Who & Why?

What’s in a name? The real story behind the name Corsetkitten isn’t anything sexy or nifty (I do like corsets though). It actually was inspired by a series of events, and Skinnykitten, a cat I had adopted. Long story short: I’d had a website called Stealthkitten.com (named after the above feline) and after a while I’d been threatened with a spurious lawsuit by some jerk named Leo Stoller. It wasn’t going to be worth the cost in legal fees to contest it. That left me wondering what I was going to call my site. I definitely wanted it to have kitten in it since it is a nod to all the furry cats that make their way in my life (yea, I am an unrepentant cat-person!). In tossing around word combinations that one came up & pretty much stuck. So there it is.

Ok, so who am I?

Why am I writing about dolls and various bits of 1:6 scale stuff?

Ok, the easy question first:

Why dolls? Why Action Figures? Aren’t you a grown-up???

Dolls are cool. Action figures (or even action dolls as some people call them) are cool-er because they tend to be more poseable. I’m all about posability!

What you can do with them, customizing–painting, photostories, etc. They are wonderful to use as canvases… sort of like 3-D in a way.Personally, I find them to be a great outlet for creativity.

I should say here and now that I like action figures. I like dolls.

I’m grown up and I’m not ashamed to admit it! Yea, I get a lot of flack from friends & family who don’t understand my attraction to the hobby…but it’s no less childish than playing video games on an x-box360 or a Wii…or cross stitching, or whatever. It’s a good outlet for energy and a very expressive one.

For me, I think that figures allow me to have the means to play out so many scenarios–I don’t know about the rest of you folks out there, but I can’t afford to hire actors or models –to bring about some of the scenes and images in my head.

I am very into collecting dolls & action figures of different sorts. When I first started back in 2000 I began with Barbies. There was something about the generally insipid smile that made me want to change it and see what I could do. I didn’t keep any of those because well, they had all the posability of a dried up stick!!

However… a friend introduced me to a brand of Japanese dolls made by a company called Volks. And with that introduction I actually became a collector! *gasp* I know! How hideous!! ;P

Volks dollfies are still an all time favorite of mine (because they are so freakin’ posable!) and I enjoy doing customs on them.  My current favorite line of figures/bodies are those made my Takara / Takara-Tomy. They are called Cy girls or Cool girls (depending on which release of a given figure you’ve gotten).  They’re wonderfully articulated and more along the lines of what I would consider to be an action-doll. Most of the folks call them just plain action figures though. Regardless of what you call them all of these figures are articulated and highly posable–something I require in any doll I purchase or make.

The 1:6 scale is an easy one—because its a small enough scale that it won’t take of gobs of room (ok, honestly it can, but noooowhere near as much as 1/3rd scale BJDs and stuff!!)

The practicality aspect of it is simple: I can afford to make multiple 1/6 photostudios and backdrops–but I’d be completely bankrupt if I had to do it in 1:1 scale.

The other plus to 1:6 is that it’s playscale/barbie/GI Joe/ Action Man size–which makes finding some ready made furniture and props a hella lot easier.    I don’t want to make it if I can buy it for cheap!

Now the answer to the first question:

I’m Erica and I am an American living in the UK. (I moved here to be with my husband who is a dear sweet guy who’s into model airplanes, and engines and stuff like that. He’s a professional model maker and might someday make some 1:6 stuff for other collectors. I keep him trapped in the shed when I need new 1/6 windows & doors!!!  !!)

Anyway, I’ve got more than a quarter-century under my belt along with a bachelors in East Asian Studies and Art. I enjoy metal sculpting, oil painting, and mixed media projects. I suppose it’s patently obvious that I have an interest in photography also!

Hopefully, someday I’ll get back into school for my masters. I’m also a writer and have some varied projects in the works.

How about that? Enough information? Want more?