soultalk777- A Scarlett Reverie

A Love Study: Romeo and Juliet (fashion by Black Hills Doll Designs)

2012-02-13T06:58:00.000-08:00

Darkened to look more like the paintings of that period (above)

Link to these fashions for dolls: http://www.blackhillsdolldesigns.com

Valentine Sneak Peek

2012-02-12T05:16:00.000-08:00

I got to finish a little project...and it so happened it came near Valentine's. I'll be posting this soon.

Wig Stories

2012-02-08T06:02:00.000-08:00

Here is my Carol Barrie repainted doll wearing a new wig. Surprised that I would also like this wig which is actually from the Tonner Ana Karenina outfit. Yes, the wig comes with the dress (the dress the doll is wearing here is from Tonner Mrs. Charles Hamilton -- let me get to that later). The Ana Karenina wig has flowers sewn in it and portions of the hair in an updo. The downside about a "pulled back" wig is it exposes too much temples on the face of the doll. Thus, the wig becomes apparent when it shouldn't. The best wigs are those which I believe frame the face and make it appear that the doll isn't wearing one -- same principle applies. If a wig draws attention to itself, why wear it?
I undid the Tonner wig. Washed it. Brushed carefully (it still is a wig). Set it on this doll. And voila, a new look for this Carol Barrie doll -- with a disheveled wildness about it.

Now, let's go for the Charles Hamilton dress. As a collector I like the multiplicity an outfit offers. The black Victorian mourning gown is something that offers different stories, portraits. I like costuming. Oh, if only Scarlett wore a nice bustle dress! Okay, here are the portraits. Hope you like them. I'll be back for Valentine's for my star-crossed lovers.

Tonner Scarlett "My Mother's Portieres" commissioned repaint

2012-01-01T23:57:00.000-08:00

No photoshop

Her name is Chane, she lives in the US, but has her origins in South Africa. She so wanted to have a Tonner Scarlett repainted. She wrote me after painstakingly and patiently bidding on a Tonner "My Mothers Portieres" doll in ebay. Tonner My Mother's Portieres, in my opinion, is one of the must-must-haves among the Tonner Scarlett line, it having the most memorable, iconic and famous costume done that represents the Gone with the Wind story. Good choice Chane! Now here is your Scarlett. Here too I have been patient with the eyes and eyebrows that's because I had more time over the holidays.

Happy New Year everyone! 2012 is another doll year for me hahaha. Can't wait for Tonner's next Scarlett. I only passed up on the Christmas 1963 dress and doll because I already have a version of it from Franklin Mint. But who knows, I might just take a bite!

A Scarlett Tolstoy: Ana Karenina by Tonner

2011-12-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

When Tonner released their 22" version of Ana Karenina, I strongly hoped that they would do it for a 16" doll. Hope gets answered. Finally, I could dress up my Scarlett dolls in the costume! The dress is a mix of three types of material: velvet (or a velvet-like cloth, the weight of which is similar to Tonner's Blue Portrait), satin (very light kind) and black tulle. The front bodice has tulle designed like they're crossing each other. The tulle goes down the front of the skirt in an "A" shaped fashion accented by pleats at the bottom of the skirt. Behind that skirt is a large bow of satin sewn over a large poufy bustle made of velvet. The flowers cross the shoulder and move down front of the skirt. You will like the necklace and the earrings -- They glisten well. I also like the shoes -- pointed toe pumps. The outfit comes with a wig which I will arrange first on a Carol Barrie to see if how well the dress looks on that doll. Here are two portraits of Scarlett wearing the outfit. And if you've seen Vivien Leigh's Ana Karenina, you will see a dress which resembles the Tonner's version (or is it Tonner's adaptation of the Vivien Leigh Ana K. movie?)

The gown worn by Vivien Leigh in her take of Ana Karenina

I originally wrote "Ana" instead of "Anna". It is now corrected. Notice the rose image which I watermarked.
A symbol of the tragic ending of Anna Karenina.

Scarlett Holiday

2011-11-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

Its a holiday here where I am. Celebrating this little joy with a Scarlett portrait against scarlet-ish background. It's a busy, busy December with lots of work coming up, one repaint commission to do and early shopping for Christmas. Also thinking of Tonner's Christmas 1863. If not the doll, the dress will do. But I already have the FM version of it. Also wanting a Professor McGonagall.

