The Creation of a Lovely Monster

Combining different colors, genres and styles of clothing can make unusual dolls. I have always loved pannier dresses, sea creatures, and the atmospheric writing of H.P. Lovecraft. Now first off... Yes, Lovecraft was a racist who was afraid of pretty much everyone and everything. He thought he was too good to do menial work. His education left him thinking he was some lord of the manor caught out of time. Amazingly he had a Jewish wife who doted on him for a while but she got tired of supporting him and eventually left him. BUT, I have to admit he put his irrational fears to good use and the paranoia that permeates  his stories really can get that shudder/cold chill factor going when you read his work.

One thing to remember about talent....it is not always given to nice people.

Now pannier dresses, they are fun because of the layers of fabrics that can be used to mimic the frilly pieces in the tails and fins of sea creatures like sea horses or sea dragons and squids. As many of the Cthulhu Mythos seem to be based on squid like monsters, combining a human torso with some tentacles makes a nice human squid hybrid bred from the Elder Gods and their willing devotees.

I usually work with lots of bright colors and patterns, so in this Brides of Cthulhu series, I wanted to strictly limit my color palette and use pattern to create visual interest in this piece and the other dolls I'm planning.

While I was shopping for the black,  silver and white beads for this series, I fell in love with these adorable little brightly colored skulls. The fact that some of them had little rhinestone eyes made them just perfect. Yes, skulls can be cute.

So, now I just need to give her a suitable name and list her in my shop.

Want a Custom Pet from the Pet Shop of the Old Ones?

I was thinking that it would be a good idea to set up a few listings offering custom soft sculptures of the animals that I make. The Chihuahuas of the Flaming Apocalypse, the 3 different Hexcats, Original, (mini, medium and large), Boogaloo Hexies, (medium and large) for a start.  I'm thinking of adding listings for Crawling eyes and dragons as well.

While I do offer custom sculptures already, it might be easier to just purchase a listing and go from there.  So, if you want a special sculpture in the color and size of your choice, stop by Chatnoirstudios on Etsy and I'll work with you to create the ideal sculpture.

Halloween Cats

 I love my cats. By Crazy Cat Lady standards, I have just enough cats to keep me ....and the cats happy.   So It's quite natural that this cat love sneaks into my doll making.

For Halloween I've been adding my winged Flutter cats and my Futark Feline Familiars.

Now the Flutter cats I designed because I wanted to do something winged for Halloween that wasn't a bat.  These black and white versions are rather small ....around 5 or 6 inches in height and made of cotton fabric with a black and white print. For those of you interested in a larger or a plush version, I'm finishing up my first large Flutter cat (he's about the size of an actual house cat and made of pastel turquoise plush) which I will be listing as soon as I've secured his wings properly.

Now for those of you interested in different forms of fortune telling, these Futark  Felines are cats with actual runic symbols embroidered on them. Each cat has it's own fortune appliquéd  or embroidered on to the head and body of the cat. Yes, I read the runes for each sculpture and  use the results in the piece.

The Pet Shop of The Old Ones pieces like these cats are part of the overall story that ties all of my magical animal sculpts together. Basically, my alter ego Chat Noir has the ability to create magical creatures from  injured animals she rescues as well as just designing and creating magical creatures. It's the family business for like 15 generations.

Me, I like fantasy stories and I hope my customers do too, so I give all the animals a history and a specific purpose. Like the Feline Familiars were specifically created to be companions to Wizards and they have their own specific powers to aid in spell casting and protection.

Now, if you want a Flutter cat or a Familiar, and I don't have one in a color or pattern you like, I do make custom animals. Also, if you have an idea for any other kind of animal...I'm willing to make it for you. Feel free to contact me here or through my Etsy  shop and I'll do my best to create the cat or creature of your dreams.

Last 2 Days of My End of Season Sale

Just a little reminder.... Today and tomorrow are the last 2 days of my Etsy shop End of Season Coupon Sale. Halloween is coming and I have some lovely ghost dolls and even a Feline Familiar just right for that discerning Halloween Witch.

Shantak - lovecraftian parrot

Shantak - lovecraftian parrot, a photo by chatnoirstudios on Flickr.

So much for waiting, here's SHANTAK  from the Pet Shop of the Old Ones series. I wanted to do something different than an octopus creature based on the Cthulhu Mythos. I'm thinking of trying the blind albino penguins from the Mountains of Madness.

In fact... after I finish my Sumerian snake priestess. I'm starting the giant penguins piece. Think German expressionism i.e. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.