Merry Christmas!

It will be a miracle if I can manage to sculpt a fairy before the New Year. I am able to squeeze in a simple snowman or Santa here and there. If you are interested in cute "one of a kind" pieces please check out my current auctions. Ebay is terribly slow, so you have a good chance of "stealing" one! I ship in adorable boxes complete with ribbons. And remember, I don't make money off of shipping like some sellers do. With my more detailed piece, insurance is included in the shipping and handling price (within the U.S).

Thank you for following my work during the past year. Thanks, too, for all of your kind emails. I am always learning and always coming up with new themes and ideas, so please keep watch.

I wish each of you a blessed and peaceful holiday season.

Sue Anne

Vintage style sculpts listed

If you are looking for small, unusual, one of a kind presents or hostess gifts for the holiday season, please check out my vintage look listings on ebay! You will find a string jointed teddy bear, a trio of wonderful old world style snowmen, and a miniature, primitive angel. You won't find anything like these in your local gift stores, so no need to worry about duplicate gifts!

The winner gets all three snowmen! What a deal!

Sue Anne

Kendal

I did get a new fairy listed. She is a sweetheart toddler who sits on a pretty silver candle and holds a snowball in her hands. She is about 6 inches from the tip of her toe to the tip of her hat. I would love to show her to you, but I can't get her picture to post. Please refer to my website for a glimpse.

Don't forget that I will be listing some vintage style pieces soon.....maybe this weekend. Included are snowmen, jointed teddybears and primitive angels. I have them photographed but need to format them for ebay.

A safe and happy Thanksgiving to all.

Sue Anne

Side tracked

Sorry I have not listed my winter/Christmas fairies. I was invited to participate in a Christmas boutique and was busy creating vintage style snowmen, angels, and jointed teddy bears. They did very well for me and I enjoyed going back to the simple sculpts that I started out doing about 10 years ago. Finally, I am back to my fairies. I am working on the wings for a toddler fairy and should have her formatted and listed by tomorrow evening. She is wearing white maribou and is very wintery looking. She holds a sparkly snowball in her hand. If you have any questions about her, please don't hesitate to ask. You can write to me here, or email me at am803@aol.com. I am always willing to help new artists and I love to teach. As a matter of fact, I am looking forward to having my annual Christmas sculpting party in early December. I have several friends over for dinner and a sculpting lesson. Last year, we made primitive faceless angels and this year I will be teaching them how to make Old World Santas.

I am still considering selling directly from my website. Since each sculpt is one of a kind, I would have to be contacted to hold a doll if you are interested. I haven't figured out all of that yet. Maybe I can work on that after the holidays.

In case I don't have a chance to post soon, I hope you and yours have a very happy Thanksgiving.


Sue Anne

Holiday sculpt info

I have three new sculpts in the works so please watch for them. I don't throw my work together just to produce, so I won't have many holiday pieces available. If you see something you like, please bid because I don't recreate any of my dolls. I am often asked "will you do another doll like the one you just listed for me?" Well, no, I don't do that. If I did, they wouldn't be OOAK. Maybe someday I will be picked up by a reproduction company, but in the meantime, I painstakingly produce one doll at a time.

I hope that everyone had a fun (and maybe even a little scary) Halloween. My house was turned into a theatrical delight thanks to my son, Grant, and his fiance, Christine. Speaking of Grant, don't forget to visit his website at http://www.grantmcconnell.com. He has a bright future as a graphic designer ahead of him. When he isn't creating art, he is creating music. I think he is my dad, reincarnated! He can't sit still and is always creating or improving something! To say "perfectionist" is an understatement when describing Grant.

Here is a sculpting tip for new sculptors:
It takes much less clay to create a nose than what you might think. Use half of what you think you might need. Gradually work the clay up to the forehead to make the bridge of the nose. Use a tiny stylus for making nostrils.

Sue Anne

Lana ~ My new auction

I decided to venture away from toddlers and babies to sculpt a "young lady" fairy. I like the way Lana turned out. She is soft and feminine, but still has the shy look that most of my dolls have.

Here are some details about her:

hand designed tiara
tiny nails are French manicured
English viscose hair applied one lock at a time
hand painted eyes
heat set blush on face, body, and lips
sculpted over heavy wire armature
habotai silk clothing

And, more than anything, please remember that all of my dolls are sculpted one feature at a time. I use no molds.

