Meet the Artist ~ Rachel McCarthy

What is your name?

Rachel McCarthy, although I use the name goodgirl_arcee also

Where are you from?

I'm from sunny Manchester in the U.K

Age?

I can't possibly reveal that lol! Around the same age as Angelina Jolie....with about as many children!

How long have you been customizing?

I've been customizing dolls for about 16 months.

What got you started?

My daughter started watching some of the video tutorials on Youtube, and I jumped on the bandwagon! I'd sit and watch them with her, and eventually had to have a go.

What types of customs do you do?

Monster High dolls, Ever After High dolls, Disney Animator dolls.

What sorts of mediums do you use?

Pastels, Watercolour Pencils, acrylic paints, polymer clay.

Are there any products you just can’t live without?

I can't live without Mr Super Clear and my unison soft pastels.

What is your most favourite custom that you have made?

Hmmm, that's pretty difficult because I have a soft spot for each doll. My favourite though, is probably my Tragic Tales version of Alice.

What is your least favourite custom that you have made?

Definitely an early Poison Ivy doll I made. I will remake her at some point!

A lot of beginners get so frustrated when their customs don't come out the way they want them to, and often compare themselves to their favorite artists and give up. Can you show us your very first custom?

My first custom was an old neglected Bratz doll I found in the kids toy box. I didn't have any of the proper sealant, pencils lol. I'm surprised she came out half decent.

What is your most recent custom?

Ariel, the Little Sea Creature is my most recent doll.

What is the worst injury you’ve had from working on customs?

Nothing too bad thankfully. Although I regularly stick myself with the rooting tool

Who/What inspires you?

The other wonderful dolly artists on IG and FB - Fairytales, Films, Books......pretty much everything around.

What projects are you currently working on?

More Tragic Fairytales dolls, Swap dolls, other top secret stuff!

Do you have any odd habits while working on customs?

Well, I listen to a lot of music whilst I work on my customs. If a reroot is taking a long time, I can't help but pause every so often, and dance the dolls head around in time to the music - just to see how good the hair looks when its flapping around lol. It's quite hypnotic!

What types of art do you enjoy?

John William Waterhouse, Brian Froud, Stan Lee, Charlie Adlard ( he's lovely - I got my Walking Dead comic signed a couple of years back ).

Do you take commissions?

Not currently. My young children are quite demanding at the moment. Maybe in the future though.

Where can people see your work and contact you?

I'm on FB - Childlike.things

IG - @goodgirl_arcee

sketchclub.com - goodgirl_arcee

Do you have any favorite tips or tricks?

Lots of practise - never give up! Derwent intense pencils - they hold a point better than the watercolour pencils ( although I use both )! I always pop my dolly head back on the body before the face up - it prevents the sealant cracking around the hole where the neck fits in.

Any Advice for people just staring out?

Many of the video tutorials on Youtube are very helpful - I highly recommend watching as many as possible. Also, a set of good pastels. My first set were really cheap and didn't give off colour very well. Sometimes spending a little bit more really does give better results