Victorian Art Doll Witch

This Year's Witch

Every year I create another art doll witch to add to my growing collection. Here is this year's version - she's a little Victorian-style, not a traditional witch.

 

Nina Owens Victorian-style Art Doll Witch



Close up - Victorian Art Doll Witch by Nina Owens

 I'm still exploring dolls using birdcages. This is an antique cage a friend gave me. True to Victorian-nature, her cage is filled with bottles of potions and elixirs. I played around with pan pastels for coloring her face. It was a new medium for me and I really enjoyed using it for her face.

Another Birdcage Doll
     Every year I create another art doll witch. I had a fabulous tall birdcage that I bought earlier this year at Michaels that I decided to use to create this year's version. I started her on one of our Saturday Art Play Days at my house. When I got to pulling fabrics for her, I ran into a heathered knit I'd gotten a few years ago for a great price. It worked perfectly for a cardigan-style top for her, but totally blew my idea for a witch. As often happens with art dolls, she took an entirely different direction. Thus my turn-of-the-century gothic doll. Here are the steps I/she took to evolve.


Wiring & adding head

Adding batting

Finished doll

Detail of potions, etc. in cage





Birdcage Fairy
    I've gotten on a series where I'm using birdcages in my art dolls. Unfortunately this is not the time of year to find birdcages. I'm either going to have to hit garage sales, flea markets or wait until spring merchandise comes in for additional cages for more dolls. The first doll is in Houston, awaiting the Treasures of the Gypsy challenge at the Houston Quilt Show.
     I had the pleasure of meeting Amy Labbe of Art-i-Cake at Michaels Leadership Conference. What a truly delightful, creative, unique and original lady! Certainly a kindred spirit of my good friend, Jo Pearson! Jo gave me one of Amy's crown pendants from the Art-i-Cake line available at Michaels and I had a couple other components in my stash as well. Amy saw pictures of some of my art dolls and appreciated them. I told her about the crown and my plans to create a doll using the crown. Here is the first doll (I got a second crown and plan on doing another one). I used additional Art-i-Cake pieces in the cage portion of the doll.


Wiring the Body

Adding sculped head

Costuming

Inside cage detail





Finished Fairy (minus wings)

Finished fairy with wings