Isaeva Larissa and her handmade dolls

They say that the opportunity to do what they love is true happiness. An enthusiastic master can immerse himself in the work with his head, not noticing the run of the hands on the dial, postponing for later home affairs and meetings with friends, completely giving himself over to the process.

Isaeva Larissa at one time did not even think about changing the usual job for a hobby. And today her creations are known all over the world. Larisa's dolls live in large and small private collections, galleries, museums. Surprisingly realistic kind faces, moving bodies, amazing author's costumes brought their creator fame. The style of the author is easily guessed at a glance, despite the huge number of imitators. Looking at her creations, sometimes it is impossible to believe that Isaeva Larissa is an ordinary person, and not a fairy, capable of breathing life into a fragile figure.

What was her path in art and how does the foreman live? Let's try to look into the workshop, in which small miracles are created.

The Fiction of Life

Today recognized master of dolls Larissa Isaeva just a few years ago, she was not particularly fond of needlework. She knew what many ordinary wives and mothers could do.

Remembering childhood, Larissa first of all mentions the backstage theater, in which her father served. According to her, an incredible atmosphere reigned in the theater. Probably because of this, after graduating from school, Larissa decided to become a music teacher. However, she did not have much time to work on the specialty.

According to Larissa, not everyone is allowed to instill in the younger generation a sincere love for classical music. There is not enough passion for business here. At some point, the future puppeteer stopped feeling the power of a real teacher and honestly admitted to herself that she wanted to do something different.

The incident led her to the production in her native Yekaterinburg. In the company, engaged in industrial water purification, Larisa Isayeva worked as a specialist in vector graphics.

Pen test: first tildes

What inspired a fresh stream in a measured life? The master herself confesses that once again everything has been decided by chance. Once, in the distant 2010, she was spending the winter night at the TV and switching the channels, she suddenly saw something interesting and new. Today, it's hard for her to remember what the participants of the show "Decorative Passions" were doing, but Larissa was extraordinarily inspired by what he saw, and she also wanted to deceive her.

The Internet has helped to find ideas. In those days, the world was experiencing another tildo-boom, and Tony Finanger's creations were unusually popular. Uncomplicated soft dolls with eye-dots, sweet curls and fashionable clothes Larissa liked. She decided to try to sew a tilde.

Looking at the current work of Larisa Isayeva, it is simply impossible to consider the connection with the tildes. But according to the master, it all started with them. Armed with a typical pattern, she began to work. The result was a chrysalis, which is still stored in the house of Larissa. A second followed very quickly. True, both came out not entirely canonical, with detailed details (which is not characteristic of the genre). "I could not resist," Larisa Isayeva explains, laughing.

No matter how good the tildes were, they were soon not enough. The third work already had a wire frame and a significantly altered pattern. Larisa seemed too boring a mere repetition of the work of Tony Finanger. She decided to find her own way.

Author's Pattern

The master set itself certain goals. She wanted to make a doll that resembled a person as much as possible. She adjusted the proportions of the tilde to anatomical proportions. Croila and reshaped, collected parts in a single whole ...

Several works have been created. Larissa did not just embroider mouths and eyes on puppet faces, but she also made a tightening so that her face would look more bold. True, the created pattern had one feature, which to the master herself seemed to be a drawback - a vertical seam on her face. But it was impossible to get away from him, otherwise the forehead, nose and chin would have turned flat. It was possible only to improve the technique, making the seam neat and quality. But it did not make it invisible, it was noticeable anyway. Therefore, the search for the perfect pattern continued.

Even today, having achieved recognition, having acquired thousands of fans, Larisa Isaeva continues to move forward. She does not believe that she has reached the top, and assures that she still has something to strive for.

Getting started in mixed technology

At some point, Larissa came up with the idea to replace the plastic doll's face with plastic. I had to master the technique of molding from polymer clay. According to the master, it was a path of trial and error, practice and experimentation.

The body itself was decided to leave the textile on a wire frame. Larissa believes that such dolls are warmer, because they are softer and easier to hinge like BJD.

The craftsman sculpted the brushes and heads with the neck, and then sewed these details to the textile bodies, inside of which was hidden a wire frame, responsible for stability and mobility.

A few words about the suit

Author's dolls of Larissa Isaeva are dressed in unique costumes with high detail. Looking at the finished compositions, the attentive spectator will notice small buttons and buckles, embroidery and painting, buffers and darts. This is necessary when the bar is high. In the end, even similar to each other characters have features. Each doll is unique.

