Instaweek: How strikingly realistic dolls are made

It seems you’re looking at a retro photoshoot. The girls in the shoot blink, smile and fix their hair. However, in reality… 

The girls are not real. They are puppets made by Mikhail Zaikov (pictured). 

Their hair, eyes and smile look so perfectly real that in the end it’s hard to distinguish these puppets from humans. 

The dolls are made on hinges and are able to move their hands and feet. Clothes, shoes and accessories are made for each individual puppet with designs inspired by the fin de siècle style popular in the late 19th century. 

Thanks to photos on the Instagram page, we can easily follow the process of how a doll is made. First a special material is put on the metal wires. 

Eyes are put in their base, the lips are painted, dimples are indented and flush is added. 

Irina Kuzemina works in tandem with Mikhail Zaikov and handles the clothes and the hair. After the hair, eyebrows and eyelashes are added these dolls “come to life.”

Looking at them will give you a magical feeling.

Every doll has a distinct look; it seems that each of them also has a unique character. 

Video of the doll-making process . (Click on the photo to see the video).

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