Re-root: Vivian (WIP)

Dolly friends, here's another one of my recent re-roots.

When I found Vivian at Goodwill a little over a year ago, she was a standard blonde Barbie... with a difference that made her stand out. Bright green eyes with red lips, instead of the usual blue and pink. So of course, I had to have her.

She stayed a blonde for about a year while I worked on other dolls and wondered which hair color would suit her. And at the end of February? I had it. She needed to be a brunette, to match her eyebrows. And I just happened to have two different shades of brown, left from other projects, that would be perfect.

I did an insane amount of work on her the first day. Here's what was left:

Here she is from the front. As you can see, her hair is in desperate need of a boil wash!

Here it is, tamed with an elastic band.

I actually finished her over the next two days. Filled in the back of her head, thatched the part, and gave her a nice boil wash to reduce the bulk. Unfortunately, looking at the photos, I realize... they really don't do her justice!

So I'm going to re-take those, maybe with a nice change of outfit and some pretty background paper, and do a separate post for the finished re-root.

Stay tuned! In the meantime, I have plenty of other photos to share.

Much love,

Sarah J Sequins

(And dolls)

Re-root: Robin

Dolly friends, I have a finished re-root to share with you today!

You might remember Robin from the previous post.

Well, almost immediately after I published that post, I started another doll. A nice and easy saran project that went by quickly. And by the time I was done with that re-root, I was ready to work on Robin and her tricky silky nylon hair again.

And you know what? The hair wasn't as hard to work with as I remembered. So I finished this section in a little over an hour.

The next day I worked on thatching the part in her hair and setting it with hot water. Then I gave her a trim. And... she was done!

Yesterday we had a nice photo shoot. It wasn't an overcast day -- in fact, it was sunny and gorgeous -- so I wasn't sure how the photos would turn out. But I told myself, it was an experiment. A chance to play around.

So I played. As you can see, I even used some nice Gothic-looking scrapbook paper as a background.

I like the way these turned out. Not too shabby at all. I have a lot to learn about photography, and I'm sure there are better ways to filter out the light than a napkin holder stuffed with junk mail, but I don't mind putting in the hours.

Doll photography has turned out to be a ton of fun for me. Using different props and backgrounds, dressing the dolls up with pretty clothing and accessories. Styling their hair and putting them in different poses. 

And of course, there are the crazy little things I rig up, like the napkin holder. Not professional at all, but a great exercise in problem solving and creativity. Now that I think about it, I have an old umbrella just sitting in my closet at home....

I took at least twenty photos of Robin yesterday. Unfortunately, because I'm using my camera phone, getting them from the phone to Google Drive to the computer is an exercise in patience, taking at least four days. So the rest of the photos (the good ones, anyway) will have to wait.

Until then, I have a few more photos saved up. I can't wait to show them off!

Much love,

Sarah J Sequins

(And dolls)

Re-root: Robin (WIP)

Dear dolly friends,

Some of you might be wondering what happened to me. Well, the dolls and I moved!

I haven't unpacked all of their stuff yet, but we're slowly getting settled in. I have the beading and sewing stations set up, so they know I'll be spoiling them again very soon.

(And so they're not complaining too terribly much about their bare book shelves. They have their priorities straight.)

In the meantime, I've been working on some re-roots. And because I have a camera with a phone for the very first time, I've decided to take some of my own photos, starting with a few works in progress. I've never been a gifted photographer, (understatement) but I'm happy with the way these turned out.

So without further ado, here's my progress on Robin, a Raven Symone Barbie doll. I took photos of her, along with a few of her friends, when we were snowed in recently. We were at a dog-sitting gig, so our options for backgrounds were limited, but we worked with what we had.

(Including blizzard lighting, which was pretty decent.)

Robin's hair was inspired by this gorgeous gal. I don't know who she is, but I love her attitude! And Robin's resemblance is pretty darn close, if you ask me.

I used another color, a very dark plum, on the underneath. Here's her hair in pigtails so you can see it better.

And here's how much I have left to do. As you can see, I have my work cut out for me! I love the color of this nylon hair, and I love how shiny and silky it is, but it's harder to work with than saran, so it takes a little longer.

But I'll finish her soon. Now that I've taken a break with some nice and easy saran projects, I'm ready to work on her again. And when she's finished, I can guarantee that nobody is going to confuse her with her twin sister Simone again.

(Yes, I bought two. What can I say? I love everything about the Raven Symone doll. I could easily buy five or six more and re-root them in every color of the rainbow. If only I had the money.)

And that concludes Robin's portion of the photo shoot. Coming up next is Vivian, one of my nice and easy saran projects. There might also be... one or two bird photos in the mix. Domingo Flamingo overheard that Robin was getting a re-root, and he was very excited to meet a pretty female bird.

*Sigh.* Poor Mingo.

Much love,

Sarah J Sequins

(And dolls)