If you have ever loved action
figures, you will love Brad Jensen’s designs.
He loves to showcase beauty and strength in female characters and has
created a number of beautiful dolls based on action figures– Xena®, Callisto®,
Fire, Water, Rose in Chains, and that Viney Vixen, Poison Ivy®.
“I
primarily work with heroines and villains – glamorous action figures. Strong, yet beautiful. As a child, I had the Bionic Woman®.”
”Gabrielle”® and “Xena”®
The
dolls are gorgeous and apparently many agree.
His “Viney Vixen” recently placed third in Barbie® Bazaar Magazine’s
1999 Bazaar Make-over Artists Awards (BMAA) in the Celebrity category.
When asked about his inspiration
for the green villain, he says, “I have this strange response to Batman
movies. I don’t especially care about
trying to capture Batman® or Robin®, but the temptress is greatly intriguing to
me. Poison Ivy® couldn’t be
ignored. I especially loved the play of
color when I did Viney Vixen. She was a
personal challenge and is still one of my most labor intensive dolls. Watch out!
Catwoman® is on her way!”
“Viney Vixen”
Brad
has been formally customizing for about three years, but like many customizers,
started creating outfits for his dolls at a very young age. His mother taught him to sew when he was in 4th
or 5th grade, and his cousin Kristi taught him how to french-braid
hair. Shortly afterwards, he sold his
doll and outfits – his very first doll sale!
He
went on to study for an Associate of Arts from Phoenix College, and explored
architecture for a year and a half before deciding it would take too long to
get his degree. He then went on to get
his Cosmetology license. “I had always enjoyed working with hair,
whether on a doll or a person.” But he
says, “There was something about being constantly close to people that I really
felt uncomfortable with… I like my own personal space too much to be constantly
in their faces with makeup or hair. My
dolls don’t squirm, talk back, or cry when I cut too much off. I like that.”
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