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.

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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.

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Day 17.

I've ordered 2kg of resin and these new hair colours so a lot of new dolls are on their way.

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Maud and Luscius

Maud was never good with people, she was always quietly disinterested in everyone around her. One day, however, in her garden she found someone who seemed to truly understand her. She named him Luscius and they have been firm, yet quiet, friends ever since.

Wild Meadow Elf

A new elf doll. A delicate, shy, meadow elf.

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Day 16.

I trialled a new hair method today and am really pleased with the results! 

Onward!!

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Day 15.

A new hair colour arrived in the post today, I'm really excited to make dolls with more varied hair colours.

So far I've used larrycraft for all my doll's hair and I'm incredibly happy with this shop. The wool is wonderful quality, the postage is very fast and there's always a hand written note with the product. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/larrycrafts/m.html?_nkw&_armrs=1&_from&_ipg=25&_trksid=p3686

It's another busy weekend this weekend so there probably won't be anymore doll updates until the middle of next week. But shortly I will be bringing you two custom creations, a bride and a steampunk fairy.

The Albino Elf

I will be making many elf races based on various seasons, flora and fauna. But the first one is an albino :)

Day 14.

New race for Nevermore Dolls, elves. I will soon be sculpting new lower legs to create faun dolls as well.

Day 13.

I've now listed Cora in the Nevermore shop:

Cora Mellingdew - OOAK resin jointed art doll wearing tea dyed night dress from Nevermore Dolls

I'm visiting family over the weekend so there won't be any Nevermore updates until the middle of next week. Have a lovely weekend.

<3

Day 12.

I've had a lovely day photoing Cora, the first Nevermore doll. I'm really pleased with the finalized style, character and dimensions of the Nevermore dolls and am really excited about creating more characters.

The First Nevermore Doll : Cora

The first Nevermore Doll is here!! She is called Cora, she's wearing a night dress and she is a very delicate soul. More photos and information soon.

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The Final Hurdle : Hair

Well now, perfecting the doll making method has been a pretty long journey so far (8 months). With many different trial and errors to find the best method and style for me. And the final and most bitter battle has been hair.

I have researched and tried a LOT of different hair techniques, each time returning to the same method - gluing hair on strand by strand. While this creates a sturdy head of hair it always results in visible glue. I'm a perfectionist, I want hair that can be brushed and played with, and if the customer looks underneath the hair they won't find ugly glue patches. For this reason I've found many hair making methods not to my liking. 

I've come to the conclusion there's only one solution, which is this:

http://www.antiquelilac.com/tibetan-lambskin-wigs---tutorial.html

Now that my dolls are uniform in size I could make numerous wig caps safe in the knowledge they will be suitable for all my dolls. I'm a little concerned the dolls are a tad too small for this method but it feels like it's the only way I'll be safisfied quality wise. With these wig caps the hair will be able to be brushed and styled and played with. Also for me as a maker it'll make doll construction a lot less stressful.


Phew.

Day 11.

I am just about to start painting and wigging and clothing these two, however the sun's going down so I had to take a photo at this stage. As you can see there are two faces so far. I will be sculpting many different interchangable faces for a vast array of characters.

The World Of Nevermore

Despite having created the Nevermore facebook page, shop and this blog some time ago and showing doll development I never felt that I was ready to launch my shop. I have been on an incredibly steep and fast learning curve since christmas - learning new techniques and discovering the best doll making method for me through trial and error. 

I now feel that I have reached the point where I can open the doors to my secret garden, to my world. You see I don't want to just make dolls, I want to create a world for you to explore and play in and discover. A world full of people, towns, forests, creatures and culture.

The World Of Nevermore. 

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