PORTFOLIO

A project with my sister to create handcrafted mixed media art dolls, using recycled and repurposed materials. The project evolved over time and we created an imaginary town for the dolls to live in and gave them their own stories.

We did an online course in doll making and then developed our own base pattern which could be adapted for each doll by changing the proportions. We worked together on creating the initial pattern for the dolls and then, as our styles and interests were different, we worked individually on our own dolls.

Working with materials I already had was important for me so I repurposed old sheets and pillow stuffing to make the doll shapes. I worked intuitively cutting out different head shapes without knowing beforehand who the dolls would become. I painted the dolls with acrylic paints and applied stitching and other embellishments to the doll and its costume. The limbs were attached with vintage buttons and thread to create moveable joints. The dolls were then varnished to provide a protective layer and to give a firm finish.

By this stage a story would usually have developed for the doll. The final stage was to find an image as a backdrop for the story and using Pixelmator I would add story elements to the background and superimpose the doll into the background which was then posted on our Instagram account.

The dolls were created to be artworks which could either be hung on the wall or posed on a shelf.