Suzanne Forbes, a New Yorker thriving in Berlin. Crowdfunded documentary art made possible by the generous support of her Patrons. https://www.patreon.com/SuzanneForbes.
Category Archives: Dollhouse and Dollmaking
I have an action figure dollhouse that I built myself over a decade. I also make and customize dolls, usually unpleasant ones.
I had to scratch-build a lot of this, which I hate!
So it took two years longer than expected to physically finish the X-Mansion. I got blocked by the final detail, the stairs leading up to the attic, which of course is Ororo’s. The dollhouse I used wasn’t designed to have stairs to the roof, but I thought it would be fine to have a trap door and a smaller staircase. Finding one that nearly fit, cutting it down, building the trap door and banisters and miter-cutting and painting… well I hated all that.
But I had some good energy mid-July, and I got a few UFOs (unfinished objects) tackled.
And putting the plants on the stairs as a little Easter Egg made me very happy. The trapdoor still needs a handle, and I ordered one but it isn’t here yet.
Why are 90s DC characters in my #80sxmen#actionfigurediorama? For Berlin Pride Week, baby! And Apollo and Midnighter look so at home.
My custom trans action figure Cherie and her girlfriend Edwina needed a fierce steed for LGTBTQ+ Wrath Month!
I saw this He-Man Masters of the Universe Panthor figure on sale this spring. I knew she was perfect for my traditional Pride Month mixed media project.
In Germany and much of Europe Pride Month is actually July, but there’s no reason we can’t combine Pride and Wrath!
After all, combining Pride and Wrath is where it all began.
It’s Christopher Street Day weekend in Berlin, and the streets and clubs are full of people.
I can’t go out and join them. So this is the parade in our house!
Although disability access for CSD Berlin and disabled pride contingents are increasing! And lots of orgs had beautifulgraphics showing wheelchair users this year 🙂
Customizing the Battle Tiger was fairly easy.
I wiped down her face with alcohol to remove mold release and hand oils. I sculpted new, larger ears with my beloved Apoxie-Sculpt. The ears cured overnight, then I painted her face with artists’ acrylic to emphasize her features.
A few dark washes followed by different hues of drybrushing really made the sculpt shine. Extra pink to add dimension to her tongue, red inside nostrils, and painting white what Jorts the Cat calls the “secret teeth” helped too. I painted the Black Trans Pride flag colors on the tiger’s tail.
I also added highlights and lowlights to her ruff and shoulders, to integrate the head sculpt paint job with her body.
Finally I varnished the paint job with DecoArt DuraClear gloss acrylic polyurethane and added a dome of clear gloss over her eyes, tongue and inner nostrils with UV resin. Just like I did with mySnow Queen’s reindeer! I would note that the gloss polyurethane is a little shinier than the toy’s finish, but Mod Podge matte would have been a little duller.
It shows up more in photos than IRL. Kinda have to choose your poison with these materials.
The embellished saddle and saddle blanket were the real work.
I had to carve out the saddle’s sides first, because Cherie doesn’t have sideways legs articulation and she’s wearing a skirt. I did that with an old pair of cuticle nippers, a great tool for cutting toy plastic, then filed.
I smoothed the cut areas with Apoxie Sculpt. Once it cured, I sprayed the whole saddle down with alcohol to degrease, then wiped it down and painted the areas I planned to duochrome black.
After that I applied the UV resin nail base, a clear base that hardens to tacky under the LED nail lamp.
I rubbed the duochrome powder on with a brush, which was pretty and messy. It clings neatly to the base, and brushing away the excess powder to see a shining surface is not unlike workingwithgold or silver leaf. After burnishing the powder, I painted on a layer of gloss top coat and cured it under the UV LED lamp. Amazing results! Soooo shiny!
Once the duochrome effects were done, I added gradient pearls and DMC crystals in AB Jet and AB Siam.
The saddle’s seat had to be raised for Cherie, so I used two layers of double thickness felt, beveled into shape. I covered it with one of the very, very last scraps of my beloved changeant blue-purple velvet bought at that great art supply store on Haight St. in 1999.
Then iridescent vinyl knee pads and pommel and cantle effects. Plus lots of miniature picot trim from The Dolls HouseDraper! For the saddle blanket, I pulled out every random scrap of purple ribbon I’d ever saved, and was thrilled at how I managed to get the colors to work together with the Black Trans Pride flag on the tiger’s tail.
MOTU Origins Panthor before Queer As Fuck customization
So much work, and I’m so proud of the results!
Incredible gratitude to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to continue making Queer As Fuck art as a disabled artist.
Previous Trans Pride and CSD Berlin toy art projects:
I had to scratch-build a lot of this, which I hate!
But I had some good energy mid-July, and I got a few UFOs (unfinished objects) tackled.
Other X-Men dollhouse posts:
