By Tashai Lovington

My inspiration comes mostly from figures of mythology and fantasy, including characters such as mermaids, centaurs, fairies, and elves. Holidays like Halloween and Yule also influence my work. I keep a sketchbook of ideas and a file full of pictures gathered from magazines, newspapers, greeting cards, and anything else I can get my hands on. If a particular part of a doll's costume temporarily stumps me, one look through my file usually floods my mind with new ideas.

Most dolls I start with are "rescued" from situations where they were no longer wanted, i.e., garage sales and thrift shops. For me, revitalizing second-hand dolls is part of the reward. Each one pays a visit to my "doll spa," where she receives a bath, a hair shampoo and conditioning, and other preparations for later styling or re-rooting.

TIKA
Step 1. When creating a fresh OOAK character, I always begin with the head - her new personality really starts to show after a face paint and hairstyling. I like my dolls to have a non-human, otherworldly look about them. Tika was destined to become a fairy so, the first thing she needed was new fairy eyes. When I first found her, she was an open-mouth doll; I closed it with air-dry clay. Air-dry or two-part epoxy clay works well with vinyl dolls. Polymer clays do not because they have to be baked in the oven and the dolls can?t take the heat. When the mouth clay is dry, it?s sanded with very fine sandpaper and brought to life with artist-quality acrylic paints. The fairy ears were created using the same air-dry clay. After the face paint is complete and dry, it needs a sealer or varnish.

Step 2. Tika wanted to carry a dumbek drum, so the next move was to repose her hands by dipping them, one at a time, in almost-boiling water for about 25 seconds. I quickly removed it from the hot steep, positioned the hand, and just as quickly dunked it in cold water. Be careful not to burn yourself - the vinyl will still be hot when posing the doll. The base of Tika's dumbek is fashioned from air-dry clay, and a leather-covered earring stands in magnificently as the drum's head.

Step 3. Now she is ready for chic new hair. Almost all play line dolls are over-rooted, mostly because children can be so hard on them. I removed quite a bit of her hair, trimmed it, and enticed some long pieces to hang down into twisted locks with an equal number pulled back over the top. I like to draft and sew my own simple clothes patterns and add jewelry and other embellishments.

Step 4. Wings are the finishing touch. There are so many ways and materials to shape fairy appendages! Tika's splendid wings are a plastic-coated paper with posing wires glued to the back to add strength and form. Disguising wires is easy - just add paint and glitter.

CENTAUR
Step 1. Converting a doll into a centaur is a little trickier. I started with a basic horse and with a doll that turns at the waist. Cutting off the horse's head just above the shoulder works well; a small saw does the job because the animal's body is hollow inside. The lower part of the doll's legs were removed so she "stands" inside the opening with her hips just over the horse's shoulder.

Step 2. Once the legs were cut to the correct length and the repaint of the doll's face was finished, her hands were remolded and her hairstyle was started before the final joining to the horse's body. The doll was then placed inside the opening and stabilized using a combination of clay, glue, and fabric. More clay was added to form her new waist, which was sanded once dry.

Step 3. This horse was originally white, which was not what I envisioned, so she was given a coat of green. Again, all painted surfaces were sealed with a varnish, and her tail was dyed to match her hair color. The bow, arrows, sheath, and "medicine" pouch were all handmade. A few finishing touches to her hair, and her transformation was complete.

Visit www.tashai.net for more information.