Emilia before:
I've always liked Gotz dolls as their quality is very good and they're great as play dolls, being made with very safe and well tested materials, and for adult doll collectors too.
Firstly I removed the factory makeup and the acrylic eyes. The eyes were not bad quality but I prefer them to be more realistic so they had to go, along with the eyelashes. Here she is with her cleaned face, but eyes and lashes still attached. I felt these eyes were also a tad too large for her eye sockets too.
The hair on these dolls is rooted so I covered her head with an old shower cap to protect it from the chalk and the sealant.
The hardest part was getting her head off. I had to soak it in boiled water until the vinyl was soft and then pull it off. The eyes are seated in little 'pockets' inside her head but the back of these are open so you can easily remove the eyes through the neck hole. Here she is will her default eyes and lashes now removed.
I then gave her a new faceup using watercolour pencils and artist grade chalk pastels. I wanted her to have glass eyes but I found that the ones I have here (and I have quite a few pairs!!) did not suit her or were the wrong size. In the end I decided that I would stick with acrylic, so these eyes are by Glastic Realistic, unfortunately I have no idea what the colour is called. As acrylic eyes go, I think these are a great alternative to glass or resin eyes as they are very detailed and natural looking.
Between layers of chalk pastels, Emilia is sealed with several coats of Mr Super Clear Flat sealant.
I hope that I've bought her more 'to life' and less dolly looking. I enjoyed working on her, customising really is one of my favourite parts of the doll hobby to be honest!
She's wearing an outfit that I made for my Zwergnase dolls, I thought the grey of the outfit went well with the grey of her eyes.
Thank you for stopping by, I hope you're all having a very nice weekend.
Big hugs and stay safe!
Sharon xxxx
