the advantage being the ability to manipulate and play with form but disadvantage being the it’s easy due to softness for the shape to not hold the desired shape or accidentally tearing – within this you learn to quickly gain shape and leave till at a better consistency which is why I’ve decided to get them ready on the Friday and leave over weekend to then later work. It also works well as you don’t have to be as concerned as much as with slip-casts for if you don’t pierce a hole in the top body of the slip cast it can explode – the extruded form is only filled with damp newspaper which burns away in the kiln

Process

• Through testing each process I am aware that both methods work efficiently to create the desired figures that I want. With that in mind, to create the more round/circular figures I will be using the extruded method and for these once’s are harder to make due to there shape, I will start with making these first.

• Within making these I found it difficult to eat pictures whilst making for you can’t let go of the clay till it get the desired shape
• Once extruded you go around the bottom the extruded form – Almost like pinch pot method and create this rounded shape – the clay is very soft at this point and I fill with damp newspaper to hold the shape.

• I then work the torso again use this pinch pot method to then create the upper body (chest & shoulders) leaving an open space of the top so that air will travel through the whole figure to later join the head to the body – this stops it exploding in kiln

• I was making both these figures that being the tiger and mouse at the same time, for when making you have to wait periods for either for it to dry when joining or leaving it to be at a better consistency
• Working with more than one at a time works more efficiently but makes it harder to record process as I was jumping to either one

• When joining you always need to cross hatch using knife and you also always have to do it to both pieces of clay which you’re joining
• When applied joining slip press both clay prices you’re going together and rotate slightly so the two pieces join together properly through the cross hatch. Leave slowly to dry.

• Once dry using a modeling tool, in upward and downward motion start closing the gaps of the join – leaving no trapped air and blending into one another
• Later clean up with sponge for clean finish

• I used a metal kidney and rubber kidney to smoothen our lumps with the figures – this making it easier to then use a damp sponge to clean up and make the figures more even
• I know this method works from previous experience within ceramics

• After the head is joined which again was made using pinch pot method and then joining method
• This is the most time consuming part where you just keeping cleaning up the figure to make its shape more perfected, within this I had to keep correcting the rounded shape, making it more circular and rounded
• Within the whole process I used a 360 rotating wheel to always have a good perspective on the visuals of the figure and making sure it’s even throughout

• Within doing the faces I just add clay to the nose areas and shape it to face and blend in
• If clay face is too leather hard – need to join on then again using craft tool blend it in and then later smoothen with damp sponge

• I used my thumbs to press the eye sockets, this time abit deeper than what my testers had – suited more to the head on a stick experiment
• Adds more character – I also decided while making the figures this time I was going to make it much more humanized than my testers
• My testers were much more child-like which I did like but I wanted my work to reflect back to my essay and this idea of us relating to the figures more as we are human – though through painting I want to still have this whimsical look to it

• Within making these two figures I felt these two especially needed some sort of base – that being for balance of the figure and for the aesthetics.
• I found this part really difficult and had to keep dampening the bottom the figure and bringing the base more outwards using my fingers then cleaning up after – within one (mouse) I had formed the base but there were some chunks (creased areas) to fix this I had to cross hatch and join clay to those areas and then later clean up

• Within keeping the figures even as well, I used a damp sponge and squeezed to get the water on the table, giving it a clean even wet finish – rotating in circular motion – within this I keep my eyes, eye level with the figure to make sure it’s not going off to one side more.

• When doing this you also need to be careful with how much pressure you put into rotating the figure as well as your grip, for you don’t want to damage the figure – within this you have to be gentle and patient

• Meanwhile doing these I start preparing the other figures – extruding pieces and leaving in a bag covered with damp newspaper to later work – for the rabbit I decided against using the slip cast method which I used last time for the three dimensional pattern which was on it
• I don’t want this I want it to be smooth as mentioned previously so it’s easier to paint and have a higher quality finish. The lion (mother figure) is the only one incorporating the slip cast method – for this will emphasize the shape to make it appear the most dominant.

• Once the body is finished and face, the final stage is adding the ears of the character – for the tiger it was rather simple – the hardest part about it is getting the ears to be identical with height & width
• Then using the slip joining method again to attach and later clean up
• With the tiger I then used a modeling tool to scoop out and create an indent to give more a dimensional appearance to the figure
• With the mouse I won’t be doing the same for the ears are much larger in size and the thickness will be thinner than the tiger.

This is the tiger finished – underneath I’ll the figure I’ll pick out all the newspaper so that it dries quicker

I used a needle to poke out areas to later apply fishing wire but also added holes just for decorative look which I much prefer to my tester pieces that only had three to four holes

When piercing the holes you need to hold the back of the head to keep it in place and asp enlarge jokes slightly bigger for in the kiln when getting fired the ceramic piece will shrink by 20%.

Overall I’m really happy with the outcome of this piece and feel it’s a much more perfected and has a much higher quality to my tester pieces. My aim from the beginning was to have my outcomes at a high standard to show craftsmanship for this is something I want to keep consistent for when I go to university and do the model making course. I also added on the figures a little lining underneath the nose to show the mouth like shape that all these mammals have in common. I also identified that when coming to the decision of making them mammal that it has the idea of us relating to it more for us humans and mammals give birth the same way unlike the bird and reptile species – this therefore reflecting back to my essay and how we relate to being human as well as using a combination of human form and animalization to relate to that individual.

• I then for the mouse wedged the clay – which gets rid of any air bubbles and rolled out using guide sticks ‘6’ so that the clay is flat and even to be cut
• I used a plastic circle to draw the line out on top of the clay with a needle and then cut the circle – for these would be the ears
• I got two that were symmetrical and placed both on top of the head of the mouse figure and slightly blended an area of the circle so that it fitted around the head – I then let these dry slightly so that they held the shape stronger and then cross hatched and joined using slip
• Holding in place and wiggling it slightly and again holding till slip has secured the ear pieces

• Then it was a matter of clean up around the ears – overall it seems like quite a simple method but can hard to handle and is time consuming if you want it to be at a high level, just the smoothing out over and over to get it symmetrical and perfectly smooth takes the most time but I definitely feel it looks better for this and when it comes to applying paint will work in favor for me.

