Kristel Jacobs

Doll making, it can be pretty addictive...

You start with an idea, a dream, a feeling, in any case something you can't see or touch and in the end, you come up with an almost living being, with its own character and soul. And what happens in between is hard to describe; sometimes insecurity, then again strong determination. A lot of joy, but also fatigue. And in the end a sense of wonder, was it really me who created this fragile creature?

My addiction started a long time ago. I grew up in Kalmthout, practically next to the beautiful nature park which was, in my imagination, the home of fairies and gnomes... When I discovered the books of Rien Poortvliet and Brian Froud, I was completely swept off my feet... As a child, I did nothing but drawing elves and little princesses.

Then my father gave me a package of DAS clay, and a book with pictures of examples and with a lot of enthusiasm I started to sculpt! I must say that my first creations were lovely, but unfortunately not strong enough and when they all started to fall apart, that really tempered my keenness for quiet a while.

Some years ago, I stumbled upon the books of Hannie Sarris (Fairy Fantasy doll making) and Wilma van den Dries (Nostalgische Kerstbeelden) and this time I really got the hang of it! I particularly enjoy the making of fragile, dreamy girl and woman figures. I try to respect the proportions of the human body, although I like to make my figures somewhat longer, I find that more elegant. At the same time I've been a student at the Academy of Arts of Kapellen for over 6 years now, of which 3 years of Model drawing and painting, and this really improves my sculpting.

My statues are made out of La Doll and Premier, I make their clothes myself out of natural materials s.a. coton, silk and lace, which are hardened with Paverpol and then painted with Acryl paint. My figures have hand-painted eyes. Their length varies between 28cm and 55 cm.

I really like the combination of clay and hardened textile, this gives my figures a beautiful 'frozen' attitude. I make their hair out of strands of wool which I also harden with Paverpol, I can really spend hours inventing the most sophisticated styles of hairdressing and figuring out how to do so with the hardener. Working with Paverpol also gives you the opportunity to personalize the figures, for example, I created a beautiful bride with use of the original fabrics of her wedding gown.

Should you have any questions or if you would like more information about my work, don't hesitate to contact me at info@kristeljacobs.be. You can of course also take a look at my website www.kristeljacobs.be.

Love,

Kristel