These tiny babies look real, but they are dolls.
Lying cradled in an adult hand, these dolls look very life-like with their rosy complexions and heads of soft-looking hair. Made of soft polymer clay, they are fashioned in various positions, that range from curled legs to hands thrown up in the air, and even yawning. All are depicted sleeping.
Created by a doll sculptor who introduces herself as Camille Allen, she is based in Canada, according to her website. She came up with the idea of these miniature babies when she had a bit of left-over clay from making a larger-sized doll. The first miniature baby she created gave her a "feeling of protectiveness and fascination."
And she has not looked back since.
Most of her dolls are crafted with their own unique looks, and each feature fine details right down to the wrinkles on their skin and thumbprints that make them look very life-like.
The artist revealed in an interview with mid-day.com that she loved babies and have studied their anatomies, coupled with hours of practising, to get her work right.
Her work has been featured in exhibitions all over the world, from New York to Dubai, with collectors and buyers who snap them up for different reasons. Some obtain the one-of-a-kind babies to add to their art collection, while others such as grandmothers get these dolls as gifts for their own daughters who are about to become mothers themselves.
The baby dolls, which are sold as one-of-a-kind, limited artist's editions, or unlimited, have generated quite a bit of attention. Most of the collector items - dolls which are produced only once, have already been sold. They range in price from US$99 to US$3,000, and can be ordered online from the artist's website (www.camilleallen.com).