When a life-like doll resembling Angelina Jolie surfaced on Ebay last September, many people asked who created it.
The miniature doll and Jolie were eerily similar. The doll had Jolie's tiny mole above her right eyebrow, the shape of the eyebrows were perfectly curved, and the plump lips, seductive eyes and even the nose were spot on.
Only Jolie's tattoos were missing but they could have been included for an added price.
When bids ended and the 16 1/2" doll sold to a private collector in Europe for $3,500, it made worldwide news. Bloggers on the Internet were abuzz about the doll's resemblance and the hefty price tag.
And front in center of the attention was the creator, Filipino-American artist Noel Cruz.
"It was validation of what I do because it received so much attention," he said to the Asian Journal.
The 48-year-old Cruz, originally from Manila, was already well-known for his life-like renditions of celebrities on dolls, sketches, and portraits. Noel has made dolls based on actors Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Farrah Fawcett, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, among many others. Cruz's life-like hand-painted works have become so popular that doll collectors from all over the world have purchased his custom repainted celebrity dolls for an average price of $700 on Ebay. Cruz said he sold a Cher doll for as much as $4,000.
The self-taught artist started out with portraits before finding the world of repaints, a term used to describe artists who paint over original doll designs to make them appear more realistic.
"Repainting is about infusing life into a piece of plastic to make it look really realistic," he said. "When a collector looks at the doll, they know what it took to create it."
Starving Artist
When collectors look at Cruz's celebrity dolls, they only see the finished product — the doll's accurate resemblance to the celebrity, the meticulous shading of the eye, the pupils, crafted hair, custom outfit, and perfectly manicured hands and pedicured feet.
What they won't see is all the hard work that Cruz has put into the doll. Not just the hours sitting behind his work desk or the "five to seven" days it takes him to finish a celebrity doll, but all the years of struggle leading up to where he is now.
Cruz arrived to the U.S. about 20 years ago, lost, broke and — more importantly — without the proper paper work to get a job. He was an undocumented immigrant who had left the Philippines so he could reunite with his wife and young son, who were already in the U.S.
"I was desperate coming here," said Cruz. "I was young, in my mid-20's. My wife and son were gone. They were in the US. I had to follow them."
It was a tough time for Cruz in the US. His self-esteem was low. He put his artistic passion on the side, creating portraits and other artwork for close family and friends while he worked a series of odd jobs to support his family.
When he received his green card, he went back to school to further his education and a new career path. He graduated from Cal State University-Bakersfield in 2000.
Repainting
Cruz encountered repainting dolls by accident. He said he was trying to locate a certain doll for his wife, an avid doll collector, when he ran into a repainted doll on Ebay.
He decided that he could do better.
"It's like painting a portrait," said Cruz. "Instead of a flat canvas, I was working on a three dimensional surface, or, in this case, a doll's face. It's a smaller space only two inches in diameter, but that's the challenge. That's what got me started."
Prior to his career as a repainter, Cruz and his wife collected dolls as a hobby. In their home in the Orange County suburb of Fountain Valley, pricey dolls pose inside glass cases.
They were collectors partaking in a multi-billion dollar worldwide industry.
Each year, manufacturers such as Mattel and others produce more than 100 million dolls a year. There are dolls of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, Vivien Leigh as Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, and Orlando Bloom as Legolas in Lord of the Rings.
Collectors hunt down special editions of Barbie's or other similar dolls. Some collect out of nostalgia to reclaim a part of their childhood. Others collect as investments (some Barbie's and dolls sell for over $10,000). Most people collect just to display the doll in their home.
But the sheer volume of dolls Mattel and other companies manufacture means production and a uniform look. Some don't even look like the actor or actress they are supposed to resemble.
That's where repainting comes in. Cruz starts with a factory doll, and then removes the painted makeup, hair, and clothes. He studies photos of the actor in question before meticulously repainting the figurine using acrylics.
According to Cruz, some collectors would rather buy a repainted doll than a manufactured one.
"They consider this as a piece of art work," said Cruz. "It's not children who buy these repaints. It's for the serious collectors. They consider it as a piece of art. It's not just a doll or piece of plastic. It's like an artist putting his own rendition or stamp on the doll that's why this is embraced by collectors."
And collectors have embraced him. In the past eight years since starting his career as a repainter, Cruz has sold "well over 400 custom painted dolls."
More importantly, he found his niche. After all those years of struggle and sacrifice, he's finally found himself and pursuing his passion.
"Looking back at all these years, I've come to terms with myself," he said. "I finally arrived as an artist and have people accepting me. I've gained that societal embrace."
Cruz said that his goal is to one-day make custom made dolls.
Joseph Pimentel is a writer for Asian Journal.
Photo by Asian Journal
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