The Nymph: A Tonner Antoinette Portrait

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Nymph's Reply
by Walter Ralegh

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If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every shepherd's tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee and be thy love.

Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
When rivers rage and rocks grow cold,
And Philomel becometh dumb;
The rest complains of cares to come.

The flowers do fade, and wanton fields
To wayward winter reckoning yields;
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy's spring, but sorrow's fall.

Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies
Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten,--
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.

Thy belt of straw and ivy buds,
The coral clasps and amber studs,
All these in me no means can move
To come to thee and be thy love.

But could youth last and love still breed,
Had joys no date nor age no need,
Then these delights my mind might move
To live with thee and be thy love.

Tonner Rhett Butler

2011-11-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Gone with the Wind Paper Dolls of Maria Varga

2011-11-13T08:34:00.000-08:00

This one I have. An interesting reference for Vivien Leigh films from the first to her last.

Searching the internet for new views on Scarlett gave me a surprise. I found an interesting paper doll collection and among which were things I didn't even know existed -- The Search for Scarlett Paper Dolls -- which happen to have a collection of costumes worn by Scarlett aspirants, namely Anita Louise and Paulette Goddard. I never imagined someone would be able to find the costumes worn by these women during tests. The collection is owned by Maria Varga (Link: https://picasaweb.google.com/100423364328646051648) Here are a few of those GWTW dresses plus some Vivien Leigh paper dolls with dresses from her other films. They are very good references for those into sewing GWTW or Vivien Leigh costumes.

The book cover and a sample page of interesting detailed look at Vivien Leigh's Costumes from Waterloo Bridge.

And here are the interesting illustrations of the Scarlett aspirant's costumes. The green dress featured here (supposedly in the book for Paulette Goddard )must have been the same Library dress worn by Vivien -- which she descried as still "warm" from its previous test.

More Fire

2011-11-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

Tonner Scarlett "Fire in Atlanta"

2011-11-07T02:32:00.000-08:00

It is everything they said it would be: a fiery, passionate gown that befits Scarlett. While the exposure of this night robe is for one sequence in the film, it is also strongly associated with Scarlett. It appears in almost all iconic posters of GWTW where both Rhett and Scarlett look into each other's eyes: he with the passion of a jealous love, she with defiance. Put those two emotions together and it becomes an scene that we never see but it bookmarked by Scarlett's naughty smiling face the next morning.

Tonner did well with this robe. The lace on the sleeves as well as the collar are in scale in detail, and so are the buttons (like sharp 1/4 red beads). The train is sufficient and is not as long as the red velvet creation. It is the velvet that brings the fire into the creation. Soft and thin, it drapes well when the doll stands. The black sash becomes a ribbon at the back and which can be unfastened with a clip. The doll is inserted into the dress with front opening. That black sash also is held by red string on the sides like the grooves into which a belt enters. This sash goes under the velvet at the back (I surmise the cape or what I have come to know as the watteau train (thank you Fran). Also described as a train falling from the shoulder blades to the hemline of the gown
(source: the fashion glossary of weddingchannel.com.)

The doll you see here is the Tonner Curtain dress doll whose hair I have unfurled, twisted upwards and fastened at the back. The earrings do not come with the doll. I actually forgot to take them off. I also repainted the arching brow to give it more arch, fixed the lips to have less of a smile...unless of course, Scarlett knows what she's going to get.

Happy Birthday Vivien Leigh (November 5, 1913 - July 8, 1967)

2011-11-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Tonner Mrs. Charles Hamilton Repaint

2011-11-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

I finally got to repaint Mrs. Charles Hamilton. I had to be very careful. Those are large curls and any tug would make them unruly. Hoping one day to send this to the hairstylist Dave recommended. Got also a note that "Fire in Atlanta" outfit has arrived. Eager to see that and photograph too. If you have this doll, you would notice that it has painted on its left hand finger a "ring". Same goes for Tonner's Blue Portrait doll. I like how neatly braided they did the hairstyle of this one. More photos coming soon. When work will allow. I'll make work allow it. Have a nice day!