• This is the end result of of both of the figures next to each other ready to go in kiln, I’m letting these dry out very slowly and keeping not under the fan for I don’t want them to crack
• I’ll place a plastic bag just covering the ears of both figures so that they can slowly dry also
• Within this the tiger can fit in the tester kiln which takes 24hrs but I had measured the mouse to be suited to tester kiln but didn’t take in consideration the ears – though like my teapot I’ve made in the last project didn’t fit the dimensions of the tester kiln but with a slight angle fitted in nicely – so I’m going to see if this is possible still.

• In the meanwhile of making all these figures I’m going to try make as many as possible just incase of accidents that can happen within ceramics so I’ve been saving extruded pieces and started to form some bodies just Incase
• Though it would be tight within my timeframe if multiples were to go wrong but that is something in which I have no control of, for that’s just the nature of ceramics.

Overall again I’m happy with the outcome of the mouse likewise to the tiger – I feel they work nicely together. I decided upon doing the figures suited in size on the role of each member of the family suited to age order – so mother being biggest (also to represent being the mother and dominant figure) then rabbit second biggest, then mouse, then red squirrel and lastly tiger.

Though I’m not sure if I want them lined up in this order – I want them grouped with the mother at central showing that she is the mother and dominant figure relating back to this Russian doll inspiration – the rabbit and mouse standing next to each other on the right ( for this is Becca & Lucah and they’re twins so they tend to be closer) and me and meadow on the left – for we also tend to be closer. I’m aiming for the idea of them being formed in a triangular shape – suited to the decoration (pattern) of the mother and tiger – like an arrow formation.

• I had forgotten to add holes in the ears of the mouse and next day dampened ears slightly and used a drill piece to do so – I used a pencil to make sure they’re both symmetrical
• The first time I did wrong but managed to fix as I only made an indent rather than a hole
• I had designed within my book accessories in which the figures will contain such as earrings and charms (necklaces) with hidden messages within them.

• Within doing these figures I followed a quick time plan within my book, as stated before I started these figures on week 5 & originally hoped on completing all 5 in about a week and a half and to my surprise I managed to make all 5 in 1 week, this then allowing to have a full week painting and then the next week cleaning up the art department and writing up any missed processes

• I used a needle to create these whiskers holes and decided from reflecting back to my testers of the rabbit and lion that there just wasn’t enough holes
• I feel with more it looks much more natural and also works better for firing – prevents any trapped air (preventing exploding)

• I knew at mid point that I was going to struggle writing up processes during practical and find it difficult keeping a book in the ceramics room as during practical it’s very messy and clay seems to get on everything. Despite this I felt confident in the method in which I was making the figures due to looking at my previous testers and all 3 coming out well.

• I knew there were minor changes and ways in which I wanted to change the desired figures to suit a style in which I’d be satisfied with
• When reflecting back to my mid point and designs within my book, I came to the decision in which I felt the more human-like features would be much more suited and I’m glad I went for this look as my testers to me just seemed a-bit too childlike and lacked depth to them

• Within the week in which I made these figures, I planned through what order in which the figures should be made
• I knew Tiger & Mouse would be 2 of the hardest figures to make due to the rounded shape – so I decided to start on these 2 first and jump from one to the other for this is easier due to waiting for the right consistency’s – soft, leather hard & dry.

SOFT – Usually when the clay is straight out the bag, material is very soft and pliable to use – good for forming shape but can be hard to maintain the shape dependent on the clay. For white clay which I decided upon using, I used damp newspaper to hold its shape and bit by bit manipulated the shape to the desired shape and look that I plan for in my designs.

LEATHER-HARD – This is when the clay has hardened slightly but is still at a consistency in which you can still manipulate the clay. As for example when soft – for the tiger and mouse, I roughly created this round shape & filled with newspaper – at first not perfect nor completely rounded like I like but you have to leave the clay piece so that it can get to a more leather hard state in which bit by bit you can manipulate and then smoothen to your desired shape. When the clay is leather hard the likes of using tools and so to carve or add small details works well in this stage but it’s a matter of patience.

DRY – This is when you have left your clay out and allowed the air to get to it and dry it out to then be fired in the kiln, at this stage you cannot manipulate the clay. Within ceramics it’s useful to understand the best methods in which to dry your clay pieces – for my figures and due to the enlarged features such as the ears – I need to dry my clay figures out slowly, this shall prevent them cracking & will give you a better insight on how it’ll be when it’s fired. It’s always better to be on the safe side, I also cover the ears with a plastic bag for the ears are very thin compared to the body and you want to try having both the ears and clay body drying at the same pace for an even fire.

• The tiger and mouse were completed within 2 days, when extruding the pieces I made spare which I kept behind and left in a bag with damp newspaper to keep moisture locked in the clay to later work
• I then moved onto doing the lion and rabbit. The lion this time being used with a slip cast method for the slip cast I was using was cup like and large
• Giving the lion a slightly higher and wider width – the idea in which I wanted to show this figure as the dominant figure as mentioned consistently for this is an important factor – I said previous I’d show this through having broad shoulders also

• I’d already slip casted this mould in preparation the week before on the Friday (mid point) – using the same slip cast mould that I used for the tester lion – this method suited well but again wanted minor changes within it
• Such as having a mane at the back, a much more oval face than to me the tester was too rounded and again a more human-like relation than animal.
• Through my tester I also became aware that I do not want texture and if so to have only small embellishments it to enhance be figures – so for lion on the mane I wanted texture and for the squirrels tail I wanted texture.

