I am a no talent hack. That is my husband’s favorite self-deprecating phrase when he is feeling the artist’s equivalent to writer’s block. And sometimes, he is suffering from writer’s block, ’cause he does that too. But I am a no talent hack because I CAN’T GET THESE MISERABLE EYES RIGHT! AAAAAAAAHHHHG!
Ahem. Yes, well, now that I have lost all composure and any imagined dignity, I am going to retreat into a hole and lick my wounds. The rebel backpack is now singing the Siren’s song and I am going to succumb. Poor Abigail gets a blind doll with no skirt, and I move steadily towards the light at the end of the tunnel, which right now is my mom’s sweater. How I long to knit that beautiful sweater. It has a pattern. Did you catch that? A PATTERN! It is simple ribbing and cables. Ah, the relaxation, the simple sweetness that is knitting from someone else’s sweat and frustration realized in a beautiful, tidy pattern. (Please don’t ruin my anticipation by reminding me that the yarn for said mom sweater is cotton. You know, the evil, unforgiving fiber that is mercerized cotton? We are not thinking about that right now. Looking forward to knitting that sweater is the only thing keeping us going. Wait a minute….. We? Us? Great, next I’ll be calling for my precious.)
July 9th, 2004 at 2:56 am
Hi Laura! I always have trouble with eyes and an artist friend told me how she did it. Open eyes need a fleck of white to give life to a face. Little smiles ) work for closed eyes and winks, X’s make for a snokkered/death look – which would hardly be appropriate for a childs doll, but fun to play with when doodling.
Might shiney black beads work?
I enjoy your blog! Elaine
July 9th, 2004 at 12:41 pm
Darling, Darling, Darling LA!
SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY!
I like Elaine’s idea of beads and I totally agree about the need of white. I have tons of embroidery threads. Why don’t you give her a white background and a simple french knot in blue or something? Perhaps in a day or so?
As for starting a new project…GO FOR IT!
Gayle
July 9th, 2004 at 3:44 pm
Thanks for the input. Elaine, you actually inspired me to pick the doll up again, and after spending the entire day in my comfy jammy bottoms and a t-shirt, mostly sitting on the couch, she is finished. Woo-HOO! Abigail is happy, Olivia is jealous, and I am pleased to have another project completed. (It would have gone faster, but I did her eyes another 5 times or so before getting a set I liked, and her skirt had to be frogged and knit shorter so she wouldn’t be all frumped out.