It all started with my Weeping Angel Christmas Tree Topper. Reconstructing a Barbie doll into something waaaay cooler was so much fun, I thought about reconning other dolls into my favorite characters. Truthfully, I was afraid that people would scoff at me "playing with dolls" but I found that there's a whole community out there that does this! And what I found out is that I like using several different techniques on one project (sewing, using clay, painting, etc). I haven't done many so some of my techniques are still... rough, lol... but I really enjoy what I've done so far!
Delenn from Babylon 5
I'm going to post my latest one, and favorite one, first. :-D I love the show Babylon 5. If you haven't watched it, look it up! Fantastic sci-fi show. And my favorite character is Delenn, a Minbari who transforms into a Minbari-Human hybrid, which is how I made her.
She was really fun and challenging to make! I drafted the pattern for her clothing myself. The fabric was given to me, and I actually plan on using it to make a Delenn costume! I just needed a tiny bit and thought the sacrifice worth it. ;) The gold and silver trim were ribbons that I glued/sewed on. Fray Check was my best friend for this project. It would have been so time consuming to hem everything, especially when a majority of the edges were going to have trim on them anyways.
Yes, she doesn't have any shoes. The type of Barbie I used is a beach one and has large feet. I tried making her shoes, but it was a failure with the fabric I had. Once I find a pleather fabric, I think it will go smoother.
A close up of her face and head bone. This is the first full face paint I've done, so be kind, lol. I usually just painted over the eyes, but the paint wore off (cheap Barbie!) so I ended up painting them myself with a paintbrush I cut down to a tiny tip. I'm hoping that I get better the more I do this! T
The head bone is made from Sculpy clay. I molded it around her head, sculpt it, took it off then baked it. It was slightly flexible because it was so thin so I was able to fit it around her head. Unfortunately it broke when I was gluing it place, but perhaps it was a blessing because I was able to get the placement right and it broke in a place that you can't see.
Her pin was made from a pin, a blue seed bead and a small piece of chain. The belt buckle is a small filigree piece.
This is a closeup of the Triluminary, which is the device that turned her from Minbari into a Minbari-Human hybrid. I made mine out of toothpicks, wire from the edge of a ribbon and a dot of super glue!
"I am Grey. I stand between the candle and the star. We are Grey. We stand between the darkness and the light." She, without a doubt, is my favorite doll.
The Original Doll
Delenn played by Mira Furlan
Superman and Lois Lane
These two were the ones I did after my Weeping Angel. One of my favorite TV shows as a kid was Superman: The Animated Series. I was watching an episode from it when I found one Barbie with black hair in a box of a dozen I got for free and knew I had to transform her into Lois Lane.
Again, drafted the patterns myself. I'm not happy with the jacket at all, so I'll probably re-do it. And it's made out of the same fabric as Delenn's tunic, only reversed. :-D Her shoes were bright hot pink that I painted black. For the skirt, I just made a bunch of pleats, tried it on her and sewed it when I got it to fit right. The earrings are tiny plastic beads that I stuck through her head with headpins (ouch!).
For her face, all I did was paint her pupils (yes, they are purple) and add a little more eyeliner, as well as darken her eyebrows.
What's a reporter without a pencil and a tablet?! The pencil is made out of a toothpick and the tablet were just small pieces of paper glued together (That's what I think Lois would have written on her tablet when watching Superman ;) ).
For Superman.. uhh... well... okay, I'm thrilled with how his suit came out!
I used a jersey knit and literally sewed the costume on him because I wanted his muscles to show through. Pattern drafted by me. I tried to make him boots, but they looked like socks. I need to find a red pleather of similar color or black to make them look right.
I sculpted his hair with air dry clay then painted it when dried. I removed his face paint and painted it to look like the cartoon. Not too happy with it. I'll probably end up re-doing the head completely because the jawline isn't right at all. (I'm so happy that the heads just pop off!)
Superman: The Animated Series
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