• This is with making the lion in which as stated before is with using a slip cast method – the mistake in which I made last time without realizing was having a hole in the center of the slip cast for I need air to travel all the way through the ceramic piece to prevent it exploding in the kiln
• I became aware of this when Jackie put them through to be fired and to my luck had drilled a hole to stop this – though this is a good lesson in which I have noted for future projects as I thought it would be fine due to it being no thicker than my thumb but thinking now yes it makes sense because then air on the shoulders would be trapped.

• This is now when I used a large drill piece and created a hole center in the body:

• I then used the crosshatching method around the sip cast in which to later join – like my previous tester I made this punch pot to create the torso/shoulders suited to the size of the rounded top of the slip cast and then cross hatched – then it’s a matter of apply joining slip using paintbrush and wiggling back and forth to make sure it’s attached
• I did however fill in this space with damp newspaper for I knew I wanted to later add more clay to the shoulders and needed support to hold it up as I applied more clay

• And again just like in my testers and my previous mouse and tiger I always make this ring and pinch pot head in which I go through the same process for all figures and crosshatch then apply slip and glue together – most the time within these I filled with damp newspaper for I wanted to be safe with holding the desired shape with ease
• The only disadvantages to this is that it takes longer for the clay to dry but you can later remove the newspaper for some figures and when firing the chemicals in the newspaper when fired release though it doesn’t really cause much
• However I do feel the advantages to using damp newspaper is why I decided on using it throughout most figures – as said before holds & maintains the shape much better, which therefore makes it easier for me to handle as well as adding indents to create eye-sockets while also making it easier for me to also add clay to create the nose within the clay caving in too much

• The figure on the right was a spare of the rounded body incase of any problems when my tiger and mouse had been fired – for I know mistakes can easily happen in ceramics
• Such as cracks within the clay, or an explosion in the kiln whether that be your work or someone else work affecting yours
• With that in mind – I tried to keep bodies of clay just as a quick back up Incase any of these factors that could happen came into place

• Once the eye sockets been made using my fingers and crafts tools to scoop out and nose being added
• I use this method for ALL figures faces. I then smoothen the body, neck and head out using a damp sponge till perfectly smooth – again a method I’m using for ALL figures

• I then lined up this circular plastic piece to make a start on the mane – the idea in which I wedge and roll out the clay using rulers (even clay rolled out) and cut out the circle to then fit around the lions head

• I decided on using “9” rulers for its not too thick and isn’t too thin either – enough do that it will hold its shape while being thick enough to later cut into and still hold its shape better than what it would say if you did it too thin
• As it would become fragile and much harder to handle due to it being delicate and overall the thickness here is much better suited to create this appearance of a big mane in which a lion has

• Within making the mane for the lion I had to consider on how I could represent the lions mane in a more illustrative style – a way in which would be more engaging to view
• I used illustrations on Pinterest to try come up with a way in which I could make the mane

• I did really like rounded mane but also wanted to go for something a bit different and more suited to the triangle pattern in which would later be painted on the figure – so I used this more triangular style but this time adding more clay for mane and creating like spikes to consist at the back
• I did originally like the mane on my tester piece but due to it being a tester I wasn’t as precise or careful with application so this time I wanted to take my time more with it

• I then cut a large circle and small circle for where the head will fit in and made a small cut at the bottom so I can wrap it around the head and fix it I’m to the right position
• Once in position I make a few markings with knife and take of the clay piece and cross hatch around the head and the mane piece to then attach using joining slip and then leave to dry.

• Once the slips has dried and the mane has become more leather hard I can then start to cut out triangular pieces out of the mane using craft knife – I made light markings around to have a guideline to show me where to cut
• Making it more even, not worrying too much about markings being perfect for it can later be smoothened out using sponge

• Using my finger underneath the clay so that it maintains it shape and doesn’t bend the triangular pieces in, once cut all the way round, I wait more so that the edges are more leather hard and then smoothen over gently with damp sponge

• Now that my mane was cut out, as said previously I much preferred the mane having a textured look to smoothened – I didn’t want it to be overly textured but subtle
• I wanted the painting to be the main decorative element and texture from looking at my tester of the lion can be quite difficult depending – like the body on the tester was lined and make it difficult to get in the lines but the mane texture was easy to paint over

• Once the texture was applied to the mane, I then started to make triangular shapes using using the clay to create ears for the lion to again be crosshatched and applied to with joining slip.
• Throughout the making of the lion – I wanted to stick to this use of using triangles throughout it – the mane, back of mane, pattern and ears… I also became aware of when it was coming to painting my figures that the lion was going to consist of warm colours rather than cold – I thought the triangular shape of the mane and patterns relate to the sun and therefore these warmer colours and use of shapes go nicely into one another.

• I then applied the ears and left to dry to a better consistently and meanwhile started on the back of the head of the figure – I crosshatched the back of the head and neck and created this 3 triangular shapes at the bottom for where the mane will end
• I thought 3 triangular ends would work best as generally odd numbers always work better – triptych for example

Two paintings by Francis Bacon that I particularly like:

• Furthermore with odd numbers this is also another factor that supported my idea of creating this female matriarch of the women members of the family household – Odd numbers are better than even in artistic compositions, because they create a subconscious sense of tension, which keeps the eye moving around the canvas, whereas even numbers create a sense of “relaxation.” For some works, that relaxation can translate to visually “boring.”

• With the focus of triangles that’s why I’ve also came to the decision of when displaying to consider a formation in which the figures create this triangular like shape with mother (lion) in center in front of all for she is the dominant figure and following behind us siblings going off in age order.

I then used the joining slip and pressed the clay on and left for it to become a better consistency and moved back to the ears and used a wooden modeling tool and in up and downwards motions cleaned up the lining of the joining

I do this EVERYTIME I join clay using the slip – for this prevents air being trapped and then later exploding – then I clean up with sponge after EVERYTIME also.

