Thursday, April 4, 2013

things that amuse me and things that don't

This doll I made with the pink riding coat. She amuses me. She is currently for sale on MH$P. It won't amuse me if no one bothers to read my disclaimer and I get a whole bunch of emails telling me she's incorrect.
 
The disclaimer: I would like to put in the disclaimer now that I know that pink is not a traditional color for English riding coats. However I did extensive research as I really wanted to make a doll with a pink coat. I have seen photo proof that pink is allowed in dressage (black and other dark colors are still the norm) though I believe only at the lower levels. This color would also be allowed in the jumper ring. I have seen a couple of photos of pink coats in show jumping classes. One was connected to a blog post and said that the rider had received special permission to wear pink (and accessorise the horse in pink, paint the hooves pink, etc) as she was raising money for breast cancer research. If I was showing with this doll I would probably include a note saying that she was riding at a show to raise money for breast cancer research. I don't think you could get away with this doll in a hunter class as she is not in traditional colors. But I have seen proof for dressage and jumper, I make no claims beyond that :)
Also in the category of things that don't amuse me is the need to sculpt heads. As many of you know I am not a very good sculptor. I have managed to make a couple of decent heads but never a lady head. So I bought a push mold for faces and this one is OK I think. It's at least a ways ahead of a giant bobble-head.
This next face is from the same mold and I think she is maybe a bit better in some ways (I really like her lips though she looks very serious) but I may have to put some sort of finish on her cheeks. That one side seems to have almost a powdery finish and it's looking odd. Why can't anything ever just be easy. Why does Breyer have to try to reinvent the doll in a way that may only appeal to tweens (and not all of them I am sure)? I guess the good news is with the molds I can at least make female heads and with practice using them I am bound to get better. Still, the need to sculpt heads does not amuse me.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Ha! I'm 12 and am totally NEVER buying a breyer doll again (unless they have small heads)!

Devon Comstock♥

We should seriously start a boycott!

SheMovedtoTexas said...

I actually have documentation on my blog right now of a show jumper in a pink coat. You're welcome to send it around with this doll if it helps you make a sale (www.shemovedtotexas.com). Look for the WEF grand prix post.

Danielle said...

Hey Anne, couldn't you just make a mould of the current Breyer doll heads and then produce heads from that? If you're concerned about copyright, you could probably just make a small change and it could be okay (or just ask Breyer for permission, since they won't be using that mould...)

Last Alliance Studios said...

Personally I think your heads are an improvement on the Breyer ones! :P
I don't think you're on Fallen Leaves so you may not have seen this but I posted about these new 1:9th scale figures I'd found through an action figure forum and wondered if they'd be an option for the future...

http://fallen-leaves.net/community/threads/new-1-9th-scale-figures-dolls-very-nicely-articulated.29992/

Field of Dolls Studio said...

I have ordered one of the Yvonne dolls and am just waiting for her to arrive. I hope she is fantastic!

Unknown said...

Those new bobble-head Breyer dolls are cute a bit, but not realistic at ALL. I'm twelve years old and I don't nessicarilly like them that much. Ah well, not much can be done about it, sadly. Although I did just get my first doll yesterday, Breyer's (old version) "Showjumper Brenda", and she's pretty cute. I can get her to stand by herself fairly easily! :)