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From Emma Watson to Emilia Clarke, this artist easily turns a Barbie doll into any celebrity.
Olga Kamenetskaya, from Kiev in Ukraine, has been using acrylics and dry pastels to paint dolls since 2012.
Having always been interested in drawing and fashion, Olga’s first doll came about when she started collecting Monster High Dolls, which sparked her to create one of her own.
“Like most beginners I started with drawing with watercolour pencils and only after a few years did I switch to brushes and paints,” Olga says.
“The main materials I use in my work are acrylic and watercolour paints, dry pastel, acrylic clear coat and eyeshadow.
“I really love make-up! I have a lot of it and I found it extremely useful in my work.”
The artist revealed she first removes the doll’s paint and hair before transforming them into celebs.
“At the beginning the paint is washed off from the factory doll and the hair is removed.
“Then comes the stage of plastic surgery. When using a scalpel I change the shape of the doll’s face, and then I polish it so it’s smooth.
“In fact, not all my dolls pass this stage, but only some of them.
“After the face is prepared I start painting and creating a hairstyle; face painting consists of four to five layers, which are set with a special fixative.
“In the final stage I coat the eyes with glossy varnish and when the doll is completely ready it only remains to dress it.
“As for wigs, my favourite materials are natural silk and goat wool. I put all this in an iron pot and cook it for a long time, then I say magic words and the doll is ready!” she says.
Most of Olga’s creations come from custom orders, while her personal collection tends to be of people she knows and not Hollywood stars.
“Most of my work is custom-made and the image is chosen by the customer, but for my personal projects I often choose naturalness,” Olga says.
“I don’t like it when the new face of the doll is ideal and perfectly symmetrical – it makes it lifeless. I always deliberately leave some flaw that might be noticeable but gives the doll charisma.
“Perhaps this flawed beauty is the message my dolls carry.”
Source: Magazine Features
PHOTO: CATERS/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA.