• I then move to the back of mane and start creating this more three dimensional and triangular shapes with the mane – also making sure to crosshatch and join clay to under the the mane in the front so that it flows nicely all the way round
• Within this I had to leave and then come back to it – allowing time for it to get to a better consistently and each time the triangular shapes would become more defined.

• Bit by bit it gradually got to where I was happy with – throughout all the figures I have learnt that in order to the best result, you really need to be patient with the process of it – this is why working in multiples works better for the consistency and also to allow yourself a break from one figure
• When concentrating on one figure for too long it’s easy to become frustrated or lose interest – changing up things and allowing your eyes to have a rest and adjust to something new makes you realize any changes that your figure needs
• Taking photos throughout and looking at the image rather than just by eyesight also allows you to see where changes need done more so.

As with ALL figures I always wet finish then ima circular motion so that the base is even and smooth – within the mane in front and back it was hard to get under where the mane is applied so I made this tool using the end of a paintbrush and a small sponge piece and wire to hold

Creating a tool in which can fit underneath to clean up any markings – this method worked well.

I then used a very small pin to create holes in the mane all the way through to center as mentioned previously you can’t have clay no thicker than your thumb and these small holes would create air flow within the clay piece

I used the inside dents so it would be more hidden but also wasn’t too concerned about holes for the paint would cover this up nicely and like ALL my pieces did so for he whisker holes too, not only for air to get though the piece but for decorative purposes also.

• I then left to dry but away from fan and covered mane with a plastic bag – as it got dryer I could then bit by bit allow the figures to be closer to the fan to dry. All my figures will come out at different times throughout the week but nevertheless they should all be out by the next week and ready to be painted
• Mouse and tiger fitted in the kiln together so next week on Monday I shall start painting them firstly. As mentioned my aim for this entire week is to make all figures and have some bodies made in clay as before just incase any break.

• During the making of lion I was also making rabbit and going in between each figure – with rabbit I decided AGAINST using the slip cast which I used for for the tester rabbit for there was three dimensional textured patterning on the mould and I didn’t want this – I was aiming for smooth bodies on all figures.
• I decided by looking at the tester rabbit that I didn’t need the slip cast in order to make my rabbit figure and formulated the idea of using the extruder for the shape of the desired rabbit shape didn’t need a slip cast to create this – for the rabbit is a straight and rounded tubular shape with a waist which goes in
• This is when I realized the extruder is much more suited an it’s a matter of extruding the clay and simply use my hand and using the inside of my thumb and index finger and rotated the clay and pushing slightly in to make the waist appear more in
• This method also is a lot more time efficient for you don’t need to wait days the slip cast to be at the consistency to pop out the mould
• It can be put through the extruder and ready to make straight away – also is more time efficient and works more in favor for its easier to reproduce if anything goes wrong.

• This is to show the making in which I was going in between lion and rabbit – here you can see the extruded form of rabbit in which I explained above how I made the shape.

• Below you can see the pinch pot head – I do this again with figures and use the method of crosshatching and joining slip to attach

• And like ALL my figures I add the ears and the whisker holes and and smoothen out – I found rabbit rather easy to do due to its simplistic shape

• The ears can be difficult within rabbit and all figures having ears for it can be hard to get them symmetrical but once you’ve got it it’s a matter of adding them on with the joining slip
• Here for rabbit I carved in the ears to add depth once the ears had dried abit on the head.

• Throughout all the making I used my testers to always measure up figures and compare them as I wanted to keep within the tester kiln dimensions – within 30cm
• As lion was slightly larger than all it still got in tester kiln but only on its own on an angle
• Keeping these guidelines has been crucial when making these figures for if any bigger All figures wouldn’t be ready in time to be painted, using these guide lines has been very beneficial to me and my making

• While lion was firing I had rabbit done on the Thursday and started squirrel on the Thursday but new from mouse and tiger that both rabbit and squirrel would fit together in the kiln and would have ready for Monday next week
• So my focus all day Friday was on finishing squirrel which was the final figure of the family

• The process within the squirrel was pretty much the same with the squirrel but I decided I wanted the shoulders to be slightly bigger – it was just the extruder peive itself to make this so like the rabbit the body was rather easy to do
• However I really struggled with creating the ears – I couldn’t seem to get them to be symmetrical and couldn’t decide whether I suited bigger or smaller

• I decided on going smaller rather than larger and that the tail would be the exaggerated and contain texture like the mane on the lion does
• When making all my figures I always reflected back to these images as well as designs within my book to remember and compare my works to the actual animal and to illustrative style I’m aiming for
• I knew these would also work well for when I get to painting the figures for reference of colour of fur and so:

• I then used the joining slip and attached the ears of the red squirrel and then created a tail using clay and formed a tail relating to the above images of the red squirrels for reference which involves the tail being more curled at the end
• I really wanted to exaggerate the tail big to add to aesthetic and suit to the rest of the figures as each involve an exaggerated features
• I did this as I feel it makes it more quirky and adds a lot more character than what it would if it was to have more realistic features (Aestethics)

• I crosshatched and applied slip – for the tail is large I attached it at bottom and at head to give it more struggle and to balance the figure out T
• his figure will be much heavier than the other figures for the tail isn’t hallow but as stated many times you can’t have the clay no thicker than your thumb so I used a small needle like I did on lions mane to pierce holes throughout the tail which will slow the tail not to explode while being fired – for the tail will be textured and painted, this will make the holes less noticeable

• And this is the tail applied with texture – a lot more rough than the lions mane but I feel it’s much more suited as for a squirrels tail is associated and mostly know for being bushy and big
• I also like the fact it’s slightly different textured for it makes each figures separate to one another but also relating somehow with the texture

• I then did the same as with all figures and done the whisker holes and I’ve also made this line for the lip parting within all figures as I feel it’s a nice small touch and relates to them all being similar and relating to them all being mammals.

