Dia de los Muertos Barbie dolls

I visited a local gallery last week and I was totally inspired by some of the artwork they had on display.

Whenever I see a really cool idea, I immediately assess whether or not I can make something similar. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all. It's not because I want to steal the idea.  

No.

If I see something that's really cool, my wheels start turning. How can I make this better? How can I reinterpret the piece? How can I inject my own style? I mean, hellloooooo. It's all about appropriation in the twentieth century and beyond.

So, I saw these Dia de los Muertos Barbie dolls and died on the spot.

I died. Dead.

I mean, two of my obsessions wrapped up into one design. How could I possibly pass it up? Within seconds I was visualizing how I could paint the faces of the legions of Barbies I have scattered around my home. This is the first time I've done created something like this with a Barbie doll.

When I was in college, I fashioned a bondage/dominatrix-themed outfit with black electrical tape on an old Barbie. It was pretty sick and twisted. When Josh was about five or six years old, he would come into my room and study this dominatrix doll for all she was worth. Anyhow, she was a main fixture among my collectibles for many years. I feel like these Day of the Dead Barbies is a natural extension of that.

There we were, my little brother Josh and I, working feverishly into the morning--tiny outfits, flowers, and nekkid Barbies strewn about. It was so much fun! Oh em gee. Probably a little too much, if that is possible.

I was so proud of my baby bro's painting skills. He was neat, his color choices were good, and his lines were clean and steady.

The force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a jedi yet.

Every doll is painted by hand, with Pandora playing and ish talking all around.

This doll was all him, so maybe he is going to give me a run for my money .

This project is something we decided to do for fun, to get the creative juices flowing. We want to decorate our booth with them. These will be limited edition dolls, complete with a dress, flowers and their hair did. They will be for sale so keep your eye out or more details coming soon.