The grinding chamber!

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No, that's not a title of a campy horror flick, though blood does get spilled in there from time to time.

I finish my metal works in that invaluable little glass 'room', which contains the heavy dust and metal shavings until they get sucked up into the extractor. Before I got this baby, I would loathe the thought of doing metal finishing, as my desk and my whole studio would get very dirty and dusty, but since I got this chamber for my debris extractor, the cleanup is minimal and working conditions are safe. I love safety.

I bought the main plastic shell online, and then extensively customized it to fit my needs better, adding side walls and leather flaps. The problem is that it's plexy glass and it's starting to get really scratched up by all the high velocity debris flying around in there, and once it gets too cloudy to see through it, I'm going to have get a new one and customize it all over again.

Luckily my little grinding chamber still has lots of hours on it, which reminds me that I've gotta go back 'in there' and set some stones into the cone for the upcoming show doll in Berlin. Stay tuned for the pictures in a few days!

Wax carving for a Berlin show doll

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This wax model is fresh from the CNC machine. I've got about 18 hours to hand carve additional detail and definition, and then it has to be rushed off for molding first thing tomorrow morning. I may or may not get to sleep tonight. My intention with this design was to create a look of embroidered brocade fabric. This project caused a lot of head ache for my CNC specialist, as we've been fighting with it since January. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he hates me. Although, he probably wouldn't take on this job if he did. :)...

And now it seems like it's finally coming together. I'm so excited about it, that I feel giddy, almost drunk. Or maybe it's all that caffeine I've been guzzling to keep going... I really do hope that it will mold ok, then inject ok, and then cast ok. Still three unknown variables remain, and there is so little time left to mess around with it, that if one of those variables doesn't go as planned, it will seriously jeopardize the whole thing. Having now crossed the point of no return, there is really nothing else to do now, but to plow full steam ahead and hope it wasn't all for nothing.

 

US Book Tour!

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Friends! I've got some great news for you!

News number One: The 4th edition of the Enchanted Doll book is being released this summer! It's being published by Baby Tattoo Books, in Los Angeles!

News number Two: I will be promoting the upcoming book in person and showing my traveling doll collection with the Baby Tattoo Books roadshow May 13-21st in 6 US cities; Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City, Albuquerque and Phoenix!

Wow, I'm so excited! These are the dates for each city. Exact times, venues and other details will be announced soon. There will be other amazing artists too. Come and see us. On the Baby Tattoo Books roadshow!

Monday, May 13 - Las Vegas ( 7-9 pm at Trifecta Gallery)

Tuesday, May 14 - Salt Lake City (7:00 - 9:00 pm at Night Flight Comics)

Wednesday, May 15 - Denver

Friday-Sunday, May 17-19 - Kansas City (Spectrum Live)

Monday, May 20 - Albuquerque

Tuesday, May 21 - Phoenix

New Doll for an upcoming show at Strychnin Gallery!

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This is a concept drawing for a new doll I'm currently working on. It's been in the works for almost 4 months and I'm very excited about it. This piece is for an upcoming show 'Kingdoms of Twilight and Magic', which opens at Strychnin Gallery in Berlin on May 10th. In just about a month from now.

And this is a partial 3D model of the cone headdress. It's still being programmed into the CNC machine for carving, and I'm a little apprehensive about how it will turn out. The reason I had decided to use a CNC carver for this, instead of hand carving it myself, was the amount of minute scrolling details, which I did not think I could carve very well.

Next week this cone will (hopefully) be ready for the moulding stage, then casting...and then I can show you the whole doll. Quickly cross your fingers for me, and will this cone to come out ok. Thank you.  

New breast sculpt for a Rubenesque model

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I caught a lot of flak from a bunch of people for giving my Rubenesque doll smallish breasts. The argument was that they simply had to be more voluptuous on that body type. I strongly disagree with that line of thought and prefer smaller breasts for my dolls hands down, but still, I decided to make a larger chest for fun and for art. After all, I thought, why not?

And then I made it, and realized why not. I'm afraid it only reaffirmed my initial aversion to this aesthetic. They are not bad, but I can't say I'm interested in pursuing this direction much further than this. However, I will keep this bust around as an option for those who do like it.

What about you? Now that you see them made, do you still like them?

Riding in Big White

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Chad put together this short video of our trip to the Big White winter resort with a couple of our friends, earlier this year. This little reminder of the good times on the slopes, will help us get through the summer and until the next riding season. I'll miss you, snow.Chad and I are on boards, and our friends Nate and Theresa are on skiis.

