Thursday 15 November 2018

Zouave Drummer Boy - Izannah Walker Inspired

Zouave Drummer Boy - Izannah Walker Inspired
 This special doll is my first Izannah Walker inspired boy doll, and he wears a costume inspired by the trend of dressing boys in military uniforms during the American Civil War. The bright Zouave uniforms especially caught my eye, so I decided to create a costume inspired by them. This doll is a new, unique sculpt.

Hand Painted Boots - Izannah Walker Inspired
His red trimmed black ankle boots, have been hand painted, and gently "aged".

Izannah Walker Inspired Doll

His hair is brown, and was painted in many layers, to give a beautiful depth, and lots of individual hair strands. He has short wispy strands across the back of his head, a centre parting, and wisps framing his face. 

His features have been painted with artist grade acrylic paints, and sealed with several coats of matt varnish. He has painted blue eyes, and  has been antiqued to give him a real "old doll" look and feel.

His body is made from calico, and his head and hands are hand sculpted from Paperclay.

Izannah Walker Inspired Doll - Boys Underwear

Izannah Walker Inspired Doll - Red Pants
He wears cotton drawers, and an under shirt. His wide leg pants are made from red cotton, and fasten with a hook and hand worked loop.

Izannah Walker Inspired Boy Doll


 His blue cotton jacket has a tartan lining, and hand stitched soutache braid decoration. His sash is made from red wool, with a pale blue silk trim, held in place by a black leather belt.

Zouave Drummer Boy - American Civil War
 I carved teeny drum sticks for him, and made a small drum for him to carry. It has the badge of the 5th New York Zouaves, from the American Civil War. All of his clothes are fully removable, and feature french seams and large amounts of hand sewing.

It was a lot of fun to work on a boy's costume for a change, I imagine there will be more boys in the future!