I have been making dolls for over 20 years now. My mom, a wonderful craftswoman and artist, taught me lot through the years. I would make things from her scraps and she didn't seen to mind because she would stop and tell me how I could improve on what I was making. I used to crochet doll clothes (and sweaters for my poor cat....ha ha ha) from the basic lessons that my mom taught me. She also taught me how to paint! We used to do ceramics. She is a very talented tole and decorative painter--who teaches her craft well! She didn't oil paint so I taught myself with basics that she taught me about painting.
Mom always made my clothes and dolls when we were growing up. Wearing one of her dresses was like wearing a 'mom hug' all day long! One Christmas she made me a cloth doll with a painted face and a green velvet dress and bonnet. She also decorated a chair for her to sit in. I fell in love with it! It is one of my most prized dolls!
Since mom always encouraged my own style, I took that style and the techniques of others and formed my own style.....and these are the result, all though I have sold many dolls at craft fairs to support my habit!! I am sooooo addicted!! Here are the other dolls that inspired me:
Helen Pringle's Dolls: I saw Helen's Dolls in a magazine in the 1990s and fell in love!! I said to myself, "yes!!....that's the kind of doll I want to make!!!" Her work is simple and oh so beautiful!! I expect each of her dolls to talk and tell their story! Unfortunately, I have heard that Helen is no longer making dolls since her husband is ill. I have heard this through my online doll groups....I hope it isn't so!!
Helen uses an adaptation of Izannah Walker's time-loved technique of applying a paste to the fabric as a base for oil painting the faces and hands. To me, Izannah is THE goddess of doll making! She applied for a patent for her dolls in 1873. Below is a picture of an Izannah Walker. She is owned by a woman that bought one of my dolls.
I no longer oil paint my dolls for health reasons but here is an example of my work:
These are painted with acrylics.
Dolly Smiles!
New!! How to Paint Doll Faces!! Click Here!!