Steampunk Mechanic

A while ago (well many months ago) a good friend asked me to make him a Ferrari Mechanic in the "Steampunk" style.  I was up for the challenge.  My friend is a car aficionado and especially loves Ferrari.  He owns one and has a room that is dedicated to his love of this Italian jewel.

When he asked me to make him a doll that would compliment his collection of Ferrari memorabilia, I started thinking of steampunk and mechanical bits that could be used in a doll!  My biggest challenge was keeping the doll to under 14".  I spent a great deal of time looking at photos of Ferrari for inspiration.  As luck would have it, while in Toronto visiting my family, I found a Ferrari car model in red that would be perfect in my piece!

Once I returned to Victoria in May, I assembled my materials and forged ahead (well I did travel for a workshop before I actually started, but this doll was in my thoughts).

I am very happy with Francesco (the new Ferrari Steampunk Mechanic) and he stands only 12" tall!  He wears a medium blue mechanic's outfit that is complimented with steampunk fabric.  Under his jacket he has a fine Italian Merino sweater and an Italian wool vest.  He sports a brown leather pouch and a black felt cap that has the "Ferrari" prancing horse symbol, of course.  He also wears a steampunk magnifier to help him catch fine details in his work.  His boots are black and brown faux leather with steampunk gears:

A close up of his face (I used doe suede for the doll as it is easy to work with and has a natural "olive" tint that would be ideal for this Italian stallion):

A side view with a good look at his funky hair and his special steampunked eye piece magnifier.  His ball cap is felt with stitching in the Italian flag colours:

 The back of this piece shows the mechanics jacket with "Ferrari" spelled out on his back:

Notice that I covered the platform with "Tim Holtz" steampunk fabric.  I used "Sobo" glue to attach the fabric to the base.  I used "Scrabble" game tiles to spell out "FERRARI" on the base:

 Francesco has a leather pouch around his waist to carry additional tools of the trade.  He is holding gears and his boots are also festooned with metal gears!

 I found great metal tools and tool buttons to decorate his jacket.

I hope my friend enjoys his piece and I hope Francesco enjoys his new home among the Ferrari books and Ferrari models!