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Thursday 22 September 2016

A new arrival.....

I've not done any sewing, dolly or otherwise, or had any dolly play time in about a month or more, and I have no real interest in my dolls at the moment.  However, that doesn't stop me from buying!!  In fact I have been really wanting to buy.....nothing I need, but who said 'need' comes into it eh? 

So a few weeks ago my friend in the US and I were chatting about a particular doll and both decided to order one.  We both bought on the same day and both dolls were shipped at the beginning of September.  Both dolls were coming from Greece and would you believe it, both dolls arrived on the same day too, even though my friend's doll was going all the way to the west coast of the US!

The doll is not a doll I'd normally go for, she's incredibly quirky looking and definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but she made me laugh.  I only have to look at her to make myself smile!  She is a Malisa by the Greek artist Chrishanthi of Ppinkydolls, who sells on Etsy.

When I saw the doll in her box I thought I'd made a dreadful mistake.  She was so pale and I really don't like pale dolls, also 'pale' doesn't really photograph well for me in the sunshine.  Also she had long spidery eyelashes, one of which had been crushed and was all out of shape because she'd been sent without any face protector.  BJDs are generally packed with face protectors because it prevents just such problems happening with the eyelashes as well as protects the faceup whilst in transit.

Here are some  before photos.  She is not wearing her wig in these photos but you can see her crushed eyelashes on her right eye (on the left of the photos).....and you can also see the messy thick glue that they were attached with.



My mum was here when the doll arrived and she couldn't stop laughing and said the doll was so ugly and like an 'alien'.....well that is like a challenge to me.  I was determined to make this little ugly bug into a cutie! 



First of all I removed the eyelashes that seemed like they were stuck on with super glue!  Then I removed the shine on her pink lips (I really am not into pink lips) and then I set to work giving her more colour. 


As you can see above,  I filled in her eyebrows as they were pale and nondescript, I wanted them to be darker so I used a couple of shades of ground down chalk pastels in brown, I then added more individual hairs to the eyebrows, using various shades of brown and grey watercolour pencils.  I used some black pencil around the eyes to fill in where the original eyelashes had been removed (the glue had taken some of the eyepaint with it when removed).  I added some more dark eyeshadow and then I worked on the lips.  I used various shades of red and brown chalk pastels which I applied with a small flat paint brush, building up the layers of colour and using Mr Super Clear Flat sealant between layers.  I filled in her mouth cavity with the same shades of chalk pastels and then I re-whitened her teeth using white watercolour pencil.  I also added some colour to her nostrils, her philtrum and the very sides of her nose, to define the shape of her nose more.  After that I added blush to her cheeks, forehead, chin and across the bridge of her nose.  I then sealed her again and once the sealant was dry I gave her new eyelashes.  I used one human size false upper eyelash and cut it in half then trimmed that down to size.  Her eye holes are not big compared to the size of her face, she wears 12mm eyes. 

When everything was dry, I put brown glass eyes in.  She actually came with a sort of two tone grey eyes but I preferred the warmth of the brown eyes.


The wig in the above two photos was the one she came with but I felt it wasn't quite 'zany' enough for her so today I looked through my wig box and found this bright auburn/ginger Tibetan lambswool one that I've had for ages.  I tried it on her and felt it was just perfect for this unusual and quirky girl!!  I've trimmed it about a bit to suit her better.

As you can see below, even with the extra blushing she now has, she still looks quite pale in the sunlight, but I'm happy with her new look.





She's a funny little thing, with a tilt of her head she can look so different from one photo to another!  I think in this photo (below) she looks quite happy.....


But in this one she looks really sad....poor girl, I wonder why?


And in this one, she looks almost annoyed over something!


She's wearing clothes borrowed from my Blythe dolls and shoes from Riley Kish....one day I will get around to making her something of her own, I mean who wears a strappy summer dress with woollen leg warmers and boots!!   And her name, by the way, is now Riley Mai!

Well thank you for stopping by, I hope you all have a good weekend ahead, so until next time....




17 comments:

  1. Well, Riley Mai certainly has the looks only a mother would love, but there is something about her... I must admit you have done wonders with her face paint/eyelashes...she looks like a different girl!

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    1. LOL that's one way of putting it Ronny! It's true that there is something about her, I wasn't sure at first but she looks at me and says "I know I'm not pretty, I know I'm homely looking....but we can't all be beautiful, can we!" And then I have to pick her up! I'm glad you like what I've done with her!
      xxx

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  2. What a great transformation Sharon! Love her new face up and the red wig , she's such a quirky thing and will look great in out of your outfits! Funnily enough I have one of these girls on order! Mine poor thing will have to be pale unless I have a go at 'warming ' her up!
    She's not due to arrive until November, so plenty of time for me to practice...... lol :) xxx

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    1. Thanks very much Dee, I'm glad you like her. Warming her up is easy, I can help you with that, through cyberspace!
      xxx

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  3. She is so cute! You have done a great job repainting her.

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    1. Thanks very much Daniela, I'm glad you think so :)
      xxx

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  4. Oh Sharon,
    I love what you have done with this doll! Riley Mai is just the most gorgeous red haired girl I have seen for a while and with TEEF to boot!!! I wouldn't worry about her being a little on the pale side, most red heads are. AND YES, DO MAKE HER SOME LOVELY STRAPPY SANDALS her little toes must be burning in those boots, especially seeing she is living in sunny Spain. :)
    Hugs,
    X

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    1. Thanks so much Xanadu, I'm glad you like what I've done with the little imp! Yes her feet are hot, she's complaining that I'm making her wear them but the truth is she chose them herself ;)
      I love the teeth to be honest, they are what first appealed to me! She's sort of goofy looking, isn't she!
      xxx

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  5. I really don't know what to say..........lol

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    1. LOL Louise, I just KNEW that you would LOVE her!!! ;)
      xxx

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  6. That last photo is the best! You certainly have made her cute, in my opinion...a sweet, shy girl. I love her little dress!!

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    1. Thanks very much Farrah, she is quite cute isn't she! In a strange sort of way.
      xxx

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  7. Aw, they don't have to be exactly pretty to be cute! She IS going to need some trips to the dentist and a strong braces for her upper teeth when she's older, but that doesn't stop her being lovable.
    The pale skin goes well with her red wig. Bless her, I think she is very appealing.

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    1. LOL perhaps I need to take out dental insurance right now Jenni!!
      She is cute, and no definitely not pretty, but don't tell her I told you that....she is asking if she can be a Princess and have a tiara....I will have to find one for her big head!
      Thanks Jen!
      xxx

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  8. What a cute and quirky little girl. You have really improved her coloring and I love her outfit. It is nice she can wear Blythe and Riley clothing. :) xxx

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    1. Thanks very much Ginger, I'm glad you think so! ;)
      Yes, it is handy that she can wear those clothes as she hasn't anything of her own just yet.
      xxx

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  9. I've seen real people with faces like that. It is usually corrected with considerable amounts of plastic surgery, but she wears it well.

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