The ever growing Streisand army

Anyone who sees my collection of art dolls will immediately be confronted with the question somewhere along the line of "What is up with all the Streisand dolls?"...well I am glad you asked!

When I first started seriously making dolls the goal was to represent characters from movies and pop culture...naturally I was more inclined to make my favorite artists or people/movies/cartoons that inspired me as my first dolls. It's not a secret (anymore) how much Barbra Streisand fascinates me. As a kid I would hide my crush. Considering I grew up in a slightly rural neighborhood, it was not common for a little boy to be obsessed with the likes of Streisand but it happened and there you go! I would like to blame my mom but it was inevitable really. My brother and sister have the same mom and neither one of them shows the slightest interest in Barbra heh heh.

So with an artist that spans over 3 decades, how does one decide WHICH doll to make? My original idea for my Streisand doll was to make a wigged doll that I could make different wigs for and outfits for. Seems feasible right? When I get bored of 60's Streisand I would change her out of her sailor dress and bob and put her in a long blonde wig with bell bottom jeans and bring her into the 70's... Well those who know me well know I am a very hardcore procrastinator, and considering that the doll herself took over a month to finish when it should have only taken a day or so, pretty much made it clear that she was lucky to get made at all....wigs and outfits was REALLY pushing it....and besides I really did not see myself changing wigs and outfits anyhow. Along with being a procrastinator, I am also quite lazy :) ahem

SO Then I decided to make a list of all the Streisand looks I enjoyed. The beginning was considerably innocent and simple. Represent each era with one doll. Keep It Simple Stupid.

1. 60's era...Early Barbra...Sailor dress, Bob. Done.


2. 70's era...Boho Chic Barbra...Blonde long center parted hair, bell bottom jeans. Done.


3. 80's era...Afro Babs with her curly fro and some misc. 80's outfit.
4. 90's era...Sexy Barbra...Wavy blonde bob with short sweater dress and pantyhose

Well, once I started I realized things were not going as planned. I was still craving other dolls. And what about my favorite Streisand movie? On A Clear Day You Can See Forever....with modern contemporary outfits by Scaasi and period clothing by Cecil Beaton are you kidding me? How could I narrow that down???

I decided I would not narrow it down at all. I would have so many it would be like an "army"...the joke caught on....Hence the Streisand army was born and somehow along the lines it stopped being funny and became a little frightening :)
Now I am quite pleased to note that I finally got my first commission for Streisands. I was commissioned to make another blue sailor dress Babs, a white sailor top Babs and a Roller skating Fanny...as well as a Liza but this is a Babs post...sorry Liza :D

So I suppose we will see where all this leads :D I am excited :D And of course, adding new Streisands to the "to make" list every day :)

Sybarite Syba-wrong!

I'm having a very hard time resisting SuperFrock's Sybarite....I had a Couture Savage when she came out...(see below)

But for some strange reason I just did not "click" with her? and I ended up selling her....Well...Now I just saw one of the latest Sybarites....her name is Fugu...

Why are they doing this to me? The doll is probably the most beautiful doll they have made....not including the lovely hand painted Chalk Whites and earlier dolls.....

With prices not typically starting under $800, you would think it would be quite easy to just ignore the "need" for one and be satisfied browsing all the photos on the web but....well I am a brat. I have been through the world of Asian Ball Jointed dolls...I have droped over a grand on dolls...yes DOLLS not just one.

I am no stranger to selling everything I own and skipping meals to buy a doll LOL. So You know I must have my Fugu. She will be mine.

I think what I like about Sybarites is the fearlesness in the styling and the abandonment of "functional" clothing. The concepts are intriguing and utterly inspiring. They are exactly what I have always wanted in a fashion doll (or art doll!).

The natural instinct is for me to pull out my old sketchbooks and start making clothes for these wonderful dolls...maybe it will help me fund the obsession...

But what makes it all even worse is my real love...the shoes!!!!!!!! MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!!!

The Invasion of Little Edie!

So recently I took a commission to make Little Edie Beale from the cult documentary film "Grey Gardens". Well, I must admit I had invitations to view the film and I even borrowed the new Criterion version with "The Beales of Grey Gardens".....I couldn't sit through it...I seriously could NOT watch it...

So Fast forward...I get this commission...So I decided to do some research....resulting in hours of image hunting and then, true to form, in order to find the sould of the character of the doll I am making I need to experience them and get their vibe....so I decided to watch the movie....err or TRY to watch it again...

I started with the original...

Then I saw the HBO movie again (I had stayed home for to see the premiere and hated it when it first came out...)

Now I am unstoppable...I've seen the film I don't even know how many times. I recite the lines in my daily life and I am convinced I was either or both of them in a past life...or this one ahem..

The commission was completed...I fell in love with the doll...Here she is..the original

So OF COURSE I had to have my own.... and then it started..

Which Edie do I want? I mean of course the Revolutionary Costume of the Day is a natural choice...but why stop there?

So I made my Edie :D

...Then I made another...

...Then I made another...

...Then...That's right!

And finally, no not another Little Edie....I figured it was time for Big Edie Bouvier Beale OF COURSE! She happens to be one of my favorite dolls I've made in a while. I'm very happy with the resemblance! I can almost hear her.. "Edie!! Oh Edie!!" I'm pretty grateful to Sarah for commissioning me to do that first Edie....The documentary is amazing. I don't know why it took so long to get into it! I can not imagine not watching it a hundred more times....

Drafting

I got through drafting a new thinner female body and smaller head. I am hoping it will fit better with my image of the kind of art dolls I want to make. I also drafted a male body too. I will make the prototype this weekend hopefully and see how the pattern works out. The head is a revised pattern I already had and one that worked out well :) I am excited and hoping the hands are not to hard to turn. Those wrists are thin and so are those armpits! Gahhhh

Different Dollies

Well I have been brainstorming on trying to find a new body style. My goal is to make a very poseable doll out of cloth without sacrificing seamlesness but I guess I just have to deal with obvious joints. After a while its almost as if I dont notice them anymore. My inspirations are Tom Tichenors gorgeous marionettes from th 70's and Marina Bychkova's beautiful art dolls. I envy her factory method but would miss the fabric hands on approach if I went that route, although I do feel it to be almost inevitable. More later.....

I'm Baaaack!

After much searching I have finally recovered my passowrd on this account and now I can finally start blogging and keeping people up to date on my work :) Yay! Im off to buy a camera too...so yea :) Im excited to finally be ready to sell some of my work. As long as I can keep them well documented, I guess there is no reason to hang on to them :) Yay!

More later! Im off to do hair :P

Im leaving you with one of my latest works, a doll of my friend Parker who had been bugging me about making him a doll forever. Its the first doll I have made based on a person and not a celebrity..... as you can see I have no idea how to arrange the photos....ahem....i will learn