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Musing of a Doll Maker

THE WRAPPING ON THE OUTSIDE : Part 1

1/28/2019

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I love pursuing through the doll making websites like Dollmaker’s Journey, Cloth Doll Supplies, Doll Street Dreamers, Joggles and Cloth Doll Connection.  And of course, ideas and inspiration a plenty can be found at sites like Pinterest and Etsy inviting us in to see more and linger a while.  There are some great freebees to be had from simple patterns to tips and techniques on just about anything you can think of. 

Amazing! 

In less time than it takes to type the keywords “doll making” into a google search, a plethora of suggestions comes up.  And if you’re like me, you’ve enjoyed discovering new sites, artists and some great tutorials from this process.  And more times than not, you found something that caught your attention that really engaged you.  Sometimes this would have lead to a purchase, which of course, was the intent after all.

More than likely it is the photographs and video samples that draw us in to “see” more of what a particular website has to offer.  No matter what is being presented, we rely on the visuals and then the descriptions to inform us about the product.   Yes, yes, I know. As doll makers, it's in our nature to want to touch and hold a doll; look under the skirt; really see how  it was put together.  But because this is the Internet, afterall, it's a 2-dimensional experience with photos and drawings. If you want to see more you have to buy the finished doll or the doll pattern. 

So, what’s my point?

The product, in this case a doll pattern, may be well represented in photographs and/or drawings on the cover of the pattern. However, the doll on the cover may not necessarily be reflected in the pattern beneath the cover picture or the price you just paid for that pattern.  You have no clue, in fact, what you just bought.  You believe you bought a booklet of comprehensive instructions and a clearly laid out pattern to construct a doll and its accompanying accessories similar to the one represented on the cover photograph of the pattern.   You expect that your skill level is more than adequate to tackle the project and feel confident in your purchase.   Most of the time your expectations have been happily satisfied and the doll you make from this pattern will look similar, if not exactly, like the doll represented in the photograph.  An added bonus is that today's technology allows for a variety of approaches to making your own version of the doll pattern you just bought and easy access to the seller and/or artist of that doll pattern to answer questions.

But what about those other purchases?
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Unless you are a skilled doll maker, have lots of reference books at hand to assist you, or can figure out what to do without any assistance from the pattern or the instructions, you might be hard pressed to make a doll from the pattern you just purchased let alone something that comes close to what the doll in the picture looks like.

Unfortunately, there have been a few doll patterns I’ve purchased over the years that were less than adequate in pattern design and/or instructions.  Even at my level of experience, I found them difficult to read, hard to follow and/or lacked all the  pattern pieces necessary to complete the doll.  It’s frustrating to discover after your time and expense all you have to show for your efforts are three relatively useless sheets of paper.  But boy, oh boy, that's a fine looking photograph of a doll that probably wasn't made from that pattern.

So, what are our options?

There are a few things that we do to address this problem.   We can do nothing and cross it off as a bad purchase.  Treat it as a lesson learned and think twice about purchasing anything from that source again.  Contact the artist or website where the purchase was made and find out about their refund policy.  Sites like Etsy can assist with this process.  Clarification on issues you have with the pattern can usually be taken care of when communicating directly with the artist.  If all else fails, find some value, however small, in your purchase.  Is there something that can be used in something else that will justify the purchase of the pattern and maybe even enhance some other doll project?  

Satisfaction with a product, even a doll pattern, is mostly subjective.  A lot depends on the skill level of the doll maker and whether the pattern lines up with those skills.  In future posts I will explore, in my view, what makes a good doll pattern and share some links to sites and doll makers and other artists I find particularly useful in this area and great references.

Here are a few resources I consider top notch and should be considered by doll makers at any level:

Books  that can be found on Amazon.com:
Pattie Medaris Culea  books and patterns
Susanna Oroyan  books and patterns


Other Websites:
rootie studio : leslie o'leary: Pattern Shop
Welcome to Chomick+Meder, Figurative Art and Automata
​Gayle Wray Dolls
    

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So...What do we do moving forward?

