The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Off Topic => The Dollhouse => Topic started by: xTic_Tac_Toex on June 15, 2017, 07:51:21 AM
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Hello everyone :)
I thought I'd share with you some cat dolls I've been making recently. I'm working towards opening my own Etsy store for these cats, with the intention of taking custom orders to make dolls that look like people's pet cats as well as selling my own made up characters. I actually work in the stop motion industry as a puppet maker for feature films, but now want to start my own business selling these dolls.
I'd love to get your opinions on them and any ideas/suggestions/comments are of course appreciated :) The cats stand at about 22cm high. They're handmade from scratch which includes sculpting, sewing, soft sculpture work, costume making etc. Lots of work goes into each doll and they're made with a lot of love!
If you are interested in seeing more of my dolls and my making process then please do follow me on Instagram :)
https://www.instagram.com/moonwhiskersdolls/ (https://www.instagram.com/moonwhiskersdolls/)
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omg, they're adorable!! I particularly like the black and white one :)
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Thank you Carrehz! The black and white one is a doll version of my own cat called Albie :)
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Oh my gosh they are amazing! Will follow you in Instagram right away.
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Thank you very much Uninu! :)
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Oh my goodness, they are so amazingly adorable and beautiful!
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Oh my gosh, they are stunning! The amount of love in each one is so amazing and they're so elegant.
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These look like children's book characters. Seriously, these designs are adorable and you should be proud. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for your future work.
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They are beautiful! I love the details, not only on the dolls but the outfits too! ^.^
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If I PM you will you do these charaters from the musical cats. Please
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Thank you Wystearya!<3 I learnt to make costumes at university, it's one of my favourite parts of making the cats. Bright Rabbit 1, if you're interested in a commission in the future then certainly! My shop won't be open for a few weeks yet as I'm actually about to move house but it will be opening soon.
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Yes I am interested in a commission. I just got to figure out who I should choose from the musical Cats.
I can't wait till I see your work.
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Oh wow, I'm in love! I adore cats and I'm just blown away by how well done these are. You have a great eye for detail.
I'm definitely bookmarking you for the future, as I'd love to keep up with your work, and to possibly commission you for my own kitties someday. :)
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I would adore commissioning a Bast one for my altar, Gah I will totally have to keep an eye out for when you start taking commissions.
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Been reading on your instagram a bit.
So, they are soft foam? How lovely! I saw wire, do they pose at all? (I did see that I think the heads turn..?)
EDIT - I saw some pics where it does look like you can pose them some!
I love the siamese girl the most right now. And the silver tom with the long coat. ^.^
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Thank you Mandy85, I'd love to commission you some kitties! :) When I open my shop I'm looking forward to making people dolls which are miniature replicas of their own cats.
UrocyonFox - Thank you very much, I'm not exactly sure yet when I will be ready to take commissions due to the house move but I'm hoping to open my Etsy shop by the end of July :)
Wystearya - Yes, they're cast in a soft foam over a wire armature, and can indeed be posed/their heads can turn too. Their bodies are covered in a thin nylon fabric which I believe gives a fine fur appearance similar to flocking. I'm working on a new cat at the moment, a white Turkish Angora, she may be my favourite so far! :)
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I saw the Turkish Angora on your link. Love the expression!
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adora-purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! you know,instead of adorable?
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Beautiful work :heart:
Love pkw xxx
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:iconclap: :iconclap: They are so cute.
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I have a couple of questions!
Can the outfits be removed and changed?
Can extra outfits be ordered? (Obviously at an added cost.)
Thanks!
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Those are amazing! You are super talented. :)
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How adorably detailed! Amazing work!
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Thank you everyone for all of the lovely compliments! I am so touched :)
Wystearya, all of the costumes I've made so far aren't designed to be removed, but it is possible and I have thought of it. Because the armatures of the cats are just wire, the joints could eventually snap if they're under strain to much, and to put on say a jacket involves bending the arms right back, which I wouldn't recommend doing a lot. However if I made a dress say that buttoned all the way down at the back, that could be put on from the front without having to strain back the arms too much. Removable garments are more work as well because they need to be lined. Hope that answers your question :)
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I got ya! Thank you for answering my question. :)
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Wow! These are amazing. I love how detailed the outfits are.
