Manipulated Barbie Dolls For Sale

Red Barbie For Sale, Chaz Howkins, 2015,
 spray painted Barbie in doll's packaging

Black Barbie For Sale, Chaz Howkins, 2015,
 spray painted Barbie in doll's packaging

Zombie Barbie For Sale, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie in doll's packaging

I decided to place some of my modified Barbies inside a doll's original packaging to make it seem as if they are being sold to children in this state.  They are all quite sinister and inappropriate for children making them stand out in the packaging.  The zombie dolls could realistically be sold as toys for older children, however the doll juxtaposes the labels of the packaging which brands it a 'fashion doll' in its tattered clothing.

Screen Printing Workshop

Screen Print Series, Chaz Howkins, 2015, screen prints

Minimal Zombie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, screen print

I found the screen printing process to be quite time consuming and frustrating at times, though I feel my outcomes were quite successful.  The image I used of a zombie Barbie works well as the ink adds a dark, gritty feel to it, which when juxtaposed against bright backgrounds creates quite a bold image.

The Death of Childhood

The Death of Childhood, Chaz Howkins, 2015, doll attached to canvas

This piece visually communicates a sudden ending of childhood as the doll represents the innocence of childhood, with the stabbing through the canvas representing an incident that suddenly forces childhood to end.  I decided to use a real doll instead of painting one, as I felt it would have more of an intimidating presence, giving the piece a greater sense of reality and making it more hard hitting.

Red Barbies

Red Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, photograph

I wanted to experiment with spray painting the dolls in other colours, I chose red so that they appeared bold and eye catching.

Further Manipulated Barbies

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, photograph

Red-ish Barbies, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie dolls

I used poster paint to colour these dolls instead of spray paint, which gave a more uneven, flakey coverage.  This made them appear less perfect and therefore further from their original form.

Bloody Face Barbie

Bloody Faced Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

I wanted to created a piece in which Barbie appears to be forcing a smile through her pain, so I represented her pain quite literally by smearing my own blood on the doll's face.

White Barbie

White Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

For this doll, I used snow-spray instead of spray paint, which created a more textured effect.  I think the effect is interesting as it makes the doll completely impractical as it feels wet and the 'snow' comes off when touched, rendering the doll useless as it cannot be played with without making a mess.

Faceless Barbie

Faceless Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

For this piece, I used white spirit to remove the facial features of the doll.  I left her clothes and earrings on to make her seem more lifelike, enhancing the eerie effect created by the completely empty eyes.

Further Clay Experimentations

Doll (close up), Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body 

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body

Untitled (close up), Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body

I then went on to create further clay pieces, focusing on creating new heads for the Barbie dolls.  I experimented with comical, oversized heads and felt that this idea had a great deal of potential as using clay meant I could create any shape and then paint it in any pattern.  I experimented with cartoon-like heads and then went on to create sharper, more abstract, coloured forms which strongly juxtaposed the doll's smooth body.