Elle Piccolo
Portrait Artist/Doll Sculptor
P.O. Box 65253
Virginia Beach, VA 23467

757-963-7510

Email: epartdol@hotmail.com

Little People
Currently Available

About Elle

Elle Piccolo has been sculpting "little people" since 1996, but she has been an artist since the age of three.

A self-taught portrait artist, Elle (pronounced "Ellie") is originally from Louisiana. She grew up in St. Louis, then began painting portraits while living in Michigan.

Elle loves the added depth sculpture allows her to create. "The freedom to fashion faces in three dimensions is amazing," she says. "I try to make my 'people' look very human. Their eyes, mannerisms and facial expressions must be just like those of actual people. I want them to look as though they're going to speak to you."

As well as creating dolls from her imagination, Elle makes portrait dolls from photographs. She becomes so attached to her "people" that each one of them has a name. In her spare time, she recreates her favorite movie stars in miniature.

Elle Uses a Mixture of Clays

Piccolo uses a combination of Cernit and other polymer clays to make her one-of-a-kind 1-inch scale "little people." The mixture of clays makes them resemble porcelain, but is much stronger. By mixing clays, she is able to achieve a wide range of skin tones. She sculpts people of all races and ages, but particularly enjoys sculpting older people, because their life experiences add interest. "The statements in older people's faces make them more challenging," she says.

Elle's attention to detail is apparent in the expressive faces and realistic positions of her dolls. Each face is sculpted, not molded, and Elle paints them by hand.

Many of the elderly "people" Elle sculpts have gnarled hands and wrinkles; this adds to their realism. Elle dresses her dolls in appropriate fabrics and creates leather shoes for them. "You can't achieve the realism I'm looking for with painted shoes." She also creates all the accessories that come with her dolls.

Elle is an IGMA Fellow

In 2003, Elle attained Fellow status in the International Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA), a judging body for miniaturists. This is one of the highest honors a miniature artisan can receive.

Elle sells her dolls at several miniature shows each year, by mail order and over the Internet. Her dolls are collected by people around the world.

Elle loves sharing her skills with others. She teaches doll-making classes in her hometown and at miniature shows. Sculpting class schedules and prices for the "little people" can be obtained by email.

Little People Currently Available