...most of the 'extreme' part happened before I got the doll, I admit.
![Head G: Front](//farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4352206278_6fcf8e0c44.jpg)
A bit over a year ago I ended up getting a batch of really nasty damaged doll heads. Sadly, this was the least damaged of bunch. I've been gradually working to repair them, because a) I like a challenge and b) if they're already ruined, I don't feel bad for doing more risky customization.
The first step with any kind of situation like this is to see what can be salvaged, so I stripped off multiple layers of paint to see what was underneath.
![Head G: Cleaned](//farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4354269310_18d8ab5939.jpg)
The head was pretty gouged and stained under all the paint, and the mouth and nose were...something. Ok, I think to myself, I can sculpt a new mouth. What do I want to try? Well I've already done vampire mouths and open-mouths and smiling mouths... but crazy smiling mouths, not friendly smiling mouths. Why not try that?
![Head G](//farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5606082136_435d32e13c.jpg)
Unfortunately, the state of the rest of the face made it pretty impossible to use a 'natural' base, and I was already planning to do a charity raffle clown custom for PUDDLE (doll convention) so I though I'd do it white and give her a cute stylized clown face.
![Head G](//farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5607207455_d6b19219a2.jpg)
Problem with clowns? It doesn't matter how friendly they're supposed to look. They will still give you nightmares.
I even added some nice friendly eyebrows, like so:
![Head G](//farm6.static.flickr.com/5025/5611705796_a151971c87.jpg)
...still terrifying. At this point I stopped trying to make it cute. Obviously this is an evil clown doll that will do bad things to you while you sleep. Why deny it?
I knew what type of eyelashes I wanted, but I couldn't quite settle on the style, so I drew some on in paintshop to help me decide before I painted them on:
![Possible eyelash styles](//farm6.static.flickr.com/5189/5611277445_1f8534864f_m.jpg)
![Possible eyelash styles](//farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5611277479_c161081276_m.jpg)
Most people seemed to prefer the first and third options. What it came down to was that I plan on giving the doll a diagonal banged bob as a hairstyle (I'm going to make the wig) and I thought the up/down eyelashes would go best with that style.
Now... eyes. I've been wanting to do a swirly hypnotic eye for a while on a doll. If any doll will look natural with it, it is certainly this sweet little killer. FX paint gives it a natural 'glow' (no photoshop).
![Preview :P](//farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5616352424_1a1d51ab2b_z.jpg)
Naturally, there's still a lot left to do. Wig. Costume. Settling on the other eye, which I don't think I'll be able to do until I get the wig together. That will be Chapter 2!