Day 21 (finally!)

Well now. Hasn't it been quiet! My posts trickled away to nothing in the last few months. Don't worry, this isn't due to dwindling activity, actually quite the opposite. When I began Nevermore Dolls I had a vision of dolls of a certain quality, since then (2010) I have continued to return to the drawing board until I achieve this dream. In the last few months I have made very large strides in Nevermore, Curious Doors (another business I own and run) and a secret doll project which is so huge it is not even ready to announce. 

Rest assured the wait is over, 2014 will bring you my vision, my full vision.

Astrid

Astrid is a wealthy, spoilt young woman from Nevermore. She's wearing a matching vest and french knicker combination with luxurious stockings and removable bustle cage. Her outfit is completely handsewn featuring intricate detail such as miniature bows, tassels and beautiful lace.

There are many more photos of Astrid on the Nevermore Facebook Page

Astrid is for sale Here

Day 20 - New Faces

So, I have been working incredibly hard behind scenes for Nevermore. As those close to me know I've had a very clear vision for the dolls since day one and have been working non-stop until the dolls I make resemble that which I see. Up until now I have never been happy with the faces, I always knew I could do better. I sculpted a new master head which I am finally delighted with. There will be variants, but until then, say hello to the new Nevermore face.

 These are some very very candid photos from the worktop, I just really wanted to show you the new faces. These dolls aren't finished, there will be lots more depth and tone on their bodies and faces and they will have eyebrows.

So yes, sorry for the quiet, but don't worry, I've a lot on the way :)

The Steampunk Fairy

Here are a few shots of the Sarah Trickler Photography fairy.

I also created this fairytale video of the life and death of a steampunk fairy. I made up the story as I built the doll, so once she was finished she really deserved her story to be told.

Here are a few stills from the video...

A lot of people have shown interest in having steampunk fairies of their own, so I will be revisiting the concept and improving the design at some point in the future.

Day 19 (eventually!!)

 My lord it's been a long break on the blog. To be honest I've been pretty busy and have just fallen behind with updating. I've been working on new heads, bodies and characters behind the scenes. I have made a steampunk fairy doll for Sarah Trickler Photography. She is an American photographer who creates wonderful stories and worlds with steampunk and apocalypse styles. I can't wait to see what she does with the fairy. 

Hopefully soon I will bring you more costumed dolls, it is not my intention to produce only elf dolls. However, I must admit I've got a particularly soft spot for this one, her delicate colours and moss remind me of Brian Froud's wonderful work.

I've added the tag "mori" on her etsy listing because she reminds me of that fashion/lifestyle movement, it means girl of the forest. Mori girls are often seen in layered lace clothing, drinking tea or reading and generally enjoying quiet time out in nature. I thought that suited this elf's personality.

She is avaliable to buy now here

I promise I will get back to updating more regularly!!!

Simple Brogue Shoe Makeover

I've had a pair of brogues for a while now but never really liked their pale tan colour so I decided to give them a little makeover. It was very simple to do:

Step 1. 

Take out the laces from the brogues. Mix up in a little pot water, brown paint and black paint. I used acryllic as I've found it a wonderful paint to work with and its effects to be permanent. I've stained a belt with it before and the results were lovely. I used some felt as a sponge to simply wipe the paint and water solution over the shoes. 

Step 2. 

The solution will be quite thin, the idea is to keep coating the shoes in the solution to build it up, the paint will gradually soak in and begin to darken the leather. These are fake leather shoes and it was working just as well. Let the paint soak into everything on the outside of the shoes, even the string. Don't forget the tongue of the shoes. 

There we go, much darker than when I began. The paint has soaked right into the fake leather and stained it.

Step 3.

I use clear lacquer to seal paintwork. So spray the shoes the shoes with a layer of lacquer.

I used tea dyed lace trim for the shoelaces.

And there we go!

The shoes will lighten a little once they've dried and fully soaked in the paint. So you may want to stain them a few shades darker than your intended results.

<3

Day 18 {and now for something completely different!}

Let me start at the start, my brain goes at a million miles an hour and is never satisfied, I like to master new things. 

A while ago a friend and I got chatting about projects we wanted to do but never had time for. I mentioned felt teddies. You see for a while there's been a little seed growing in the back of my brain that wanted to give teddy making a go. There we are, and my first character I was interested in making was a fox in a tweed suit.

Tonight, while my boyfriend was playing computer games I got pretty bored and fidgety. I sat down with some printer paper, scissors, a pen and some pins and started something I'd had in mind for a while. 

I've never ever done any pattern making before, and I've got a pretty rubbish track record with dressmaking so I was worried I would really struggle. But surprisingly it came together really quickly!

And look! A fox! He's quite big, but I wanted it that way. So yes, Nevermore will be conducting business as usual but in the evenings I might be dabbling with making foxes in suits and see where it goes.

<3