CDHM The Miniature Way
Dollhouse Tourism, Page 4
August 2010, Issue 7
Dow Chemical Company, producer of polystyron plastic, stepped up to fill the void. After initial public resistance to the new material, plastic became the go-to substance for toys after an intensive advertising campaign.
From the 1940s through the 1960s, Marx, Superior, Jayline, Jaydon, Renwal, Plasco and Ideal took the dollhouse market by storm. Plastic pieces of furniture in lithographed metal houses graced little girls' rooms everywhere.
Renwal pieces are among the most sought-after collectibles today. With parts that were textured, had drawers or moving parts or special production pieces that were hand-painted, they were the next best thing to handcrafted works of miniature art.
Today's world has come full circle. The 21st century offers an amazing array of materials and tools at an affordable cost for talented artisans to recreate their world to a scale of their choosing - even as small as 144th!
Scraps of erstwhile trash become clever miniature accessories and furnishings. Blocks of plastic clay are transformed by clever fingers into amazingly detailed replicas of elaborate foods. Sheets of wood, already planed into the proper thickness for multiple scales, become period-detailed pieces of furniture.
Tool companies specializing in tools fine enough for miniature work are eager to assist miniature artists on-line or even common lumber yards frequently offer full-scale tools that can double for miniatures work.
Combining old-fashioned ingenuity and new-fangled availability, the sky is the limit for today's crop of miniature artists. Is there a modern or historic treasure perfect for your collection just waiting to be found in the CDHM Galleries?
Next stop, South Africa!!
Custom Dolls, Houses & Miniatures / CDHM