Improvisations

2011-10-29T01:33:00.000-07:00

An OOAK skirt (that still needs tightening at the waist), a scarf from Franklin Mint, Tonner's A Sensible Notion wrap, and a blouse from Ashton Drake's Gene (Love's Ghost). This is the fun thing when you collect things of the same genre. It allows you to mix.

Psykopaint Portrait of Scarlett

2011-10-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Found this new application in the internet called psykopaint (psykopaint.com) and tried it on a portrait. Hmmm...it blends the photo like a painting. Try it. Have fun. Escape.

Weekend reprieve

2011-10-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

This has been a harrowing week indeed!! My day work calls for the office to prepare for installations in malls for Christmas. Not an easy task at all. So my hats off to all those department store displays for the holidays. Difficult -- is an understatement. Preparing the installations, talking to suppliers, giving details as to color, style...pegs, pegs, pegs; hoping they all know what they're talking about, and troubleshooting. That's commercialism for the holidays. Where are those Silent Nights, right? As the holidays come so do the money-makers. After all it is a season for gifts. My gift always is the moment I shed off that 9 to 6 mode and move towards my workstation to see my Scarlett. Yep, got no life but this. Pathetic? Depends on the degree on how others regard it to be. This my life. My reverie. My escape. My reprieve. My arm still aches from a strain and repainting has become more tedious than usual. Luckily I was able to retouch an old Scarlett in prep for the coming "Fire in Atlanta" (see previous post on thoughts about that). It's a long weekend here as we all prepare for All Soul's Day. But not for me. I have yet to run after an ad that needs to be released and with a deadline, prepare for Saturday dinner with my family for a birthday and try to catch my sanity back till week starts again. Had I relocated elsewhere I would have gotten a job in a doll company LOL. But I am miles away from where all you all are where all the resources of this passion are readily available. Count your blessings. Anyways, I ramble on because there is need to reprieve.

Luckily, the Scarlett you see gave me something to do. Another portrait. I like the ruffles on the Franklin Mint Barbecue dress. They look pretty close to the real thing. And I think Scarlett is enjoying the change. Her reprieve.

Have a nice weekend!

Bravo Tonner! There is fire in Atlanta!

2011-10-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

The iconic red robe that would make it to millions of book covers, posters and memorabilia is once again re-created by Robert Tonner's Gone with the Wind line. The Tonner version is named "Fire in Atlanta" descriptive of the bursting passion of the novels leads. One night of jealousy and denial leads to the consummation of his love for her and her growing realization of the kind of man she may actually need and want in her life. How would one paint this doll? With a smirky smile? With a bland straight-eyed look? Tonner Scarlett surprises us with a new face paint which as one member of the Scarlett Vinyl Group says (may I quote you Paul): "captures the spirit of the scene".

Looking at the face of the doll we see the changes adopted to capture that spirit: The arched raised brow -- a very Vivien/Scarlett signature. Raised high when in deep thought, when facing challenges or simply in an attempt to be alluring; The eyes seem glancing sideways with eyelashes concentrated in the ends, an effect that gives the eyes the much needed slanting shape; highly noticeable is the flesh color under the eyes which soften the look; the lower lashes rendered now in brown and the lips that are painted in just the right places avoiding the lift at the ends which would have given her a smile -- being ready for passion, why not have it close to a pout? The hair falls on the shoulders in a cascade of curls.

Natalia Sidorova's photo of her "Fire in Atlanta"

I was forever wondering how the actual doll would look like as there are often changes from the PR photos and prototypes to the finished product. Luckily I found the photos of one Scarlett collector from the TonnerDirect facebook group. Her name is Natalia Sidorova and she posted lovely pictures of Fire in Atlanta. Her photos confirm it all. Bravo Tonner! This is the best repaint of Tonner Scarlett we've ever had.
I couldn't help fixing the photos and realized there isn't much to fix about this new face. Congratulations Tonner and thank you to Natalia for giving me a go to share her photos here.