• Within all my figures I made sure just before being fired to clean over lightly with damp sponge and make sure no fingerprints were on show, I really wanted the surface to be clean as possible to later paint on, I also feel the clean smooth surface I stuck to as a relation to my Russian doll research and an important element within the Russian dolls being the decorative element – all Russian dolls Ive seen haven’t consisted of texture but for this is my own interpretation – I decided I wanted only elements of textures for my own personal preference but still see why the smooth surface is idea likewise Russian dolls to apply decoration

Overall I’m really happy with the result of all figures and feel they’re all at a high quality. I have managed to fit all of these within my time scale and feel planning weekly has worked better for me – I used my time plan sheet to know how many weeks I had remaining and set small goals each week to complete. Though I feel I find it hard to show how I solve time management but have used rough to do lists within my book and reflected on time as I’ve updated my blog.

I’m definitely proud of what I’ve produced but was also feeling the pressure a lot during this week just due to the amount of figures that needed to be completed. I feel I underestimated how hard making 5 figures within a week would be but at the same time reflecting back feel I needed this to really push myself. Despite feeling stressed all week and feeling I was falling behind with processes, I still feel I have managed myself efficiently. However the pressure of FMP and coming to the end always popping up in my head. With this in mind I knew I had to ignore this feeling of stress and carry on with the work, I’ve said from the start that craftsmanship was an aim of mine and to me personally this was crucial to me and how I wish to further myself in university.

I’m quite shocked in myself really that I managed to do all 5 but was also now aware that I felt I also underestimated the time it would take to paint all 5 figures within a week. I wanted to focus more on write up, final evaluation and presentation and so on, however at the same time I made a good decision of using paint rather than ceramic techniques to bring the figures home. This allowing me more time to paint, however again I feel I’ve underestimating how tiring this will be and it also prevents me from catching up with book and write ups as much.

I do feel I’ve made with the clay what I set out for within my designs and feel happy with what I have achieved.

So I bought some quick dry clay from town as with it being the Easter holidays I knew I had no access to the ceramics room so I bought this as a substitute for the time being.

• To begin with I got the clay with had quite a weird texture and smell, unlike white clay it was quite lumpy and sculpted well but not as good as I would’ve liked but as this is an experiment for paint I wasn’t as concerned.
• I formed rounded heads suited more to a human like head and later would like to explore heads in which are more animal like – so facial feautures for example rabbit – rounded cheeks

• I made 3 using human like heads and used my nails to create the indents for eyes and added little bits of clay to then form a nose, within this I used my hands as tools. I decided upon using the stick to balance the heads as well as for later making it easier to apply paint all the way around the surface of the head.

• For the heads to dry I have to leave it 48 hrs to then be able to paint onto the surface – this being rather time consuming but due to it being over Easter I had this time to allow it to dry to later work with

• I began painting 2 heads using white gouache to create a base for heads so that the colour after will apply better and be more bold

• I decided for my first experiments I was going to use gouache as I felt this material would be best suited for my ceramic figures as I want them to be bright and colourful and gouache is leaves a matte finish with bright finishes.
• I decided on experimenting with the doing the rabbit/mouse (both very similar in facial features but attached ears would make the difference) and a tiger – as I wanted to experiment with more bold colours than just grey which would be suited to the rabbit.

• Using gouache is good as it drys fast and it also allows you to fix mistakes with ease, I’ve not had much practice with painting so I knew I’d have to keep going over and over the paint, it usually takes layers until it gets to a good stage – so it’s painting, leaving to dry and painting – despite gouache being quick to dry, it’s still time consuming due to layers

I was more interested in using gouache paint than other paints simply for the mate and beautiful range of colours, I was more put off with acrylic paint as I find this paint hard to use and it takes much longer to dry but I took ito consideration the shiny finish it has and perhaps thought well maybe the acrylic paint would work better more for decoration within the pattern – using two texture and finishes of matte and shiny. Using the shiny ness to add more interesting effects and bring some areas more to focus.

• I left the eyes sockets white to later paint in but instantly noticed where I’d pushed in to create the holes for eyes that I had pushed abit too far and knew this would become a problem for later – though I didn’t want to say this straight away as it would work in favor as a new way to create a more characterized face – despite me saying I want to treat my figures like little gems I still want them to have a whimsical illustrated style – they don’t have to have physical appearances of each person for the focus of the animal representation is more on the personality traits/representation not the physics appearance.

• So bit by bit I added paint – I’m feeling with this I more want to add fur using paint strokes than actually using texture using clay – The application for paint is easier on a smoother surface so I feel if I do add texture to my final figures it will only be elements of it such as on the ears

Within doing this I notice the downside to gouche paint is that when you touch the surface of the figure it spreads onto hands so I’m interested to see ether you can get a fixative for it as the gouche paint works really well for colour as well as being quick to dry and creates a warming range of colours that are calming on the eyes – I feel like elements of acrylic paint having the two different textures will look nice against each other for gouche paint is more chalky & matte and acrylic is bolder in colour and leaves a shiny finish but with acrylic I need to consider the brush strokes and it will be less erasable than what gouche is

The more I’ve been doing this I’ve been thinking about the whiskers, here I’ve tried painting them on but I feel I prefer the idea of small holes being in the clay figures to use a material for the whiskers, I originally thought wire but thinking about it I feel it may be too heavy for the figure and I don’t want there to be visible glue on the face of the figure so I’m aiming more towards like a nylon string, something much lighter and should have a transparent appearance

• I tried doing faces in which had more shape like I mentioned I wanted to experiment with a more animal like features – instantly I didn’t like this and just wasn’t feeling it suited to what I imagined
• I did try however to okay a little with the shape but decided against this and to continue with my original thoughts but with more humanized facial features

Throughout the entire duration of FMP I have struggled with understanding of who my audience is, now that I have got to a point in which I’m starting to finalise my ideas I feel I now have a better understanding of who my work is set out for.

