About the Dolls
I've been making dolls since 2005. You can read my biography here. Bellow I'm sharing my process of creating the first porcelain BJD Monah, which happened in 2011 bringing DollEssence to reality.
Creating porcelain dolls is one of the most interesting things I've learned in my life. The several steps necessary to create a doll, each one with its own degree of difficulty, were very useful to help me realize that there is nothing in this world impossible for me to do, as long as I am dedicated and patient enough. I knew most part of the material necessary to create the dolls would have to be imported including porcelain slip made especially for dolls, as it is not possible to find it in my country, but this was not enough to discourage me. Taking learning as the fuel to the long way I had still to ride, I dove into books, internet researches, pictures observation until I felt I could finally start creating a doll. And it was only one year after it all started that my dream came true... Follow the pictures bellow to learn more about how I created my first porcelain doll:
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It begins with Sculpting, something I had already been doing for 5 years, "this will be easy" - I thought. But sculpting an articulated doll demands a lot of research and study and not only talent or gift but also technic!
Click the pictures on the rigth to see the details of the creation of the first doll, the BJD prototype, in polymer clay: |
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Mold Making was the next step and the first big challenge. A lot of study, researches, time are put into mold making. Not to mention the big mess it is to work with plaster! During the mold making creation I also studied about Wax as an attempt to make better molds. It was also a wonderful journey and a great discovery! After many trials and errors I finally learned how it all works and the 12 molds of my first doll were created!
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Porcelain for me was the most amazing and motivating thing to study. I don't know if it is because porcelain was the last material to learn or it has to do with my childhood memories, when I remember being very curious but never being able to touch a porcelain doll as my parents couldn't afford buying such dolls for me. Touching the porcelain doll parts of my own doll for the first time was a real bliss to me!
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China Paint. Several layers of paint is necessary to achieve the right color and translucence. It was on my second try that I created the painting I was aiming for. Although it takes over a week to finish painting a doll it is very rewarding just to know the job will never fade with time or get damaged in any way! China paint is permanent and it will last for as long as the doll exists.
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Assembling. Before assembling the doll I attach leather lining to all the parts in order to improve movement and avoid friction between porcelain pieces. I also like to reinforce each joint internally by adding a strong material inside the joints. The assembling is made with hooks, swivels and steel springs. Every joint has a different spring size and tension. It took me a long time to find the right springs for each joint. Then she is finished and I can create a removable wig made of high quality Mohair.
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