Doll progress and sneak peek!
Hi hi!
It is HOT here...mostly skipped right over spring. But there is sunshine, and birds and flowers everywhere, and leaves on the trees! (Yay privacy and shade!) For some strange reason, every time it gets very hot, my mind bothers me to watch Stephen King movies. Mainly the old ones such as Christine, Cujo, the original Pet Semetary, etc...there is something quite nostalgic about them. I no longer question it.
Anyhow, I have been making SLOW progress on my latest Monster High repainted doll. This one will be an Emily the Strange- another nostalgic thing for me. I first "met" Emily in the late 90's, down in the Little Five Points section of Atlanta. Please know- I realize this is like a HUGE drug haven now, but back then it was more the "quirky little art town" within the larger city, and it reminded us of our towns up north, so we would go visit on the weekends sometimes. Of course I am SURE there were drugs there at that time too. BUT WHATEVER, we are talking about two Emilys meeting...
I discovered her on a babydoll t shirt in a little boutique- it was a white shirt with black banding on the sleeves, and just a print in black and red on the front. The print- a drawing of a small girl dressed in black, with black hair and three (or 4?) black cats- had some text in red that states "Emily did not look happy or tired. She looked how she always looks- strange." I purchased that shirt for $15. I felt it was made for me. There was also something SO familiar about the picture, but I would not discover what that was until 20 years later. I wore it ALL the time, until it got too small, then I cut out the print and stashed it away. Pretty sure I still have it, buried deep in my fabric stash, never to be used.
Skip ahead 20+ years. A lovely friend had gifted me some Emily the Strange merchandise- a pair of limited edition combat boots, some pjs, a dress, a purse...I was BEYOND thrilled. I had forgotten all about this little Emily and her kitties. So, I did a touch of online sleuthing- what else has Emily been up to? This is how is discovered WHY she was so familiar to me upon first meeting.
In 3rd or 4th grade, I had read a short book with some pictures in it. The book was titled Nate the Great "something something". There was a girl character (later I found out her name is Rosamond) and in one picture...pretty much a dead rip off of that y shirt I fell in love with. Nate the Great was published in 1978. Emily did not come along until 1991. Here are two pictures for comparison:
So, THAT happened. There is more about the surrounding controversy on the Emily the Strange wikipedia's page LINK HERE if you are interested in more background. My personal opinion, being an artist and all...yeah, that is a direct rip off, I am sorry. However, I still love Em, and find her to be less insufferable than Rosamond.
Also, being an artist, I understand some things- NO thought is original, it has been done before. This should not negate any individual's efforts to go about creating. Everyone's voice and perception is different. You never know- your voice may be the one that another is receptive to. So, yes, do create from your own heart and your own mind, and there will be overlaps with other creations. But again, be authentic about it.
I have a lot of feelings on these matters, but this is already quite a long post, so let's get to some art- a few progress pictures of Emily:
Fitting the striped tights
Fitting and adjusting the dress
Next, she will be getting a haircut and new hair, a face, at least one kitty, and a special box for them all to live in. Oh, yes, and her white maryjane shoes as well. How could I forget the shoes, that is usually my favorite part of doll customization :)
Oh! Some new ACEOs I sketched up yesterday afternoon while lounging on the porch with my cat:
Really hoping that I can get at least one of these finished up for the Sunday auction! I suppose I will try burning the midnight oil once I get home from work...
Thanks for letting me ramble!! Thanks for reading it if you did :)
Xo!
Em
It is HOT here...mostly skipped right over spring. But there is sunshine, and birds and flowers everywhere, and leaves on the trees! (Yay privacy and shade!) For some strange reason, every time it gets very hot, my mind bothers me to watch Stephen King movies. Mainly the old ones such as Christine, Cujo, the original Pet Semetary, etc...there is something quite nostalgic about them. I no longer question it.
Anyhow, I have been making SLOW progress on my latest Monster High repainted doll. This one will be an Emily the Strange- another nostalgic thing for me. I first "met" Emily in the late 90's, down in the Little Five Points section of Atlanta. Please know- I realize this is like a HUGE drug haven now, but back then it was more the "quirky little art town" within the larger city, and it reminded us of our towns up north, so we would go visit on the weekends sometimes. Of course I am SURE there were drugs there at that time too. BUT WHATEVER, we are talking about two Emilys meeting...
I discovered her on a babydoll t shirt in a little boutique- it was a white shirt with black banding on the sleeves, and just a print in black and red on the front. The print- a drawing of a small girl dressed in black, with black hair and three (or 4?) black cats- had some text in red that states "Emily did not look happy or tired. She looked how she always looks- strange." I purchased that shirt for $15. I felt it was made for me. There was also something SO familiar about the picture, but I would not discover what that was until 20 years later. I wore it ALL the time, until it got too small, then I cut out the print and stashed it away. Pretty sure I still have it, buried deep in my fabric stash, never to be used.
Skip ahead 20+ years. A lovely friend had gifted me some Emily the Strange merchandise- a pair of limited edition combat boots, some pjs, a dress, a purse...I was BEYOND thrilled. I had forgotten all about this little Emily and her kitties. So, I did a touch of online sleuthing- what else has Emily been up to? This is how is discovered WHY she was so familiar to me upon first meeting.
In 3rd or 4th grade, I had read a short book with some pictures in it. The book was titled Nate the Great "something something". There was a girl character (later I found out her name is Rosamond) and in one picture...pretty much a dead rip off of that y shirt I fell in love with. Nate the Great was published in 1978. Emily did not come along until 1991. Here are two pictures for comparison:
So, THAT happened. There is more about the surrounding controversy on the Emily the Strange wikipedia's page LINK HERE if you are interested in more background. My personal opinion, being an artist and all...yeah, that is a direct rip off, I am sorry. However, I still love Em, and find her to be less insufferable than Rosamond.
Also, being an artist, I understand some things- NO thought is original, it has been done before. This should not negate any individual's efforts to go about creating. Everyone's voice and perception is different. You never know- your voice may be the one that another is receptive to. So, yes, do create from your own heart and your own mind, and there will be overlaps with other creations. But again, be authentic about it.
I have a lot of feelings on these matters, but this is already quite a long post, so let's get to some art- a few progress pictures of Emily:
Fitting the striped tights
Fitting and adjusting the dress
Next, she will be getting a haircut and new hair, a face, at least one kitty, and a special box for them all to live in. Oh, yes, and her white maryjane shoes as well. How could I forget the shoes, that is usually my favorite part of doll customization :)
Oh! Some new ACEOs I sketched up yesterday afternoon while lounging on the porch with my cat:
Really hoping that I can get at least one of these finished up for the Sunday auction! I suppose I will try burning the midnight oil once I get home from work...
Thanks for letting me ramble!! Thanks for reading it if you did :)
Xo!
Em
Comments
Post a Comment