Among other things, I am grateful this year for my dolls. It’s hard to put into words what makes these resinsouls so important to me, except that they have opened up a whole new world to me. This was my first thanksgiving as a vegan and since I was kindly invited to a decisively non-vegan dinner with my brother’s girlfriend’s family, I decided to take it upon myself to bring a few things myself. Shiro and Lia wanted to help!

I made German Potato Dumplings (Klöβe or Knödel), which is a traditional part of our family’s holiday dinners. These were by request of my brother. Lucky for me, they’re also vegan.

And even better, they come in easy-to-buy ready-mix format, since it can apparently be quite hard to keep dumplings from falling apart if you don’t use eggs in the recipe.

I used three of these, two of the “bavarian” style and one “shredded.” They’re essentially the same thing except the “shredded” has more texture. I also mixed in a grated organic raw potato for good measure.

After adding 6 cups of water, lots of stirring ensued. Shiro was eager to help with this. Then, we had to wait 10 minutes for the dough to thicken.

While that was happening, I made up some of my never-fail nutty vegan bread. It’s essentially organic whole wheat flour, organic canola oil, organic brown sugar, walnuts, a bit of pumpkin pie spice, and a tiny bit of baking powder.

Lia helped with this one ^^

While the bread was back in the oven, we returned to the dumplings.

The next step is to form the dough into balls. This was my first time going solo on making dumplings so the shape isn’t quite as perfect as what my mother and grandmother make!

Shiro helped me set up the giant pot of salt water, in which the dumplings are cooked. It took quite a long to boil.

The bread is done!

Here comes the hard part: getting it out of the form in one piece! When it didn’t want to budge, Shiro decided to use harsher methods of extraction.

It worked… mostly!

As Lia points out, the bread broke in two. Perhaps it should’ve been baked longer, or maybe I should have let it cool more before trying to get it out. Better luck next time!

The damage is hardly visible from the top.

Shiro wrapped it all up, ready to go to dinner!

The water finally decided to boil, and the dumplings got added. When they rose to the top of the water, I fished them out.

Done!

Time to go to dinner!

Looks almost like a painting, doesn’t it? It was a lovely dinner. I would have liked to take more pictures but I didn’t want to disrupt the familial atmosphere ^^

This year, I am thankful for…

1) the love of my life. Sometimes dreams come true <3

2) my family and my friends, many new and several old.

3) my dollies (and figures). See above ^.~

and so much more…

Happy Thanksgiving!

L’Homme de Vitruve – Leonard de Vinci. Vers 1490

Unoa Sist & Lusist
Owner : Anlegy

Asleep Eidolon Lian Rong
Owner : Nikki

Volks MSD F-18
Owner : P’ Dawin

Lati Yellow Lea
Owner : Poppy

Luts Event Head 08

Ange Ai – Uri
Owner : น้องเติ้ล

Ange Ai – Uri
Owner : Monaedolly Shop

Ange Ai – mari
Owner : Monaedolly Shop

Ange Ai – Hani
Owner : Monaedolly Shop

Peak’s woods Goldie
Owner : Plepuff

IpleHouse has released the new Noctarcana Circus doll Yur- Astrologer. The doll is cast in Special Cream White resin and comes with general or mobility body and smaller or larger bust. Extra resin parts included with the doll are Chimera cat head, animal hand parts, tail, high heel feet, and acrylic eyes. Options for the doll include face-up for human and/or cat head, blushing for animal parts and/or hands, outfit, wig, and enchanted eyes.

IpleHouse also has released a basic version of EID Chase, the last Noctarcana Circus doll. He is available with regular or mobility body and with Model or SuperHero build. He is cast in normal or white resin and comes with acrylic eyes. Chase can be optionally ordered with face-up style A or B. During the Christmas event, he will be shipped with a random wig as a gift.

To see the rest of Today’s BJD News, go HERE.

Interview continues with Doll Stories…

What do you want people to think when they look at your products?“She’s beautiful!” I want people to feel happy to see a new doll of mine for the first time, in person. Gasps—those are the best!

What do you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years?
We want to produce a male and female body, and more heads. We want to release our line of clothing and accessories. We also have specialty display cases in the design stage.

I would also like to attend more doll shows later this year. I dream of opening a shop in nearby Philadelphia one day.

What sorts of things do you enjoy the most about your designs?It’s just the best feeling in the world to make something, then find that other people like what you’ve done. I also like it that Kirya is true to the Asian aesthetic for this type of doll.