Here is Lana:



If you would like to place a bid on this lovely fairy, please click on this link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170161740300&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=007

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Sue Anne

New fall fairy listings

I have listed two new fall fairies! The first one is the baby witch fairy that I mentioned in an earlier post. Sweet little Giana can sit or lie on her pretty silk fall flower. She is sure to cast only good spells on you this autumn season. Here is the link to her auction;

http://cgi.ebay.com/Baby-Witch-Fairy-OOAK-polymer-clay-art-doll-ADSG_W0QQitemZ170157296861QQihZ007QQcategoryZ84626QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The other fairy is Serena, a lovely little pumpkin princess. She is permanently attached to her pumpkin stand. I hand dyed the silk for her silk skirt and made the little tiara on her head. Please see her auction listing for more details:

http://cgi.ebay.com/OOAK-PumPkin-fairy-princess-polymer-clay-art-doll-ADSG_W0QQitemZ170157283948QQihZ007QQcategoryZ84626QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Thanks for taking a peek!

Sue Anne

Sculpting once again

I have been away from my clay for much longer than I had intended. Anyway, I am home now and have been working on two new sculpts. One is the fall fairy that I mentioned in my last post. She turned out to be a baby witch fairy. I am working on a standing fairy. Both should be listed very soon so please keep watch.

I will try to be more consistent with my listings as I have no major traveling to do before the holiday season.

New sculptors please keep in mind that features start midway on the face. If they are started up too high, the face will probably resemble an alien. Babies features start even lower on the face than adults. In other words, make sure that your doll has enough forehead. You can always add more clay to the forehead or the back of the head after the first cure.

Sue Anne

Gone for a while

I won't have any new sculpts on Ebay until after the 19th of this month. I will be out of town for a few days.

Sue Anne

TGIF!

Here is my son's new website. It's a work in progress for school.

www.grantmcconnell.com

I started on a new baby fairy today. She will be lying in a silk fall flower is all goes as planned. Once again, I did not photograph along the way. I'm sorry to all of you who are asking for tutorials. I am always happy to answer your questions when you email me, but I hate photographing while sculpting! Maybe one of these days.......

Tip:
If you are using ProSculpt and bits of debris end up in a cured piece, use your exacto knife, gently scrape off the debris and lightly go over the area with pure acetone. That will return the clay to it's normal color. Use it quickly and lightly, or you will disolve the clay too much.

Sue Anne

September thoughts

Laurel did not fare so well, but that's ok. Other artists have been commiserating with each other about Ebay being so slow. I knew it would be risky to list in early Sept. when kids are going back to school. The winner is a loyal bidder and I am sure she will love her! She will be living in Miami, Florida.

So, I will move on. Tomorrow, I will start on a new sculpt. I don't know what it will be, but I am thinking baby or toddler since I am better known for those. She will probably be sleeping in a fall flower. There isn't much sign of fall here in Southern California, but the days are getting shorter and the smell of my homemade spaghetti sauce simmering on my stove is making me have that "fall feeling."

I just might photograph my work as I go along tomorrow (WIP, or "work in progress"). This is not an easy feat since everytime I pick up the camera, I am contaminating my hands and have to clean them before I touch the clay again. Polymer clay is like a magnet for any debris on your hands or in the air.

Please keep watch for a new sculpt!

Sue Anne

"Laurel"

As promised, I have just finished listing Laurel, my pretty little teen fairy child.
She has my little hand painted locket around her wrist and the lucky winner can wear it! Like, Laurel, it is also OOAK. I painted it with durable enamel.

Here she is!



If you would like to bid on her, here is the link:

http://my.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MyeBay&_trksid=m37&MyEbay=&gbh=1&guest=1

Just copy and paste it into your address box.

Sue Anne

The name

People are always asking me about the name "Toodlesocks," so I shall explain. It was a name given to me by my grandma when I was a little girl. She called me "Little Miss Toodlesocks." So there you have it. She must have made up the name because I have looked it up on the net and cannot find any instance of there being a Toodlesocks character anywhere. I am the only one! (So far, that is)

Sue Anne

New fairy listing tomorrow!

I have found out that it isn't easy to keep up with a blog site. When I am not sculpting, I am doing volunteer work, promoting MonaVie, and trying to keep some organization around here.

This past week has been really busy, but I have managed to finish a lovely young teen fairy. I will be listing her tomorrow. She is a woodland fairy, who has found a golden locket lying on the forest floor. I am wondering who will claim it. Actually, it is a new locket that I have hand painted with teeny fall branches and berries. You can remove it from her hand and wear it yourself! Watch for this autumn themed piece sometime tomorrow evening.

A tip for the day...hmmmmm...

