Decking out the Dolls

During March, whilst attempting my Motivation Challenge, I repainted several dolls. Then they sat around gazing plaintively at me waiting to be dressed and tittivated.
I had wanted to make most of them clothing sets, but this is something of an issue, as I am not the best sewer in the world. In the end I delved through my collection of dolls clothes to see if anything would work out.
One of the girls I shared with you during March, although at that time she didn't have a name, which she now does.

This is Emmaline, my Sweet Goth girl.

This gorgeous girl is Gwen (which happens to be my late gma's name as well).

Next we have Tess, totally sweet and girly.

Then comes Jessie, tree climbing tomboy with a girly streak.

Anastasia comes next. She is the 'girl next door', casual but cool.

Beach Girl Lani is next. Give her sunshine and fresh air and she is happy.

Glamorous Thea glides through next. You would never see her without heels and her hair done.

Lastly we have a lovely lady currently known as Bunny (this may change.. not sure if its 'her'). She came by this name by posing as the Easter Bunny. Her dress is actually handmade by my mum from a design I created.

Here is a great group shot of the girls on Easter Sunday. The basket is polymer clay and features tiny little butterflies. It was made by my good friend Coltpixy and as you can see, perfect for 1:6th scale.

A few of the girls need a few tweaks, but all will eventually be listed for sale. If you are interested in any of them just drop me a note.

March Motivation Mashup

March has come to an end, as has my March Motivation challenge, which in all honesty was something of a fizzer. That's not to say that I didn't achieve anything, just that I didn't achieve as much as I set out to.

Which brings us to what I have learnt this last month.

I have learnt that if I set myself a challenge the universe will converge to ensure it is indeed challenging.

I have learnt that I can complete projects, even if I then can see multiple things I can change on said finished project.

I have learnt that I am my own worst enemy and critic (ok, I already knew that, but you guys didn't know I already knew that).

I have learnt that the newer (post 80's) Dr Who is really good, and David Tennant is a doll (not literally obviously).

I have learnt that Matt Smith is like fungus... he grows on you. (I mean that in the best possible way, I didn't like him at first, but now I love him).

I have learnt I tend to drop random, irrelevant comments into conversations and blog posts!

I have learnt that having PTSD and major depression is one of the most challenging things you can face on a daily basis.

And most of all I have learnt that I need to accept me for the way I am, my quirks, my faults, my talents, my eccentricities, my idiosyncrasies, my needs, my wants, my desires... regardless of how 'not normal' they may be.

My March Motivation may not have been the creative success I was planning on, but I feel a lot more centred and hopeful than I have in some time.

Something finally finished

I have to say that I haven't been as active with my creation as I would like to have been this month, especially in light of my March Motivation challenge. Amongst a whole bunch of other things that have occurred I have been diagnosed with PTSD.
I've probably had it for ages, but the pieces just fell into place. I am feeling somewhat out of sync with the world and this is having a flow on effect of muting my muse.
Nevertheless, I have finally completed my first customised doll!

I originally intended making clothes for her, but as this seems to be the major stumbling block to the completion of quite a few other dolls I decided to use clothes I had accumulated in the process of buying lots of dolls and being given dolls.
The top and skirt are from Liv dolls and the leggings are Barbie, as are the shoes. The bracelets and bag are probably Barbie in origin.

The necklace is a micromaille byzantine with a polymer clay bdsm pendant, all made by me.

Her face has been repainted by yours truly and her hair tidied up. The colour is original, and I love it to bits. Her face mold is gorgeous and I would really love to find some more of her.

I gave her a new body, as the original had these really cool green and pink legs, but they didn't really work with her look. She now has a pre-Swapping Styles Fashionista body.

So today we had a bit of a photoshoot, and then I had some fun playing around with the shots. They aren't the best, but we didn't use a proper set up, just a window sill in my living area.

She is so sweet looking, with this dark edge. She was actually inspired by a fellow artisan who has fabulous pink hair and a rocking style.

I've had a lot of fun customising her, and I'm so glad I finally finished something!

Nearing the Two Week Mark

Nearly two weeks have passed since I started my March Motivation Challenge. Whilst I haven't achieved as much as I would have liked, I have made some headway in a couple of areas.

I have begun repainting six dolls... yes, I said six. There is a really good reason for doing so many at once, especially the shading and detailing parts. Each doll requires only a tiny amount of paint, and it is really hard to mix one doll worth of paint. You also need to allow drying time between the layers of paint. So by doing multiple dolls you can use the paint more effectively and give yourself some drying time.

The current girls on the repaint merry-go-round include one doll that I have repainted multiple times and not been entirely satisfied with. There is also a gorgeous pink haired lass, who is on her way to gothdom. Another doll has revealed an evil side, and is kind of spooky to look at.
So here are the girls

Take into account they have no pupils, nor detailing to their irises. They also all need eyeliner and eyelashes. It always amazes me how they reveal a personality as you begin to paint them, they tell you what they want to become.

If you look in the background of the photo you can see brushes suspended in the air. They are hanging from my new favourite 'tool'. It is a round basin with a wire mesh insert that you put water in, and at the top is a spring type thing that you can push the brushes in to. This is so much better for the bristles of the brushes, and the little wire mesh bit helps you clean the brushes better, and helps to hold an 'bits' down the bottom leaving 'cleaner' water at the top.

It is branded as Montmarte and I picked it up at a bargain shop for less that $10. It really is a cool gadget and it has really helped me a lot.

Hopefully things will now settle in my corner of the world and I can get more creativity underway.