Happy Birthday, Arina!

It was my friend Arina's birthday this week, and I was thinking what to get her, when I found these DIY Russian Dolls in Magma, and because she's from Russia, it seemed "Purrfeckt"!

I decided to decorate them to look like some of her friends from our course. Initially I was a bit bemused about drawing on a 3D surface, so started off by taking a photo of the dolls and printing it out, so that I could plan the drawings. Having got an idea of how they would look, I got to work, first drawing the rough outline in pencil, and then going over it in more detail with a black ink pen. The surface of the dolls was good to work on, as it soaked up the ink, so I didn't have to worry about smudging it. I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to colour them, but after a few tests, I realised that felt tip pen was a good medium to use. The wood that the dolls are made from didn't soak up the colours too much and desaturate the appearance, and again, I didn't have to worry about smudging. I refered to various photos to get the right look and outfit for each character, and tried to add in little details that Arina would notice. I'm very happy with how they finally came out, although I wish I'd thought about how small the smallest doll was before I began decorating them, as it proved incredibly fiddly!!


Top row (from left to right): Arina, Elli and Me
Bottom row: Kazu and Miriam