Who knew such an impossibly small BJD mermaid could inspire so much creativity?!

When I first saw one of the small dolls on @murka_Maro Instagram page I was awe struck. For reals. In the face. 

These dolls were soooooo tiny I almost couldn't believe it. I had to have one. I had to see how in the world they existed. If they were really real. Because it is hard to believe.

So when the chance to purchase a tiny mermaid came along, I jumped at it!

I sent a message via Instagram to purchase. After some mix ups with her receiving some bad parts that needed replacements and Covid putting on the delays a small and secure box shipped. I thought it was something else I had ordered, but was very surprised to find a tiny mermaid inside the box! Huzzah!

I'd say extreme care is needed for handling. Tiny things can be fragile. My luck is usually to break something the instant I receive it, luckily this was not the case! They do have elbows and joints that can bend. As well as itty bitty eyeballs. So cool!

Micro Faceup

I feared the small faceup. But in reality it was pretty easy! Pastels were used for her tail and body. Face was just a little paint for her eyebrows, and some paint to add gold dots and lines on scales/fin. 

Wig

The wig was the hardest part. I used a glass bead that was actually the size of her head on a toothpick to make a teeny wigcap and then used yarn to create the wig. To help hold all stray hairs in place I diluted white glue to use like a hair gel for the braid and sides that were brought up and back. I use some superglue at the back where the hairs crossed to make sure they stay in place. I used E6000 to secure the beads and nail art decor to her hair. The wig cap is kept in place with poster tack. 

I knew I wanted to display the heck out of this cutie, so I intended to make a diorama.

The Diorama

I found one of my ikea "I will make a project of this one day" domes and was like "this is perfect!" for making a little display! Could one use an old aquarium rock display, for sure, but on lockdown, thrifting in public is less desirable at the moment. 

I tried to imagine what a little rock shelf would look like, did some googling and knew I'd have to use some tin foil for an interior structure. do I know how to sculpt, nope. Can people on YouTube tell me, yep. 

All in all I really like the way it came out, a little cute and cartoony, to help add adorableness for this little mermaid!

Diorama failure: This past weekend I tried both alcohol ink and a mod podge/food colouring baking mix to tint the glass dome blue for an underwater look, but didn't like the results. At least both were removeable. I will leave it clear for now, and return to this when I feel like I want to try again. 

Magnet Power

I tried to be clever and get my little mermaid to be suspended by magnets rather than have to balance her fishy tail on a sand or post of some sort in the diorama. 

This actually worked GREAT! I placed holes for the magnets BEFORE placing and after painting the rock. AFTER it was baked I then used superglue to place the magnets.  Be sure your polarity stays the same for each magnet. You can do this by using a sharpie on each same side of magnet ;) 

I hid the other magnets when not in use by the doll with other sea creatures or rocks. I designed them to hold magnets too, so I can change them up around in the tank!

Then all i had to do was add a little metal ring to her hair and voila, she can be suspended in the diorama!

I'm now awaiting the arrival of one more mermaid, a translucent blue tail one. It will be so neat to have 2 of them playing in the tank! 

I do hope this may have inspired folks to think of ways to make things to display your own dolls! 

WANT TO SEE THE FULL 360 VIEW?

Check out the video of me talking about the piece here: