Hand Made Mona and Lili on the sofa Artist Dolls.

 I'm still going through my draft folder and trying to publish all those saved draft posts I have hidden in there, so I guess you could call this "One from The Vaults"!

Anyhoo...

Another gorgeous doll I discovered either last year or the year before while again innocently nosing around on Ebay was this stunning creation  by an Artist named Nina it was listed for sale by nina_ilchenko  - possibly the Artist herself ?

The starting bid for this beauty was US $1,000.00 - I had the listing address copied here but it's dead now so alas, you'll just have to put up with me telling you about her instead!

The page had been translated and sadly like a lost of translations it doesn't read quite right but I'll do my best..

The doll on offer was a 34 inch decorative doll called Mona who came with her own "mini" doll called Lili, who is 12 inches tall!

They came with their own sofa too, on which they can be displayed.

The sofa's dimensions are 17 x 7 x 6 inches so all in all this Art Doll is a pretty big piece.

The description describes Mona as "It is fancy-dressed doll, made in complex technique. Sewing and sculpturing skills, dress history and a fantasy of the professional artist Nina make the doll a unique in the whole world."

And goes on to describe the creative technique as being a mixture of wire, paper clay, paint and fabrics.

The listing states that her eyes are covered with glaze, so I suspect they are also painted even though they look like they are made of glass...

Her face and hands are made from paper clay and painted and her hair is made from mohair. 

Her dress is made from vintage silk and velvet, and decorated with beads, brooches and vintage lace. 

The body is made from a wire armature which is coated with several layers of fabric and leaves her arms and feet flexible and enables her to sit on her sofa.

Mona wears stockings made from vintage lace and a pair of  shoes which are beautifully made using vintage fabric and lace. 

The listing states: "The doll is made in a single copy and marked with an author stripe." I'm guessing this means she is an edition of 1/1 and signed...  It also mentions that she comes in "the special decorative box" but unfortunately the listing didn't show this item.

Another interesting point the listing makes is "Due to such different mixture technique it takes 1 -2 months to assemble one doll." So she definitely is a labour of love..

 "All these details breath a life into a doll figure, impressed her with king, musician, romantic and mysterious character." 

I think this statement really sums up her look very well, there are hints of Venetian Carnivals, Medieval Jesters, The Court of Versailles, Baroque Fashion, Harlequins and so much more!

Little Ruby Red Head Art Doll & Jack Skeleton Too!

Several months ago on Evil-Ebay again, I happened upon a seller who sold dolls she made, these two caught my eye.  

I've been thinking of making my own unique doll for some time now, not just adapting a Barbie or similar type doll or making a rag type doll, actually moulding and shaping the pieces myself and then putting it all together (I'd like it to be ball jointed and strung) but of course this is the type of project that requires a hell of a lot of thought and research before I'd even feel comfortable getting to the design stage.

While I was not even considering these ideas when I discovered these little sweeties they really did appeal to me and give me a few ideas of my own for what kind of materials I could use in order to bring my dream doll  to life!

Right now I'm not even sure mine would be a "Gothic" type, although this style does appeal to me very much, for now though, I've decided that as I missed the auction listings for these two - (I had originally copied and pasted these to this post, but run out of time being sidetracked to blog about them in time before the listings ended) - Now the seller has nothing else on Ebay, but as these listings originally included facebook pages etc, I'll include them at the bottom of this post - I'd still write a few words about them and put up the pictures (taken from the listings) as it is helpful for me to be able to refer back to them at a later date, and so to the dolls themselves...

The first one I found was listed as: Little Ruby Red Head The Sugar Skull Dia De Los Muertos Day Of The Dead Art Doll. All The information about the dolls has been taken from the listings (copied and pasted) and therefore I have chosen to differentiate between my own words and the Seller's by using italics and quotation marks to illustrate her words.

"Little Ruby Red Head is a proper little Diva. 

She once whispered that she wanted to be a Rock Chic and play the guitar in a band. She certainly looks the part with her vibrant Red hair, Rockabilly netted skirt & Black pvc cap. 

She is hand crafted, no moulds & hand painted with with acrylics & varnished. Her little skirt is so cute with Alexander Henry material Roses & skulls with Black net underneath. Her hands and legs move. 

She is a total one off and totally adorable in every way with the sweetest facial features.

I love the Mexican festival and the beautiful way that skulls are painted in honour of the dead & Ruby is designed in this style.

Little Ruby Red Head is made from reclaimed, recycled, Haberdashery & ribbon. Her shabby chic hand stitched tatty features are all part of her adorable charm.

Please note that Little Ruby Red Red Head is not a toy. She may not be suitable for children due to small parts, buttons, etc...She needs a loving caring home but also someone with a gentle touch.

8" high approx.

**** Ruby is a one of a kind unique art doll. She comes with her own little signed birth cirtificate & keep sake box. ****

Ruby is made from reclaimed, recycled, rags, ribbon & clothes. Her shabby chic hand stitched tatty features are all part of her adorable charm & junkbabies design.

Please note that Ruby may not be suitable for smaller children due to small parts, buttons, etc... She needs a loving caring home but also someone with a gentle touch.

£57.00 + £8.00 P&P" The second one was listed as Jack Skeleton Art Doll (as far as I can remember anyway!)  And his picture and description, is as follows: "Jack Skeleton is a skeleton with a huge heart. I designed him from haberdashery items, felt and Polymer Clay  and he is fantastic. His hand painted face gives him a cheeky expression. He has a adorable charm.  His arms and legs are movable so he can sit next to you while you read him spooky stories.  As with all the dolls he is unique a total one off. Jack Skeleton is made from reclaimed, recycled, rags, & clothes the way all Junkbaby dolls are designed. Please note that * Jack Skeleton * may not be suitable for smaller children due to small parts, buttons, etc...  He needs a loving caring home but also someone with a gentle touch. approx 19" High. Hard head & hands. His tummy, Legs & arms are soft & floppy He is one of a kind design. Handcrafted & Handpainted. **** Jack is a one of a kind unique art doll.  He comes with his own little signed birth cirtificate & keep sake box **** Jack is made from reclaimed, recycled, rags, riibon & clothes.  His shabby chic hand stitched tatty features are all part of her adorable charm & junkbabies design. £45.00 + £15.00 P&P" Information and possibly other dolls (if I recall correctly, they are all "One of a Kind") .. can be found by following the links provided by the Seller (in the listings) below: http://www.facebook.com/Ecobabes You will find anything Rockabilly, Tattoo Quirky or Statement but if your looking for more than visit OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR ALL INFO on all my designs. MORE INFO ON ECOBABES

Artist Doll from same Seller who has all those Evie Sweetie Busts.

I'm really unsure as to whether or not I like her, but this kind of doll really does inspire me, so I decided I'd save her here so I can refer back to her at a later date, when I've allowed my muse time to work out how I should let this "inspiration" guide me!

If you're interested in owning her, she's going for £65.00 + Postage (Buy It Now) ... just copy and paste the title below into  Ebay and you should find her straight away!

Ebay Title:  HANDMADE DOLL GOTH DOLL ARTIST MADE DOLL PRIMITIVE FOLK ART DOLL SHABBY CHIC DOLL.