100 famous people from my home city - And it turns out I'm one of them!

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Hey Folks! I got this book in the mail the other day, called "100 famous people from Novokuznetsk City", and it turns out I'm in it along with 99 other individuals of significance, such as artists, writers, athletes, journalists, politicians, scientists and war heroes!

Holly molly... War heroes. How on earth did I make it in there? I mean... I'm only a doll-maker...And still, I feel deeply, incredibly honored to be included in the history of my city. I'll keep making you proud, Novokuznetsk!

And the Winner, of the 2013 Enchanted Doll birthday contest Is.....

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Drum rrrrrrolllll..............Ta-daa! This lovely card, hand drawn by Irena Mikolajeva, from England!

Congratulations Irena, we began this contest with 425 entries, and your card was randomly selected from the best 5 that made it into the final round! Your prize is a costumed resin doll seen below! Come and claim it!

And this is the winner's prize! She is a resin Enchanted Doll, with a removable mohair wig, green glass eyes, two-piece printed Echo costume and a pair of enameled bronze shoes. Enjoy having her!

Thank you again to all the participants for your entries and your birthday wishes. I really enjoyed all your cards. With the winner selected, I now declare this contest closed.

Until next year, everyone!!!

 

Birthday contest finalists!

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Ladies and Gentlemen!

It's my birthday today, which means the contest is over and today I will be giving away a doll to one of the finalists! The winning card will be randomly selected from these really awesome cards, four of which are entirely hand-made while one is vintage. Stand by for the announcement this evening! Good luck to the finalists!

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Birthday contest elimination round 5

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Hey folks, five more cards below have been eliminated from the remaining ten. We are down to five best candidates now, and from this point on it's going to be random elimination, as choosing is getting too hard. It was very hard to eliminate these ones. Thank you very much for taking a part in this contest, you guys! Good luck next year.

This porcelain card is fantastic. I'm impressed with all the work that went into it, and the back is very well done. Eliminating it was a difficult choice. Great effort. Thank you for making it for me, Virginie. Good luck next year.

Love the presentation of this card and the image. Thank you again, Karla. Good luck next year.

I love the nostalgia this card makes me feel. Thank you for the blast from the past, Anton. Good luck next year.

Lovely photo. Thank you, Bertha. Good luck next year.

Love the fold out aspect of this one and your creative solution to the size restriction. Great work. Thank you, Maria. Good luck next year.

Thank you all again! 

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Birthday contest, round 1: Top 50 candidates!

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Dear contestants, sorting your post cards for two days had given me some serious wanderlust! From 425 entries, the top fifty (50) have qualified to move into the next round of the competition. I chose the cards that made me feel longing, nostalgia and wanderlust most intensely. I also judged them on a sense of aesthetic, presentation and meaning. The rest of you who didn't move into the next round, you have my sincere thanks for participating and for making an effort. You guys surprise and inspire me!

In no particular order (yet) are the 50 contenders for the grand prize of Enchanted Resin Doll!

I love these because...I always wanted to go to the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, and ride a camel. One day I will. Thank you, Paula. (USA)

This one makes me want to walk through that dark door at the top of the stairs. Thank you, Kait. (USA)

This one is very exotic and alluring. I love Alphonse Mucha and I can feel the sun and the glam of a Monte-Carlo beach at the turn of the century when I look at it. It captures the vintage post card spirit and the beginning of the jet-setting era. Thank you!

This post card is different, but I really like the way it's rendered. The pen strokes are lovely, expressionist and the landscape is surreal and chaotic, like our imagination. Original artwork. Thank you, Aleks. (England)

That's what I call traveling in style. Makes me want to cross a desert like this. Print of original artwork. Excellent presentation of a hand-made card. Thank you, Karla. (USA)

I've always wanted to visit the castle of the legendary count Dracula. I hear that Romania is a land of fairy tales and horror stories, and really wonderful people. One day, I will visit and get to know some of them. Thank you, Mihai. (Romania)

Love this vintage card from the old USSR and what it means to the person who sent it. I'm amazed that you would give me something so precious and dear to you. Thank you, Anastasia. (Russia)

This card messes with my mind. Looking at it, I feel like I'm on planet Pandora. I doubt it's real, but I want to go there anyway. Thank you, Maia. (Sweden) 

Another beautiful card that calls me to visit and gets me all dreamy. Thank you, Maria (Bulgaria)

Holographic cards don't scan well, but I feel like I'm almost there, launching a lantern into the dark sky myself and feeling its warm glow on my face as it slowly lifts away from my outstretched fingers. Thank you, Joy. (Taiwan)

