Friday, September 2, 2011

Action Figure Dreadlocks



Creating natural hairstyles for my Rasta Ann and Andy dolls was so satisfying that I started wondering if I could do the same thing for my play scale dolls and action figures.  I had made a few hard cap wigs for my dolls when I was in high school, but soon I hit on the idea of attaching the hair to a "stocking cap."  My wardrobe department now holds over 200 natural hairstyle wigs in a wide variety of styles and colors. 

At this time the labor cost of producing these wigs relative to the price the market will bear means it is not cost effective to offer them for sale.  Instead I am sharing the technique so that viewers can make them for their own dolls and action figures.  I hope you will enjoy “Action Figure Dreadlocks.” 



Watch for Baba Knapp and the Knapp family in future wig-making tutorials.

À Bientôt



13 comments:

  1. This has to be the best tutorial I have every seen! Clear steps, detailed and easy to understand. I love the idea of the first locks swinging freely! It is wonderful to hear your voice too. Your idea of a family is also very cute. Great Job! Congratz!

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  2. This tutorial is wonderful and quite timely. I shared a picture of my So In Style Darren and his wig of locs with an online group. I wanted to share a link that contained your contact information in the event that someone wanted to purchase one of your wonderful (labor-intensive) wigs, and voila! Here is your first tutorial.

    Your talent and your patience are incredible.

    While the tutorial will undoubtedly be a wonderful tool for others with hands that are more agile than mine, I STILL NEED YOU. Honestly, I do need another braided wig in black or dark brown when your time permits.

    Thank you for sharing!

    dbg

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  3. Wow. That's quite a workout, creating dreadlock cap wigs. I can barely tie playscale shoestrings so I will pass on trying this tutorial. Thanks for creating and sharing this tutorial though.

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  4. I love it! The tutorial was excellent. Clear, concise and very detailed. I look forward to more of your tutorials. The dreadlocks look wonderful. Thank you.

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  5. You sing too?! So wonderful to hear your singing. I just love experiencing the creativing and talent of others. Thanks for sharing your voice with us. Wonderful tutorial! Your teaching skills shine through your tutorials.

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  6. Wonderful tutorial! I plan to give it a try ...one day. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Dear All,

    Thanks for the warm response to the tutorial. During the three weeks in August when it looked like I had abandoned the blog, I was actually hard at work on a series of tutorials and I am totally jazzed to produce even more. Look for the next one this Friday -- shoes this time.

    P.S. If any one makes the dreadlock wig, I'd love to see the pictures.

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  8. I'll definitely be trying that sometime. It's so amazing! I agree with Ms Leo, love the clear and easy to follow instructions :)

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  9. Such a nice tutorial! Thanks for sharing :)

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  10. Hi CaffeineCowgirl,

    Thanks for watching. There will be more.

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  11. Hi! Wanted to post a link to a post I made with a wig made from this fabulous tutorial. Someone else on the thread made one too!

    http://milkshakemelody.com/figurvore/index.php?topic=1020.0

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  12. Thanks for the link Miss-Lola. The locks came out great!

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  13. My son is three and loves dolls and imaginative play with dolls and plush toys. I'm so frustrated with the lack of diversity on store shelves. There are almost no male dolls of any ethnicity and almost all of the female dolls are white, or have very pale skin so that they could pass as white, as though this should be a desirable trait. I remember having "Barbie" dolls that were Chinese, Indian, Mexican, African, African-American, European, Native American, and of course the classic blond American Barbie herself. I wish good luck to any parent who seeks to diversify their child's doll collection now. It seems to me we are moving backward. Thanks to your tutorials, as well as some others I've found here and there about the internet, I hope to give my son a diverse collection of dolls to play with. I ran across this tutorial in a search for doll dreadlocks. My red-haired three year old boy has been telling me that he wants dreadlocks. I'm not ready for that much commitment on his own head, but now maybe he'll be getting a dreadlock-ed doll to appease his appetite. Thank you!

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