Natalie Scholl is a relatively new Canadian artist in the doll world, but her artistic talent emerged at a very young age.

Natalie has always had a strong interest in babies, particularly young infants. At the age of eleven, she was accepted into a course in porcelain doll making. She was the youngest in the class of women.  At that time, a mold by Boots Tyner, called, “Sugar Britches”, was the doll that captured Natalie’s interest. After completing the course, Natalie made more dolls which she sold or gave away as gifts. It wasn’t long though before Natalie realized her creativity wasn’t being challenged and she became frustrated with the fact that other than changing the paint colours, the wigs or the eyes, the dolls all looked alike. In her mind, Natalie had a clear vision of the look she wanted for the babies but, with limited tools, she had no way to create the babies of her dreams.

Natalie went back to painting and drawing and the doll making went on hold for the next few years. During that time, she focused her energy on completing her university degree.  Her thoughts for the future were on medical school and so she began to acquire a variety of books on anatomy and was completely fascinated.  

Shortly after her graduation, the artist emerged once again and Natalie began thinking about making the babies that she had always dreamed of creating.  A great deal had changed between the time of her first doll course at eleven and her university graduation. She now had access to a wide range of information about dolls via the internet and she had gained a more detailed knowledge of physical anatomy both of which would help her to sculpt more realistic dolls. Natalie spent hours researching her interests on the internet and in so doing, came across what are known as “OOAK polymer clay dolls”.

During her research, Natalie came across a doll making list online that she later joined.  As her enthusiasm for sculpting her own dolls grew, she went to work on her creations. The sculpting came very easily to her and she really enjoyed working with the clay. The first of her life-size newborns came to life. Since then, she has put a great deal of effort into making each doll more lifelike than the last. Natalie always strives for perfection and looks for new ways to improve her work. She takes great pride in the attention to detail that she gives each piece because she knows that that is what makes each one more special and unique.

To see a publication about Natalie and her doll in Discover Dolls, September 2010 Edition, please click here.