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Wahhhhhh!!!!! They're So cute!!!! I Love them!!!! <3
When do you expect to have your store open? :lovey:
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Thank you guys <3
kCherry, I'm moving house in (fingers crossed) a month, but I don't feel like I can launch my business until I'm settled into my new home. Over the next month I'm going to be setting up my website, sorting out my packaging etc so I'm ready to open my shop soon after I've moved. So I'd predict late July/early August I will start taking commissions. If you're interested in finding out more about the cats in general though then do feel free to drop me a message :)
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Wow, these are amazing!
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Oh my goshhhhh!! THESE ARE AMAZING!!! Seriously in love! What amazing talent!! I love them!
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By request of my sister: How much are they, ballpark, please? ^.^
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Thank you lovelies! <3
kCherry, I'm still trying determine the prices, but ballpark figure £200 for an unclothed cat and £250 for a costumed cat. Each one takes 10 days to make on average (10 hour working day) and there are material costs to take into account also. But this is my prediction for how much I'll be charging. I hope that helps! :)
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wow what material are they in? thanks
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Lemonice they're cast in a soft foam and covered in a thin nylon material (like stockinette fabric) :)
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Ohh those are so cute! :lovey:
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Cheers, TTT! :) Do let us know when the shop is open!
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I will do kCherry! Hoping to be open by the end of July once I've moved to my new house. Thanks so much for your interest :)
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They are amazing!!! I love the siamese one (since i have a siamese cat of my own), they are really well executed! The dolls look like something you want to hug and not like a scary human cat hybrid with gnarled fur XD
Anyways great job! Can't wait to see more!
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Just the cutest :)
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Thank you MangleCrafter! I'm glad the elegance has come across that I intended :) I love Siamese cats, she was a really fun one to make. And thank you EnaRocketQueen, glad you like them!
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These are so cute. I love their little paws.
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Thank you Brightberry! I love the paws too :)
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:inlove: :whoa: Is it ok if I just squeeeee now? :P Crazy cat lady here is making grabby hands!! :dribble: :lovey: :dribble:
TBH I'm not usually a fan of animal/human hybrid /anthro type dolls, but these are just way too cute!! not creepy at all they are absolutely adorable and look really well made. Love them!! :lovey: :kitty: :lovey:
I have Cinnamon- not so orange as ginger - twin sister kitties ( one with spots, one with swirls on their coats) who I've had since they were tiny kittens - they are my babies... I'd really love a couple of these based on them. I am however a bit broke right now (understatement!!) , but I'm keeping you in mind for in the future :heart:
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Super cute! They give me 'The Cat Returns' vibes and I'm loving it. Have you ever thought about making Catrine or that new anthro-cat from the pony movie coming out this year?
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Thank you Ringlets! :) That's so lovely of you to say <3 I know what you mean - anthropomorphic animals can sometimes look quite creepy or very unnatural. These dolls were actually very much inspired by my love of old toys from my childhood like MLP. I sculpted them with a roundness and the material they're covered in has a similar fuzzy look to flocking. I have had pet cats all my love and adore them, so the idea from these came from my love of cats, making things and my nostalgia for 80s and 90s toys.
Your cats sound absolutely lovely. I plan to be making these for as long as I can/am aiming towards making a living as an artist, so if you're interested in the future just give me a shout :)
Olympus, I love that film and was probably subconsciously inspired by it! I love all Studio Ghibli films. I hadn't thought of making either of those characters, but they could be fun commissions!
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I don't know why exactly but Walter Potter's work comes to mind...
http://www.amusingplanet.com/2011/12/walter-potter-museum-of-curiosities.html
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Just *stunning* work!
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Thank you Glitterball! Lovesbabysquirmy haha I've never seen his work before, I enjoy those setups though! Hope the animals died of natural causes :O Those crazy Victorians...
