Custom Jewelry for Doll Divas

With Lesley Gail Keeble

Half Day Class
Sunday, July 16th – 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Description
Long ago I studied under a third-generation Norwegian Goldsmith trained in Germany. He was a taskmaster. Eventually, designing and creating fine jewelry in 18kt. Gold & Diamonds didn’t adequately nourish my creative soul. As a jeweler, my sense of humor found no creative outlet. My passionate romance with color was love-starved. I craved textiles, thread, and art with a human face. Join me in learning how to re-purpose & re-design cast-off “people jewelry” for your dolls to wear.

What will happen on the day of the course?
Inspiration: View my dolls wearing custom-designed jewelry that amplifies the story behind the doll. Questions/answers.
View: My collected treasures with jewelry potential. Chains, charms, broken brooches, buttons, leather & found objects
Demonstration: Jewelry tools, design considerations, fastening jewelry to dolls, cold connections vs. glue, waxed linen cord “Your Secret Weapon” and the infamous “Jump Ring Trick”. Finishing tricks for metal, an overview of wire types. Supply sources.

Media Category: Mixed Medium
Course Format: Demonstration
Skill level: All levels are welcome. No special skills are required Curiosity and a good pair of reading glasses!

What will Students learn from this course?
Basic jewelry making skills for well finished doll jewelry.

Supplies the teacher will provide: No supplies or tools provided
Supply Kit: No kit required
Students must bring: No supplies or tools required sketchbook for note-taking if desired.
Class Size: Minimum 4, Maximum 12.

CLASS FEE

Bab’s Beauty Parlor for Excellent Doll Hair

With Lesley Gail Keeble

Half Day Class
Tuesday, July 18th – 9:00am to 12:00pm

Description
Join me for a combination Lecture/Demo presentation showcasing inventive solutions for doll hair. My extensive samples of textiles from exotic to ordinary yield surprising results imagined as doll hair. The art of illusion combined with experiments, & a bit of humor is my key to creating Pompadours, Shirley Temple Curls, Dreadlocks, Buzz cuts, Bee Hives, elaborate braids, and Flapper style spit curls. Finished wigs are displayed for your pleasure!

What will happen on the day of the course?
I will show finished wigs, and a variety of textiles with creative possibilities, discuss and demonstrate my durable methods of attaching wigs, and answer questions. Demonstrate techniques to manipulate fiber including wrapping, coiling, fabric dyes, dip dyes, and bias-cut knit fabric for wigs.

Media Category: Textile
Course Format: Demonstration
Skill level: All levels are welcome. No special skills required. Good eyesight or readers to view small stitching or details.

What will Students learn from this course?
Techniques to manipulate fibers into convincing doll wigs. My goal is to instill the desire to experiment without preconceived notions about what a wig is made of. Applying fabric dye.

No supplies, tools or kit required
Students must bring: An open mind • Reading glasses or other magnification
Class Size: Minimum 4, Maximum 12.

CLASS FEE

Mold Making Demystified

With Stephanie Blythe

One Day Class
Sunday, July 16th – 1:00pm to 9:00pm

Description
This class offers an overview of the moldmaking process. We will explore a variety of materials and techniques. You will learn the limitations as well as the possibilities moldmaking has to offer.

What will happen on the day of the course?
You will make two types of one-piece silicone molds and a two-piece plaster mold.

Course Format: Technique
Skill level: All levels are welcome. No special skills are required.

What will Students learn from this course?
This class offers an overview of the moldmaking process. We will explore a variety of materials and techniques. You will learn the limitations as well as the possibilities moldmaking has to offer.

Supply Kit Fee (required): $25.00  – The teacher will collect payment during class.
– Includes: silicone, plaster, measuring cup, mixing bowl, plastic cups, spoon, sculpting tools, and clay
Printed materials provided: Written instructions on the silicone and plaster moldmaking techniques used in class.
Students must bring: An assortment of objects that will fit inside a 2″ cube.
Class Size: Minimum 4, Maximum 10.

CLASS FEE

Installment Payments
Contact Stephanie at niadapayments if you would like to register for this class using our 3-payment installment plan.

Sculpting an Elf Face with an Open Mouth

With Marlaine Verhelst

One Day Class
Tuesday, July 18th – 9:00am to 4:00pm

Description
This is your chance to play with Creative Paperclay and learn how to sculpt a face with an open mouth. The size of the Elf face will be 2 3/4 inches.

What will happen on the day of the course?
– You will work with Creative Paperclay on a prepared egg shape.
– When the sculpting is done, Marlaine will demonstrate her method of painting with water color directly on the clay.

