Trawling Through The 1/12th Scale Archives

As I've told you before, these summer weeks have been in the garden - and you really don't want to see pictures of the rather necessary but brutal pruning that has taken place. So let's get back to miniatures.

When you've been creating character dolls as long as me, it's fun/instructive/sentimental...to go back over the old picture files.  I've been fortunate in having many, many super commissions over the years which have stretched me and enabled me to not only create a raft of characters but indulge my love of historical costuming.
Some of the following are more than a decade old so the quality of the pictures does vary.

Fag Ash Lil'  - my favourite character

A beautiful gipsy lady

One of those old ladies who fits so beautifully into many scenes, wearing and antique lace shawl

One of my Scots - with his bagpipes

A couple of 'posh' 18th Century gents

Georgian lady

The old pregnant lady I've made. She now lives down under with Sus and her family.

Thank you for looking.
Robin

Glorious Summer!

Great - we've had some proper sun - doesn't it make everything seem brighter and more cheerful?
My Gloriosa Lily has been blooming gloriously after years of struggling to even survive and I'm back from a week in glorious Devon.

In this country the Gloriosa Lily is very definitely a conservatory climber - it must look amazing in its native setting, although I'm not quite sure where that is.  Anyway....after years of semi-defeat it has finally rewarded me with fabulous flowers and is still going strong.

I love the way the colour subtely changes as it opens fully

A week in Devon with lovely members of the family - assorted ages - was super, despite rather  typical British weather which saw sun and showers.  Not that a few showers is going to stop little people from building sandcastles and going in the sea!!
As well as wonderful safe beaches and beautiful varied countryside, there are exquisite and quirky villages to explore.
One of the most famous is Clovelly, a tiny old fishing village of mainly small cottages that cling to the sides of a cleft in the cliff with a steep and narrow winding cobbled street that drops 400ft to the habour. No cars! Everything has to be transported by wooden sledges.

Click on the pics. for a bigger version.

'Spectacular' and 'Beautiful' really don't do it justice and although we've visited a number of times, it never fails to delight.
Apparently Charles Kingsley lived there and was inspired to write 'Water Babies' and as you'd expect it has been painted many times.  As famous as the cobbled street are the donkeys which used to carry loads of herrings up from the beach - now they give children rides and have a much easier life.

Talking of children's book - didn't we all love the book and film of 'The Railway Children'? So did a lovely lady who recreated their cottage in 1/24th scale - and this is the family I made for her.

I hope you've all enjoyed some days in the sun too.
Thanks for looking
Robin