Product Description
8 1/2 x 11 350 color and 300 black-and-white illustrations US Distribution craftsBrilliant doll artist Susanna Oroyan taught dollmakers the world over how to create figures with depth and imagination. Now she focuses on designing their presentations-from costumes and accessories to furnishings and embellishments!Finishing the Figure shows readers how to use several easy design elements to enhance a doll's figure presentation while reflecting a reader's own unique style. Covering every aspect from pattern drafting and the basics of costuming to settings, photography, and beyond, this innovative resource is packed with scores of step-by-step instructions, hands-on illustrations, and insightful tips that make each phase of the process easy and effortless. Plus, over 300 brilliant photos of dolls from the world's top doll artists give readers the courage to experiment, expand, and create dazzling new techniques of their own!Covers everything from pattern drafting and basics of costuming to photography and beyondFeatures step-by-step instructions and over 300 gorgeous color photos of dolls from the world's top artistsSusanna Oroyan is an expert dollmaker, author, and authority in the field ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Top notch book!
What a fabulous book!Nothing to complain about with this one!Definitely glad I bought it.

Finishing the Figure
Excellent book for the doll maker or any person that appreciates beautiful dolls and amazing creativity. It includes information on everything from making clothing patterns for your dolls to creating displays for them, with tons of information in-between. I also highlyrecommend"Anatomy of a Doll" and "Designing the Doll" also by Susanna Oroyan.

Brilliant ideas for well rounded dolls
I design and make dolls! Having said that, I find Susanna Oroyan's books the bibles of "how to" when I am stuck for an idea or when I need to figure out how to make something work in my design.

Finishing the Figure offers both wise and practical advise on how to dress and finish a doll. IF you want to know about costuming, shoe making, hats, period costume, display, scale of furniture or objects to be held by your character it is all covered and very well and throughly here.

Ms Oroyan offers suggestions on how to judge scale and what you just might have to learn and do to make the item yourself, be it chair or display.The pictures of dolls are wonderful, creative and idea inspiring! The adviseis just what you wanted, be it information on an antique costume or a display suggestion.

I keep this book along with Anatomy of a Doll and Designing the Doll within reach at all times!

Beautiful Images
Great images, something for a dollmaker to aspire to.....

I own all of her books, highly recommended!

yes! yes! yes!
this is a fantastic book that every doll maker must have. many tips and techniques on creating professionally finished dolls. has easy to read and follow step by step instructions with diagrams. one of my most valued doll books. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Great but not perfect
I love this book. It is a good beginers guide. I used it along with a commercial pattern to make my first outfit. Granted it was not exactly like an original item from the time period, but I still got a lot of compliments. This book really helped me. I am currently working on my second project and I took hints right out of the book. If you are new to sewing and want to make a great costume for a festival, highschool theater production, or even Halloween consider this book.

Outstanding for the beginner or Theatrical Costumer
This book is great for beginners, or those who want to recreate the generic impression of Elizabethan costume for the stage or renaissance festivals.

The sections on converting modern patterns into period shapes is very useful for beginners and those who don't have much experience in drafting patterns.

This is a great starter book, then graduate to Janet Arnold and The Tudor Tailor.

I recommend this book
If you want to be a Princess in the historically detached fantasy world of the North American Renaissance Faires then this book provides easy to understand instructions for newcomers to create their dazzling costumes. For the serious costume historian seeking to pinpoint pitfalls and historically inaccurate costume cliches, look no further.Here they all are gathered in a single volume.

Either way, this book should find an honored place on your bookshelf.

Undeserved Reputation
While I am, as a historic costumer, extremely disappointed in this book, I would say that both its good and bad reputations are undeserved.The drafting and construction instructions are horrible - true. However, the first-time Fairegoer, beginning sewer, school play's costume department, and those interested in the look without the substance should find this useful.This is NOT a book for anyone interested in accuracy, variety in research (HOW many times will I hear someone tell me that their gown is of "dead Spaniard color"?!), or correct cutting and wearing of the clothes.In short, this is a book for making costumes, as opposed to working garb or reproducion garments.

Caveat emptor.

Utterly Disappointing
I bought this book because I'd read so much praise for it, from its pattern drafting instructions to its historical accuracy "with a few minor errors".I was so disappointed that I decided I'd rather pay the cost of return shipping than have wasted my money on this.Except for very simple garments, the "drafting" instructions are "First find a [modern] pattern that fits and..."Furthermore, far from having a few minor historical errors, this book is littered with them.I would be very hesitant to use anything from it without confirming in another source.This book is not for anyone serious about historical clothing or who thinks they might become serious in the near future.These costumes might be OK for a first time costumer/reinactoror someone who was casually attending a faire without planning to get serious in it.It would also be OK for stage.For those reasons, I rated it a two.However, for a casual user or first timer, I would suggest a web search instead; they would find similar or better patterns for free in many cases.

I would suggest possible buyers try some of the other books listed in the "Listmania" or "So You'd Like To..." links.This one was not worth the price of admission. ... Read more

Product Description
Explains the primary steps in costume design, planning, and construction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not as good as their previous effort
When I finally found this book, I was hoping for a resource as wonderful as their ELIZABETHAN COSTUMING book.While it's got good information in it, I found the some of theillustrations and multitudinous typos to bedistracting.It's also rather dated -- in their section on corsetry, theyadvise purchasing a corset or alternative -- such as a longline bra ormerry widow.We've come a long way, what with the proliferation of patterncompanies specializing in period costume!However, this is a good book forsomeone who is just starting out in Victorian Costuming. While theillustrations appear to have been done in a hurry, they are quite clear,and they do give a bit of a "Reader's Digest" version of what wasgoing on in the time period and how it related to what you'll be making. The instructions are clear.However, it's not as comprehensive as theirElizabethan book. ... Read more

Product Description
Volume II, Book 24.Beginner dance technique/steps.Tongan instruments/costumes.Choreography for "Ko E Hiva Tau" with coconut implements. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Exotic dances of Tonga
This was a poor photocopy paper that wasn't that informative.The cover and back pages were not even a heavier stock that the other pages.Several Google searchs would have gathered more information.What a rip off. ... Read more