From Manila to Monroe to Mom

Noel Cruz of Unmasked Faces

By Lisa A. Lawrence

Reprint from Doll Show Magazine Fall 2002

Born and raised in a poor family in Manila, Philippines, Noel Cruz had only the rare and precious toy to occupy his time.   At age ten, family financial pressures forced him to go live with his aunt in a small, sparsely furnished apartment in the city.  Having nothing to do, Noel immersed himself in books and his aunt’s old magazines.  Captivated by the beautiful women’s faces in the magazines, as well as being surrounded by the beauty of the Philippines, Noel quickly let his imagination soar.
 

“This was when my interest in drawing really started.” Noel stated, “I began to realize the beauty of drawing faces. I remembered the sense of joy I felt at my first drawing of a woman's face (a Miss Universe contestant). The thrill of being able to render her likeness, albeit a rough one, was intense for me. The paper and pencil became my best friends. From then on, I never stopped drawing. I tried drawing nature as well, but I it didn't give me the same sense of gratification that drawing faces did.”  By age 16, Noel was helping to support his family by taking commissions for portraits.
 

Thirteen years ago, Noel’s wife, Emma, started collecting Barbie® dolls.  As they appeared on the fashion doll scene, Gene® and Tyler® were added to the collection.  In shopping for a Gene® for his wife, Noel accidentally stumbled upon some Gene® repaints.  He was captivated! “My wife encouraged me to try my hand at repainting.” Noel stated, “Being an artist, I felt that this would be an exciting prospect, as I could utilize my artistic skills, using Gene's face as my canvas, and at the same time I would be able to create a unique Gene® collection for my wife.”

Noel was astounded at what repainted dolls sold for on eBay®.  From the beginning, he felt he could compete with these dolls.   Noel listed his own Gene® repaint with a $75 reserve.  It didn’t sell. After studying other repaints for a month, he redid her face.  This time, she sold for $162.  Since then, Noel has sold every doll he’s listed on eBay®.  Typically, his repaints now sell for $400 on up.  Asked if he still studies repaints by other artists, Noel replied, “Oh, yes! I think that an artist only really truly grows by being inspired by other artists. They have provided me with the inspiration I needed when I was first starting to repaint, and they still do”
 

While Noel repaints Tyler® and some Franklin Mint vinyl dolls, his preference is Gene® because “her head is very subtly molded which allows for a wider range of flexibility in repainting.”  From conception to finished product, Noel’s repaints take him from 3 to 6 days.  Doing the hairstyle alone can take him take anywhere from several hours to a
day, depending on how simple or complicated the hairstyle is.  As Noel stated, “[Being able to create hairstyles] actually came as a surprise! When I first tried it, I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. Fortunately, with the help of years of experience as an artist, having drawn/painted
several different female portraits with different hairstyles, I have unconsciously gained insights that I only realized when I started styling doll hair.”

 
 

When doing one of his famous celebrity repaints, Noel scours books, magazines, celebrity websites and even watches old films for added inspiration and help in giving authenticity to little details.  He also does research for his original dolls when attempting to recreate an historical hairdo or makeup.  With fantasy dolls, it all comes from his imagination.  While Noel has been inspired to recreate, among others, Bette Davis, Jane Seymour, Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, Lana Turner and Greta Garbo, much to the delight of his fans and theirs, his current interest is in capturing the essence of his late mother in a doll.  “I've always thought that my mother had such grace and beauty, especially as a young woman” Noel stated, “And recently, I have been inspired from looking at her photos to create a repaint of her as a tribute to a wonderful person.”

While Noel is well established as a repaint artist, he takes nothing for granted.  Asked about future plans, he wasn’t sure if the market for repaints would remain stable.  In the meantime, Noel loves the emails he gets from customers and those just wanting to comment on his work.  He considers these to be even more meaningful than the remuneration he receives for his dolls.  Although currently living in California, Noel dreams of the day when he can return to the Philippines with his wife and son and have a “really nice, decent house.”  Most likely, when this happens, Noel’s “Mom” repaint will be given a place of honor.

You can see more of Noel’s fabulous repaints at his Unmasked Faces website: www.ncruz.com