Thank You Stampington & Company!

I just heard from the assistant editor of Art Doll Quarterly... 

and... (a little drum roll)

The Angel of His Presence will be featured in the August issue!

I couldn't be happier, as he was a labor of love...

and carries special meaning for me.

Thank you for sharing my joy! Daryle

Easter...at its Best!

We'll, it was a toss-up...

depending upon who you talked to!

Ryan would say that the Easter Egg hunt at church

was the best part of the weekend at Pop-Pop and Gram's.

But then Jonathan would tell you (without saying a word)

that it was the swing-set at the park and South Jersey sunshine!

Ol' Pop-Pop and Gram would say... it was both!

Happy Easter!

Good Friday... Good Find!

I just stumbled across this wonderful website

that can transform your pic into a pencil sketch...

the possibilities are just endless:

http://www.photofunia.com/effects/pencil_drawing

On this Good Friday, as you take a moment

to meditate on the meaning behind the "Good"...

may the angel of His presence be your portion!

First Stringing... and he stands!

He still needs forearms and hands, toes on his big ol' feet

and lots of "fine tuning"... but I couldn't wait any longer.

I just had to try a quick, temporary "first stringing!"

He is self-standing and is posable... Really, 

what else could a guy ask for?

And yes... he is definitely taking on his own personality

now... hence, "the timid tinker troll!"

My Dad was quite fond of the term... he would "tinker"

or "putter around" in the garage, when I was growing up.

This little guy (he stands 17" tall) will be a collector

of "things" that he can tinker on too...

Thank you for stopping by! Daryle 

The Time-Consuming Troll... a Saga of Patience!

"Soulful..." is the word that immediately came to mind

when I finally got the ball-joint caps for his upper legs

in place and his head on... not straight.

LABOR INTENSIVE... this ball-jointed doll stuff!

Another view... he does sort of "grow on you"

(though in truth I walked away from my worktable 

on more than one occasion today!)

I furrowed his brows, pulled that big ol' tooth, added lips, 

changed his chin, and gave him some "baggage" under his eyes.
(the "blush" is an add-on... thank you PicMonkey!)

Sugaring Snow... in South Jersey?

Back in Vermont... we would refer to it as 

"Sugaring Snow"... when it falls in mid-March. 

It seems here in South Jersey it's just

thought of as, well... a nuisance.

The romantic in me prefers the former reference!

A Troll... with a Gentle Soul!

Well... my first ball-jointed doll has a body 

(I'm STILL scraping out the styrofoam core!)

And a head that is decidedly unfinished!

That big ol' tooth will eventually have an upper and lower lip

wrapped around it... and I need to do something with that chin!

I hope to get his feet and legs sculpted next... though I'm

not sure if they will be jointed at the ankles or just at

the knees and hips.  Thanks for taking a peek!  Daryle