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Art Dolls: Facts and Fancies


Story by ladyartisandolls Published on December 29, 2008 in Reviews	Photo by dollproject

“What is an art doll?” This is as loaded a question as “What is art?”

There’s no hard and fast definition to be found for an art doll. They can be made out of almost any medium or several different media. They come in various shapes, sizes, styles, and designs. They can be very realistic or abstract with barely anything recognizable on them. They can be human, humanoid, anthropomorphic, alien, fantasy, sci-fi, or just about anything in between. In this post, we'll explore the world of art dolls, in honor of the recently launched Dolls and Miniatures Category on Etsy. In Part 2 of this series, we will delve into miniatures with a post by BlueKittyMiniatures.

The two main defining points about art dolls that you will find consistently are:

1. An art doll is a work of art. The chosen form might be a doll but the piece is art and is intended to be treated and viewed as such.

2. Art dolls are not toys. Usually, an art doll is for display with little to no direct interaction but even art dolls designed to be interacted with (e.g., puppets, marionettes, jack-in-the-boxes, and automatons) are made for adult collectors and are not toys or usually even considered child friendly. Most people wouldn’t allow their children to play with a bronze sculpture or painting on the wall and art dolls fall into the same category.

Lulu by blackeyedsuzie

Scary Prim by DLMarian

Just as other art forms can be expressed through multiple media, art dolls can as well. Art dolls can be fully sculpted or partially sculpted from clay with soft bodies. They can be soft sculpture which involves very detailed sculpting of foam and fabric with a needle to make incredibly realistic features. They can be assemblage taking a combination of various materials and making a doll form out of them. They can even be altered dolls–consider Barbie, sculpted over, painted and turned into a wood nymph...to the point where you barely recognize her original form. But each of these media follows the same defining points of an art doll–they are works of art first and they are not toys to be played with by children.

Ophelia by BonnieLeeFonatine

One-of-a-kind (OOAK) is a phrase that shows up a lot in the art doll realm. It denotes something very specific for doll artists. A OOAK art doll should be an original doll (made from start to finish by the individual artist; from conception through design, sculpting, and finishing the piece) that will not be reproduced again.

Charlie Chaplin by AMCreatures

Further breakdown can take place within each media. There are such a variety of clays to use, from high-fire to air-dry and epoxy clays. Some porcelain dolls fall into the art doll category because they are individually made by the artist, rather than being mass-produced from a mold. Polymer clay, air-dry clays, two-part epoxy clays like Apoxie Sculpt, paperclays and papier mache are all used for sculpting either full-sculpts or partial sculpts with cloth bodies.

Angel Tree Topper by ElizabethBonura

Green Witch by rdirenna

Soft Sculpture includes using foam, batting, fabric and nylon to make highly detailed realistic figures. Like sculpting in clay, these figures are sculpted using a needle and without a cloth pattern. It also includes needlefelting which can make some amazingly life-like figures, as well. The key to recognizing soft sculpture is how well defined and how detailed the cloth sculpting is. A simple cloth doll with painted face, mitten hands, and rounded feet doesn’t fit into the soft sculpture definition, but a doll with a needle-sculpted face, individual fingers, and defined muscles is exactly what soft sculpture is about.

Freya by cottonwoolbabystudio

Assemblage dolls are much less traditional, cobbling together a variety of items from old doll parts to kitchen utensils to make a doll form that’s somewhat recognizable as such. Just about any item is game to be included in an assemblage doll. Their very nature makes them eco-friendly, upcycling and recycling items that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

The Way It Worked by lunaclaydesigns

Bavarian Apple Princess by crayonmonster

Altered dolls, not to be confused with repaints (which are commercial-made fashion dolls that have been stripped and painted in a new style, frequently including a new hairstyle), are another non-traditional type of art doll. For altered dolls, artists use commercial dolls (Barbies, Blythes, old toy dolls, cheap plastic dolls) and sculpt over them, remove and/or replace body parts, re-costume and just generally remake the doll into a completely new figure. Most of these dolls are so altered, it’s hard to recognize the original doll underneath. While the use of a pre-existing doll might traditionally disqualify these from being considered art dolls, it can’t be denied that they fit well within the defining points of art dolls–they are works of art in doll form and they are not toys to be played with.