Media Category: Air Dry Clay
Course Format: Full project
Skill level: All levels are welcome. No special skills required

What will Students learn from this course?
Working with Creative Paperclay, how to make an open mouth, how to paint with water color directly on air dry clay.

Supply Kit Fee (required): $10.00. The teacher will collect payment during class.
– Includes: The prepared 7 cm (2 3/4 inch) European egg base and clay, sanding sponges, tools and paint to use.
Printed or electronic materials provided? A link to a tutorial about working with air dry clay
Students must bring: Box or bubble wrap to transport finished heads.
Class Size: Minimum 3, Maximum 12.

CLASS FEE

Installment Payments
Contact Stephanie at niadapayments if you would like to register for this class using our 3-payment installment plan.

Tinting, Watercolor + Wax-Over Technique for Air-Dry Clay

With Connie Smith

One + Half Day Class
Monday, July 17th – 9:00am to 4:00pm
Tuesday, July 18th – 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Description
In this course, students will learn to tint air-dry clay (LaDoll / Premier is preferred) for consistent base tones, then also paint wares with water-based washes, and then seal dried wares in a beeswax bath and do final color adjustments with oil pastels & mica powders.

Participants will have the opportunity to create clay parts for a doll, but will not finish a complete, mixed-media costumed doll.

What will happen each day of the course?
Day 1: ‘tinting’ & press-molding, and painting sessions, with wares drying in a dehydrator while we break for lunch
Day 2: waxing & final adjustment session.

Media Category: Air Dry Clay, Mixed Media
Course Format: Technique
Skill level: All levels are welcome. Basic sculpting, color-blending, and painting skills are helpful but not required.

What will Students learn from this course?
Technique: Tinting Air-Dry Clays (LaDoll / Premier yields the best result for these techniques) with mineral pigments, painting pieces with water-based paints, and then drying and waxing them with 100% beeswax.

Supplies the teacher will provide: Portable Grams/Ounces Scale for weighing pigments/clay • Glass Muller for grinding pastel chalks to powder (but if you have your own, or a mortar/pestle, feel free to bring it!) • Brushes & spray bottles, paper towels, airtight containers • Convection Dehydrator, for speed-drying clay pieces • Crockpot / Double-Boiler for melting beeswax • Silicone press-molds to facilitate sculpture of faces/parts (NOTE: this is a COLOR / FINISHES course, and while students will be afforded time to finesse their forms before painting, we will be using my personally designed press-molds to expedite the learning process).
Supply Kit Fee (optional): $??.00. The teacher will collect payment during class.
– Includes: Mineral pigments (pre-ground powder forms) for tinting clay • Beeswax for sealing finished work • Access to shared Watercolor pan sets.
Students must bring: Air-dry clay (their choice – LaDoll / Premier recommended) • Sculpting tools • Reference photos (optional: Googling images on a phone is fine) • Brushes • Favorite sculpting tools • Watercolors or water-based acrylics • Paper towels • Their own powdered pigments and/or mica powders of choice, if not purchasing a Kit. These can include mineral pigments (see shop.kremerpigments.com for examples) or crushed pastel chalks. I will have a glass muller on hand for students to grind their pastels to the finest possible dust but note that this will take up class time.
Class Size: Minimum 4, Maximum 12.

CLASS FEE

Installment Payments
Contact Stephanie at niadapayments if you would like to register for this class using our 3-payment installment plan.

Papier-Mâché Mask

With Nadia Yukhanova

One + Half Day Class
Sunday, July 16th – 1:00pm to 9:00pm
Tuesday, July 18th – 9:00am to 12:00pm

Description
Students will make a papier-mâché mask using the traditional techniques for theatrical dolls made of papier-mâché.

What will happen each day of the course?
Day 1: Sunday, students will sculpt the basic model of a mask using pottery clay. Also, students will glue six layers of paper on it.
Day 2: Monday, I will dry all pieces in the oven.
Day 3: Tuesday, students will extract pottery clay from the papier-mâché mask, and they will paint their masks.

Media Category: Papier-mâché
Course Format: Full project
Skill level: All levels are welcome. No special skills are required except patience and being ok with dirty hands.

What will Students learn from this course?
Students will learn some facts about papier-mâché history and the possibilities this technique opens. They will also learn traditional technique of making theatrical dolls.

Supplies the teacher will provide: a plastic mask for each student
Supply Kit Fee (required): $50.00. The teacher will collect payment during class.
– Includes: pottery clay, lotion, kraft paper, glue (flour and white glue), acrylic paints, sculpting tools, brushes, wipes and paper towels
Students must bring: No supplies or tools required
Class Size: Minimum 3, Maximum 5.

CLASS FEE

Installment Payments
Contact Stephanie at niadapayments if you would like to register for this class using our 3-payment installment plan.

Let’s Face It

With Christine Shively Benjamin

Two Day Class
Sunday, July 16th – 1:00pm to 9:00pm
Monday, July 17th – 9:00am to 4:00pm

Description
Using trapunto to achieve adding volume to a flat pancake type of face without using a seam in the middle of the head will lead to new discoveries. Shaping and placement of features, attaching a head to a tab neckline with a believable cranium and easy ear technique, and the effectiveness of using thread to define features are key elements of this class.

What will happen each day of the course?
Day 1: A demo and discussion of adding more depth to the fabric face using a trapunto technique in a fabric-stuffed head, tacking stitches, and adding thread to eyebrows, eyes, and lips to create more definition. Pigma pen, acrylic paint, and Prisma colored pencils will also be used to create shadows and highlights. Shaping and placement of features.
Day 2: Attach the head to the neckline, ears, and cranium. A demonstration of using fine mohair yarn to create a twisted sculptural effect.

Media Category: Fiber Art
Course Format: Full project
Skill level: Intermediate. Hand sewing skills and a tolerance for precision stitching. Minimal sewing in advance of the class is required.

What will Students learn from this course?
Using trapunto to achieve adding volume to a flat pancake type of face without using a seam in the middle of the head will lead to new discoveries. Shaping and placement of features, attaching a head to a tab neckline with a believable cranium and easy ear technique, and the effectiveness of using thread to define features are key elements of this class.

Supplies the teacher will provide: Extra thread colors, colored pencils, and acrylic paint
Supply Kit Fee (required): $10.00  – The teacher will collect payment during class.
– Includes: Various assortment of colors of wool blended felt for the class to choose from to be used for the headband, Shishkabob skewers to be used for some painting touches in the face. The students can use the thread colors that will be made available to them. Floral wire will also be provided for the class in several colors. The pattern for the head and tab-style neckline will be provided in advance of the class. A list of the items to be sewn in advance will be included in the student letter.
Printed materials provided: A PDF will be provided for the student to create a flower headband to sit on the head of the class project, and how to sew the head, cranium, and torso • Sewing certain pattern pieces in advance will make it possible to achieve more progress during the time the class meets, so no sewing machine will be necessary during class.
Students must bring: ⅛ yard Cotton fabric scraps in your choice of flesh tones for the head, torso, and cranium puff • Gutterman’s cotton thread to match fabric skin tone • 6 Chenille stems for fingers • Stuffing Fork • Polyfil • Needles and thread • Tacky glue • Pigma pens, colored pencils, and acrylic paint • Pattern pieces sewn in advance.
Class Size: Minimum 5, Maximum 12.

CLASS FEE

Installment Payments
Contact Stephanie at niadapayments if you would like to register for this class using our 3-payment installment plan.

KNOWING THINGS : Explorations in Polymer Clay and Cloth

With Kate Church

Two Day Class
Sunday, July 16th – 1:00pm to 9:00pm
Monday, July 17th – 9:00am to 4:00pm

Description
The purpose of this workshop is to teach methods for working in polymer clay and simple cloth forms. Students will create a 5″-6″ bust (or half figure) that can be completed as an expressive decorative object. You will learn about polymer clay, discovering a character and detailing your piece. I will demonstrate several decorative methods such as needle felting and designing a costume to stimulate your creative ideas for making your figure.

What will happen each day of the course?
Day 1: We will be creating a face and begin working on the costume for the figure.
Day 2: We will create the hands and work on detailing the figure.

Media Category: Polymer clay
Course Format: Full project
Skill level: All levels welcome. No special skills required

What will Students learn from this course?
1) learning to work in polymer clay: conditioning, manipulating, colouring and curing.
2) ideas for costuming: designing an inner form and outer layers to fit your design.
3) various demonstrations for sparking ideas

Supply Kit Fee (required): $30.00 – The teacher will collect payment during class.
– Includes: Polymer clay, simple body forms pre-made, various shared materials for colouring polymer, wiring, sewing, needle felting etc.
Printed materials provided: Patterns for body forms (PDF download)
Students must bring: Fabrics, yarns or other materials for your characters • Patterns for the cloth body will be available to students before the class to make preparations simple as possible • Needle and threads • Personal sculpting tools, I will have some to share for students who do not have them.
Class Size: Minimum 8, Maximum 12.

CLASS FEE

Installment Payments
Contact Stephanie at niadapayments if you would like to register for this class using our 3-payment installment plan.

