Repaint Story #6 -- Ever After High Ashlynn Ella -- "Princess Durainna"

Hey Magicians!  

Ok, ok, I know, I haven't posted in ages.  Senior year has been nuts.  But now that it's November, things are finally starting to clear up, so I think I'll be able to start posting again.  The nice thing is that, while I haven't been posting, I have been working on all my projects, so I have a lot of content built up to post about, including three new dolls and a cool 2-in-1 sewing pattern!  So stay tuned for more juicy updates.

As I mentioned, this is my first post in a while.  I finished this doll a while ago, but I'll do my best to remember what I did!  

So, this was my first Ever After High custom.  The unsuspecting victim was one of two EAH dolls that came in a secondhand doll box with a bunch of Monster High ghouls off of Ebay.  I don't have a lot of experience regarding EAH, but I believe the character is Ashlynn Ella.

This is what she looked like right out of the box.  She's one of the lower-quality EAH dolls, lacking 3-D eyelashes, articulation at the elbows and wrists, and side-to-side hip motion.  She also had this weird molded-on pink swimsuit thing.  

Like a lot of doll customizers, I detest molded-on clothing.  However, since this was going to be a test doll, I wasn't exactly willing to spend four hours grinding the whole thing off.  So, I decided just to remove the top bit, and then design her costume to hide the rest.

Before I did that, though, I wanted to reroot her hair.  So, I took off her head, trimmed her hair, and pulled the roots out from the inside with pliers.  Look how simple her neck peg is compared to a Monster High neck peg! I don't know why this is.  Maybe it's cheaper to produce?

And all that nasty factory makeup comes off with a wipe of 100% acetone nail polish remover.

This is the brand of hair I chose to reroot.  It's much better-quality than the nasty Halloween wigs I've used previously, but it's not exactly professional-quality either.  However, it's available in many American sewing and craft shops, and it's got rich color and a great pre-curled texture.

Here's the rooting, about halfway through.  The curls made it kind of difficult, but also hid all my mistakes!

And here she is fully rooted.  Look at that crazy mane!  After I set the plugs with glue, some taming was definitely in order...

In order to keep from damaging her curls, I only put the top of her head in boiling water and then trained it to lie flat with rubber bands.  This gives the overall shape of the hair a more realistic look.

Much better!  Now it's time for her face.

First, I wrap her hair with cloth and rubber bands to keep the paint and sealant off.

Then, I sketch out her face with pencils...

...and fill it out with pastels, more pencils, and acrylic paints.  Glossy sealant makes her eyes and lips nice and shiny.  I should probably have taken more photos of the in-between steps, but once I get into my stride I always forget!

The final step was to trim off the top part of the molded swimsuit.

After sanding the area relatively smooth, I repainted it to disguise the fix.  It's not perfect, but it will be hidden by her dress, so I wasn't worried.

Finally, I return to the hair.  First, I tamed the side poof by taking some some strands from the front and crossing them in the back, then I put everything in a ponytail, securing it in several places with rubber bands, and then tying ribbons on top to make a Medieval hairstyle.

And here is her finished look!

Using some stretch velvet, I sewed a simple Medieval dress for her using my own easy pattern.  It has dropped shoulders, a high waistline, and long, pointy sleeves, princess-style.  (I may be posting the pattern later in a batch, but I'll have to see if anybody asks for it.)

I used some scratch jewelry supplies to make a traditional hanging belt...

...and a matching circlet, which keeps slipping off and is very annoying.

Next, using the same ribbon I used for her hair, I tied the sleeves.

Then, I glued some metal beading accents in key places on the dress, such as along the neckline and on the ends of the sleeve trains.

Finally, I made some little felt slippers for her (also my own pattern - comment if you want me to post it) and glued the same little accents on to tie everything together.  Conveniently, the slippers also fit Monster High dolls, so they can swap shoes if they like.

This is her finished look.  I've decided to call her Princess Durainna.
I'm quite proud of her hair and outfit, but for some reason I'm not very fond of her face.  I think this might be because her eyes are too similar to the original doll's eyes.  Or maybe it's the eyelashes?








Overall, though, I do like how she turned out.  For my first EAH custom, I think she looks pretty good!
Tell me what you think in the comments, and don't be shy!  Should I change her eyes?  Should I post the patterns for her dress and slippers?
Feel free to email me at modelhorsemagic@gmail.com, and stay tuned for my next update!  Bye Magicians!