WIP on The Black Hat Sisterhood ooaks

Happy Friday peoples!! I've been working on my newest ooaks the past few days and wanted to share some WIP images with you. Hoping to get her face detailed this afternoon as she's in the oven baking as we're conversing at the moment. ^_^ Thanks for stopping by too....love YOUR visits!!!

Since this is just a bust and I knew it would take a good bit of clay for the size it needed to be, I had thought about doing a foil armature for the clay to attach to. I love using foil and then wrapping it in floral tape and then sealing it with glue for my larger pieces but I was really afraid that it would make the head a bit to heavy. Don't need an ooaks that seems to nod off now and then from a droopy head. If you have been visiting with me under the old Southern ooak tree for some time then you know that I LOVE to use old items......items that have lived out their original purpose but aren't ready for the trash pile just yet. Yes, yes....it's true...one man's trash is another man's treasure...BAHAHA!! I remembered that I had these small round used light bulbs and felt that one would be perfect and light (no pun intended..hehe) enough to make a great skull for this witch. 

This is how she looks sitting on the block. I'm very happy with how the bulb worked out. I did this a bit more human than most of my sculpts but I think she still has my whimsy style.

 

I'm going to do her eyes a bit different than I normally do. For my smaller pieces I normally use a bone bead as the sclera (the white part) and then paint the iris and pupil after baking. I have actually made some clay eyes and baked and painted them before I put them in a sculpt as well. I like both methods but wanted to try something different with this one since it's probably one of the biggest heads I've sculpted. I love looking at How To videos and saw one a while back (a long while back and can't seem to find now or I would share link with you) where an artist used clay and made an indention in the center. She then painted the iris (indented center or well) and slowly added clear varnish layers building the iris up giving it a more realistic look. This is what I'm going to try peoples.....keep those fingers crossed that it works.

Be careful now....this lil witch might HEAR what you're saying....BAHAHA!!! Most the time you can't see the ears because of the hair but like most things that are never seen, I add them because I know they're suppose to be there. I'm also going to make a pair of dangle steampunk earrings for her to wear and she needed ears for that. ^_^

Until next time............Hugs,
Regi

Decorations going up...slowly!!

Good Morning Peoples!! Welcome to the old Southern Ooaks tree. So happy you took some TIME to come and sit for a spell.

I spent yesterday putting up some of our Halloween decor. Normally by now I have all of them up but since this mummy (yeppers, spelled correctly because with the way this kidney infection is effecting me I feel like one) is having to move slowly and rest a good bit then it might take until the weekend to get them all up. I thought I might share what I do have so far though....since you did come to visit. ^_^

Love my "Happy Hauntings" banner. I made this one last year and I'm hoping it will last for a long time. If I can keep Piwacket from trying to attack it perhaps I can. Bahaha!! It's printed on cardstock and was so simple to make. If you would like to make one for yourself  here's the link I found it at.  Have FUN!!    The bow in the middle I made from ribbon from the Dollar Tree (gotta luv Dollar Tree) and a piece of orange burlap I already had. There's a pesty old crow in the middle and thankfully he can't yell CAW CAW CAW either. I'm sure Piwacket would enjoy it though...and eating him. Ewwww!!!  Can ya imagine the mess and all the feathers. Hmmm, I could use some feathers. Nahhh...glad it's not real. The skull was one my sister left when she moved and I'm sure it was totally by accident that it did get left behind and being the good sister that I am AND if she ask for it back then I will take it to her.........on my next visit which will be AFTER Halloween which means I can and am gonna use it this year. BAHAHAHA!!!  You can put a candle on the inside and I plan on doing just that and lighting him up at night and turning all the lights out and just staring at him. Yeah, yeah...I'm weird like that.  Like I stated earlier, I haven't finished yet and that's why the three candle holders are empty. I need to make a Dollar Tree run and by some black and orange votive candles to go in them. (along with a few other items. Rubbing hands together and doing an evil laugh)

