Day 3-Maya, Tara, Jai & Raj

NO TIME to do much today except to reply to another of Sumaiya's email. There were 2 options for the dolls:

Option 1: Hand sculpted polymer clay dolls:

The dolls on Sumaiya's blog were hand-sculpted from polymer clay. With this option, their shapes and faces are different, allowing for a more varied range of expressions, giving the doll more character. Although they can be posable to a certain extent, their range of motion apparently isn't that great. They can be moved at the shoulders, hips, knees. If they wear long sleeves, their elbows are posable also. If they have high collars, their necks are posable also. Their joints are made with steel wires though and I was warned that if we change their poses too often, then the wire joints might eventually break in some years. If their pose isn't changed too often, then they should be OK in the long run.

Option 2: Heidi Ott dolls:

These dolls are factory-made from high-quality resin. Their body parts move in 14 different spots. Sumaiya had used them in the animation she made in dollhouseanimation.blogspot.com . Sumaiya will repaint the dolls' eyes and mouths, change the hairstyle of the female dolls, and dress them in the style I want according to the photo I pick for my dolls. Problem is these dolls will not have that varied an expression and is not OOAK like her own dolls.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Of course, I want One Of A Kind dolls BUT poses are necessary too. We Asians do tend to meditate on 1 leg, eat in lotus positions and sleep on our elbows. Also, my MAYA is a great dancer and my servant girls need to be able to carry pots on their heads. Oh dear, I have to think this one through properly.

I started on the assignments today. At least I have their names now, courtesy of the movie, of course.

MAYA, the Jealous Mistress. Maya will be modelled after the gorgeous Indira Virma who played Maya, the servant girl with the face of a queen .Her hair is to be let down, long, flowy and sexy (1st Pic) with a strand of pearl in her hair (last pic) BUT on a white veil. There is also a very intricate diamante headpiece to be worn at the end of the strand of pearls on her forehead.This head piece will match her VeraWangish white bustier completely covered in pearls with a neckpiece that looked like part of the dress but is in fact detachable. This neckpiece's really strands of pearls joined together at the choker. She will have matching white and long puffy pants adorned mainly with pearls and diamantes. (See 2nd & 3rd pics).

TARA - Bride and future Maharani, ethereally beautiful but always thinking she is not quite as pretty as Maya nor as talented a dancer. God is fair, I guess , for all of Tara's insecurity, she is filthy rich as you will be able to see from the palace that I am planning for her. I will leave Tara's costume entirely in the hands of Sumaiya but here is a picture of Tara at her best .

JAI KUMAR- With the looks and body of a God, Jai is the palace chief artisan and carver and does all the stone works for the palace. He is the Michaelangelo of the Maharajah's Palace . He is also Maya's lover and everyone's dream man. Even Tara had a crush on him when she was a child with no worldly concerns like marrying into the "right" family. I don't really know what kind of clothes Jai will be wearing for the Royal Wedding but it will not be just loin cloth / sarong for sure.RAJ SINGH- A most handsome prince. He loves Maya but will only marry Tara. A philanderer and a hedonist, he spares no expense to acquire all things pleasing to his senses. The palace, their clothes, the furnishings will all be testaments to his expensive taste and his lavish lifestyle. (Really tough trying to find fully clothed pictures of Raj and Jai on the internet. Guess people think they look better without. Anyhow, this is what I managed to find: