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Painted Cloth Doll Workshops
Fall 2003 Workshops from Susan Fosnot

Doll Painting Workshops are held Spring and Fall at the Old Court House Arts Center, in Woodstock, Illinois.

Direct Painting on Cloth

An Acrylic Painted Cloth Doll Workshop
Saturday, Sept. 27

Many doll makers are familiar with acrylic paints for making doll faces. They are favored because they dry quickly, and are easy to clean up. In this one day workshop we will strive to get the most out of this medium.

Unlike oil paints, acrylics can be successfully applied directly to cloth first without covering the fabric with a gesso primer. This opens possibilities. The doll face can be painted on flat fabric before the doll is sewn and stuffed. The color and texture of the fabric shows through on the finished face, adding interest to the doll.

In this workshop, a combination of unique techniques will be used to produce a portrait style face. These special techniques were developed by the instructor by a process of trial and error in the course of painting over 100 faces.

Painting techniques will be demonstrated, and individual help will be available. The doll itself can be constructed later. We will be painting faces for a 14 inch child doll.

Tuition is $125. Included in the tuition are:

To register for class, send $60 deposit to Susan Fosnot. Balance due at the time of the workshop.
See information below.

Mid 19th Century Lady Doll

An Oil Painted Cloth Doll Workshop
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 24, 25, & 26

In the last half of the 19th Century, many home made dolls were made of cloth. Some of the finest and most interesting were painted in oils. As the century neared it’s end, cottage industries sprang up to make cloth dolls. In addition to designing and making these dolls, women also ran the business. Izannah Walker, Martha Chase, And the Adams sisters were just a few.

This doll is as much an interpretation as a recreation of these early dolls. The pattern is my own original, but based on designs of the earlier dolls. The style of painting is based on techniques of the “Old Masters” -- with a few new tricks thrown in to make the work easier.

Each participant will make a cloth doll and paint the head, arms, and legs. In the workshops we focus on the painting aspect of the project. We use traditional portrait techniques—simplified for successful doll making.

The painting starts with a full underpainting, which is done with thinned oil paint and then allowed to dry. We will then mix colors from a basic pallet of color. The paint is applied in layers, working wet into wet, to give the final depth and subtlety of color. Each step will be demonstrated, and individual help will be available.

In addition to painting techniques, Susan will share her own special doll making tricks, such as how to find the true center of the face, and an easy way to transfer the face template to the doll.

Tuition is $160 for all three days. There is a $10 discount for those who already have the pattern. Included in the tuition is are:

To register for Oil Painted Cloth Doll Workshop, deposit $60 to Susan Fosnot and receive your pattern. Balance due at the time of the workshop.

 

Registration Information

To hold your spot for either workshop, please send $60 deposit to:

Susan Fosnot
322 S. Madison St.
Woodstock, IL 60098

Please include your email address, and indicate which workshop you would like.

For more information contact Susan Fosnot at: fosnotdolls@hotmail.com
Or call: 815-337-5608

ABOUT SUSAN FOSNOT...

Susan has been making dolls since she learned to sew as a child. With a degree in fine arts she experimented with a wide variety of art forms and materials, but always returned to doll making. Finally she settled on her unique painted cloth dolls. For her this has more possibilities than other medium, and fewer restrictions. For inspiration, she draws on the rich, long history of cloth dolls, as well as the whole of painted portraiture.

Her work has appeared in numerous books and magazines, including Doll Reader, Contemporary Doll Collector, Doll Crafter, two of Susanna Oroyan’s books, and Early American Homes Directory of Top Traditional Craftsmen. She became a member of ODACA in 2000.

Susan enjoys teaching workshops, and finds that people are always surprised at how much fun painting can be.

ABOUT WOODSTOCK

Woodstock, Illinois is about 1 ½ hour south of Madison, WI, or about two hours north of down town Chicago. The center of town has cobblestone streets, interesting and unusual shops, and a park. The Old Court House Arts Center is in the old McHenry County Courthouse listed in the National Register of Historic Places. If you want to stay over night there is a Holiday Inn, 815-334-9600; a Days Inn, 815-338-0629; a Super 8, 815-337-8815; and a bed and breakfast called the Town Square Inn , 815-337-4677. This last is ½ block from the Arts Center. The nearest air port is O’Hare.

The Super 8 is offering a special rate for workshop participants. $40/night for two people includes continental breakfast. Tell them you are participating in the Doll Painting workshop when you call for reservations. 815-337-8815

 
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Last revised: March 27, 2008.

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