I haven’t stopped eating and sleeping to get this doll order out on time but it’s a close run thing. Of the fifteen or so dolls poured, ten have come through all the processes intact, five are wigged, two more are waiting to be wigged and then there will be seven to be dressed in underwear with removable clothes for the two different bodies to be taken to the customer.
If Simon Cowell had been sitting at the other end of the table the elimination rounds could not have been more ruthless. To get a doll with all thirteen joints perfect and both handmade eyes sitting exactly right in both handmade eye sockets is hard enough but add eyelashes into the mix and you’re in the lap of the eye setting gods.
One head just was just so much better without the eyelashes, some, once I got the eyelashes and eyeballs in, had obvious thyroid trouble, poor souls, and several heads were rejected for having deep set eyes (half a millimetre out and they look deep set) and never even eyeballed in the first place.
However, once the customer has chosen there will be nine dolls left to go into the shop. They are all articulated 12th scale ladies with brushable hair, glass eyes and real sticking out eyelashes. I will take a picture of them in their underwear so that if you wish to see a particular doll dressed a particular way you can email me and request it.
I used to do dolls with real sticking out hair eyelashes years ago but stopped because no one seemed to care that I was doing it. Having repeated the feat I would have to say unless there is unbridled enthusiasm I will not be doing so again. These dolls, with eyelashes, will cost more than painted eyelash ladies but if you can find anyone else in the world making original artist, articulated porcelain, glass-eyed, brushable hair, miniature dolls, with real hair eyelashes, feel free to patronise them and if you can find anyone doing all of that for under £100, tell me who they are and I’ll interview them for a magazine.
JaneLaverick.com – a wigging we shall go.