Watercolour, crayon, oil pastel - 20 x 28cm
A few days ago I was reading a lovely post about childhood memories by Jeanne Grant on her blog. Jeanne struck many chords but the one that really resonated for me was her delight in paper dolls. When I started asking friends, I realised this was a fond memory for so many girls.
As you can see I've been playing around with watercolour again and went a bit overboard with colour but I will probably revisit the theme of paper dolls because I still love them.
As you can see I've been playing around with watercolour again and went a bit overboard with colour but I will probably revisit the theme of paper dolls because I still love them.
21 comments:
This is a beautiful page - the content, the composition, and especially the bright colors! Although I loved paperdolls, my daughter never did, and so far her daughter doesn't either.
Me too! I haven't seen them in years. I love this illustration - the blank face leaves it up to us to give her a personality - and play!
Oh! I remember those dolls. About the only kind I really played with;I used to like making new outfits for them, usually out of foil from cigarette packets, or toffee wrappers!
And I don't think you've overdone the colour.
Oh I fell for this as I spotted it in EDM and couldnt get over to your blog quick enough to read up and comment. Beautiful colours that enhance the subject and all the lovely images.
This is a cute idea for a composition...good color too. I had seen Jeanne mention them on her blog too. When we were growing up there were 5 of us kids...4 girls and 1 boy. My sisters and I spent hours in the basement designing our own paper dolls. We'd trace around the ones that we bought, but make our own with new faces and hairstyles. Then we would design clothes for them. My mother said that those were the times she didn't even realize she had children in the house. My poor brother must have felt so left out.lol
Bringing memories into your art is a great idea Robyn. What a colorful piece. I was fond of them too.
Oh, paper dolls! I loved them too! When my girls were little, I made paper dolls of each of them, with clothes, of course---I wonder where they are now. Your paper doll is very stylish and lives, apparently, in an interior decorated by Matisse ;D.
what a great idea. I liked designing clothes for paper dolls too - hard plastic dolls never really appealed at all.
Robyn, I thinks this makes a very interesting contemporary painting. You have hit a great idea for a series. I love the bold colors in it.
I absolutely LOVED paper dolls and I'd forgotten all about them. Your painting took me straight back!
Do you remember ever getting picky about them - the ones that had the paper that was really good at bending and staying on and the ones that were totally naff and always fells off.
I think it turned out great. I doubt I will do my card justice compared to yours. I was looking online for the Betsy McCall paper dolls. I was amazed that a different one came in each new McCalls magazine.
Isn't it funny when you start to think of old memories, your mind just does to another place and you think of more and more things?
I think you did a great job. I hope I can do half as good when I do my trading cards.
I remember these fondly too! Modern grown-ups version is the fridge magnet with clothes. A friend of mine has Da Vinci's David fridge magnet with clothes to wear.
What a lovely piece and it brought back memories of sissors and dolls.
I like your art. Very creative and fun!
http://racheteapaintersdiary.blogspot.com/
Shirley - thank you :) Maybe if you made your granddaughter one with a photo of her own face. I'm worried I'll soon be making them rather than painting them!
Felicity - Many thanks. It's really weird, I couldn't bring myself to give this doll a face, and then I started researching traditional Japanese paper dolls - and guess what, they don't have faces!
Dinah - I think I used bits of cigarette foil too!
Joan - What a lovely enthusiastic comment. Made me smile.
Robin - Amazing how many of us share this memory.
Laura - I bet your paper dolls were beautiful! Now I have a horrible feeling I neglected to do this for my daughter.
Vivien - I'm thinking of starting a paper doll exchange!
Mary - Thank you for commenting on the painting. :) I almost didn't post it. I hope I can develop the idea.
Katherine - I wouldn't have picked you as a paper doll girl but I could certainly imagine you doing a survey of floppy paper dolls vs quality paper ones. I remember asking my big brother to make me a 'boyfriend' for my paper doll and was horrified when he gave him muscles and a hairy chest! :(
Jeanne - Thank you again so much for stirring this memory. I'm looking forward to seeing your cards.
Anita - Fridge magnet David doll! That sounds very Italian.
Lindsay - Thank you. I'm going to try to incorporate some of your Japanese paper samples into the next one.
Rachete - Thank you for your lovely comment. Love your blog which I'm now following.
Wow. I loved paper dolls too. I was looking them up on ebay a while ago. I started an artist's book about dressmaking and I realised that the starting point was the paper dolls.
Wendy - Isn't it wonderful that we are still all little girls at heart. I'd love to see your artist's book.
Can you tell I'm playing catchup again.
Wow does this post bring back memories. I played with paper dolls it seemed forever. In fact I used to make my own dresses for the dolls. My favorite were the Lennon Sisters.
Very cool. Love the colors.
I eagerly looked forward to the monthly paper dolls in some magazine my mother received (McCall's? Ladies Home Journal?) when I was young. I just bought a set of bunny family paper dolls for my four year old granddaughter. The paper doll clothes look like they are from the early 1900s. Very cute. It will be interesting to see how Georgia reacts to them. I remember being a bit frustrated by the clothing falling off the paper dolls.
Beautiful colors in this piece, Robyn.
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