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the Pied Piper

11/27/2021

13 Comments

 
Continuing on with using my old art dolls with my BJDs, there's my Pied Piper.  I made him way back in 1991. My sister and I spent a Sunday sculpting all the rats, which are all over him. 

I've often thought it would make an interesting photo having all my little children following him somewhere, like through the woods or up a hill.  But it was just too daunting a task to even consider taking that many dolls out on location. 

Then this week with all the plants cut down in the upper garden, I wondered if I might be able to pull it off in my own backyard.  So I took the Pied Piper out of the display case and stood him in the middle of a bunch of BIDs, some in Fantasy/Medieval costumes and some in modern clothes. Which suited him better? Jan suggested the Fantasy/Medieval ones.  It was a fairy tale after all. But I only have the eight Royal children, and an additional eight more suitable costumes.  That wouldn't make much of a crowd.  On the other hand I had 30 children in contemporary clothes.  So contemporary it would be.

I set up some benches with baskets of million bells along the rock wall in places where the wall would be visible, sprinkled small locust leaves over the dirt, and poked in some pruned branches for extra 'trees'.  Then it was time to take all the dolls out and position them.

​I had a dozen wire 'poke-in-the-ground' doll stands, which I used for the  six KIDs, the boys, and the small dolls that would be up front. All the rest were supported with chopsticks up their skirts.  Altogether there were 15 BIDs, 6 KIDs, 8 KW Tinies, and baby Sena. There could have been 8 more dolls (the royal children) but I was too lazy to change them into contemporary clothes.
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Then I took all the photos from the patio.....
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13 Comments
Nancy Pennell
11/27/2021 05:10:49 am

Excellent job! This is one of my favorite tales. I love your Pied Piper.

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Martha
11/27/2021 12:54:58 pm

Thank you!

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Elizabeth Ayala
11/27/2021 06:55:22 am

Wonderful. My mother called me the Pied Piper figuratively because wherever I went I found little animals. I love your depiction. When I look at a crowd there is always one who stands out for me. In your crowd of children I focused on one. In the seventh picture from the end there is a girl- Straight brown hair bangs, pink bow in her hair, wearing a half lavender half pink patterned sweater. She captures my attention. Shes so pretty.

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Martha
11/27/2021 12:56:52 pm

That little girl is 'Olivia'. She's my second normal resin Iplehouse BID Bono, with company faceup

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Dorian Whealdon
11/27/2021 07:58:44 am

Your talent never ceases to amaze me. A truly wonderful depiction of the Pied Piper, and all the children are excellent.

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Martha
11/27/2021 12:59:54 pm

Thank you! I had always though the children would need to be wearing fairytale type outfits for this photo shoot, but I find the contemporary clothes work just as well.

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earthspirits
11/27/2021 12:53:34 pm

Amazing and wonderful depiction of this classic fairy tale. The little path through the 'woods" looks very realistic, with all the entranced children, and the colorful piper is extremely cool.

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Martha
11/27/2021 01:01:22 pm

Thanks. I'd always thought this scene would need to be shot in some real woods, but doing it in my own back garden was infinitely easier. And I thought it did look rather believable.

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kenaiqueen
11/27/2021 02:48:36 pm

This is wonderful! When I was a child, our local tv station would play the Van Johnson musical Pied Piper movie on Thanksgiving every year. I loved the magic of it. This brought back some lovely memories. Thanks for all your hard work!

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Martha
11/29/2021 03:57:57 am

Thank you. I think I may have seen that movie as a kid too.

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Dorothy
11/27/2021 08:17:35 pm

I am loving the photos. I get to see your Erzulie. She always makes me smile. And I get to see baby Sena, another smile bringer.

They definitely look as if they are in a forest, especially in the last photo.

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Donna
11/28/2021 08:58:05 pm

For two days I've been trying to think how best to express my reaction to the Pied Piper photos, and I still haven't come up with a good way to say it in a few words. I love these photos! They are colourful, charming, delightful, magical and wonderful. The list of adjectives could go on for pages. You really captured the allure of the Piper and the enchantment of the children.

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Martha
11/29/2021 04:03:15 am

Thank you so much! I was really happy with the photos myself. I had never even considered taking a Pied Piper scene in my own garden, but with the right lighting and camera angles it was perfect.

I just wished I'd taken some more close-ups of the kids in the back half, since you can't really see who they all are.

It was definitely a colourful lineup. The photos could even be subtitled 'sweaters on parade'.

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    Author

    Martha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes.
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