Fantasy for Dolls - Issue 17 Spooky Special Effects

Spooky Special Effects by Doll Maker's Notebook

Originally made in the late 1800s, French Bisque Bebe Bru Dolls were luxury playthings made from porcelain and often only the wealthy could afford.  These days the originals are highly sought after and are valuable collectors items.  I have fantasized about owning one of these dolls for many years after learning about them in my college days.  I appreciate their soft expressions, round cheeks, and innocent beauty.

This is my inspiration for making a "broken porcelain doll".  I used watercolor to paint on her lashes and brows in the style of Bru Bebes and also painted on cracks and chips.  Chalk pastels were used to add smoke damage, lip and cheek color.

In general I have better luck making fine lines with a sable (I'm sorry little sables) fine-liner long brush.  I find they hold the paint and let me pull the paint out into a very fine smooth line, even if my pressure is a little shaky.  The long length of the brush is very forgiving!

For her hairstyle, I researched ways to "fix" wigs, and I found several sources under "cosplay" that recommended watered down "Eileen's Tacky Glue".  One source said to water it down to a maple syrup texture and paint it on and I did!  I used a Kanani wig that had good bones, but was given a cut at a child salon so was uneven and frizzy at the ends.  I didn't remove it at this point because she needed to hold it in place for me while I worked.

Using a flat iron set on the lowest temp, I smoothed out her hair section by section.  Although slightly frowned upon-I didn't use any water as a heat protection.  It's risky, but it can really heat the stubborn hairs up so that it almost goes limp-which is the point where you need to brush it smooth or it will melt.  I save this for the very ends that are frizzy because I can whisky the flat iron quickly on just the last few inches of hair and immediately follow with a brass golf cleaning brush to tame and smooth the hairs.  I'm playing chicken with the melting point, but there are always other options.

I divided her hair down the middle and then crosswise.  I made 2 smaller braids at the bottom and two thicker braids at the top.  Taking a needle and thread, I sewed those braids in place.  This is when I got out the tacky glue solution and brushed it on with a paintbrush.  I made sure the solution soaked into the braids without getting drippy.  I let it dry overnight and removed the wig with a pair of pliers.

The pliers firmly grab on to both the hair and the wig cap to remove them together instead of pulling only on the hair to leverage the wig cap up.  This is when the hair falls out and wig caps rip.  I sacrificed myself so that you know this now!  I was surprised at how well the wig came up and stayed together, those hairs aren't going anywhere.  The word "helmet head" comes to mind.

I'm happy with how she turned out, but I still have so much more that I would like to learn!  Here's a picture of what she looked like in color as a behind the scenes (though the black and white is best for the spooky look)

Color Photo

For dramatic effect