Ok, that would be:

use mineral oil with a filbert brush to smooth polymer clay. Polymer clay IS an oil based clay, so water is not an option. Dab your brush in the oil, then blot on a paper towel to remove some of the oil. Lightly brush the clay to remove fingerprints and other blemishes.

Sue Anne

Bubbles & Frank, and Meg have arrived!

I have two new auctions this evening. Bubbles & Frank are two timid sweeties, and Meg is a napping fall fairy. I love sculpting tiny dolls like Meg who is only 2 inches long. It's always a challenge to detail the faces, hands, and feet of teeny dolls. Of course, I always work under a strong light-up magnifying glass and am fortunate to have steady hands. Still, the slightest wrong nudge of the clay can destroy a face as tiny as Meg's.





My tip for new sculptors is this:
If you are interested in sculpting baby apes, make your own flocking. I use English viscose hair and snip it into tiny bits. To apply, use regular glue. You can also use mohair or Tibetian sheep hair, but I find that because it is not as fine and soft as viscose, it will not adhere as well and looks too sparse.

Sue Anne

New sculpts soon!

I have pre-listed, or scheduled, two new sculpts that will show up for auction Thursday evening (Aug.23). Bubbles and Frank are a sweet set of two. Bubbles is a shy baby orangutan and Frank is an antique style teddy bear. I have not sculpted a baby ape for quite a while, but someone requested that I list one and so I did! This one is really cute and very shy. The set comes with two mini pumpkins.

The other doll is a very tiny fairy (2 in.long). Her face is about the size of a dime. I love the challenge of sculpting small while still retaining detail and expression. Meg is her name and she naps on a berry/leaf embellished pumpkin, which I also sculpted.

Tomorrow, after lunching with friends, I will finish up a third sculpt, which I am really excited about. She is an extremely tiny fairy who sleeps in a pretty silver gravy ladle!

Please watch for these new ones!

Sue Anne

Sienna!

Finally, I have listed an new doll on Ebay! Her name is "Sienna" and she comes with three tiny pumpkins.

While I was in Ohio, the tree frogs and other night singing creatures seemed to beckon the onset of fall and all of the cozy warm things that accompany it. I really do miss Ohio falls. I miss walking through colorful leaves, the smell of real wood burning in fireplaces, the brisk air for a football game, and the feeling that fall is a new beginning.

So, here I am back in Southern California, where fall is nothing more than a few dried leaves and Santa Anna winds ( I am not complaining). Yet, I felt the desire to create something something fall-ish. So, Sienna was born, striped brown stockings and all!



I have been thinking about what tip I would like to offer new sculptors this evening. I have decided that a most important tool is a good anatomical or proportion scale. In order for a sculpt to look realistic, the body, limbs, and head must be proportionate. A child or baby's proportions differ from an adult's. For instance a newborn cannot touch his or her hands over the head whereas an adult can.
Check out these sites for proportion charts:

http://www.miniworlddolls.com/Goodstuff/proportion.htm

http://www.elvenwork.com/workbook.html

These are well worth the investment!

Sue Anne

Home from Ohio....and a tip!

My trip to Ohio was so much fun! The two weeks went way too quickly, but I am excited to get back to my clay and am currently working on a fairy child. Hopefully, I can list her within the next couple of days.

While I was back east, I found some wonderful European handmade antique lace and vintage embellishments that I hope to incorporate in some of my work. I haven't sculpted an antique style doll for a while, so you may see one soon!

I would like to share my first tip for new artists:
When painting hand sculpted eyes, place the pupil just under the upper lid. If it is placed in the center of the iris, your doll will, most likely, have shocked look on her face. I plan to post an eye tutorial in the near future.

Sue Anne

Froudian Artist Of The Month for August!

I am so honored to be Froudian Artist for August 2007! Now, I will be able to use the Froudian award banner on my auctions and website!

Sue Anne

Off to Ohio!

I won't have any new sculpts on Ebay for a couple of weeks. I am busy packing for a trip to Ohio to visit family and friends, so I have put my clay away until my return. I am tempted to bring clay along with me, but I know there will be no time to sculpt as I trek back and forth between Columbus and Dayton.

When I return, I plan to share sculpting tips, show my work in progress, and talk sculpting in general. Sculpting is my passion, something I must do! I design in my head as I am falling asleep at night and am often up late putting finishing touches my latest fairy.

See you in two weeks!

Sue Anne

Hello and Welcome!

I am just learning my way around here, so thanks for your patience. Please say hello and watch for my new posts!
Sue Anne