The Nose Knows

Making some wonderful progress on the dastardly doll project today. We have a nose, well as of today. Over the past weekend I bought some more basswood supplies for finishing, blocks to make a nose and longer flatter ones for rounding the skull. This will be the last of the woodworking part on this project if all goes well. Besides the blocks I picked up some leather making supplies to finish the leather shoes in the proper manner. Some sinew, a round hole punch tool and a 3 hold punch for lacing. Plus other odds and ends with weekly shopping.

If you know me personally I am a very deep thinker, some say an over thinker. Although as an artist, I find this trait is not bad in retrospect. Of course moderation in all things considered. Lately. I have not been happy with the lack of representation in medieval art. Race in particular, but also just finding non ideal traits represented. There are alot of blemish free people in medieval art. Appreciate holding to standard or an ideal but it really irks me. Now in the period I am referencing, that artists were working for a patron. They had to secure commissions to make a more steady income. Just as one would do now, a person had to make money to be able make more art and hopefully do better than to just survive off of their trade.  All things considered just thought there would be more art of everyday life and its beauty. Guess the market at the time had its influence.

 Life is beautiful! Everyday is not guaranteed and therefore is a gift.  So what does all this have to do with the doll, I decided I didn't want to make a small delicate appropriate nose on this doll.  I made a more bulb like nose and its just darn cute. Its not hooked so not a witchy vibe but that could be another project. I have lots more smoothing the shape, blending the edges to the face at the cheeks, blending the joint at the forehead to make this meld together better. Doesn't help this wood is a shade darker than the face but it will be all painted in the end.

I do have to adhere the wood flat blocks to the top and back of the head and round them to shape. I have a small rasp for this task to take more wood off than my files. So hoping that does not take too much time, fingers crossed. Although I am feeling much better about the head now that the eyes are carved in and just sanding all over will help blend everything together.  

The nose makes the face to be honest. For all the decades I have drawn the human form let alone faces the nose is the feature. Which I love making art of people, the possibilities are endless. I am excited in the next few projects to add ethnicity to some of my pieces because the world is not just one color of human. If variety is the spice of life, its time to put some serious spice to work in my art.

Please stay tuned for more,

Marrin