#clothdollartist

petitecover I have been working on a new brand idea, petite house of dolls, for a while now. The portfolio of work for it is still in production but I have enough now to share.

How it started – My work has always had a storytelling element to it and I have always been very fond of stories growing up about toys or dolls. The mennyms are a particular favourite series or tales about small creatures like brambly hedge. After working on a ragdoll project as a community artist this fired my interest in creating dolls.

One of the first dolls I created was a ‘mini me’ doll which is what I call her. She is even wearing fabrics from an old favourite dress of mine. minime petitehouse

Why the name petite house of dolls? – My work is and has always been small and delicate weather its been illustration or embroidery so its only natural my dolls are turning out the same. Petite is in the name because I am a little bit French. The image of a doll house isn’t actually in the name but it is in the logo and is an ongoing project which will expand the brand.

I have now developed 3 different styles of art dolls made from cloth, clay and wool and wire.

The cloth dolls are painted and embroidered and defiantly take the longest to make. I have created two for commissions also. Although crafted from cloth this style is intended to be a piece of art and not a toy due to small parts.

The two dressed in spotted outfits are now for sale.

Another style of doll is made from wire and wool. The first I have created are flower fairies. These reflect my interest in small creatures, are inspired by the flower fairy stories by Cicely Mary Barker and my love for bright colours.

I also have for sale two one off soft cat sculptures inspired by a collograph print I illustrated a few years ago. My stories are often influenced by traditional weird and wonderful fairy tales.

The story behind these cats is as follows;

My Tail – This is a tale about a witch who is obsessed with cats, in particular their tails. Stray hungry cats who wonder into her garden often fall victim to the treats left outside her door as a way to lure them inside. She uses her golden magic to remove their tails and keep them stored in a wardrobe as if they were just another fashion accessory. The cats leave unharmed but in place of their tails are long beautiful golden trails. These cats often end up staying close by. Locals often wonder if its either because they are under the spell of the witch. Or if they just want to remain near to their long lost tails.

Another doll style is a created from clay and wooden peg tops. My first creations is a wedding cake topper. This will be something I will advertise for commissions soon, I loved creating this. I have drawn an illustration of the final piece which I will develop into cards too.