Rotten Firebug Boy II

Now that that the paper clay has begun to dry, I am able to refine the features with riffle files and snips of sandpaper. I have hollowed out the bust area beneath the shoulders to prepare it for a "spine" and after that a sawdust-filled linen body. Meanwhile, hands and feet are drying.  I think I might sand down the hair-do a bit; it seems to be out of proportion and looks a bit like little Adolph.  I am aiming for something like funny-wicked Hummel, not an evil horrid Hummel. Eyes have been added to the sockets, and that took a delicate touch and a wet brush to refine them and create an impression of eyelids. All in all, progress is happening, I think. What's fascinating to me is the crucial role proportion plays in sculpting; the wrong proportions create a little old man, not a toddler aged boy; the proportions of a doll are not the same as a living person (for this sort of doll, anyway).  It's also fascinating that, once you're in the swing of it, your hands seem to know where things belong, and amazingly lifelike detail and expression just seem to happen. I'm having fun. I guess we never lose the joy of playing with dolls, if we're honest with ourselves.

Next step:  Refine the hands and feet, sew the cloth body, stuff with recycled sawdust, plan the costume.  Wait till you see the box setting for this one -- it is a burned antique sewing machine console drawer with a cracked white porcelain knob, narrow and dark inside, just right.