At first glance, the image on this card is unremarkable. It's what's written on the back that makes it profound. This is a family home left behind in pursuit of other dreams, to be visited only as an occasional guest. The furtive and awkward angle of the photo, taken over some shrubbery, suggests a secret glimpse of a longed-for place that's been forever consigned to the past. Just out of reach. Very moving. It makes me think of the places and people I left behind in the course of my life. Thank you, Anya. (Russia)

I'm not much of a beach vacationer as I don't really like relaxing very much, but this looks just so wonderfully relaxing, that I can't help myself but feel relaxed all over. I can practically feel the soft sand dig compress under my feet as I walk into the water. Thank you, Aya. (Philipines)

This Original Artwork card is fantastic. Another trifecta of presentation, detail and narrative. I love the woman traveler in her elegant adventure-suit. I identify with her. The vintage, slightly Seampunkish look is very well captured. The back is pretty impressive too. Thank you, Irena. (England)

This card is porcelain! The back is also quite remarkable, so much so, that I can't say which side I like more. Original artwork. Love the effort and the result. Thank you, Virgine (France)

This awesome card folds out into an old parchment map of the Azores Islands! I feel like a pirate sent this to me from a deserted island with all his treasure. Original Artwork. Creative presentation. Thank you, Maria (Portugal)

Oh the romantic vision of Africa, the land of adventure-seekers and explorers. This card paints it well in a warm, nostalgic, promising light. Thank you, Ronel. (USA)

This delightful, embroidered card captures the spirit of vintage travel cards perfectly. Back of it is cool too. Both creative and excellent presentation of a hand-made card.

Thank you, Rebecca. (Canada)

This one, is very atmospheric. It makes me want to put a pack on my back and walk all the way to the top. Singapore, Thank you, Joyce.

This one gives me a glint of the colonial past of Hong Kong, before the glass towers began gutting out from the lush cliffs. I feel like a time traveler. Hong Kong. Thank you, Bertha.

I love Thomas Kinkade's idyllic, magical landscapes. I can feel the cozy warmth radiating from that little cottage. I can smell the sweet wood smoke wafting through the cold air from the chimney. I swear, that if only I manage to get close enough to peek through the lattice window, I will see a steaming apple pie cooling down in a warm, rustic kitchen, and hear the muffled sound of indistinct voices coming coming from somewhere in the house. I long to walk through the little green door, but no one can ever cross that bridge. It's but a fragile dream of paradise and we're standing on the other side, wanting to come home...Thank you, Zainab. (USA)

This is how they imagined Moscow of the 23rd century in 1914. It's a picture from the past of the future, but I think that ultimately, it describes the past more that it does the future. And yet it already looks kind of like that, minus the blimps. Soon though...Thank you, Yulia. (Russia)

This one is so Nostalgic. Colonial era Vietnam. I can feel the heavy Saigon heat in the morning. What is it about Westerners that makes mementos of colonial South East Asia so alluring to our imaginations? Thank you, Michael. (USA)

This one makes me want to go on a 'round the world voyage. There is so much of the planet to explore! Thank you, Robin (USA)

This card is just so awesome...This simple and whimsical illustration captures the great Northern beauty of wild forests and rolling hills, and the spirit of adventure and comradery. The distance is rendered so compellingly,  that I feel like I can walk into that landscape and keep going beyond the horizon. Thank you, Malin (Sweden)

At first glance I can't tell if this is an ice castle in the arctic, or a cool dwelling in some hot country, but I want to walk up that stairwell and find out. Thank you, Francis (Canada)

Beautiful card. Reminds me of the grandeur of St. Petersburg and makes me want to see it again. Thank you. (Russia)

Simply a beautiful card. Thank you, Julie (USA)

Although this is not a picture of a place on the planet, this card does make my imagination soar. It inspires me. Thank you, Martin. (London)

My scanner didn't do this holographic card any justice either, but when I look at it, it looks magical there. One day I will visit this place. Thank you, Beatrice. (Taiwan)

Love this vintage card of the Neuschwanstein Castle. It's classic gorgeous and it pushes my emotional buttons. Thank you, Fayann. (USA)

Venice is already a magical place, but this card is making it seem otherworldly. I don't know if this is a print of the sender's original artwork (let me know in comments), but I want to step into that square and dance all night long. Thank you , Gabrielle. (USA)

This card is simple, lovely and well laid out and presented. The artwork is original. I like the raised, textural relief on it, that makes the painting pop off the surface of the paper. Thank you, Laura (Portugal)

This is another embroidered card that I had to include. I love the raised relief and the color gradation on this one. But most importantly, it makes me want to go there. Thank you, Lotte (Netherlands?)

