Verse

The fabulous *scenceable has commissioned me again, this time to make her gorgeous winged kirin, Versailles (or Verse for short).



A tricky design to get right and a scrupulous commissioner meant that Verse has eaten up most of my working time over the past three months. I had very specific requests like the glass eyes, bending ankles and mohair mane and tail. Her first legs were rejected and I had to chop them off in a rather gruesome fashion and remake them, so Verse actually has brass cannon bones.

Her antlers are a mix of sculpey, wire, fimo, resin, plastic and epoxy for flexibility and durability. The leaves have been superglued on and reinforced with epoxy, so they are well attached but can still flex and bend. She's been dropped on her face many times (you'd fall over too if you were missing a leg) so her face branches are made from bendy plastic as well.

Her mane and tail are wefted Wensleydale lambs fleece from a small flock in Kent and alpaca neck fibers sent to me very kindly by =bvanhorn. Her wings are female pheasant sent to me by a family friend on the Isle of White, preserved by me last autumn and then dyed purple for Verse. They have an intricate mechanism that enables them to fold and open like real birds wings but still look smooth and beautiful. I had to take each feather off the original preserved wing and reattach them to Verse's mechanical wings so they they folded properly and looked right. Minimal glue involved, so they are soft.

I'll have more photos up soon and hopefully some outdoor ones by the end of next week.

If you're interested in a bespoke doll please don't hesitate to send me a note or email, hello@magweno.com :> Prices range from £170-£330, I ship internationally.