Corin by crackedmoon

Earth Day Barbie by littlebitwired

So what is an art doll? Essentially, it’s an original work of art in a doll form used, as more traditional art is, to express something the artist wants to express — an emotion, a political statement, a thought or series of thoughts. The reasons for creating art dolls are varied and can’t be pinned down or limited anymore than this: Why does an artist create?

Further Resources:
The Original Doll Artist Council of America: http://www.odaca.org
National Institute of American Doll Artists: http://www.niada.org
Texas Association of Original Doll Artists: http://www.taoda.org
The Professional Doll Makers Art Guild: http://www.artdollguild.net

Art Dolls | EGADS - Etsy Guild for Art Dolls and Such | Dolls and Miniatures Category

Tags	ado team, altered doll, artdoll, art dolls, assemblage doll, dam team, Dolls and Miniatures, egads team, Facts and Fancies, ladyartisandolls, ooak, Reviews, REVIEWS, soft sculpture

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92 comments Login to add your own!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 3:45 p.m.

JustFeltHungry

Amazing dolls! Thanks!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 3:50 p.m.

thepairabirds

Nice article. Great intro to art dolls. I don't collect (yet!), but I do enjoy browsing them.

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:06 p.m.

christinececelia

wow- neat dolls

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:06 p.m.

millerworks

Very creative! It's so interesting to see how artists create a unique vision. I always enjoy pieces that are innovative. I especially like Bhodi and the effective manipulation and use of materials. I also think the teacup fairy is quite fun in a different way. Keep up the creative spirit!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:08 p.m.

timesandchimes

I find a lot of dolls creepy, and yet I can't pull my eyes away... disturbingly beautiful.

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:11 p.m.

crowhavenfarm

Eva, this is a beautiful Article that you put together on Art Dolls. There are amazing doll artists on Etsy and they should be congradulated! THANK YOU!
Cheers!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:12 p.m.

loopyboopy

Fantastic and informative article. Thanks to LadyArtisian and Vanessa for helping to educate the Etsy community on Art Dolls!!!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:20 p.m.

purplelemondesigns

I have to agree with timesandchimes...Disturbingly beautiful. Great description.

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:21 p.m.

workingforpeanuts

Nice article! What a great variety of materials. Thank-you!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:28 p.m.

AnthologiE

Very informative information about art dolls. I love your selection -- from the realistic, to the whimsical & magical.

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:33 p.m.

Recy

I don't generally like dolls but these art dolls are amazing. Such wonderful works of art!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:33 p.m.

DebiDesigns

great article!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:51 p.m.

Art2ArtColorado

I was glad to see this article! well done!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 4:59 p.m.

raisinlike

Wow, some of these are real scary LOL

Wonderful doll artists here, yay for all of you (us)!!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 5:06 p.m.

vivikas

Pretty cool, the doll Ophelia.. awesome!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 5:06 p.m.

bartonoriginals

Excellent article LA!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 5:08 p.m.

oldworldprimitives

Wonderful and informative article! It is great to see so many beautiful art dolls featured here.

Dec. 29, 2008 at 5:09 p.m.

jamieshelman

some of these are a little scary, i've seen some great work on here!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 5:10 p.m.

pumpkinhaus

Wonderful article!!! There are some really, really talented artists represented here!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 5:11 p.m.

jamieshelman

check out these dolls http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=...
they are by far my favorite on etsy!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 5:19 p.m.

artdollsbynat

Great article. Thanks for putting all that information out there along with some great examples of the art form.

http://artdollsbynat.blogspot.com/

Dec. 29, 2008 at 5:28 p.m.

TheSingingBird

i love this category, great work everyone!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 5:30 p.m.

ElysianFields

Glad to see art dolls getting some well deserved exposure on Etsy. Kudos to the many talented artists here!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 5:32 p.m.

theeye

great article... nice recognition for such a diverse and talented group of artists

Dec. 29, 2008 at 5:54 p.m.

GoldenUnicornMinis

Great article, LA!!! Kudos!!!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 6:02 p.m.

threepeats

Who knew?...another category of art I will have to explore on etsy

Dec. 29, 2008 at 6:06 p.m.

gjarvisjewelryetc

Wow, nice article, and a great selection of artists!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 6:46 p.m.

