The Other City

Gossamer Girls now Available on Etsy!

The Gossamer Girls are now available on Etsy!

Here is the listing!  Now it is a lot easier to take them home.  I am in the process of overhauling my Etsy page to make it more hospitable to this line. 

Mercy Lights Her Way

Mercy wraps her bright shawl about her gray dress.  Glimmering and soft, it warms her on winter days and lets her blend into summer.  She creeps on tentative feet through the dust-shrouded rooms and hallways here, and finds a stone here, a bit of ribbon there and so dresses her days in brightness. Sometimes, these little beauties are all you need.

So this is Mercy wearing her default outfit.  It is what she will wear when she is just hanging out.  At other times, she can model other outfits or accessories that I will make.  I plan to make one, maybe two other models and then focus on clothing and accessories.  I am also currently working on a listing for this series of dolls for Etsy.

I am really enjoying working on clothing and little toys and things for these dolls.  Making Mercy's shawl was deeply enjoyable.  I like experimenting with clothing in sizes small enough that I don't get tired of it.  Is there anything in particular you would like to see?

Just a quick post

Just checking in.  I'm thinking more in images today than words.  I plan to lay out and photograph a still life, later.  And I want to get some more crochet done.  Currently, I'm working on a deer girl named Rune.  Her feet are the perfect size.

Also, I urge everyone to check out Rainymood.com.  All it does is play rain sounds.  My blog should always be viewed while listening to the sound of rain.

I have a second blog now, called Living in a Dollhouse.  It documents the construction of my future tiny house. I recently bought an absolutely hideous trailer to serve as the foundation and I'm very much looking forward to begining to tear it down and build a lovely little gem of a house.  It will be very cottage-like.  Probably rather hobbity.  I can't wait until it is done.

Hypothetical Dilemma

I follow a blog called Manboobz that is devoted to mocking the mens' rights community.  On of the oppositional commenters on that blog, a real reprehensible little troll, has said is is into dolls.  Or, to come at this from a different direction, Chalice was favourited on DeviantArt by someone who clearly is an amputee fetishist.  So my hypothetical dilemma is, what would I do if someone like this came to me and wanted to buy a doll? 

In general, I don't have much of a problem with amputee fetishism.  It's largely as harmless as foot fetishism.  So it would be a bit uncomfortable but not too horrible to see Chalice go to that guy.  I have heard people making fun of their friends at shows by suggesting that they want to have sex with my dolls.  I found this a bit awkward, considering I was sitting right there, but I've heard worse.

The real question is, would I sell someone who believes that women should only exist to satisfy his desires a doll?  Would I sell him the means to gratify his desires?  Well, the art mercenary in me says sure.  I want the money, and what do I care what they do with it?  I do already know that one of my dolls has been destroyed by a pet.  How is this really worse?  Furthermore, I have flat out thought I would make a line of love dolls, if crochet were adapted to it, and retire from Evil Law Firm.  Certainly the people who would want to buy a love doll would including horrible anti-feminists like this guy.  I don't find love dolls in general objectionable.

However, most love dolls in the world are made by men, and believe me it shows.  The men who buy them have no reason to disrespect their makers because of their sex.  And that is the key difference and now my decision is easy.  I will not sell to anyone who does not respect me as a person.  I guess this is another thing that will keep me out of the love doll business, no matter how mercenary I may feel. 

I wonder if strictly art doll people have this dilemma?

Finding Mercy

Here is the first of the model dolls for the series I am working now.  I plan on photographing her in still-life type setups and she can model all of the little clothings and accessories I will make for this series.  Her name is Mercy, because that is what she is seeking, wandering lost through the world. 

She is 18 inches tall, and as you can see, she can wear American Girl sized clothing and shoes.  She is fairly posable, but I will have to use thread to help with photographs.

Does anyone have any ideas for what I should name this series?  Just calling them American Girl sized dolls is not working for me.  And I will be making up the brochure for them soon, so it will be helpful to have a name.  I have no idea at the moment.

I think her face is the best I've ever done.  Since she is to be a model, she is not for sale on Etsy, but I am not immune to offers I can't refuse.  Next up, I'll be doing a deer girl for the next model.  Because I like deer girls.  And I'll get to use some of my delicious Malabrigo yarn for her skin.