I love using my ooaks in my decorating so when something doesn't sell it so doesn't break my heart at all. Although, my witch with her skellie candelabra has been spoken for but not going out until closer to Christmas so she is very happy to join her other quirky characters this year as part of the decorations. I plan on removing the items on the very top and having an assortment of crows sitting up there and I want to move all my teapot collection and put different glass containers there with all the creepily, spooktacular items there that we all love at Halloween. Like perhaps Fur of werewolf or Arsenic-Poison or Bat droppings (everyone needs some good tasty bat droppings) and even some dried bat ears (YUM). The crystal decatur is going to have red juice in it and a tag that states "Vampire Blood". Again....still decorating!! Come back to visit and I'll share some of the labels with you and a great recipe for Transylvania Dirt". Don't know what that is? It's ok....just come back to visit and find out. ^_^

Love Halloween cause you can just let the cobwebs run WILD. hehe 

This lil guy has a very special place in my heart. He's dressed in the very first Trick or Treat costume the Chazman wore. I so enjoyed making it and still love to see it. So can't believe he was ever this small though. 

Had to show a close up of this part of the phone table. I keep my cat teapot out all year but love adding it in with the Halloween decorations. (it's circa 1920)

The corner on the other side of the sideboard. I plan on putting another huge web ummm I mean I plan on not clearing the cobwebs away here either. Bahaha!! One of my witches along with some Halloween signs I have made over the years. Still decorating and I know I have a few more signs to hang. If I can just remember where I put them. 

Well...that's all I have so far and probably not going to do anything today as I kinda over did it yesterday. I am planning on starting the steampunk witch bust though as I'm sitting here in my work area enjoying the nice Fall like weather we are having. It won't last long but HEY...here in the South when the humidity is low...we enjoy for as long as we can.  

Until next time...........Hugs,

Regi

Whoodoing the voodooing on this old gal??

Morning peoples!! I have a question and someone had better answer it....ummm ppplease ^_^   Whoodoing the voodoing on this old gal? Can ya ppplease stop? I promise to not do what ever it was that I did do that caused you to do that voodoo. HEHE  I feel as though someone has a poppet of me and has lit a fire in my kidneys. Not fun....not fun at all BUT.......it will NOT stop me from starting my next Southern ooaks. No indeed!!!

I really don't think any of YOU have a poppet of me....well....perhaps one someone but she would be making me feel warm fuzzies not warm kidneys. (Ri iiight Dragonlady?) I'm not one to lay around and it is best to keep busy, yes? My grandmomma always said that keeping ones mind on other things could help keep any pain at bay ya might be a feelin. It works....most the time!!

I love this time of year and carousing all the sites to see just what other folks have come up with to celebrate Halloween. I never copy anyone else but ya have to admit, you sure can find some awesome inspiration out there. I found one site that had painted signs and fell in love with this one in particular. I've seen it a good bit over the years but it really grabbed my attention this time.

 Sign can be found HERE if interested ^_^

I do like the whole sign but it was some of the words that JUMPED out at me. "The Black Hat Sisterhood  Est. 1692". You do know the importance of the year, yes? In February of that year is when the famous witch trials in Massachusetts began. Sad....so so sad that so many were accused that truly had no idea just why they were thought of as witches. Really sad that folks did not realize that like everything in this world there can be good and not just evil. OK....I'm getting of on a tangent....sorry!!

Seeing those words jump out at me was what truly inspired me for my next ooak piece. That along with the fact that I just finished the Glenda piece and her hat was the last piece I worked on and I LOVE making witches hats. Oh yes I do. This is not going to be a full witch sculpt since to me the important focal point here is....of course.....THE HAT!! It's going to be a witch's head with her hat. A pretty witch....a steampunk witch.Which means steampunk hat!!! Yeppers....that's what I'm seeing in my imagination at this point. I've started on the base already. Amazing what a plain old 3 1/2 by 3 1/2 block of wood can be turned into. Not finished with it just yet but thought I would show what I have so far. Love sharing ya know. ^_^

 Some orange acrylic paint rubbed into block and then wiped down. Added some black acrylic paint to detail and wiped down most of it.

Wanted a primitive look so I got brave and used my wood burner again. Didn't burn myself THIS time.

Today, if I can sit long enough then I'm going to start on the witch head. I do hope my muse and clay will cooperate and decide to be the pretty witch I see in my head. 

Until next time..........Hugs,

Regi, the Poppet ^_^

Ohhh and of course my newest side kick is right by my side today...as I believe she always will be. Life without a cat is not much of a life.....well....for me anyways!!!