NatashaDesigns

Nice:)

Dec. 29, 2008 at 7:17 p.m.

MGMart

I like the article, it's nice and clear description of the art dolls. I like the dolls, all of them are lovely pieces of art!
I sculpted a few art dolls myself too, I have one miniature one in my listing. I made her from polymer clay, she is a tiny 2 1/2 inches One Of A Kind fairy.
Would be nice to see her in your Part 2 of this series :)

Dec. 29, 2008 at 7:18 p.m.

twolefthands

Beautiful dolls, great article!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 7:27 p.m.

kmwatkins

Very pretty and creepy (in a good way).

Dec. 29, 2008 at 7:28 p.m.

LilyBaySoap

Wow! There's a lot of amazing work showcased here!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 7:41 p.m.

KnitzAndFeltz

Very Unique-I LOVE The Pumpkin Queen!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 7:47 p.m.

loopyboopy

again..beautiful dolls, scarey is relative.

Dec. 29, 2008 at 8:10 p.m.

mealymonster

Wow,great article LA. you nailed it on the head!
wonderful collection of work...inspirational, beautiful, incredible talent!
thanks for putting this together!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 8:26 p.m.

MouseHole

What a wonderful article! And, OMGosh! The dolls pictured are just incredible. I'm honored to just to be able to have my name in the DAM team list with such artists!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 8:32 p.m.

berrybluecreations

Great article.

Dec. 29, 2008 at 9:04 p.m.

LilSpottedDog

LOOOOve dolls Paper dolls especially, but all kinds soft sculptured, fimo, etc. These are all so beautiful - These artists are who I want to be when I grow up!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 9:18 p.m.

besedina

Amazing Dolls!!!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 9:31 p.m.

lindapaloma

Thanks for featuring all of these wonderful Etsy doll artists. Amazing, inspiring, and incredibly talented group!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 9:58 p.m.

4TheSparrowsNest

Art dolls are amazing..thank you for focusing on this neat artform, Etsy! Unique picks!

Dec. 29, 2008 at 11:24 p.m.

EirewolfCreations

Great article! I've spent the last hour or so perusing these wonderful art dolls.

I don't always sculpt humanoid figures; in fact I usually do fantasy critters, but I have lots of online friends in the art doll world and I feel privileged to count myself among them!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 12:11 a.m.

itselemental

Wonderful... Thank you, Ladyartisandolls. Fabulous work represented, here!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

jessicajane

i own a DuBuhDu Doll and it is amazing. By far, one of my most favorite purchases on Etsy, ever.

Dec. 30, 2008 at 12:53 a.m.

artdecadence

These dolls are wonderful...truly works of art...and I just covet the altered ones...

Dec. 30, 2008 at 12:55 a.m.

noodleandlou

Wonderful to see this article! Hooray for art dolls of all forms!!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 1:20 a.m.

BluCille

Quite interesting.

Dec. 30, 2008 at 2:25 a.m.

wanderinon

I was lucky enough to watch Freya being created from start to finish, and it was incredible. I remember that I mentioned it was like watching someone give birth, and she laughed and said giving birth didn't take as long!!

Great article, amazing artists, gorgeous dolls. Art for sure.

Dec. 30, 2008 at 4:12 a.m.

KellesKitchen

Reason why I love Etsy #4,586: It is 3 AM and I just learned enough about a topic (art dolls) to hold a reasonable conversation with someone who makes them. SO COOL!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 4:16 a.m.

malam

loved the feature! and so many great works!!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 5:47 a.m.

Sinta

Beautiful! I love the bavarian apple princess ^_^

Dec. 30, 2008 at 6:39 a.m.

EvesOriginals

This is absolutely wonderful that there is finally a Doll category for art dolls and their-likes. There are some truly amazing doll makers on etsy and perhaps all of mine will also find a new lovable home in the future...one doll soul at a time. Thank you Etsy!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 7:21 a.m.

swellvintage

blackeyedsusie makes amazing dolls! this is a lovely selection x

Dec. 30, 2008 at 7:31 a.m.

PetitPlat

great and wonderful article!
:)
Most beautiful dolls!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 8:45 a.m.

uniquelynancy

Wonderful article. Love the choices.