Within my collectable characters and throughout my research from the start I have said that I like this idea of having my own story behind the work – something that’s more personal to me but when someone else see’s it that he or she will will come up with their own narrative within my work.

The means into looking more deeply into narrative, stories, memories, personal existence and experience in life has led me to come up with my own unique variety of characters suiting to the personality traits of each member of my family with inspiration from a mix of artists like Sara Swink – for her more whimsical illustrated ceramic figures with a psychological stance, Nancy Kubale – Figures that are metaphorical and challenge of our existence and contain beautiful elements of pattern and Claire Curneen that expresses figurative representation that draws the audience into a world of narrative – I have used these artists to my advantage and I’m inspired by the aesthetics as well as the deeper personal qualities that there ceramic works contains and intertwined it into mine but with my own style and my own meanings.

Looking into these artists, I have decided that my own collectable set of characters is best viewed for gallery but also be suited to being sold online

Sara Swink

• Within looking at Sara Swinks web page it has led me to a website in which states artworks that have been involved in galleries and exhibitions, this tells me by looking at the style within her work which is much suited to mine for it’s form and use of animal & human form combined that her work suits to both gallery and online sources such as ETSY.
• Etsy is an online buyer and seller community similar to eBay, except it focuses on hand-crafted or vintage goods. Most products sold fall into the category of arts, crafts, jewelry, paper goods, housewares, and artisan candies or baked goods. Vintage items must be at least 20-years old to qualify and can range from costumes, clothing, jewelry, photos, and housewares.

WHY SELL ON ETSY?

In the past, most crafters and artisans sold their goods at fairs, open markets, and on consignment. While the Internet opened doors to reaching consumers beyond their local area, many craftsmen didn’t want the hassle of setting up their own website, credit card processor or e-commerce platform in order to sell their goods online. While eBay and other e-commerce DIY sites helped, Etsy provided a marketplace specifically for crafters.

Etsy allows each seller to set-up a customized online “shop” with full e-commerce capabilities by using its simple set-up wizard. It’s easy, fast, affordable, and an effective way to reach consumers.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Etsy offers a comprehensive e-commerce platform and payment system on which individuals can sell a product. To create an Etsy storefront, it costs $0.20 per item listed. For example, if you sell hand-made necklaces and list four of the same kind, the fee will be $0.80 (4 X $0.20). On top of this fee, there is a 3.5% transaction fee, and if sellers elect to use Etsy’s “Direct Checkout” feature, a 3% fee is charged on each transaction.

Compared to the expenses of setting up a website with a shopping cart, and getting a merchant account (which also charges processing fees), Etsy is an affordable alternative. Further, because Etsy is a known marketplace for handcrafted goods, it has a ready-made market.

How to start an Etsy home business

1. Determine what you’re going to sell. If you’re crafty and considering Etsy, you probably already have items you want to sell in mind. But Etsy allows for many different types of products. People sell marketing swag, jam, jewelry, and more. Some people sell crafting supplies, instead of finished goods. It’s probably best to start with a single type of item instead of a hodgepodge of them, just for easier marketing and organization. As your Etsy business grows, so too can your offerings.
2. Set up your Etsy account. Creating an Etsy account starts with selecting a username. Consider using a name that represents what you want to sell, while also keeping it open enough to expand your product line in the future. Next, fill in the account set-up fields that Etsy asks for. Don’t forget to read all the terms of service and policies.
3. Set up and stock your Etsy shop. Esty offers many features for your online store. Once your store is set up, you’ll need to add your products. Make sure you take high-quality photos and provide enticing descriptions. Price your items in such a way that you’ve covered the cost of your supplies, as well as the time it took for you to create them. 
4. When an item sells, pack it up and send it quickly. Like eBay, buyers can leave reviews about you as a seller and the quality of the product. If you’re selling downloadable items (i.e. printables), Etsy allows you to store the file with it, so buyers can download it from within their Etsy account after the sale. For best ratings, provide professional customer service.

Having a successful Etsy business is about balancing the time it takes to create your goods and selling them. If you can have a steady supply of in-demand products to keep your Etsy store stocked, you can build a successful home-crafting business.  

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• Within considering making an Etsy account for a business, you should always look into reviews to understand how you can use this platform to its best potential
• Etsy is a great platform for artists and as my figures are handmade with slight alterations can be suited and personalised to suit a wide audience
• In ways I can do this I can do commissions – In art, a commission is the act of requesting the creation of a piece, often on behalf of another. Artwork may be commissioned by private individuals, by the government, or businesses. Commissions often resemble endorsement or sponsorship.
• This works well due to the personal nature in my work and can be suited to wide range of specific groups – for example with the Willowtree figures. Have been made in a way that you can select the figures in which suit to your family but also universal and suited to anyone and there family. These are collective and work harmoniously together – within my work comparing it to Willowtree it’s not as simplified but that can also work in my favour due to the uniqueness and wide range of individual preference for example Mr Men – all individual but people still have favourites that tend to be more attached to through there nature (form)

• With that in mind, even though I have decided that I do in fact want my figures to be personal to me and my family that doesn’t mean these figures can’t work for more commercial, private commissions and Etsy.
• As said before alterations can make these more suited and sell-able – for example these below are called Pocket Manfriend

• These are quirky stones that are hand-painted to characterised the friend you need/choose for self or as a funny gift, the hand painted element makes these much more sell-able due to the uniqueness and the because there stones the shape and textures vary therefore again making it even more unique
• These being sold on the likes of Etsy – when looking at the image above ^ notice there are a large engagement of reviews that show mostly positive- to make these it’s not expensive and due to the sizing and the material of them being stones – it’s easy to pick up in say beaches for free – it’s the character and novelty and handcrafted element that really sells these
• When you buy a man Pocket Manfriend – it comes in a packaging revealing humorous quality traits of your new found friend

• With this in mind, if I was to give this more scope of my own figures I could use a wide range of animals, patterns, colours and pendants that could be used with a similar concept but rather than being more humorous – have a mix of concepts with my own spin on it

FOR EXAMPLE: LION & MOUSE

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MEET RACHEL RABBIT

Rachel Rabbit is very rare, she loves to nibble on oranges and occasionally pears. Rachel’s favourite colours are purple and green, she loves to wear checkers and is always happy when with her buddy Tina the Tiger.

