Fradira is Late!

Meet "Fradira".  "Fradira" is my latest doll that I am creating for the ADO Quarterly Challenge - Steampunk Dolls.  She should have been completed April 1...she is late!  Fradira is just now squeezing into her Lycra body skin.  I love this picture!  Have you ever rushed to put something on over your head and it gets stuck?  Smiles.

Fradira is pretty special.  First, she is a big doll for me.  When finished, she will stand approximately 24 inches tall.  My biggest doll ever!  She was created using a wire armature reinforced with copper tubing for strength.  Her soft body is made of muslin stuffed with cotton batting.  Her arms and legs are wrapped in cotton batting followed by gauze.  Her body is "skinned" with cotton Lycra (another first for me).

Fradira's head and shoulders are creating using a wonderful Cloth Overlay technique taught by Susie McMahon, one of my favorite doll artists.  I am VERY pleased with my first cloth overlay doll head using Susie's tutorial available in her Etsy shop here. 

Fradira's hands were created using a technique learned at the "Handling Hands" class taught by Judy Skeel available on one of my favorite shopping websites, Joggles here.

Another first with Fradira is that I started from a drawing.  It is amazing to me that I actually remained true to my original sketch of her size and body proportions.  I also sketched her costume.  It was REALLY hard once I had sketched the costume, not to start on it...but of course I couldn't without having the finished doll to use to fit the costume properly...aargh!  Here are pictures of the sketches (I will save the costume sketch for the the next "Fradira" post).

Stay Creative!
Lezlei