Things In The Works

I didn't mean to go so long between blog posts! Time has gotten away from me these last couple of weeks. That is partly due to my diving into my current obsession (doll making) and partly due to my terrible procrastination! So I thought I should update what I've got in the works.

One day last week I sat down in my little art studio to work and just could not get started. Why? The place was a wreck! When I work, I tend to gather all of my materials around me on my work table, on the floor beside me, and in general, anywhere I can fit it in. Unfortunately, I don't always put the materials back when I'm finished for the day. I figure, why do that when I'll just need them tomorrow? Well, one reason is pretty soon you can't even SEE your work table OR get to it, for that matter, with all of the stuff strewn around the floor. Finally, I'd had enough and spent a good two days clearing out the whole space, including the closet.

I found some things I'd been looking for (another advantage to an organized space!) and some things I had completely forgotten about. So now I'm at least more organized than I've been. All of my fabrics are grouped together where I can see them now and not hidden in bins in the closet. All of my paints, markers, inks, stamps, etc. are together in one place and all of my doll making supplies are grouped together.

I like to jump in and get a project done when I start. This is good and bad. It's good because I completely immerse myself in the project and devote all of my energy to it. It's bad because everything else falls to the wayside. So I've begun to set priorities and am slowly learning to work on a project a little bit at a time. This way, I can work on more than one project PLUS a little down time between work sessions gives me more time to think about what to add or change about the previous days' work.

I'm sure alot of people already have this figured out. But for me it's a learning process. I have to pace myself. I've signed up for some more projects at Artella and I want to do a good job on ALL of them. So, here's what's in the works:

1. You can see from the pictures of the books that I've got something going on with fabric. I'm experimenting with small "art quilts". I'm incorporating photos, small fabric remnants, and embellishments. Some of these little quilts will be incorporated into a book. That's all I'll tell you for right now! ;)

2. I'm halfway through my digital altered book. I attended a webinar last week hosted by Artella that gave me more tips on using my Photoshop program. That was a great help!

3. I'm still putting finishing touches on the zine. I've gone through a panic phase thinking, "it's not good enough. It's not even done right" blah blah blah. I've got to go with my gut and leave it alone!

4. I signed up for another ATC swap! Yay! This one has the theme, "magic key".

5. I'm attempting to sculpt two new dolls from clay. I have the faces done and am working on the rest of the bodies and their outfits.

So that's what I've been doing and will be working on this month and next. By the end of October the zine deadline will have come and gone, the ATC swap deadline is two weeks and the digital altered book deadline is two weeks. So, back to work!