(L) Current Fire in Atlanta, (R) with fixed eyes, lips, background

Never forgotten: Tonner Melanie Wilkes "Sewing Circle"

2011-10-22T04:18:00.000-07:00

One principal GWTW character in the Tonner and Franklin Mint line that seems to have been least of priority is Melanie Hamilton-Wilkes. If Scarlett's wardrobe would be luxurious and glamorous of Hollywood standards, Melanie's costumes would be real as the Civil War was to the GWTW story. Her hairstyle never changes in the entire story and we see that her palette has been relegated to dark or pale neutrals. As a doll she isn't that much thrilling versus her sister-in-law's rich possibilities of ostentatious gowns and yet as a doll representing GWTW and beyond that the Civil War she is a perfect symbol of grace and fortitude. A pillar that still stands amidst the wreckage of war. And so when given a choice of OOAK dresses for GWTW dolls, I never forget to think of her.

This OOAK dress is once again by the seamstress whose passion for sewing is very much evident in the reproductions she makes of the costumes. The embroidery on the apron is charming and the pleats on the blouse as well as the poufy sleeves and brooch absolutely reflect the keen taste and craftsmanship that went into the dress. The only change here is the skirt which I have as an extra done locally. I adore the way the draping falls on the doll. As I always say and once again reiterate nothing is more charming in a doll when we see in-scale details. The material of the skirt is a soft knit jersey material almost of spandex type but thicker. In time I will show you other skirts made from the same material.

The doll has likewise been repainted with additional details which one only discovers with practice. The bun in the middle picture has been made bigger via photoshop (I am too scared to unravel the hair and find that I could not put it back together). Well Scarlett? What do you think of your sister-in-law's new portraits?

Casting a Legend: Behind-the-scenes

2011-10-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Experiment in Green

2011-10-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

This is a collaboration between a seamstress (who wishes to remain anonymous). She suggested in using the pattern for the final "mourning gown" worn by Scarlett and a top which would use the pattern of the still unproduced "red day dress". We agreed to use green as the color of the dress. The velvet was chosen by the seamstress with 2 colors. The darker color has a pattern that gave the bodice more texture. But the piece de resistance is the hat.

This is patterned after the hat that Scarlett attempted to wear during her first mourning scene. Mammy of course catches her little pet and calls her attention. Those are real feathers on the hat of different colors: red hues, dark with shimmer of green and white/grey/black feather. The bustle is gathered and sewn to give it a pouf. Underneath that was a bustle pillow (similar to the Final Farewell) I added more cloth to give it a bigger lift. Below is a medium shot of the bodice and the hat. I forgot to say that the seamstress found a very cute brooch to be placed on top of the bodice. I think Scarlett likes the dress. The train is a trifle long but heck, Scarlett was known for extremes anyhow. This doll is from the Tonner Blue Portrait version.

Scarlett break: Tonner Edward Cullen re-repainted

2011-10-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

He never ended up like a Robert Pattinson. This is an old repaint attempting Edward Cullen. But I figured I really can't replicate him. So just work with the sculpt. This is one of the few male sculpts I've done. Actually there are two. Stubbles were created and hair has been styled -- although not successfully too. Well, here he is posing the way male models do -- I think. He needs a name too.

Tonner Scarlett: Glamour Portrait

2011-10-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

Tonner Scarlett "What's my lamb gonna wear: Glamour shot

2011-10-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

Glamour Shot: Tonner Scarlett repaint as Vivien Leigh

2011-09-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

Tonner Scarlett: Vivien Leigh repaint wears an Alana Bennett creation

2011-09-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

This is an old repaint --- that once again --- is repainted. The hair has been fixed with rubber bands holding the front curvature and sweep of hair.

The gown is inspired by Edith Head's blue gown worn by Grace Kelly. I thought that this would be a perfect gown for a repainted Vivien Leigh. There are 3 sweeps of white cloth going down the gown: One that sweeps down the chest moving towards her right, the second found on the left side of the skirt (hidden in the photograph), and one that moves from the doll's left shoulder moving towards the back. The cloth is very soft chiffon blows easily with the wind. Then there's a write wrap that one can throw over the shoulder to give an elegant drape. The gown is created by Alana Bennett (http://www.dollfashionsbyalana.com). Below you will see the original creation she did for a Franklin Mint Grace Kelly doll -- sumptuous isn't it? Why not have one for Vivien?