Going around the art forum I noticed that there weren't very many (none that I found) threads that focused on dolls as the medium of expression. Coupling my love of fashion and my lack of infinite funds, art dolls are crucial as well as beloved to me. My "Barbies" allow me to design a fashion on a small scale before spending exorbitant amounts of money only to find out that tulle wont stand well with knit.
Art dolls also allow many (including myself) to easily try out new makeup and photography tricks.
Currently, I am working on making a ball jointed doll from scratch. I even ordered Ryo Yoshida's Yoshida Style for the project.

So I'd love to hear about/ see any art dolls or art doll modifications you have going on. Don't be limited, even paper dolls and wooden dolls are considered art dolls and are more than welcome here!

Hmm, I'm interested this subject... I would like to the preceding post as well. I might have to get into this if I ever want to do photography, makeup, and fashion designing... including making the clothes.

I really like dolls a lot. I used to make then when I was younger because I prefer playing with my own 'characters' than the ones I could buy in the store. I used them more for writing purposes than art I suppose. I made my characters and then basically acted out little dramas with them.
I would really like to own a BJD some day.

I heard that some collectors will drop a pretty penny--if that penny is a thousand dollars--on those ball-jointed dolls if it came to something they really wanted. I think that there's definitely a following for dolls and plushies, but it's not as widely accessed, I think.

SPOILERX

This is as close to 'doll art' as I have come. I found these cute little keychain dolls made of plastic. They came in a few varieties, and I chose the ones with a square head. I thought it turned out alright, ahah hah!

That's cute. It makes me think of minecraft o.o

Looks made of clay or glass o.o

that's cute, jupiter. I don't think I've seen something like that before. I'd like one now.

I definitely think it's easier to make dolls. at least, it's waaay cheaper than trying to buy what's popular out there, but I'd love to have some 3-D physical representations of my characters. Maybe over the summer I might have time to experiment on how to make some.

That'd be cool to make your own doll from scratch. I've tried making one before with Polymer Clay, but had no idea what-so-ever how to make one, so it ended up never working. Even though it looked nice, it just wasn't built how dolls are built. Either way, I enjoyed it. I just love sculpting/drawing humans, especially faces.

I also do like to sew, though I never have used patterns, and do it all by guesstimation. I'm still inexperienced at it. I sewed my first doll outfit a few months back, actually. I also did make the eyes. Of course I didn't make the boots. Also the shoulders are a bit stiff for moving the arms up. I did also buy the face, but painted it and cut the eye-holes out. It was meant to have bigger eyes, but I wanted it to be a bit lidded...




I do also have barbie-sized dolls, though they are technically Azone dolls. These are easier to sew for, since I can only sew by hand. I have only made a simple white coat, though, and it's not finished still. :x



I guess I am best suited to 3D dolls, though. My hands are just not stable enough for sculpting/sewing perfectly.

I would love to have some kind of 3D doll :I But they are quite expensive, and I cannot order from anywhere. I do have barbies and some other dolls, but I don't really like them. Barbies are in a way too ugly (heh, but I still love playing with them sometimes) and the others I do have are too difficult to work.
Plus I want to learn sewing before I'll start making greater plans come to true.

Kouki: those doll clothes are really nice! I'm no good with sewing, but I can make jewelry and other accessories. I just need a doll to make them for. One of my friends suggested to me making polymer clay chibi Christmas ornaments. Not quite the same as dolls, but similar.

Mimmu: Huh. I never even had barbies as a kid. They certainly are cheap though. I'm sure they're good for experimenting with sewing.

Originally Posted by Mimmu

I would love to have some kind of 3D doll :I But they are quite expensive, and I cannot order from anywhere. I do have barbies and some other dolls, but I don't really like them. Barbies are in a way too ugly (heh, but I still love playing with them sometimes) and the others I do have are too difficult to work.
Plus I want to learn sewing before I'll start making greater plans come to true.

A good cheap alternative to anime-style(albeit old fashion) dolls would be Jenny dolls, which are essentially like the Japanese barbie. It's about similar in price as well, so it's not expensive. I remember playing with both Barbie and Jenny as a kid.


You can tell by the face it's kind of old-fashion anime style.

Have you all ever heard of Poppets? They're super cute little humanoid-type dolls. =]

Here's a link to a crafster thread about them!

I REALLY ant to make a poppet but I'm not even good at plushies yet so I'm gonna take it one step at a time until I'm reaqdy for one! =]

I Think I have seen poppets before. I like them, but I'm all sorts of crafty fail. I need to get someone to make one for me. I love dolls, but I can't seem to make them myself.