The prize resin doll for Birthday Contest winner!

Last week I took a few days off engraving my new porcelain doll codenamed: 'Madman P', to finally finish making a resin doll prize for this year's winner of my annual Birthday Contest. It was a welcome change for my engraving hand and my routine after a few months of doing basically the same thing. Even art can get boring without variety.

I had spent oh, maybe 2-3 solid days fighting with all of my mohair to make a wig for this girl. With the drought going on right now, it was so static-y and frizzy....and with the glue drying so wonky, I basically just wanted to set everything on fire in my bathtub and watch it burn. But, as usual, it all worked out in the end. Can't make a good doll without a good struggle, and this doll turned out extra-good! Stay tuned for more pictures next week.

New Enchanted doll!

So for over a year now, I've been steadily working on a project under the code name of Madman P.

I'm not going to tell you much more about her just yet, as she is at the stage where she will begin to reveal herself pretty quickly from now on. The thought makes me giddy. I've never thrown my doll a wrap-party before, but I think she may warrant one, as she had nearly taken my sanity to the kiln with her. Although, at two-thirds of the way through, there's still time to lose my mind.

Before I can begin painting Madman P., I've got to test some brand new china-paints, so now I'm going to get on my skates, or possibly a Razor scooter and roll on over to the local tile shop for some porcelain tiles to paint. This brand is geared more towards painting dishes than dolls, so I'm not sure if the flow and consistency will work, but I'm hoping to be able to adapt them to my application. Time to go and finish Madman P. before I go mad-my-self. 

Unboxing the Chinese ED Book

Hey Folks!Long time no post! I've been busy working on a new tattooed doll (which will be unveiled soon) and getting the final details of the Chinese book release sorted. I have some more news on the book front: The publisher sent me this series of photos to show what to expect when you order the Chinese edition of the Enchanted Doll book. There's a limited number of books that I have signed, and I'm told they are only a few left!You can order the book here: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=43715713846& If you need any help navigating the book site and ordering, please contact yuanmuhe@qq.com, they will be able to help you with ordering even if you don’t know Chinese.

Chinese Enchanted Doll Book Update

Small Update on the Chinese edition of the Enchanted Doll book. I designed a stamp in Chinese that will be used only in this edition of the book.  I wish I could show you the stamp, but it will be kept a secret until the book is released. Instead, I'll post a picture from my recent trip to China.

Speaking of the book, it's almost ready! I'm being told it's in the final stages!

Pre-sales have started, you can order the book here: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=43715713846&

If you need any help navigating that site and ordering, please contact yuanmuhe@qq.com, they will be able to help you with ordering even if you don’t know Chinese.

Camilla D'Errico Print

Meenie_Miny___Mo

Hey hey folks!

I've got some news to share with you about my friend and fellow artist Camilla d'Errico. She'll be releasing a new fine art print "Eenie Meenie Miny & Mo" this upcoming Friday, May 8th. It is a timed release, meaning it will only be available for 72 hours, starting at 9am PST on May 8th.Those of you who own the third edition of the Enchanted Doll book, have already been introduced to Camilla d'Errico, as she wrote the lovely foreword. If you aren't familiar with her work, she is a very talented painter and illustrator, and an inspiration to me. To find out more info about this beautiful new print and learn about her artwork, head on over to Camilla's page. And don't forget, the 72 hour timed release starts at 9am PST, on Friday, May 8th!Prrr-prrr, meew-meew!

Chinese Book Edition Update

Exciting news guys! The Chinese edition of the Enchanted Doll book is almost ready! There will be 999 signed books available. That may sound like a large number, but an even bigger number is 1,357,000,000 which is roughly the population of China. Another number is 21,196, which is the size of the Great Wall of China in kilometres. Numbers are fun.

Pre-sales have started, you can order the book here: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=43715713846&If you need any help navigating that site and ordering, please contact yuanmuhe@qq.com, they will be able to help you with ordering even if you don’t know Chinese.

The book is expected to be ready to ship by May 2015

Tiny hair pins - jewels for dolls and people!

This comb design was loosely inspired by an antique French Ivory comb I had seen in Paris a few years ago. I longed to wear it in my long hair, but as a recent art school graduate I couldn't even imagine being able to afford such luxury. Perhaps it's still out there and I'll find it again one day.

The full set of different doll combs, from which this jewelry was made, hasn't been photographed yet, but will be very soon. I'm very excited to show you!

I made a set of silver combs for my dolls earlier this year, and then realized that I wanted to wear them too - as jewellery! The smallest comb was my favourite of the set, so I converted the design into a pair of human earrings and a pendant, thus killing two birds with one stone. Disclaimer - no birds were harmed in the production of this jewelry. I love birds.

In the meantime, email me if you're interested in having these little Haircomb Jewels for yourself. They are available in sterling silver as a set of three or separately. Each comb weighs 2.4 grams. Hooks are hypoallergenic surgical steel, chain is not included. Pendant is $190 CAD, Earring set is $380 CAD. A full set of all three is $550 CAD. I've some available to ship right away, and can take several pre-orders for May.

And now I'm back to working on a new porcelain doll that will be wearing these! 

Enchanted Doll is back on: I'm un-retiring!

Having spent the whole afternoon yesterday arranging my house plants, I've decided to end my retirement from doll-making effective immediately. Turns out one can't just quit dolls. To celebrate my return, I made these shoes. It's good to be back!

April Fools!

I'll never retire from dolls. I'll die at my desk, while making a doll at the age of 125! That means roughly 90 more years of Enchanted Doll! 

Pencils Down!

Times up!

The contest submission period is now closed! Thanks to everyone who entered, I'm seeing some amazing entries and it's going to be another tough decision. I will spend the next couple days going through each one in detail. It's such a treat to be able to see all the different approaches people took. I'm blown away by the creativity.

I will announce the winner on March 16th, but it will likely be later in the day (might even be the 17th in some parts of the world). 

Cinderella of the North

Hey folks, I finished a new costumed doll! Presenting - Cinderella Of The North, inspired by Johan Vermeer's 1665 masterpiece Girl with a Pearl Earring, nicknamed Mona Lisa of the North! This doll actually started out in 2011 as a Chrisitian Andersen's Matchstick Girl, but in the 3 years it took to make her, she had subverted my original intent and evolved almost of her own volition, into a Flemish Cinderella with Dutch, Belgian and Norwegian costuming influences. I photographed her in chiaroscuro, or Rembrandt Lighting, to allude to Flemish portraiture of the Golden Age and Baroque periods, which featured dark atmospheric tones, deep shadows and dramatic contrast lighting. My goal was to capture a look of a 16th century Dutch oil painting.

In allusion to the Cinderella's formerly affluent childhood, her once opulent - now 'peasant' dress was stitched up with 170 richly colourful patches and embroidered with hundreds of Swarovski crystals, seed beads and Freshwater Pearls. I imagined that all those patches are fragments of her outgrown childhood gowns - now rags, which she's been using for years to keep her one remaining tattered dress intact, while her pristine lace bonnet and precious silver slippers are the only legacy and inheritance from her dear late mother. Cindrella Of The North is a an exploration of the darker side of the fairy tale - before the ball and the happy ever after.

The other three key influences that informed this work were a 1919 Cinderella illustration by Arthur Rackham, a novel Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, and fairy tale illustrations by Sulamith Wulfing.

To see more pictures of this doll, please visit her gallery here.