Animal portraits on paper mache canvases

Hi everyone!

Its been two weeks now that I've defocused a bit from the dolls and went back at painting! Felt doing something new so I started to make these:

The paper mache canvases were already there and I just needed to grab the brushes!

It was fascinating to perceive how much I've shifted colour wise, technique and even subject wise as before I'd prefer a more caravaggio's kind of colour palette, oils instead of acrylics and either portraits or self portraits!

I am so thrilled that I decided to open an Etsy shop! Want to have a look? Then go to https://www.etsy.com/shop/MachePTe

Thanks for visiting!

"MyRoyalDolls Collectibles"

Hi everyone, its been a while since I dont post nothing, true. So so sorry!

I have been quite busy on producing stuff and then there's an obvious lack of energy to write things down... But I'm back and willing to share!

Much as been going on - not only creative wise - wanted to get rid of all my projects, some I've putted them on the garbage, others I tried to offer them... ALL in order to have more space free to work on other things.

Whilst intelectualy wise my MyRoyalDolls project took over of all my atention, I thought that the so called "birdies" (sculptures of birds with human faces) could also be commercial here in Sintra (as I've tried them in Lisbon) so I started to do some contacts online with shops and from the few that answered I ended up by going to a really cool one owned by a really nice gentleman - H'art Portugal (@ https://www.facebook.com/HartPortugal) who, instead of liking the animal sculptures, was much fond of the royal dolls! I said "thanks but no thanks!" as its my personal collection! But ... within minutes I thought upon doing smaller versions and the "MyRoyalDolls Collectibles" were born!!!

King Sebastian I of Portugal

Victorian couple

Fado - Portugal's national song

Process making wise I first make a wire structure and fill it with toilet paper soaked in glue and the rest depends on its gender, attire, etc. For smoother surfaces, just like on the "big" MyRoyalDolls, I use air drying modelling paste and whenever I want to stiff a piece of paper (like a cloak or a skirt) I cover it with what I call cold porcelain liquid (which simply is starch+white glue+water)

Check out this "sketch" of an early 17th century lady and you'll understand a bit better the above description

Et voilá!

If you want to see more of these please go to myroyaldolls.wix.com/myroyaldolls - as soon as you decide the language the menu page will open and you clic on... well, whatever you want to see! Eh eh eh

Thank you for visiting!

Lord Ganesha

From older posts you might have seen my crush on toilet paper. It is an amazingly plastic material so much so that I thought on creating full sculptures out of it.

Its been ages that I'm to create a sculpture of Lord Ganesha and felt the time was now!

For the basic structure I used a balloon, half a rubber ball to make the upper body, a smaller ball (which I made in 2 halfs and then glued) and some cartouche for the arms (legs are to be added afterwords.
For the face made the trunk out of aluminium foil and cardobard for the ears. Then it was toilet paper all way through!

The face was fun fun fun! As you can see its layer upon layer of little rolls, balls covered with plain sheets of the paper, the tusks oo!

now the body, as Im working on the arms has been a bit challenging as I'm feeling a bit anxious to finish it, although it dries fast, its still a bit ... hummmm........ ;) 

So I had an idea! How about adding starch to my already existing papercrete paste in order to become a bit more moddeling paste instead of just "covering" paste? This is also because the dried toilet paper is really good for someone who like texture on their works which isnt really my case ... Ok, I do like on some clothes or something but on skin not! So ... I will have a go on it!

Ciao!

 

Blue or envy blue?

I always liked birds and the late human faced birds have been quite a fever for me!

More than wanting to create something easy / quick enough in order to try the "outside studio's" eventual market has taught me to chill out so much more about and whilst creating that im grateful for it. 

Thank you guys!

The transformation of the "chill out" energetic vibration into "fun" has been bringing me even more fun, so much so that, after posting some of these works on the (magnificent!) website ultimatepapermache.com, I was invited by the host - Jonny Good (a lady whom I watch on youtube for more than 4 to 5 years!)- to write a "how I made" article! Wow!

Time to construct something new!
Pigeons are always fun, specially the males alround the females. Arent they annoying though? I bet the ladys think that ... Nevertheless I decided that those very "love dances" were the motto for my next sculpture!

Each step was photographed and after some days all was ready, written, explained and a couple of days ago my work was published on and here`s the link, do enjoy!!

http://www.ultimatepapermache.com/pigeon-man-sculpture

                                                                 Thank you Jonny ;)

on Lisbon's skies

On Lisbon's skies there arent only ufos, airplanes or pigeons, no!

There are also swallows!!!

                                         
This one made me the favor of landing on a bench near me whilst I was eating some devilish but delicious chips!

I sure hope more will come! :D

Papier pets

Havent been posting a while ago, I know!

You know how artists are, there is milions of things going on on my head and also creative wise that I dont really have the patient to write nothing (isnt it more fun to create something though?

Months ago I dived deeply into my MyRoyalDolls project, then I tried to get and endure some job (which didnt last long) and suddenly I thought I had to stand for myself and create something that wouldnt go much against my thoughts upon "commercial art" but not as intelectual as the dolls nor that would take much time to produce ...

Went into my "memory files" and decided to create something that was swirling in my mind since months! A chicken with a person's face!

Paper mache paper strips structure on a baloon and then covered with papercrete. Papercrete is fine but not only takes time to dry as it moistered lots the balloon thing so I quit (feeling rather angry I must say!) Time pasted and decided to go on again this time without papercrete! Paper strips quand meme but this time used tiny rolls of toilet paper soaked in glue (the very same ones I had used on the dragon and on some reliefs on my dolls, plus its excelent to "portray" feathers!
So I carried on, tale and wings out of cardboard, feet of two rolls of newspaper paper covered layers of toilet paper sheets, head and nails in air drying modeling paste, acrylic paint and varnish in the end and it worked fine!

Days after dived into a slight bigger project: a turkey!
The turkey was a bit tricky as I had to play more with shapes but it was fun, ah ah ah

Weeks after decided to do a little rooster!

The result of the mentioned above was this:

 

And finally:

Du luxe

Hi again!

The buttons, shown before, are part of an idea that I had which consists on "building" an XVIII century character in order to make guided historical walks here in Lisbon.

Alongside with those, others ideas started to pop up - ideas which came out of visual epoch requirements and that ended in good tests towards papercrete.

First used the paste to do the body for a Grand Cross of the Order of Santiago de Espada (order given to artists of merit.

For an XVIII century gentleman would be unthinkable to go on the streets without his cane. My lovely cane is made from a simple brum stick painted in black and varnished with both ends in papercrete.

The top was made out of a simple roll of stripes of paper with a disk shape and then all covered with the paste (used air drying modeling paste on the circular edges) and decorated it with red glass (sort of) bulb I found on the river shore some days ago and some plastic pearls. Painted it in gold and varnished
 For the tip I've cutted the stick a bit in V shape and covered with the paste. After dried I painted it and varnished.
Now the fun fun was making this!

This papercrete ring was made with a simple wire armature covered with the paste. After measuring my finger and making a "bed" for the crystal, started to wrap it with the paste. It took me 2 "wraping sessions" and in the end, after dried, sanded a bit, redefined the crystal edges and marked the spots where I wanted to put the other two (the orange is a real cornaline crystal (excelent to awake artistic "fevers"!!!) and the other two are glass ones (or plastic?)). Then again painted in gold (to match the buttons and cane).

I quite like the result and must say that I'm surprised with it!
Now my question is "is this real a fantasy ring or ... shall I wear it in daylife?" don't know ... What do you think?