Who wouldn't want to see America Singer in toothpick doll version wearing her signature blue gown she wore on her debut on the Illea Capital Report?
After I created a toothpick doll version of her first ever day dress when she arrived at the palace, it inspired me to make another America Singer toothpick doll looking regal and princess-like. I might actually make more Americas in the future since she wore a bunch of outfits in the whole series and add to that her signature outfits on the book covers of The Selection, The Elite, and The One.
But apart from being the main character of the series, she's my favorite since she's got the personality I can probably relate to in some cases. She's a little introverted (I think), doesn't have a lot of friends, likes to do things on her own, may be a little stubborn, and likes to remain grounded despite all the fancy opportunities offered by living in the palace. But she also has some characteristics I look up to. I definitely admire her strong will, bravery, and sense of justice. I admire how she tried to fight for Aspen even though it means she'll go down a caste and defying her mother's dreams of her marrying a caste higher. She was ready and she was determined to do all things for Aspen. It may seem reckless and impulsive in real life for a teenager because that's literally giving up the comfortable life you've been born into in exchange to a lifetime exhaustion of physical labor and starvation. But she doesn't care.
I also admire how she wants to be her own self every time they dress her in fancy gowns and accessories. She doesn't want to stand out too much although she unintentionally does, why not? She's got both charms and character.
I tried to copy the cover of The Selection to emphasize that this is America Singer, in her signature blue gown. I thought of using actual mirrors on the background but I figured it might not work the way I expected so I opted for photoshop for the reflections instead.
"Anne, Mary, and Lucy took extra care in dressing me. The gown was a deep blue, hovering near purple. It was fitted through my hips, and fanned out in satiny smooth waves behind me. I couldn't believe I was touching something so beautiful." -America Singer: The Selection; Kiera Cass
I had a deep blue-colored thread, but nothing close to the 'hovering near purple' as Kiera Cass described America's gown. So what I did was, I painted the top part of her gown with a sparkly violet nail polish. It gave her gown a subtle shine, which I think is great and it didn't go far from the 'deep blue' base color. I decided to paint the bottom part of the gown with a light blue nail polish to give it a little contrast.
I figured Kiera Cass was thinking of a bodycon mermaid-tail style of gown so that's what I decided to follow instead of the ball gown used in the book cover. I debated for about a couple of days whether to follow America's description of the gown or the one used in the cover, but in the end, I followed the excerpt from the book.
"Button after button was fastened behind my back, and my maids put pins bedecked with pears in my hair." - America Singer: The Selection; Kiera Cass
Here's the back part of the toothpick doll. I'm not really the type to use tiny beads for the illusion of pearls on her hair. It's not that I am against using beads though, I just don't think beads can fulfill my satisfaction and I think they would stand out more than I intend them to. I used glitters instead...from a glittery nail polish. Yes. I had to pick one glitter to another and stick it on America's hair. It was tedious though, and even if I might have had cross-eyes during the process, I don't regret doing so.
Speaking of her hair, I gave her an updo hairstyle this time. Why not? She was wearing her debut gown for the Capital Report, and we want her gown to stand out. Giving her a half updo or a braid would only throw the gown in the shades since her red hair is already eye-catching. It might not be obvious in the photo, but I tried to give her some twisted hair strands to give her a little style and not just the old plain updo bun.
"They added tiny pearl earrings and a necklace made of wire so thin and pearls so far apart they looked like they floated on my skin, and I was done." - America Singer: The Selection; Kiera Cass
Here's her front view close up shot. I gave her an off-shoulder simply because of America's description. Her necklace floated on her skin, which only means she didn't have a high-neck gown. I know I could've given her a wide neck top but I think it doesn't suit her so I ended up with the off-shoulder style. I also used the glitters from the glittery nail polish I used on her hair for her necklace.
Here enters why I didn't use tiny beads. The beads, tiny as they are, would still stand out on a toothpick doll. They would seem big and would would be distracting since the dolls themselves are pretty small. The beads would be bulky and distracting in a way that you would notice them first before the gown itself. So I opted for subtle material which was the glitter just to give that hint of shine without catching all the attention.
I didn't give her earrings since I had to cover her ears with a few strands of her hair that's been left to drop on the sides of her face.
I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome though. It came out the way I imagined her gown was while reading the book. Although I couldn't say it's also the way Kiera Cass imagined America's gown was, and she might disagree with me. Nevertheless, I'm still proud of the result.
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