• Notice how I use alliteration within the name and animal type. Using a human name makes these more sellable as a friend may buy these specifically for that person.

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• So this therefore can work with multiple animals with a range of names, colours, patterns suited to being mass produced or commissioned or produced on a small scale
• The use of saying that Rachel Rabbit is happy when with friend Tina Tiger – works again as a selling point as then it opens the customer to see this as a collective collection and with more – a family grouping is born.

^ This is an example of how Sara swinks work also works within Gallery, Below is an example of her work at an exhibition

Within the video it shows Sara Swinks Artwork on display which I’ve noticed all her works are on white plinths and I do quite like how she’s got them stacked with different heights going up, perhaps I could do the same and have almost like a staircase from top going down in family age order – this then showing the mother to the youngest whilst keeping them grouped together

I’d say Swinks audience is more aimed to sell but also works both ways within exhibitons and galleries depending on the show – I know a dinosaur figure she did was part of a show which had mix of artists creating works that were dinosaur related. The artists says in her bio:

These days, I divide my time between sculptural work for galleries and commissions, offering smaller works online, teaching studio classes and workshops.

Sara Swink

If I was to give it more scope I could see these also being sell able due to the style and characteristics and consistent themes – again giving more scope they could be suited or commissioned suited to other people and there own families only changes of say animal suited to persons trait, colour and pattern – within this you there are many possibilities of how the the figure could look – this is only how mine would look suited to my family and I decided on that simply for it’s more personal and suited to my current project and a way in which I can express myself to the best potential due to it being so personal. With small changes and keeping within style choice I can see how this could come out with more possibilities to suit commissions as said earlier .

However I did email Sara Swink regarding her about outlook on audience and this was her response:

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This has made me more aware that my audience in fact can be set out for my myself but I feel I still wanted to explore more avenues so that if I was to give it more scope, these as mentioned earlier could be ways in which of doing so.

I feel white plinths would work well as I said I want my work to be colourful and the figures to be treated like gems so the white space will really contrast and bring the ceramic figures to focus. Claire Curneen another artist I was inspired by also uses plinths but in black which I also think looks really nice against her figures but I feel it’s more suited to these as her ceramics consists of black so it compliments them more – with my figures not containing black at all I don’t feel it’s suited. I feel my space needs to be clean and white so that the figures are on full display and details can be at full show.

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However I do like the idea of keeping them within a family circle and keeping the mother figure more foward the others to show this is the dominant leader figure – I have made designs within my book to convey this. The work being displayed on a plinth in an arrowhead formation with the dominant figure mother (lion) in the lead descending in age order of the siblings. The triangle formation also relates back to this connection between mother and seed of the Russian doll influence of my project, while suiting to the pattern in which the mother has:

IF TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED FOR SELLING:

On Swinks website she tends to always photograph her works with a white back ground with over casting shadow gradient on the top (grey) – working almost like a drop light, this makes Swinks figures at complete focus whist keeping it looking professional. I also do love how these are all so similar to one another but each have there unique own character again showing me how you can keep it collective – changes being in colour, height, form (width),facial features and pattern. Swink has been a massive inspiration from the start of FMP and I would say she has been a big impact on my work and with design – her characters really stand out to me and have a cute charm to them, like her I like this combination of using animals and giving it human-like qualities (anthropomorphism) and she balances them well.

This gives a better insight at what my ideas involve, showing more a range of animals rather than above with them being all rabbits – each all having there own animal and own outfit containing different colours, patterns and so on… But due to the form (shape) and style of heads (facial features) it keeps them harmoniously working together collectively – with how they’re placed in line with the middle it is slightly more forward which brings that one to more focus then the hierarchy leads you to the figures in the back, the idea I’m trying to do with my Mother figure and siblings.

I’ve also noticed I’ve been continuously looking at figures more that just contain the torso and head at the beginning of the course but when designing I haven’t been doing this but with the full figure but I feel I have stuck more to the full figure due to the inspiration of Russian dolls and for reasoning of me wanting to fit these two symbols – Ying Yang Semicolon & Chinese Symbol on the figures front previously planned but I felt for them to be at most focus that they needed some negative space around it to get them more at focus so for that reason alone I feel that’s why I backed out of this shape when designing though I do love this design of just torso.

I also decided on looking at her blog posts to give me an insight at her thought process when making her works as well as looking at her Etsy account to look at reviews as mentioned in my proposal to give me an insight at her audience and there reasoning of buying her works:

BLOG – IDEA GENERATION, DEVELOPMENT, OUTCOME

This is a prime example of how ceramic pieces can have a deeper meaning to the artist but be visually pleasing in order to sell and be used in spaces suited to what the buyer wants.

PLINTHS WITH ACRYLIC CASE

• Often with 3D sculptural work when displayed it’s often got an acrylic case in which is used to protect the pieces and prevent people from touching as well as giving it a professional look
• I was put off with this idea for short time due to when visiting in Liverpool at Tate I was disappointing with the casing in which had one of Grayson Perry’s vases in, I decided to reflect back and look at previously images from the Liverpool and London Trip as I feel I was letting that one experience taint my opinion.
• In doing so I realised that in fact I do much prefer the look of the works having this casing – for both aesthetic and protection
• Below are some examples from the Liverpool trip at start of year – It is a recurring theme in which I’ve became more aware that most sculptural works usually involve casing to avoid any unwanted handling for these pieces are fragile and not intended to be interactive pieces

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In conclusion I am now happy and confident in my audience focus for this project I want my audience focus to be self and family for this is a personal project but I am aware of ways in which I can make these more collectable and work within selling. However these figures still work collectively together and still relate within my project concept. Below is how I’ve showcased my work for the current exhibition in June.

