The summer holiday is nearly over and I've been working full days just to get my doll house done. I decided to make a façade for the doll house to prevent my cats getting in and suddenly the whole project has gotten out of hand. A mere door to cover it wouldn't do, no, it had to looks like a proper house. And not just any old house but of course Art Nouveau, my favourite style of design and architecture since my dolls do live in Paris even though I may not.
So, I build a façade with different window designs for every floor as typical for Art Nouveau, add decorations, ornamental rain-lids, an opening door to the hallway, address numbers and you name it.
And am I satisfied with it? Nope. On the contrary, I feel so exhilarated I have a dream where there is this house on a steep urban hillside, the pavement being nothing but stairs - maybe something inspired by Montmartre in Paris. And I wake up and start to sketch it. Its 5 a.m. but I'm too exited about it and start making the darn thing before I even consider do I have the space for such a contraption. Well, obviously I don't but by the end of the day I'm facing a diorama framework 120cm wide, 90cm high and 50cm deep. There's a house - Art Nouveau again - and beneath and behind the staircase that is the pavement there are two shops: a antique shops and a shop for Japanese antique swords. Above the stairs a door to an apartment building awaits for my dolls to more into this overgrown backdrop.
A month passes by and over the foamcore frame layers of papier-mache and card board and paint pile up. Finally I add the patina, rust and dirt any urban building must have and add the little shop signs and names on windows in French. My French being poor the articles are misspelled, but I was too anxious to wait until my friend who teaches French could check my spelling. When inspiration takes me I'm always in too much of a hurry - afraid that the inspiration will dry out and that the project is left unfinished until the rest of an eternity.
Just today I added a final little detail of urban culture to my doll house - a graffiti.
Banksy was here!
Its been a lot of work, but at least now my dolls have a place to live, to shop, to love. All too soon I have to be back with my real life and the long, wonderful holiday is over.
To see more pictures got to my flickr set!
So, I build a façade with different window designs for every floor as typical for Art Nouveau, add decorations, ornamental rain-lids, an opening door to the hallway, address numbers and you name it.
And am I satisfied with it? Nope. On the contrary, I feel so exhilarated I have a dream where there is this house on a steep urban hillside, the pavement being nothing but stairs - maybe something inspired by Montmartre in Paris. And I wake up and start to sketch it. Its 5 a.m. but I'm too exited about it and start making the darn thing before I even consider do I have the space for such a contraption. Well, obviously I don't but by the end of the day I'm facing a diorama framework 120cm wide, 90cm high and 50cm deep. There's a house - Art Nouveau again - and beneath and behind the staircase that is the pavement there are two shops: a antique shops and a shop for Japanese antique swords. Above the stairs a door to an apartment building awaits for my dolls to more into this overgrown backdrop.
A month passes by and over the foamcore frame layers of papier-mache and card board and paint pile up. Finally I add the patina, rust and dirt any urban building must have and add the little shop signs and names on windows in French. My French being poor the articles are misspelled, but I was too anxious to wait until my friend who teaches French could check my spelling. When inspiration takes me I'm always in too much of a hurry - afraid that the inspiration will dry out and that the project is left unfinished until the rest of an eternity.
Just today I added a final little detail of urban culture to my doll house - a graffiti.
Banksy was here!
Its been a lot of work, but at least now my dolls have a place to live, to shop, to love. All too soon I have to be back with my real life and the long, wonderful holiday is over.
To see more pictures got to my flickr set!
16 comments:
I check this blog constantly, and I have been sad not to see an update.. but wait! when checking my Dashboard, what do I see? I SEE AN UPDATE! and my, what an amazing update it is. The house looks so great. You are a master of the foamcore.
Wow! Very impressive update to your project. Love the house color and the other details. Thanks for sharing.
D7ana
PhillyCollector
This is so beautiful and very creative. You have done a great job.
this is AMAZING. the level of artistry and detail you put into this has left me dumbfounded with awe. please, keep updating!
You are my hero. I thought the stuff I made from kits as a kid was cool, but this is just amazing.
I just found your blog and what you do is awesome. It's so detailed and the pictures are posed like real people. Very cool!
awesome :)
Art nouveau is my favourite style as well, but sadly I don't have your skills to make anything in that style.
This is the most impressive doll's house I have seen and I absolutely love it!
I'm thrilled by everything I saw in your blog. Your creativity is amazing and very inspiring. Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences and ideas in your tutorials. My dolls are jealous that they haven't such a great house and neighbourhood. :)
hugs from Switzerland, Silvana
Incredible work as always! Thanks so much for sharing your projects.
I totally love your dolls and blog, what an artist!!!! I really like what you did, is this just for fun or is it a proyect to open some kind of gallery???
Lots of kisses Silvana
I have heart palpitations. You are incredible. And that you so much for sharing how you did it all.
I'd love to see a shot of the whole room. I've often wondered how doll collectors like me organize all of it. My doll room is a hot mess.
A beautiful house and I love the staircase! You are so creative!! I love looking at your Flickr photos and reading your wonderful blogs. Thank you for sharing.
Sorry for being so preoccupied with other stuff and neglecting the doll house for so long. And thank you for you interest and patience! I'll try to post new stuff soon!
Cool doll house, I wonder how many hours you put to build it.
Where did you get that red Chrystler?
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