Dream Train Of Dolls: VIOLIN OR VIOLA?

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So I need a very special charismatic personage who will be playing my "female" violin. First of all I calculated the size of my future doll basing it on the violin's size. To my surprise the doll's height turned out too big. Since I didn't plan to make an oversized doll but I wanted to keep the realistic proportion I came to the following solution: it will be a viola instead of violin. Viola is 10 cm/4" longer than violin. This difference was quite enough for me to make a smaller doll.

Now when I determined the instrument I started searching the desired prototype for my doll. Actually it wasn't too difficult since the viola is quite a rare instrument. The image came to my mind instantly: YURY BASHMET. He is a very famous Russian viola player well known all over the world. And what is absolutely crucial for me - he has an extraordinary appearance: expressive features, dark eyes, aquiline nose and long black hair. He is the real character. Look at his pictures. Isn't he gorgeous?

I studied lots of Bashmet's photos and found the one which I like most. He has a special cunning smile on it.

I found this smile very appropriate to the unusual "female" viola he will he playing. I decided to portray him at leisure: my Bashmet-doll will be sitting on the chair at the rehearsal break and holding the viola in his arms casually. Like this:

No sooner said than done! I sculptured Yury Bashmet's smiling face rather quickly. His facial features are so strikingly vivid that the portrait resemblance was quite easy to reproduce. It didn't take me long to sculpture this remarkable face. And a month later the doll was ready. I called it "THE DREAM OF A VIOLA PLAYER".