1/1/2019

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Welcome New Year!

As we enter the New Year, a step in the right (legal) direction would be almost as productive for most of us as changing our diet and signing up at one of the many gyms offering New Year discounts to get you in the door. I could use this time to reflect on what I've been doing and tell you about some new techniques I've learned, plop in a nifty How-to video, or share some freebee pattern that will gain new followers and admirers. But not today.

Today I want to discuss Copyright Law. No better time than now when everyone is fired up and ready to tackle those New Year's Resolutions and completing those UFOs (UnFinished Objects)languishing in the sewing room. We rummage through our pattern pieces, sketches and have sewn or stuffed dolls forgetting that maybe that unfinished doll wasn't something we created totally on our own. Many of us are eager to share our work and forget or ignore how much of that might actually belong to someone else. We believe that if we "tweak" or change someone else's work by some imaginary percent it becomes our original work/idea.

This is not the case. Although dolls are not specifically mentioned as is music, books etc., in Copyright Law, the creative process and finished product are still the original product of its creator and should be honored by anyone who decides to make a doll from an existing pattern, whether or not the pattern has been altered. A doll presented without referencing or getting permission from the original creator is definitely problematic.

I have many files, electronic and hard copy, of dolls and other images that inspire me. Pinterest is a goldmine for inspiration and worth dropping into periodically. But be aware that the creations presented there are the work of other very creative people and to replicate and claim ownership of such ideas is no different than if you were to copy the writing of someone else and claim it as your own. Think of it like plagiarism, just in a different form.

Here is a clearer definition to assist us from LegalZoom: 

What Is Copyright Infringement? Copyright laws are designed to protect the creator of original works, which are creative expressions from others using and profiting from their work, without permission. The idea is that the author or creator owns the rights to the work and can decide if and how others use his or her creation. For example, music copyright would exist for songwriters on their lyrics. When songwriters allow artists to record their words, there would be an agreement outlining how the right to record is granted, thus avoiding copyright infringement. If another artist decided to record the same song without permission, the songwriter would be able to bring legal action for copyright infringement against the artist. If you believe that the copyright infringement definition sounds like stealing, you would be correct. Other examples of copyright infringement include:
-Downloading movies and music without proper payment for use
-Recording movies in a theater Using others’ photographs for a blog without permission
-Copying software code without giving proper credit
-Creating videos with unlicensed music clips
-Copying books, blogs or podcasts without permission
-Anything where you are copying someone else’s original work without an agreement


As a rule most dollmakers are very generous with their time, talents and designs. Compounded by chronically underpricing their/our work necessitates supplementing their/our income with a "day job" or other work to keep the lights on. To see other dollmakers promote work that is too similar to their/our own is disheartening and discouraging. One solution has been to just not create anything for public consumption. This is the most drastic approach to be sure. Over time many of us find it difficult to keep ahead of the crowd and just fade from the scene altogether.

I have taken a page from many of my peers in that I will create a pattern/process/teach one doll, but keep the OOAK (one-of-a-kind)to sell on commission or as a single creation.The OOAK doll is typically more complicated in design and is presented as a truly unique one-of-a-kind creation.

It's a matter of common courtesy and recognition of the artist that provided such inspiration that is most often neglected. It is generally understood that the human form offers limited variations that would make one doll uniquely individual from other similar dolls. However, it could be a process or "look" that is the identifier of the original creator that is mimicked that is the give away.

​We must be cognizant of how we acquire our ideas and who inspires us to do our best work. We benefit greatly by this community of sharing. Social media, e.g., Pinterest, Instagram, etc. has definitely expanded our access to some of the best work out there and to be inspired is worth its weight in gold, don't spoil it.

 

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    Artist Statement

    I create as an expression of my soul rather than from my physical environment.

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