You might remember a couple of my favorite pieces from last fall were gypsies....or fortune tellers. There was Clara, the old woman with the wonky eyes, and Clarice, the younger version with the lively make-up. I loved both of these dolls so much, and they inspired me to make more fortune tellers. Tarot cards kept coming to mind, and I was wracking my brain on how to execute them.
At first I thought I would just do some little drawings on card stock, but I don't really know much of anything about tarot cards...what pictures do they have on them? So, of course, I googled them. (How did the world ever function before google?) I thought I would buy a pack of cards and then either make some little sketches based on the artwork, or I would try to reduce/photocopy some down to the proper size. Never in a million years would I have thought I would find these:
YAY! Amazon, you did it again! I was searching through their listings and first I found one for mini tarot cards, and I thought "Cool!" and clicked it. Then on that listing, it suggested I also have a look at TINY tarot cards, and I thought "OOH! Even better!" Still, I never thought they would be the right scale for my art dolls. But it was worth a shot. I read the listing and the reviews and they were described as being the size of a postage stamp and I thought, "Those just might work!" So I put two sets in my cart and waited excitedly until they arrived two days later.
Aren't these the cutest thing ever? I could not be more pleased. They are the perfect size, the colors and graphics are wonderful. SCORE!! And since tarot cards come in a pack of 78, I have plenty of cards to last for several dolls. I couldn't wait to get started sculpting a gypsy to use these amazing little works of art.
And here she is.....
I wanted her to be very colorful, and not typical Halloween colors. I sculpted the bodice of her dress from a teal blue pearled clay. I found this paisley fabric in my stash of things Marian gave me. The colors are not an exact match (although this photo does make her top seem bluer than it really is). I thought it was OK not to be too matchy-matchy with her. I trimmed the skirt with lace and satin ribbon, and used a black velvet and organza gathered ribbon around her waist. It helped to distract from the blues not matching quite right. Red crepe paper for her collar, and red satin for her head scarf. I used several Swarovski crystals to bring a little bling to her look---on her shoes, her shawl, her head scarf and even her ears.
It was a real trick getting the slick cards to stick, but I managed to get there with a lot of patience and a few applications of glue. I used ten of the cards, since a typical card reading is called a 'ten card spread'.
I like the way the colors of the art play with the colors in the skirt. Oh, I also gave her a crystal ball necklace.
A view from behind so you can see her long black fringe shawl.
No self-respecting gypsy would be seen without being in full make-up. Rosy cheeks, ruby red lips, black eye liner and teal mica powder eye shadow. I used curly wool roving for her jet-black hair.
I struggled with naming her. I just couldn't come up with something that seemed to suit her. Sometimes I have a doll named before I even start, but not this time. Finally, yesterday, I heard her say, "Hell-ooooo! My name is Zelda!!" So, there you have it....Zelda! So lovely to meet you!
I have a few other gypsy dolls running around in my head, and I can't wait to make them come to life. I like the gypsy girls. They aren't necessarily a Halloween doll, but they fit in with Halloween just the same. Isn't fortune telling a type of witchcraft?
Well, this post got a little long-winded. That happens when I am really crazy about a piece (and I also have more than a few minutes to put together a post!). I am crazy about Zelda. I hope you are, too! I would love to hear from you!
Have a great day! I'm off to the studio (which I am also crazy about!)
Lisa
