A few days ago, I began a commission project that has me feeling a bit anxious.   I am to turn a Tonner Spice Antoinette Mannequin into a 1/4 scale, golden skinned, glam, glam and more glam Devon Aoki.  Some of you might remember that I recently completed a 1/6 scale version of Miss Aoki, a model and actress with Asian heritage.  I had a lot of fun with that project, and the client loved her so much that he has asked me to do another version of Miss Aoki on a larger scale.  That task, in and of itself, isn’t what has my stomach filled with butterflies.  The cause of my trepidation is the required re-sculpting of the mannequin’s face.  It’s one thing to re-sculpt a doll face when it’s your own vision.  It’s quite another when you are attempting to fulfill the vision of someone else.  So, as I usually do with difficult projects, I began with something easy.  I rooted in the additional hair required for this project.  Spice/Devon now has a full head of hair with new high-lights and low-lights.  Done!  hmmmmmmmmmmm…nothing else to do but start sculpting.  I can’t paint until I sculpt.  So, here I go!

In order to bring out the Asian features of Devon Aoki, Spice will need her eye sockets filled slightly.  Asians, as a rule, do not have deep-set eyes.  So, I will use my sculpting material to build up the eye socket and to manufacture the typically Asian epicanthic fold.  Once this is cured…at least 24 hours…I will work on flattening the nose.  The plan is to shave down the bridge of the nose and perhaps widen the nose with more sculpting material.  That will be Phase 2.

This photo shows the patient before surgery and after her partial re-root and eye socket re-sculpt: