I’m not a very “artistic” person. I was the kind of child who always got good grades in academic subjects at school, but struggled in subjects like Art. Give me some paint, and it usually ends in disaster. Still . . . I’ve learned over the years that there’s no harm in trying and having some fun along the way so recently, I bought in a job lots of little wooden “peg dolls”.
It’s no secret that I collect dolls and that I have a lovely variety of kokeshi dolls, many bought at flea markets while living in Tokyo for a year.
Above, some of those vintage dolls which go from the very tall to the very small.
Anyway . . . I’m sensible enough to know that there was no way on earth I’d be painting my own kokeshi dolls for a long while, since it takes years for apprentices to be able to master the art. That didn’t stop me having fun with my acrylic paint pens that I got for xmas, , to see what I could do. For my first, I attempted bugs. Or more precisely
bees. My very first little bee was finished off with a pair of wings, made from netting, and a tiny crocheted hat with antennae.
He measures 3.5cm tall. You can see, in the background, that I didn’t stop there. I produced more bees, using a different technique for their wings.
One little bee is still missing his wings, and they all need little hats which I will get around to.
I also painted some ladybirds. The husband pointed out that they don’t really look like ladybirds, but I told him even a 3-year old would know what they’re supposed to be.
And I painted a batch of caterpillars . . . some of them look like they’re wearing headphones, the way I painted on their antennae, but I’ve been having fun and that’s all that counts.
That’s all the 3.5cm figures from the box used up. Now time to try the 4.5cm ones.
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