China paint, layer 6. Painting one of my custom nude orders. I enjoy using the dainty blush mop to spread out the paint globs on the little porcelain cheeks until they turn into a soft and translucent blush.
China painting days in my bright, plants-filled studio a few stories above a busy, pedestrian city sidewalk, are my favourite work days. They feel so meditative, peaceful, luxurious, and indulgent to me. I water my plants, start a crime show, take out my tiny brushes, put on my magnifiers and get lost in the tiny brush strokes for many hours.
The repetitiousness of blending out small globs of paint in small, controlled movements feels trancy and restful, as my mind is somehow both focused and relaxed at the same time. It's also deeply rewarding to see blank porcelain parts that I spent several days manufacturing, finally coming to life with layers of glowing skin tone.
The face features take the most out of me, as they require the most decision-making, control, and precision, and by the end of the day I'm exhausted from using my eyes so hard. I load up the kiln, and listen with satisfaction to the electronic relays clicking as temperature climbs and my many paint strokes begin vitrifying into a hard, permanent, glass finish inside the kiln. The doll is one step closer to being born.
Do you have a process that puts you in a state of flow that relaxes and focuses you at the same time?