barbie doll in pink dress Seriously, I don’t remember the last time I played with Barbie. I probably made her muck out stalls for my Breyer riding dolls.  But I spent some time today in Barbie land. I found a job posting for someone looking for a doll illustrator and thought, what the heck? Why not? So I went for it.

The most fun part was adding the sparkly effect to the dress. It allowed me to use a brush setting that I usually find ultra annoying, called “dissolve.”

Definitely layers were the way to go. (It is, of course, all about clothes and hair.) That way I can do things like add different accessories – like the jewelly stuff below. I could even make her a brunette if I wanted to.

Which reminds me of a Barbie-style doll I picked up at a thrift store once. She came with a gold tooth and tattoos. I called her “Biker Chick Barbie.” The kids thought she was hideous.

 

barbie doll with accessories

Hmmm...how about adding a giant snake to the background layer?