Ball Joint Dolls
Ball joint dolls are an entire group of dolls, initially produced by several Japanese and Korean companies, but now being made world wide. They are made of heavy resin, strung with elastic, and utilize ball joints for a wide range of articulation. They are made to be customized, often coming unpainted and unfinished and their eyes and wigs are easily changed. They vary in size, but the largest are about 70cm tall and the smallest can easily fit in the palm of a hand. These are dolls (or just heads) which I was commissioned to paint, blush and sometimes "tattoo", or dolls in my personal collection.
Volks old F-08, 2014.
|
Luts Kid Delf elf Ani, 2014.
|
|
Full body skeleton paint on Limhwa Limho Mono, 2011.
|
LovelyHouse Shin B, 2011.
Lati Yellow Mystic Lami vamp, 2013.
|
Musedoll Ciel, 2008.
|
Lati Lea. 2011.
|
Fairyland Realpuki Soso, 2010.
|
Lillycat Colline, 2014.
Limhwa human, 2009.
Unoa Sist, 2006.
|
Unoa Sist, 2007.
Dollshe OE and SA Saints, 2009.
|
Tiny Life
It is pretty safe to say that I am obsessed with miniatures, so this has become an ongoing project to capture my family's likeness in doll form and recreate our lives on a small scale. When my oldest son Gideon was 3, I thought he bore a striking resemblance to the Lati Yellow ball joint doll, Miel. I painted one to look like him and delighted in finding miniature versions of toys and clothes he really owned. When Toby came along, I happily made an even tinier doll avatar for him. I had versions of myself and my husband in progress for years, but when I finally finished them, tattoos and full beard (of yak hair!) included, the boys had aged out of their doll likenesses. I recreated them as older versions of themselves and the madness continues...
As you can imagine, I *really* want to make them a house.
Mat & Kat, 2015.
|
|
Dig and Toes, 2011.
|
Dig and Toes, 2015.
|
There are more images of little us in My Flickr Album.
Blythe Dolls
Blythe was originally produced by Kenner in the US in 1972, but was not well received because she was so... odd. She was only produced for one year before being discontinued. Takara, a toy company in Japan, picked up the license in 2001 and began manufacturing new Blythe dolls. The original Kenner Blythes are highly sought after by collectors and the Takara Blythes have gained a large following world wide. Blythe has a pull string in the back of her head which, when pulled, changes her eyes to one of four colors. Blythe customizers often carve their faces and change their hair, eye colors, and bodies to create unique dolls.
|
The Maiden without Hands My submission for the Fairies and Folklore show at Auguste Clown Gallery in Melbourne, Australia in 2015. She was inspired by Grimm's fairy tale, The Maiden without Hands, which I have always been fascinated by. She specifically reenacts the moment she is told to flee the kingdom with the newborn prince to escape the devil's false message that she be executed. She has removable sterling silver hands, as given to her by the king, but she still carries her chopped off hands on her back and the prince in a sling. She is still available to purchase through Auguste clown Gallery.
|
|
Soozee, a freckled full figured Blythe, 2013.
|
Queen Sophie Anne, based on the character from the HBO show True Blood, 2011.
|
|
There are more images of these dolls as well as other Blythes I have customized in My Flickr Album.
Monster High
Werecat twins, 2013.
|
Monster High is a series of dolls created by Mattel which have caught the eye of customizers because of their interesting and widely varied face sculpts, body colors and features. (Who doesn't love a monster??) These are dolls which have been fully customized for customers or my own collection. |
Frankie Stein, 2012.
Ida Maclaird, a character from The Girl With the Glass Feet by Ali Shaw, 2012.
|
Clawdeen and Howleen, 2012.
|
Mothla, commissioned original character (daughter of The Mothman), 2012.
|
Draculaura, 2012.
|
Aequorea, a sea creature, 2012.
There are more images of these dolls as well as other custom Monster high dolls in My Flickr Album.
Adventure Time
Finn the human, Jake the dog, and B-MO
|
As a fan of Cartoon Network's Adventure Time, I thought it would be fun to recreate my favorite characters from the show in doll form. This is an ongoing project, as the show has a huge cast of amazing characters. I also created a Treehouse diorama for them to hang out in while eating bacon pancakes. 
The Ice King
|
Marceline, the Vampire Queen
|
Princess Bubblegum
|
Jungle Princess
|
Marceline and Ash
|
Finn and Fionna
|
Finn and Jake's Treehouse, 2014.
There are more mathematical images of these dolls in My Flickr Album.
Stranger Things
Eleven, 2106.
|
After watching Stranger Things on Netflix, I really couldn't get over the character Eleven. She was sweet and tough and instantly iconic. I dug around in my box of doll parts and was able to piece together a likeness of her. I am hoping to make Mike and the boys to take her out on bike rides in the woods next.
|
|
|
There are more images of El and the gang in progress in my Flickr album dedicated to them.