Many have asked me how I go about creating these dolls, so I'll give you a little insight. I begin with a standard doll. From that point, a number of alterations are possible.

First, I often do a partial or full re-root of the doll's hair. I also may dye the hair. It is often boil permed or straigtened... whatever the theme calls for! I then remove ALL of the doll's facial paint.

Next, I will often alter the doll's face in some way. I have a wonderful open mouth technique that I use to accomodate vampire fangs or tongues, as is the case with my "Barbie Loves Gene Simmons" doll, a tribute to the band KISS. I have also created a series of vampire dolls who showcase this technique. Please take a at them! Often, however, the facial reshaping is more subtle. I may remove the teeth from a doll's face and close the lips, or I may apply a special compound over the teeth, in order to create the look of a closed mouth, as I have done with many of my dolls, including my nude repaints . Both of these options will produce entirely different looks. Sanding is also sometimes done, as is the case with Jean Harlow , who received a full sanding at her jawline and a cleft in her chin. "Marilyn Monroe's" face has also received some subtle but deliberate reshaping, because I wanted to capture her likeness completely- take a look! For a look at some extreme facial reshaping, "Hazel the Witch" is a great example. With my fairies, I will also reshape the ears of the doll. The ears are sculpted completely by hand and painted to match the skin color of the doll. Please look at "Saydria the Faerie" to see this! As far as facial or body alterations, the possibilities are endless, as you can see with "Guardian of the Sea" .

I then use my unique process of repainting the doll's face with an airbrush. I think that the most beautiful and most distinguishing aspect of my dolls is their eyes- they are absolutely flawless and their shape and coloration is amazing. Some people assume that I leave the original eyes of the doll and just do a partial repaint to enhance them-- I DO NOT!! I also will, on occasion, paint the doll's face completely by hand for an extremely realistic look, as you can see in the case of "Lorelei"

The doll's outfit is then created. I always draw my own patterns and never use store bought ones! As you probably already know, there are variations in different types of doll bodies and the patterns don't cater to this fact. As a result, the store bought patterns never fit exactly right. I then sew the fashion, partially with my machine, and partially by hand. All of the clothing on my dolls is created solely by myself, and it's always fully removeable!

I then sometimes create matching jewelry for the doll, often with Swarovski crystals. I make the jewelry completely by hand and take care to use the finest materials availble- including surgical steel and 14k gold- this assures that the earrings will not cause green-ear! The jewelry is always removeable as well.

Lastly, a custom box is hand made for the doll, and a certificate of authenticity is included.

This "technique" page showcases only a few of my wonderful creations. To see more, pleae visit the "gallery" page.