BLUEPRINTS
IMITATION OF LIFE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY NEWSLETTER
October 2012
Next Meeting: Tuesday, October 23 6:30pm
Our September meeting at Rosemary Hernandez 's house was splendid. Members from north, south and central areas attended. Rosemary, a sewing expert, did an excellent program on troubleshooting problems with our machines. She had prepared handouts, too.
There were enough paid members to have a business meeting. Since we've been meeting in member's homes all year, we had not spent any money. September is our regular membership renewal time, but we voted to reduce membership this year to $10. Everyone present renewed. Those not present may send your dues to our treasurer: Sheila Godfrey, 908 Morse St. ,Oceanside , CA 92054 , check payable to IOLCC. It was agreed that there should be some dues, to know who has voting rights and who qualifies for discounts on workshops. Although we are sending the "Blueprints" to over 40 dollmakers, many have not been paying dues.
If you no longer want to receive the "Blueprints", please contact Babs Behling (bbehling@san.rr.com).
Members also decided that they wanted, in addition to regular informal meetings in members' homes, workshops, weekend meetings, some outside speakers. No one volunteered to be in charge of these. Deb Tomcik is offering an on-going workshop, beginning this month, teaching polymer sculpting of dolls. See the announcement below.
The October meeting, a Halloween Party, will be at Patty Smith's house: 7176 Hybeth Dr ,La Mesa , Ca (619 466 4953) I'm 2 very short blocks south of University Ave on Massachusetts Ave. right turn, 1st house. Please bring finger foods, I'll have drinks. Costumes optional, but let's do it for the fun. I'm going to show a simple journal to make for our latest doll. And "show and tell" of our favorite Halloween doll. Patty
On a sad note, longtime member Donna Nordquist passed away on Oct. 3rd, after a long battle with lung cancer. Her last attendance was at Sharon Goldschneider's program on stitchery this summer.
Make the Doll You Want… Using MY Methods!
your dreams, according to the methods I’ve perfected in over 15 years of doll‐making and sculpture!
We’ll work in polymer clays and other materials, from your vision (photographs, sketches, whatever can
guide us on what you want to make)!
This multi‐part workshop will meet monthly over 6 months from 10AM‐5PM and focus on one aspect of
realizing the doll of your dreams. Sections are separated by approximately a month to give you time to
absorb the ideas presented, and for you to refine the work between classes. (There will be assignments
to finish up each section so that we can all stay on track and finish together.) If you attend all sessions,
and do the assignments, by the end you will have a complete doll, your vision, executed using my
methods!
Outline:
The sessions for this workshop will be:
1) The Face: The first and most important aspect of creating the doll is to work on face and think about the head it will sit
upon!
2) Finishing the Head: All good faces deserve a head! We’ll put it together add neck and shoulders and at the end of this
session a completed head/shoulder assembly will be our goal. Hair can be an option this time too, or not depending on your
vision for the piece.
3) Appendages: Hands and feet (fins?) are (usually) a must! We’ll work on these detail items and complete them during this
lesson.
4) Poses and Body: “I ain’t got no‐body…” isn’t an option for this lesson! We’ll work on armature, and attachments for
appendages and head assembly this month. Planning a compelling pose that has a little “attitude” is also part of the
exercise. Examples will be shown, and you’ll develop your unique pose for the doll.
5) Dressing: We now have the basics and need to apply the dressing, to complete our work. (I’ll take blue‐cheese please… 8‐)
) This session focuses on costume design and sewing to give an authentic look. (For special looks, you will need to supply
cloth to match your vision – this can be very individual and it’s difficult to order for a group.)
6) Wrap Up: Finishing up with accessories (if you have/need them), finishing touches, recap and discussion.
Costs: $20 per session ($15 if you’re a member of IOLCC) for my time and snacks/beverages. If you want a
lunch please bring it along. A materials fee (TBD) covering “basic” materials will be collected at the first
class, so I can cover ordering what we’ll need. Members will also get a 50% discount on the materials fee.
To reserve a place, please send your check for the first session to me one week in advance. Those who
send this in advance will be contacted by phone to discuss your vision for your doll. Please include your
phone number with your check.
Venue: all sessions will take place at 3530 Sitio Baya, Carlsbad , California , 92009 .
Dates: First Session October 28, 2012
About Debra Lea: Debra has a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts from Western Michigan University
(Kalamazoo , Michigan ) under a cooperative program with Nazareth College , Kalamazoo , Michigan . She is
one of the few art majors who have gone on to practice art most of her life, including stage set and
costume design, fashion design and execution, sculpture in polymer clay and bronze, as well as jewelry
design and execution. Her work has been seen at IDEX‐Atlanta and San Francisco , Santa Fe Figurative Art,
and she has made several appearances at Toy Fair, NYC. She has studied sculpture, foundry arts, and doll
design with numerous well known artists.