I am happy with the overall space and feel for the reasons I’ve explained above that it works well and specialised teachers from college also agree with my space. However I did consider mirror and one point which shows below also but I feel it just wasn’t needed and I didn’t like the fact that with mirror it shows yourself, this distracts you from looking at the actual work.

With that in mind I posted my work on fb and Instagram and got loads of good feedback from a range of people!

Worry dolls (also called trouble dolls; in Spanish, Muñeca quitapena) are small, hand-made dolls that originate from Guatemala. According to legend, Guatemalan children tell their worries to the Worry Dolls, placing them under their pillow when they go to bed at night. By morning the dolls have gifted them with the wisdom and knowledge to eliminate their worries.

The story of the worry doll is a local Mayan legend. The origin of the Muñeca quitapena refers to a Mayan princess named Ixmucane. The princess received a special gift from the sun god that allowed her to solve any problem a human could worry about. The worry doll represents the princess and her wisdom.

Big Idea:

• Artists and every day people use their personal experiences and unwelcome situations to create and produce positive and fulfilling artistic creations to ease unhappiness and trouble.

Objectives:

• We are humans, and we worry. Unfortunately this bad practice leave us with nothing but a tired mind and body. We learn to worry from a very early age and many times we forget that trouble and unhappiness is nothing we can solve by adding more fear and worry to it.
• Using creativity in a positive direction by turning fear and trouble into an artistic expression: Worry Dolls.

Worry dolls take away my suffering. I whisper my worries to them very quietly and they silently heal me of them. And under my pillow they sleep, and if I have a problem, without the doll I would wake up. Me, who never believed in amulets or sorcery. What am I doing telling dolls my sorrows?

Tontxu

Although there are many different types, worry dollstend to measure between 10 and 20 millimeters. They’re made by hand using a base of wood or wire. The face is usually made of cotton, cardboard, or clay, and the clothing can be made with wool or aguayo, a traditional Guatemalan cloth.

In Guatemalan culture, these little figures were originally intended to alleviate children’s nighttime anxiety, but today it’s also common for adults to use them. They’re usually kept in boxes or cloth bags in groups of 6, one for each day of the week, giving them the option to rest for a day. They usually come with the following instructions:

• Concentrate on your concerns or problems when you go to bed.
• Tell the doll what you want them to take away.
• Put the doll under the pillow.
• Caress the doll’s tummy a few times so that your sorrows don’t hurt it, and in the morning, they’ll have disappeared!

The dolls are used as dreamcatchers and amulets, offering you a chance to unload your daily suffering in a natural way. This beautiful tradition promotes a very healthy psychological habit that everyone should try to achieve every day: releasing your mind of your preoccupations so you can sleep soundly.

Physically transferring your worries and sorrows onto the doll one by one, even though it’s imaginary, can be a very useful way to manage your anxiety over your problems. It also makes you feel like you have the power to manage your anxiety and prevent insomnia.

Looking at Russian Dolls led me to look at Worry Dolls which both a sweet psychological effect on people, Russian Dolls being a way to represent Family & Fertility and Worry Dolls being a way to calm a persons mind of worries. I really love the hidden messages behind these and especially love how it incorporates the human form. A way in which we best relate to as we are humans ourselves, I especially like how unique they’re. You can can design/style it to your own personal preference.

The same in which I aim at doing with my figures, a means in which I represent each family member, I did consider at one point of incorporating more personal things like hope, dreams and I could even look into fears and so on… But I decided that I wanted to simplify it and bring my symbolism’s more to focus and keep more personal traits (animal representations) hidden but to look at visually for it to be intriguing and full of character.

I also feel by looking into Worry Dolls I could look at ways people have decided upon making there own and look more deeply into the colour combinations, textures and materials used on the dolls. Could I make my Figures more personal by incorporating the likes of eye colour suited to that person.

I just love these and the colour combinations, the knitted/crotchet really adds to the aesthetic, perhaps I could play with wool? I have knitted before and my mum crochets so I would be intrigued to possibly give this ago and perhaps use it to wrap around the figure whether that be from waist down or just a belt. I’m not sure if this would look out of place or bit tacky as I said with the ribbon but I’m intrigued by the idea of adding other materials to my figures for decoration – I could just see it looking so fab with the figure say painted using gouache which leaves a beautiful full of colour matte finish with then a stunning knitted/crotchet skirt wrapped around it consisting of the patterns I’ve set out for each individual – almost like Sara Swinks but with the material.

Though I do need to take in mind time scale and it would be learning a new skill, though I have some experience within this area but if to give it more scope if I had more time I could see it working well. The faces are also intruging to me, I love how they all look either look like they have an attitude due to the wide long eyes and the mouth being close – I haven’t yet looked at doing a mouth for my figures as I feel no facial expression is best suited – I like the idea of the figures just being still and the focus being on the decorative element and shape – I feel adding facial expression will distract the viewer though I feel I should still consider looking at facial expression within my designs suited to traits of the person for instance lion – roaring? Mouse – facial expression more innocent looking and looking upwards to appear shy.

These are perfected and personally I’d be so worried in having one just in case it went missing, I love the style that they have and it represents the person more on from how they look – I do like but not as suited for what I’m aiming for as I want mine to have a more illustrated appearance and involve inspiration from Primitivism – more abstract forms and more exaggerated, surrealism – want to have play on this idea of unleashing the unconscious. Though I really love the colours used for each figure – I could consider when doing my figures as each has there own colour using 2 shades of that colour as I feel the blue and purple worry doll above shades against each other really compliment one another – so perhaps it doesn’t need to be one solid colour, or complimentary colours.