Even before 2017 ended I thought about changing my dolls construction as it felt that they were too serious and way too small for the fun I've always had envisioned whilst making so I did made some changes.
I've started to invest more on paper "skeletons" instead of toilet paper wrapped on wire and adding way more das clay. Mixed media indeed as soon as I started to be interested on adding a few shinny plastic beads here and there. Makes things shinier! Also a bit more cartoonish because people are easily touch by humor thus, I think, its a great way to teach history!
This overall became such a discovery that I felt the necessity to make a pause on doll making due to space limitations in the house.
My plan is to portray the life of Portuguese King D. João V on dolls.
Also recently I started to make papermache based pins to wear!
But this post isn't about dolls or pins, its about my newest papercrete bust!
Maybe since EVER I wanted to make a full size bust but always ended disappointed as I don't have school practice - all looked silly, misshaped, whatever!
Last year I, after visiting some churches in Lisbon thought on trying again - this time with papercrete! Turned out too big, I often felt lost and the face, although accurately human, didn't looked as the person I wanted to portray, so ... No, I didn't threw it to the garbage, but... don't know...
Whilst this one was even drying I thought upon doing another one - this time smaller!
I won't bother you with the whole story because sooner or later either I'll post something about it or make a video.
Cutting a long story short I will only say that there's nothing going wrong with this one (its smaller and I have a bit more experience and apparently either patience or skill).
My goal is to portray (again) D. João V of Portugal at the age of 19, 20., exactly when he became King of Portugal.
I've been going on slowly, taking inspiration from colleagues like Girardon and Coysevox from portraits of Louis XIV of France, Leopold I of Habsburg empire or Felipe V of Spain and this is what I've achieved today
The white bits are also papercrete but have a thin coat of das clay because when it dries all the fibers of the paper comes up, so the das is to smooth the surfaces (specially on the face and cuirasse). As soon as the lumps dry I'll start to carve or model the curls of his wig (after adding the other side too, of course)
It looks great and I couldn't feel happier!!
If you still don't know what papercrete is and would like to know or try, there's a video I posted some time ago:
If you are a doll or art collector you may want to visit my etsy shop @ https://www.etsy.com/shop/chezPedro
Or join me on patreon @
https://www.patreon.com/chezPedro (where I honestly am still trying to understand how it works
Thanks for visiting,
Namasté!
