Mermaid Art Doll

Not your Average Little Mermaid
This mermaid was created as a swap piece for another site I no longer swap at. She was inspired by the work of Susana Tavares. To see her mermaid click here: http://ateliersusanatavares.blogspot.com/2012/09/mermaid-art-doll.html

I loved the body style, but I cannot do her sort of strangely-whimsical art, so I went went something I can do, which is more carton like. She was created from paper mache clay and baked for several hours at a low temperature to harden her up. I painted her tail with sparkle acrylic paint and then handpainted on each of her scales. She was then sealed. Her hair is made from 100% wool felt roving so its very soft and has a beautiful flow to it. Her starfish is also made of paper mache clay and handpainted with sparkle and gold paint.

To create her base, I cut a small piece of dowel and attached it to a wood base that I drilled a small hole into. I then stained it and sealed it. I attached the mermaid by drilling a hole in her carefully, and then glued her to the base. I suppose you can make the hole in the clay from the beginning, but since she was my first base set doll, I did not think to do this first.

I know she's not your usual mermaid, but I think she's very neat and I love the more fish-like quality she has with no arms and giant, wide set eyes.