Torsos, Hands, Arms and Ball Joints for Cloth Dolls

With Shelley Thornton

Two Day Class
Monday, July 17th – 9:00am to 4:00pm
Tuesday, July 18th – 9:00am to 4:00pm

Description
Using Shelley’s patterns for her own dolls, you will learn her techniques for making cloth doll torsos, expressive hands, and arms with wooden ball joints. She will also demonstrate valuable methods for making your own unique patterns for 3-D stuffed cloth forms, such as other torso styles.

What will happen each day of the course?
Day 1: We will work on making a cloth doll torso from patterns provided and also observe demonstrations of methods for making patterns for unique 3-D stuffed cloth forms. These methods can be practiced in class as time allows.
Day 2: Making cloth hands and arms jointed with wooden balls will be demonstrated and practiced in class by students. Questions will be answered, and discussions will be encouraged.

Media Category: Fiber Art
Course Format: Technique
Skill level: All levels are welcome. Basic sewing machine and hand sewing skills are required.

What will Students learn from this course?
Students will learn to create a gracefully shaped cloth doll torso. A sturdy head attachment technique will be demonstrated. They will learn to make expressive cloth hands with posable fingers, and cloth arms with wooden ball joints in wrists, elbows and shoulders. They will also learn valuable methods for making their own unique patterns for 3-D stuffed cloth forms, such as other torso styles.

(Not a prerequisite, but of possible interest to students registering for this class: Shelley’s complete head-making online course is now available at www.academy.niada.org/courses/clothheads-Thornton)

Supplies the teacher will provide: Sewing threads • Upholstery thread • Buttonhole thread • Large paper for pattern drafting • Fray check • Glue • Plastic wrap
Supply Kit Fee (required): $25.00. The teacher will collect payment during class.
– Includes: 3 types of fabric • 6 Wooden balls for joints • Wooden dowel piece • Pipe cleaners for fingers • Paper patterns for torso, hands, arms
Students must bring:  Download PDF Supply List
Please let me know if you will be able to bring a sewing machine: artist@shelleythornton.com
Class Size: Minimum 5, Maximum 15.

CLASS FEE

Installment Payments
Contact Stephanie at niadapayments if you would like to register for this class using our 3-payment installment plan.

“…when I have Wings” A Frida Experience

With Leslie O’Leary

Three Day Class
Sunday, July 16th – 1:00pm to 9:00pm
Monday, July 17th – 9:00am to 4:00pm
Tuesday, July 18th – 9:00am to 4:00pm

Description
I have created a Frida just for you! A PDF with complete color photographed Lessons to create Frida’s body, undergarments, including a corset of her design, and interesting costuming techniques for you to create her huipil top, underskirt, and overskirt, and a beautiful headdress. To start each section there will be an inspiration that will help strengthen your experience! Videos are included to enhance your Frida Experience. Techniques: Needle sculpting, how to inset hand-painted eyes into cloth, eyebrows, face coloring, and wonderful costuming.

What will happen each day of the course?
Prework to be completed before workshop: Sewing and stuffing the complete body and costuming as directed in Part One PDF of the Instructions.
Day 1: Creating the corset, painting the eyes, needle sculpting, and insetting eyes. Troubleshooting session.
Day 2: Painting the face, completing the corset, embroidering the eyebrows, starting the hairline, and painting the Butterfly. Troubleshooting session.
Day 3: Assembling, Adding Head, ears, legs, and arms. Creating hair into braids, Adding the costume, headdress butterfly and flowers, and earrings.

Media Category: Cloth
Course Format: Full project
Skill level: Intermediate, Advanced. Strong sewing skills and crafting experience.

What will Students learn from this course?
You will create Frida’s body and undergarments, including a corset of her design, her huipil top, underskirt and overskirt, and a beautiful headdress. You will be needle sculpting, painting, and in-setting hand-painted eyes, creating eyebrows and face coloring, putting the body together, costuming, and completing her hair and headdress. Prework is required to have a completed doll by end of class.

Supplies the teacher will provide: Water dish, paper towels, paint palette, use of paints, chalks.
Supply Kit Fee (required): $65.00. The teacher will collect the kit fee one month before class.
– Includes: a PDF with complete color photographed lessons to complete Frida’s body and clothing, and links to these videos: A Tour of Casa Azul – Frida’s Home in Mexico, Young Frida, and Her Corsets, Frida Creates Her Style, The Complete Frida.
Part One will be emailed directly to you before class to complete prework and watch videos. 1-month minimum before the start date is requested, so you will have enough time to complete the prework.
Part Two will be sent out 1 week before to bring to class. We will create all of Part Two together in class.
Students must bring: Please see the List to Bring in Lesson 1 PDF. Download PDF Supply List
Class Size: Minimum 6, Maximum 12.

CLASS FEE

Installment Payments
Contact Stephanie at niadapayments if you would like to register for this class using our 3-payment installment plan.