New Doll

And finally -The New Enchanted Rubenesque!

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Well, it's been a long wait and a lot of work, but it was all worth it. I am very pleased and excited to finally unveil to you my new curvaceous doll - The Rubenesque!

 

Now, before I hear another word (!!!) about how she is not technically, and I quote "fat enough" to be called a Rubenesque, please allow me to point out that the dictionary definition of Rubenesque states that it is: "Plump or rounded, usually in a pleasing or attractive way". Now, look at the comparison of my two dolls and tell me that she is not pleasantly rounder than my other doll. I rest my case. She IS a legitimate Rubenesque.

She is also slightly taller than my first doll. The feet are the same size though, as are the hands.

I haven't had a lot time or space to photograph her in a variety of poses or settings because my studio is filled with stacks of books and boxes right now, but sometime this week you will get to see more of this doll. In a brand new head ornament I made for her. It's pretty awesome. You'll see.

This very FIRST Rubenesque doll will be available for sale from the Strychnin gallery at the end of the month. More information and pricing coming in the next post.

So, tell me. How do you like her compared to my slimmer doll?

Like her, love her or, dare I say it, hate her?

 
 
 

The most beautiful porcelain hand I ever made!

in ,
 

I made this hand for my test doll. I'm convinced it's the most beautiful hand I ever made. You see, I don't just pull a hand out of the mold and fire it, I manually shape and sculpt it to make it more expressive. Unfortunately, expressive, tiny hands are virtually impossible to mold with the rigid plaster molding method. So, they have to be very simplified in order to be mold-able. Therefore, each hand undergoes significant re-sculpting and remodeling in the post-molding period.

I separate the fingers, define the knuckles and establish the bending angles on all the fingers. It's ridiculously tedious and I hate doing it, while simultaneously loving it. I estimate that it takes me 2-3 hours to make one hand from casting to painting, or 4-6 labor hours+ 12 kiln firing hours for a pair of hands for one doll.

This hand is the pinnacle of my achievement. Just wanted to share it.

The Enchanted Rubenesque-New body model for Enchated Doll

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Surprise! I've been secretly developing a new body prototype for the past 5 months, and now it's nearly ready! It feels so good to get that off my shoulders. I've been bursting at the seams with this news for weeks, but couldn't tell you until I knew it would work. This is partially the reason I've been mostly absent from the web lately. Between this and the book and a couple of other really challenging new projects, there was no time to chat. Now, allow me introduce you to the rough master model of the Rubenesque!

Definition of RUBENESQUE

:

of, relating to, or suggestive of the painter Rubens or his works;

especially

:

plump or rounded (figures) usually in a pleasing or attractive way

<a

Rubenesque

figure>.

Her figure is inspired by the fuller feminine form of classical antiquity, painting and sculpture. Of course I also stylized it to suit my own aesthetic preferences and to add a touch of surrealism. I've been wanting to make this body shape for a long time, but things kept getting in the way and I'm so relieved to have finally done it.

When I sculpted my first, slim body model, I sculpted all the parts and joints separately, gauging the desired movement of the ball joints without ever stringing them together and testing how them move until they were already painted porcelain parts. The reason is that all the parts were made solid, without thought out hollows and at the time i didn't have a drill to drill them out and string them. It was a risky, arrogant and kind of a stupid thing to do as I had to fix a lot of mistakes postmortem, but the doll turned out alright in the end.

This body though, was a lot more thoroughly designed and modeled than the first one. I had spend a lot more time tuning every part to fit just right and to move like silk. I'm also loving the new shape. She is lovely.

I didn't think I'd finish it before summer, but it's starting to look like I just might. I'm already doing china painting trials on the first parts!

I know it's hard to judge properly at this early stage, but what do you guys think about her?

Blank Porcelain

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A handful of hands. I never usually have this many blank pieces all at once, as each doll gets cast, sanded, painted and strung individually, but since I've mostly been too preoccupied with the book to complete a doll lately, these unpainted parts have accumulated over the past few months. Soon, they will become dolls. A couple of these will become Echos, while one of these heads will become the latest show doll for the exhibition at the Strychnin Gallery in May.

Oh which one, which one will it be, I wonder?

Annual birthday contest postponed to next year.

in , , ,

Dear Enchanted Doll Fans,

Time has ran away from me again. :( I had my hands so full the last 6 months, that I didn't notice my birthday creeping closer and closer. I very much regret to inform you that the 4th annual ED Birthday contest has been postponed to next year due to time constraints.

I apologize, since I know that like me, many have been looking forward to the contest. The Enchanted Doll book has taken a lot out of me, and combined with other commitments, I just couldn't come up with a contest theme in time.

I am very pleased to say however, that the Enchanted Doll book is nearly all printed and bound, and should arrive here in about 2 weeks. Just in time for my birthday! We have started emailing those who purchased it with rates on shipping. If you haven't received an email with shipping information, just hang on, as we will likely get to you soon.

In other news, I am working on a brand new doll for an upcoming (May) show at Strychnin gallery in Berlin, Germany. Stand by for more details. Right now I am nervously biting my nails while I wait to see if the crazy new head ornament I've spent over 150 hours designing and milling for it is going to work out. We shall see, we shall see...soon.

 

The Enchanted Doll grand prize

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..For the 2011 Birthday Contest Winner!

The grand prize doll Lily has been completed and will be shipped to its new owner this week. Amal, please let me know you're in town and confirm you shipping address.

This still frame animation depicts some steps in the painting process of Lily, showing how it starts out and it's final look, but there are other steps between the layers that aren't shown, such as firings, of course. This head was painted in 3 china layers and 3 kiln firings. You can see how each layer fades after each firing, and has to be built back up to gradually intensify. It's a one step forward, two steps back kind of process.

Due to the unique transparency and non-drying characteristics of china paint, which require multiple firings to set, the painting process is driven and defined by the two conflicting targets: To paint the doll in as fewer layers as possible to minimize the number of firings, while simultaneously achieving the ultimate feature shapes, vibrancy and depth of colors.

After years of practicing china painting, I've finally come up with a suitable analogy to describe its multiple characteristics: China paint is like watercolors because it’s translucent; like oil paint, because it doesn’t dry; like digital graphics, because all layers must be kept separated and like ceramic glaze, because it bonds only through kiln firing.

A completed doll face. This one is for you, Amal. Claim your prize!

2011 Traveling Collection Dolls

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Sorry for not posting these shots sooner, it's been all hustle and bustle in St. Petersburg.

Here are the new dolls (or newly finished dolls) that are part of the 2011 ED Traveling Collection:

Cixi

 

Chandelier

 
 

Swan Princess (updated)

Stepmother

 

Cinderella

These dolls (and others) will be on display at the Doll Time International doll exhibition at the Union of Artists exhibition center from June 10th-13th in St. Petersburg.

Traveling Collection 2011 in St.Petersburg

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This is a group shot of my traveling collection, minus Snow White, Prince and Dunyazada, who didn't fit in frame (out of aesthetic considerations). Most of these dolls are mine, kept in my own personal collection for traveling shows, however, there are some new, recently finished dolls such as Cixi, Crystal Chandelier, the Wife, Stepmother (formerly Aisha) and an upgraded Swan Princes with a new face and body (didn't like the old one). A few of those dolls are for sale. Price list and individual photos of the new dolls coming up shortly. Sorry to keep you guessing still, but we're just so busy right at this moment, tying all the loose ends here, in St. Petersburg. We haven't had time to see anything yet, due to the show preparations. Our hotel right across from the Hermitage museum, which is awesome, because that's the first place I want to visit once we're done work.

Stay tuned.