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These are fabulous and they take my mind to the film by Studio Ghibli: is the the Cat Returns or something like that? They are so so beautiful. I am amazed by your talent.
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These are just amazing!!!! Will you be setting up a Facebook page? Sadly I don't do instagram but would love to follow!! :)
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Thank you Tulagirl! <3 I love Studio Ghibli films and was probably almost definitely inspired by The Cat Returns. I really appreciate your kind words :)
Spinky69er Yes I'll probably be setting up a Facebook page where I'll share my Instagram images - I also have a website which is under construction at the mo but that will have a gallery of my cats with my Etsy shop embedded. So very glad that you like them! :)
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I love and collect unusual art dolls- and I LOVE these! I hope I can possibly buy one when you go into business!
Maybe you can do commissions one day too- I'd love to commission our fur balls.
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Thank you Galactica! <3 That's so lovely to hear. Commissions will be part of my business - I'd love to make doll portraits of people's pet cats. I'm in the middle of moving house at the moment but am planning on opening my shop in the next couple of months :)
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Fantastic work.
Do you think you'll do animals or fantasy creatures other than cats?
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Thank you WaterRaven! :) <3 I'm starting off with cats, but I'd like to do other animals in the future. I'm already thinking about ponies in the same style, surprise surprise ;)
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I keep returning to this thread to admire your dolls' craftmanship and adorable factor. :lovey: Best of luck with selling these! If I was in a better financial position, I'd gladly commission you for one. These are beautiful. <3
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I keep checking back too- I will admit I don't look at Instagram too often-
but if you ever start collecting an email list to let people know when things go up, please let me know as I'd love you to add me!
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These are insanely beautiful, and I'm totally following you on IG now. :)
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Thank you so much, Sundown! I'd love to make you a doll some day <3 :)
Galactica, to keep you updated I'm moving house in just over a week so everything is on hold right now haha, but I should be launching my shop in August once we're settled in the new house - that will include taking commissions. If you want to send me your email I can drop you a msg when my shop launches or I can just DM you on here :) I will give lots of notice on IG before the shop opens too.
Billietallent Thank you so much, I'm glad you're following me and appreciate the kind words! <3 :)
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These are ADORABLE! What are they made out of? If you do open an etsy shop, how much would you charge for one?
So cute!
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Thank you very much! :) Their bodies are cast out of soft foam and covered in a nylon fabric. There is lots of hand sculpting, sewing and painting involved - many processes. The cat dolls start from £250 - they take at least 10 days to make each and require many materials and processes from start to finish. I will definitely be opening an Etsy shop soon and will also be taking commissions for custom dolls.
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your cat doll are gorgeous! never thought you were here on the pony arena too!! i been following you on instagram for a hile, i was impressed by the whole process, what a ton of work!
also, congrats!!! seems like a facebook post mentioning your dolls just blew up!, seems like you are going to have tons of requests!
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I can't see the pictures and the Instagram link isn't working.
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Where can i see pics??
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Sorry you guys, you can blame Photobucket for that D: I'll try to get them uploaded to Flickr! But easier yet, all of my pictures are on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/moonwhiskersdolls/ (https://www.instagram.com/moonwhiskersdolls/)
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OMG :shocked:
I love them!!! Do you make the molds for the body and face yourself?
PS: How much do you ask for a custom one? Or you don't do customs?
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Sorry you guys, you can blame Photobucket for that D: I'll try to get them uploaded to Flickr! But easier yet, all of my pictures are on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/moonwhiskersdolls/ (https://www.instagram.com/moonwhiskersdolls/)
Oh my god I've seen your dolls offsite LOTS. Im on a couple cat lover groups on fb and they've been shared on there by so many people, my own mum included. Its so awesome to know the maker is a mlparena member! I love your dolls and they encapsulate such profound personalities its really beautiful to watch your insta!
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They are extremely amazing! You have such talent, I would totally buy one if they were for sale!
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Amazing! I love seeing the talented, creative people in our community. I'm sure these will sell like hotcakes when you open your store.
This has got me imagining what my cats would wear if they were anthropomorphic (sp??) hehe