Let's Face It

While working on something else I found this linen shirt buried in one of my boxes.  It was an excellent 'find' at a local thrift store.   Oh, I just had to use this.  Its got texture, a beautiful earthy shade of beige/grey and soft, soft, soft.

For me the 'face' is the pivot for any doll -- it sets the scene for the story.  Does it make me laugh, does it make me smile, does it make me wonder?  And it can be the most difficult of part of the whole design.  In making a prototype I decided to draw the face on a finished head.  I practiced on muslin, I drew faces until I almost wanted to have a 'faceless' doll.  Time to draw the face on a linen stuffed head.  Tragedy!  That idea did not work with the linen.  Okay -- I'll just embroider over the drawing -- worse tragedy. Pawing through some older doll stuff, I found a few stitched faces which I'd once meant to attach to a stuffed head.  Voila!!  Could that work?

After making several faces and attaching one to a finished doll I thought I had the answer, but each day I grew to dislike it more and more. This doll design is supposed to be somewhat serene and quiet and even a bit sophisticated, if you will.   What is a non-artist supposed to do?

Coming to my aid was a collection of circa 1500 women's portraits.  Several to choose from, but this beauty came to my rescue.  I cannot seem to find out who the artist was but the title is "1500 Eleonara Gonzage Italian Renaissance".  

Much more to do, but the secret seems to be patience and perseverance. Thanks to Eleonara I now have a face that helps tell this story. 

"Sometimes things aren't clear right away.  That's where you need to be patient and persevere and see where things lead." - Mary Pierce