Art Doll Quarterly: County Fair

Brief:
What epitomizes summer more than the county fair? The scent of funnel cakes mixing with the aroma of farm animals, crazy food booths offering fried pickles, chocolate covered pork rinds, and caviar-topped Twinkies, standing in line for the Ferris wheel, or screaming at the top of your lungs on a wild roller coaster ride, carnival games, and more — there’s magic at the fair! County fairs are still popular, but they often remind us of simpler times or going as a youth with a group of friends. What kind of doll comes to mind when you think of a country fair? A girl in pigtails? A crazy carnival character? Aunt Ida with her prized peach pie? Translate your vision into an art doll and get it to us by mid-December. We can’t wait to see what you come up with! Results will be published in our Summer 2017 Issue.

Ideas:
Country Fairs in Yorkshire are probably very different to the ones in USA (where ADQ are based), but a lot of these things are familiar; the smells, the food and the games! I think of goldfish in bags, tombolas, giant veggie competitions, crafts and families.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/7e/5f/96/7e5f968b722ef87c9b70fba078b84aa1.jpg

I want to try and capture 'the fun of the fair' as a scene played out by my art dolls. Maybe games in play/exchanging tickets/eating food. I need enough dolls to make it seem BUSY, VIBRANT, BUSTLING.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/e2/7b/92/e27b924c92d89eab68a20da11bbf14b5.jpg

NOTHING SAYS SWEET SUMMER LIKE HOMEMADE LEMONADE! Attention to detail: need to think about tablecloths/how the pattern of that might clash with the patterned bunting.

The Drawing Board:
Some initial drawings from my sketchbook... mostly character designs and scene planning.

The Set:
Using an old Stabilo display from work (wooden fence aesthetic - just a red floor, suggests it's maybe indoors but heyho). I'd love to take the photos outside and get some real grass/nature in there, but since it's WINTER and muddy that's not going to happen. I have artificial grass but it just looks fake and plasticy.
BUNTING.
PROPS - CANDYFLOSS, FOOD, SIGNS, TABLES,

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/52/7a/ac/527aac66d61ce13ee7c50667124718c5.jpg

I really want to make some tiny FIMO polymer clay food like this! I used to have loads and would spend ages whipping different consistencies for sauces etc. Probably not enough time but gosh this makes me think of proper country house baking/summer.