Ariel

Ariel is actually a three-foot-tall plastic doll, fully articulated, but restored after an unknown number of years of hard use. Unlike the porcelain dolls my mother made in a kiln, this one has actually been played with and shows wear and tear even after being restored with new pieces of skin, paint, and glue. The wig, eyelashes, and pajamas are all newly applied. I have promised her that she will be better cared for in her retirement from being played with. The thing is, though, photos of her are perfect for use as digital art practice.

This is the photo I used to draw the picture above it. You can see I figured out how to avoid copyrighted characters on the pajamas in the final product, in case anybody ever offers me money for such a picture.

Here’s another view of the face with that mysterious almost-smile captured to the best of my ability.

Here is another view of Ariel being sleepy, but with big blue eyes.

She can easily have a sad face, too. It only takes a few subtle tweaks.