This card makes me think of my favorite quote by Paul Bowles from "The Sheltering Sky" novel. It's a little sad, but it makes me appreciate every single sunrise. Thank you, Sophie. (USA)

"Because we don't know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even that. How many times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless."-Paul Bowles.

This one is mystical and mysterious because the bottom of the valley is hidden. Makes me want to cross that sea of fog and emerge on the castle island. Makes me want to go there. Thank you, Anna. (Russia)

I want to go swimming there! I can practically feel the heat of the sun and the coolness of the water when I look at it. Italy. Thanks, Salvatore.

This one brings up memories of road-tripping in Italy. Our car got literally stuck in one of those narrow streets once. Thank you, Lucia. (Italy)

And this is my neighborhood a hundred years ago. It's very trippy looking at it like this. Today the docks are gone, the Maples lining the street are old and huge and my building presently sits at the very end of the row of houses in the conifers. On my lunch breaks, I cross the street to sit on the beach. The rest is the same. Thank you, Marci (Canada)

Always wanted to go to this place. Looks incredible. Thank you, (other) Yulia.  (USA)

Wish I had an atrium full of plants like that. Thank you, Chiara. (Italy)

Mystical place. Beautiful Card. Makes me want to go to the Amazon. Thank you, Amy. (USA)

I love severe Northern beauty. I long to stand at the end of the world like you did, and stare out into the Bering Straight. We flew over Chukotka and the Bering Straight on our way to Beijing, and all I saw down there, was hundreds of miles of desolation. I couldn't look at it enough. Thank you, Olya. (Russia)

Northern lights are a part of that severe Northern beauty I love so much. They literally take my breath away. I had the privilege of observing them once not far from Vancouver, which is pretty rare this far down south, and I never thought I'd see them here. The sheer scale of them was awe-striking and frightening. Ethereal sheets moved gently above our heads and jutted vertically into the invisible thickness of the atmosphere, marking its height with green glow. I couldn't sleep until the sun came up. It was one of the happiest nights of my life. Thank you for reminding me, Linda. (USA)

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but it's an interesting travel post card idea to paint a picture and create an atmosphere by describing it. I like it. The description of this place gives me the chills. Thank you, Carolyn. (Canada)

My eyes want to eat this card and I feel a surge of endorphins just looking at all the colors. Thank you, Anda, for this feel-good card. (Thailand)

Love the original (and creepy) take on the travel card idea and the inverted light-on-dark color scheme. The story on the back makes it complete. We're all drawn ghost stories and haunted places. Nicely done. Thank you, Irina. (Estonia)

This card is blast from my past. This image is has a symbolic power to any Russian of mine and my parent's generations and it represents the cheer of New Year's celebrations. I can practically smell the fresh pine and my mom's holiday baking. Thank you, Anton, for this precious reminder of the bright moments from the country of my childhood. ??????? ??????? ?? "?????? ??????"...(Russia)

I love the presentation of this card (parchment envelope with calligraphy and a wax seal), the attention to detail (hand painted stamps and postage water marks), and the narrative of this card (Around the world in 80 days). This is a trifecta of solid art work. Original art. Thank you, Kate. (USA)

You nailed it. I think it's always winter time in the Land of Enchanted Dolls. Print of original artwork. Love your presentation. Thank you, Christine. (Canada)

The ornate doors of this card beckon one to open them and walk through. Great combination of photo and original artwork with interactive elements. Thank you, Mai. (USA)

And there you have it, folks, these are the top 50 candidates. Thirty of these will move forward into the next round tomorrow. Thank you all for participating. Your cards have given me a wonderful opportunity to reflect and contemplate. Congratulations to those still in running and good luck. 

Enchanted Doll birthday contest is closed!

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Ladies and Gentlemen, I declare the 4th annual Enchanted Doll birthday contest, closed! The grand prize, a costumed resin doll will be given away to the winner.

Thank you very much to all participants for your efforts. Although I kept the contest open for extra 4 days to wait for card stuck in mail limbo, it is still quite possible that not all your cards made it here in time. I apologize for not being able to wait much longer, but counting must begin. No more cards will be accepted. Chad and I are sorting your entries to choose those who will pass the first elimination round. The next few days are going to be intense, as every day I'm going to eliminate more and more entries, moving closer to the winner. This information will be announced here.

Stand by for the next round and Good luck!