The New Kids on the Blog and Magical Snakes Heads

I seem to be in a children phase - so here they are in both 1/12th and 1/24th scale.



This brother and sister will be joining their grandparents - who were sculpted last year. It's always slightly daunting to work from photographs of real people, and while I don't offer 'portrait' sculpts, the idea is to catch the 'essence' and general characteristics. These dolls are in 1/12th scale.


This little Victorian miss is in 1/24th scale and will eventually be part of an outdoor scene I believe.

Congratulations to Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures who has topped 100 Followers on her blog - she has a fab. giveaway of some her lovely vintage books. Do take a look and while you're there, her website is a trip back in time - pure nostalgia!!

And in my garden (sorry can't resist it) I'm thrilled that the Snakes Head Fritillaries are beginning to naturalise in my wild patch!! They're just coming out and are beautiful. If you're in the south, a very special place around this time of year is North Meadow, Cricklade, Wiltshire, which I think I'm right, has the largest population of wild fritillaries in this country - acres of this magical wild flower in ancient water meadows. I took this photograph there a couple of years ago.



Thank you for looking.
Robin

A Visit to Spring Miniatura

Having been spoiled for choice over which wonderful miniature artisans to visit first on Sunday I thought I'd put up a photograph of..... flowers......



.... my beautiful hellebore flowers float on a terracotta pan of water.....makes a change from a miniature! The pretty little blue flower is the exquisite spring-flowering Hepatica.

This visit is always a treat for me...so I treated myself to a sweet little Shoebutton Bear, and a tiny toy 'Anne of Green Gables' from Sally Reader Miniatures. This was the first time I'd seen Sally Reader's lovely toys and I wanted them all!

As a doll maker I tend to gravitate towards other doll makers - so many super makers to choose from - but I love Julie Campbell's (Bellabelle) dolls so much and she just has even more exciting and beautiful dolls each time I see her. I'm sure she will be a huge hit in Chicago next month.

I so enjoyed catching up with old friends and colleagues at the show, also (almost literally) bumping into some of my lovely customers - leaving Model Village Miniatures with bags of their superb miniature furniture, kits and toys and some Coombe Crafts 1/24th characters that had been spending the weekend on their stand. Their range of furniture and kits gets bigger all the time. While they don't have a website, they can be contacted on 01926 817183 and have a very comprehensive catalogue.

I was delighted to get a guided tour around the beautifully authentic Herdwick Landscape cottages in 1/24th scale - the workmanship and detail is superb - and yes, we share customers too, and I met some more there!
I hear so much about these lovely cottages but have never actually been able to get up close and inside before - now I can picture where so many of my little people 'live'!

To the many brilliant artists and artisans - Thank you!

Robin

Blokes on the Blog!

It seems only fair, having featured the 1/24th ladies on the last blog, to give the blokes an outing.


Well, as you can see I'm still working in a muddle; it was a last minute thought to give the errand boy a basket instead of his usual bike. He's 1/24th scale.



I was so pleased to have an order from my chums at Model Village Miniatures for a group of 1/24th characters to accompany their fabulous furniture and furniture kits at Miniatura this weekend. So, their shop fittings will have a little shopkeeper and a customer to bring them to life and there will be a chap in the pub, not to mention a gardener checking out the gardening range.
Of course they also have a full range of their brilliant, easy-to-make and reasonably priced kits in 1/12th scale as well and I believe there will be some super new things for the kitchens. Last time we met I bought one of their beautiful teeny-weeny knitted white rabbits and there are other gorgeous toys.....and wish I'd bought a lovely comfy, shabby chinz sofa in 1/24th scale.
If you're visiting the show do take a look at their stand which is K6

Mags Cassidy - Mags-nificent Miniatures is well known for her splendid range of authentic, researched period food and her basins of windfall apples and blackberries are becoming legendary .....I've sent along Fag Ash Lil' to make sure her wartime kitchen is cleared up properly and check out the laden tables.
Mags is on H12

Very best wishes to everyone exhibiting this weekend - I look forward to visiting.
Robin



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Here Come the Girls........

Actually, first of all...here comes a dragon!



I was pottering in my garden, camera in hand, and thought my old terracotta dragon who's now about 30 years old with moss growing over his head and a frost-damaged tail, made an interesting picture. He isn't much more than 1/12th scale and was made by a wonderful Oxfordshire studio potter...he lives in this beautifully overgrown miniature garden in a large ceramic bowl.

When I first discovered Fimo *&@~ years ago, I made dragons and mermaids sitting on interesting rocks or in shells - then I moved from tradional Apple-head dolls (which I made in a very questionable 1/12th scale, now I look back), to sculpting my dolls in polymer clay and the mystical creatures were abandoned! I love looking at everyone else's now!

So...here come the (rather old) girls....again in 1/24th scale.

They have got a few chaps to go with them and they'll be along another day.





I'd like to welcome the new Followers - thank you so much for your interest. I try and look at everyone's blogs and do enjoy them all, even if I don't always leave a comment.
Robin

Back to the Workbench.....Sculpting Again

It's probably as well that the rain has come and kept on...and on..and on. The workbench as well as the garden needs attention.

After a massive clear up - so that I could at least see my workspace and find my clay and tools - I'm back to scuplting 1/24th characters as I have quite a list to complete. In the meantime I thought I'd show you three very different pieces that have been made recently.


I quite often make 1/12th gardeners but I found a nice trowel at a fair last year and used these lovely tulips which I've had for ages and were made by a maker (sorry, forgotten just who) in Cornwall. I added a little paint to the petals and muddied up the pot - makes a change from cauliflowers. And...I worked out how to make an oval on my 'puter at last!




I was ridiculously pleased to complete this little 1/24th scale feathered hen and her fluffy chicks scratching about in the grass. I shall add it to my exceedingly short repertoire of feathered and furry creatures - the real experts in this field have nothing to fear! They've now flown the U.K. to live in Europe in one of our 1/24th vegetable gardens.




The 1/24th rocking horse takes both of us to complete - I get to do the 'pretty bits' - as I don't have the first idea about constructing either the wooden horse or the rocking (it does) mechanism. I'm happy with a bit of sandpaper and paint brush, although it is slightly strange to be squirting a horse with hairspray!!



THIS little bird is a tiny Long-tailed Tit that spent the whole afternoon bobbing about in our silver birch just outside the window. Eventually I crept out with the camera and managed to catch a picture of the little thing, all fluffed up against the biting wind - it is so small, with a tail as long as the body. I thought I'd share the magic.

Thanks for looking.
Robin