Dec. 30, 2008 at 8:49 a.m.

thneed

What great looking dolls.

Dec. 30, 2008 at 9:12 a.m.

HoneysuckleLane

Thanks for such an informative article! As a dollmaker, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing such a varied collection of art dolls.

Dec. 30, 2008 at 9:56 a.m.

pixiepotions

i love the green witch. my favorite is phoebe's necklace! i never liked dolls... but these kind of dolls i could love!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 10:13 a.m.

ArchetypalTheatre

I love seeing the variety of ways that people use dolls to express themselves! I can't wait to visit all these shops =)

Dec. 30, 2008 at 12:56 p.m.

katieplesecreations

Thank you for writing this article. It gives us dollamkers wider exposure to those who may have been unfamiliar with this type of art!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 2:17 p.m.

SylviaAnderson

Thank you for posting this article and mentioning all of the various mediums that art dolls are made with. I sculpt folk art dolls and figures in paper mache, and it is great to see more and more doll makers joining Etsy these days! Articles like this help shed light on a category that others may not know about, and help to educate everyone about how they are constructed and the time that goes into each one. Thank you!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 3:08 p.m.

newagedolls

great post and beautiful work everyone!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 4:10 p.m.

ThePower

Thank you for this interesting article! Like Archetypal Theatre, I will look forward to looking at each shop, as well as fellow posters' shops!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 4:40 p.m.

cre8tvekarma

totally awesome dolls. artists who have these amazing visions are incredible. enjoyed browsing!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 4:43 p.m.

knotbygranma

great article and beautiful work!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 4:53 p.m.

holli

great article, great artists!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 7:49 p.m.

tamdoll

What a great article. I used to make cloth art dolls and hope to get into it again in the future - I'm so happy to see the Dolls & Miniatures category up on Etsy!

Dec. 30, 2008 at 8:30 p.m.

kohlerglass

Neat. They are like little sculptures.

Dec. 30, 2008 at 8:43 p.m.

rootune

Thanks for the article! Beautiful examples throughout.

Dec. 30, 2008 at 11:27 p.m.

fabfrills

Wonderful article - and some amazing dolls!!

Dec. 31, 2008 at 12:32 a.m.

secretobsessions

Great article! It's nice to see a variety of dolls from many talented artists!

Dec. 31, 2008 at 7:34 a.m.

charsdolls

Really cool article on Art Dolls.

Dec. 31, 2008 at 7:59 a.m.

AYALONET

ho wowwww! what a marvelous dolls and so much talebted artists here!amazing!!!!!!!

Dec. 31, 2008 at 10:07 a.m.

littlebitwired

Really wonderful article on Art Dolls and the variety available on Etsy. And what a surprise to see my Altered Barbie included. Thanks for introducing Art Dolls to the wonderful folk of etsy.

Dec. 31, 2008 at 1:19 p.m.

mulberrymoose

Nice article! Beautiful creations!

Dec. 31, 2008 at 2:56 p.m.

chatnoirstudios

great job! A very informative article.:)

Dec. 31, 2008 at 8 p.m.

blackeyedsuzie

Great article, Lady - such a pleasant surprise to see it!

Dec. 31, 2008 at 8:18 p.m.

GlassTortoise

Very interesting article. I love dolls!

Jan. 1, 2009 at 8:58 p.m.

Kaeriefaerie52

Great article, glad you wrote about this art form, we still have to fight to get out there! Thanks for enlightening everyone.
Karey

Jan. 2, 2009 at 6:31 p.m.

Serenities

I've always loved dolls, especially baby dolls. However, this collection is so appealing!! Thanks for featuring them.

Jan. 3, 2009 at 2:11 a.m.

lsioux

Some of these are so lifelike. I especially liked the little red-haired with the pouty face.

Jan. 4, 2009 at 10:53 p.m.

NikashaDesigns

Yay! I'm so happy art dolls finally have a home on Etsy. There are so many great examples.

Jan. 7, 2009 at 1:27 p.m.

BlueKittyMiniatures

This certainly shows that Art dolls are ART. One day I really will have a go at making one (or two) myself. Maybe when I can't see my miniatures and need to do something larger :)

Jan. 24, 2009 at 8:41 p.m.