I recently told myself I needed to step up on my dolls, and push myself harder to perfect them, particularly on the faces. Faces have always been the biggest challenge for me (mostly setting the eyes even) so I really tried to focus on this one, trying my best to be as symmetrical as possible. I created my own eyes (using clay and sun curing epoxy) rather than just painting them straight onto the dolls and I am happy with this decision as I find it gives her more life. This is something I will definitely be continuing with on my future dolls. Another thing I experimented with, although nothing to get too overjoyed about, is curling her hair. I know its rather simple but to me it was exciting to transform pieces of straight fibers into beautiful curls, something I plan to do more often. Perhaps soon I will even hand dye my own fibers.
I am very pleased with the direction she is going.. I currently have cosplay on my mind (because it is that time of the year for me) so I was thinking about my last costume which was gothic lolita-ish, full of ruffles and lace and also had devil horns. I used this as inspiration for her however wanted the hair to be bright red rather than black. I was also thinking back on my recent trip to A-kon where I got to meet Huang Shan (RingDoll ..doll maker from China) and all of his dark,gothic dolls. While at A-kon I had also attended a class on Victorian mourning customs and traditions and their attire so I also had that in the back of my mind when creating this doll.
I still have a bit of work to do on her, such as sculpting the rest of her limbs (yes sometimes I work in a weird order), creating shoes, working on something for her head and finishing the remainder of her costume. I may also add a few more details and beadwork here and there.
Usually I list my dolls in my Etsy shop, however someone has already contacted me about purchasing her, so she will not be available for sale. I do have lots more dolls that I will be making and will be sharing my progress so if interested you can follow my work here.
Majestic Thorns 