The real master puppeteer must know a lot of crafts, he has to be a tailor, furrier, shoemaker, sculptor, make-up artist, designer, photographer, hairdresser ... Larissa Isaeva does not hide that she does not get everything right away. According to her, mistakes are inevitable. But do not be afraid of them and give up!

Hinged dolls Larissa Isaeva

Over time, there was an idea to master the technique of making hinges made of polymer clay. We can see the tiny joints in some of the master's works. At the same time, the master does not plan to completely abandon the mixed technique in favor of hinged bodies.

Larisa Isayeva about master classes

Many beginning masters in the first stages often try to arm themselves with the experience of professionals. Larisa is calm about those who try to repeat her work. Firstly, the times when she was inspired by the work of another master were not forgotten, and secondly, not everyone can copy what Isayeva does by everyone. Those who make the first steps in understanding the secrets of skill, it is useful to focus on the successful and recognized. Larissa sometimes takes pictures of the process of creating another doll and puts them in free access. But it does not set as its goal the formation of its own puppet school.

The technology of making dolls Larissa Isaeva is not secret, the foreman answers the questions of those interested in her work, shows details, stages of creation.

But when answering the questions of the fans about the master classes, Larissa often refers to the lack of time. Perhaps once the master will want to organize interaction with students. But at the moment she does not conduct master classes.

Where do the dolls live?

The master admits that the majority of her first works were distributed. For memory there was only a couple: a tilde and a wireframe textile doll on its own pattern.

In the house of Larissa there is almost no work. Most of them have already found new owners. Many went abroad. Each new work of the author causes considerable interest and quickly leaves for the new house. A foreman jokingly calls herself a shoemaker without boots.

Some magnificent dolls of Larissa Isaeva

The photo of the master's work is more like an illustration of a book with fairy tales. From them look bright smiling faces of Russian beauties and kind fellows, muslin ladies, proud queens, oriental dancers ... It seems that each doll has its own character.

On the following illustration - Copper Mountain Mistress in a luxurious royal dress. It is in a private collection.

Recovered and other images: Tristan and Isolde, Ivanushka and Alyonushka, Snow Queen and others.

Puppet compositions

Often paired handmade dolls Larissa Isaeva. Manufacturing technology, which employs a foreman, allows you to create dolls of different sizes. Among collectors, success is not only in pupae of standard size, but also in larger ones. Especially for the New Year holidays, Larisa makes compositions "Santa Claus and Snow Maiden", among which both standard and high.

Some compositions supplement items made in the technique of modeling and dry felting, for some complicated accessories (for example, sleds) are created.

Inexhaustible source of inspiration

Where does the master take ideas? Isaeva Larissa admits that she draws inspiration from tales of different peoples of the world, classical literature, good old films. Some ideas are thrown up by customers. But Larissa takes up the making of a doll only if she likes the concept, and the character causes a desire to work with him.

Assistants skilled workers

The whole family of Larissa is creative. Her son is fond of music and he writes electronic compositions. The master admits that his works cause her to create.

Her husband works as a designer. He is a creative person, fond of art and possesses a multitude of talents. Often, the husband takes a direct part in the creation of another masterpiece. Larissa Isaeva knows that she can always rely on her husband if she needs a man's strength or a designer's advice with good taste.

Larisa is grateful to the family for the support that once helped her to make a decision to leave work and give herself entirely to her favorite business.

Price list and trading floors

Dolls handmade Larissa Isaeva can not be called budgetary. However, this is not surprising with this level of skill. On average, one doll costs about a thousand dollars, some samples can be twice or three times as expensive. High demand is the main indicator that the price tag is not overestimated at all.

You can buy one of the creations of Larisa Isayeva on one of the many online trading platforms. In physical shops, the artist does not exhibit her works, and she simply does not have time to prepare and participate in fairs. According to Larissa herself, she simply does not have time to accumulate material, dolls do not stay long in her house.

What should be remembered for potential buyers

Isaeva Larissa does not create dolls designed for children's games. All her works are made of safe material, every detail is securely fixed, but these gorgeous dolls will not survive active games.

Her works are designed for collector storage. Of course, they can be picked up and flexed by their mobile joints, but treatment should be gentle and gentle.