WWEdgarD?

This is what happened when I decided to take up cross-stitch (I was looking for a medium that was cheap and easily portable). Rather than follow a published pattern or something, I came up with this. After all, the stitches of cross-stitch are essentially pixels, so a computer graphic (in this case, a video game sprite) is the perfect thing to reproduce. It also feeds into my penchant for combining contrasting elements in my work.

The featured character is Edgar from Final Fantasy VI. He’s a good fit for the “What Would ____ Do?” phrase, since in the game’s story he’s constantly scheming.

Alucard Doll

felt and paint, about 20 cm tall.

This doll is one of several I made over a period of several years, based on characters from popular movies and cartoons. This one is a representation of Alucard, a vampire from the Hellsing series (the inset at the right shows official artwork of the same character). Other dolls in the set include Jack Sparrow, Vegeta from Dragonball Z, and a Gundam. Some have been gifts to friends, like this one. My love of contrasts shows itself again: most of the characters I’ve used are villains or have superpowers, and here they are depicted in a “cute” and non-threatening form.

Each doll is constructed on a standard base for the legs, torso and arms, face and usually hair. The major components are sewn together, then I stuff the doll and glue on the costume details (like Alucard’s tie). The eyes and some very fine details are painted on. Since the dolls don’t have much in the way of facial features, I tend to rely on distinctive costumes to convey a character’s identity. I don’t always use felt; sometimes another fabric suits the character better.