Belgian artist Maryna Tezina, head of Poppen Atelier, who specializes in converting Barbies, has created an amazing likeness of YouTube makeup guru James Charles. Maryna Tezina owns the Etsy site Poppen Atelier, which customizes Monster High, Barbie and Ever After High Dolls. The artist also uploads tutorials that show fans how to draw a realistic face, eyes and lips on a doll head, as well as how to design clothes and accessories for the dolls.
Customizing dolls not only involves cutting their hair or adding makeup. Tezina first erases the features to work with a blank slate. After the eyes are modified, the eyelids are painted, eyelashes are added, and new hair is sewn or glued on. The artist, who works with dolls she finds at second-hand shops, spends hours sculpting, molding, painting and designing to create signature pieces that represent a look or in some cases a person, such as James Charles.
Trevina’s goal is to create OOAK (one of a kind) objects. The term OOAK, which became popular in yachting in 1949, describes a regatta race in which shipbuilders could enter as many different models of yachts into the regatta as they built, but no more than one of each model, so "one of a kind." The term is widely used in dollmaking to distinguish custom made models from mass-produced dolls.
The artist’s YouTube channel, which has 217,000 followers, offers information on which materials to use to repaint a doll, how to prepare a doll for customizing, how to reroot doll hair, and how to blush a doll’s body. James Charles, who viewed the video of his doll last weekend, commented, “THIS IS SO COOL!!!! Oh my god! You are so talented, thank you so much for sharing your art with me and your subscribers.” Trevina’s dolls are available at etsy.com/shop/poppenatelier.
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James Charles, whose makeup collaboration with Morphe has been a resounding success, has recently launched a clothing line named Sisters Apparel. The brand will debut a new Sportswear Collection on Friday, January 18 at 12 pm PST. The collection, as well as all other Sisters Apparel items, will be available at sisters-apparel.com.