What’s the best thing about designing and selling Asian ball jointed products?
Making these dolls is pure bliss. Every stage of it. How amazing to design a doll in this style… then see it cast, with a faceup. It’s a lot like bringing a child into the world! Making something from nothing: that’s the best.

What’s the most difficult thing you’ve discovered about designing and selling that you never knew before you started?
How demanding the process is of your time. It’s imperative to watch out for pitfalls, such as demands on your time that eat into dollmaking time… and working slowly. When your product is based on quality and beauty, which is the Asian aesthetic for these dolls, profit can disappear in the search to fulfill those high standards.

Who would you love to collaborate with? Are there any designers/sculptors that don’t currently work with your company that you’d like to work with in the future?
The question should be, who wouldn’t I like to work with? Their are so many luminaries in our business! One person who comes to mind is Bimong from Narin Creative. I would love to study at his school.

I would also love to work with Kyante from Musedoll. For me the excitement would be in observing and learning from one another. I learned how to set up my sandpaper from looking at photos of Kyante’s workspace!

I have only met a few sculptors of Asian dolls. I hope to become closer to other sculptors in the future, but we live so far away from one another. It is difficult being in America and so isolated from the majority of doll sculptors.

DollStories is now working with an artist who does mods, and joint design. I’m excited about this partnership, since the joints for our type of doll are difficult to make. There is a high demand for innovation in this area.

Why choose doll design as a form of Self Expression?
I love that doll sculpting is an artform that is on the boundary between commercial art and fine art. Also that when you sculpt a doll’s head, you are expressing an aspect of your own soul. It is so exciting to see what comes out of your own hands and fingers.

How long does it take from start to finish on a typical doll/head (from concept to selling it on your website) to create and complete?
Well, our first head took a few years, since I could only work sporadically. But I learned so much from that experience. I anticipate our next head will only take a few months. It’s nice doing the second one, because you can re-use things like the ears, neck, headcap—you don’t have to create them all over again.

Have you noticed any real changes in the doll industry since you started your business? If so, what have they been?
Just the sheer number of doll companies and dolls that are available now, as opposed to 2005 when I first learned of them.

I have noticed the boy dolls becoming more muscular. And of course, there are more large dolls than before. Also, face types go in and out of fashion… it’s hard to describe in words, but it seems faces with a “sharp” expression have been in style for the past few years.

What sets you apart from the other doll manufacturers?
We are one of the few in the US, so in that respect DollStories is unusual.

Our Kirya sculpt has a special complexity to her face. When we have more heads, I think people will see that they fit together as a “family”, and every family is unique!

We will be offering some unusual accessories in the future. We’ll also be offering some very original custom dolls that will include…. electronics. I don’t want to spoil the surprise by saying more!

What do you think is the most exciting thing about the doll industry?
The industry is so new, and it’s exciting to see change happen so fast. It’s gratifying to see the number of collectors increasing in the West. I’m glad that the Asian aesthetic is growing in popularity in the US. To see someone carrying a bjd in an American shopping mall—now, that’s exciting!

Is there something that is still difficult for you to do? What is the most difficult for you to make?
It is difficult to sand the inside of the ear to make it smooth. I want my ears to look realistic, and don’t like to oversimplify them. I think the “shell” of the ear is very beautiful. Nostrils are difficult for the same reason!

I am not mechanically minded, so the process of creating body joints is difficult for me. For that reason, I am working with another sculptor for our new bodies.

How do you feel about people modding your sculpts?
I love it! I recently saw a modded Kirya head. Two people worked on it by mailing it back and forth between them. They actually improved the sculpt. They gave her a row of tiny, sharp teeth and made her scary; almost insectile. When people make modifications, they are showing you what they consider improvements to your sculpt… it can be valuable feedback.

Now, there are some sculpts that I consider to be perfect. In my opinion, no one should ever modify a vampire Woosoo, for instance. You can’t improve it! The closed eyes are so beautiful… I hate it when people open them.

Do you consider current trends when sculpting a new mold or do you follow only your inspiration?
To some extent, I consider trends. In 2005, when I got involved, many BJDs had large eyes. Now I see more dolls with smaller eyes, and I am reflecting that in my next head.

As long as I follow the Asian style, though, I find inspiration to be endless. Sculpture possibilities within the subject matter of the human face are as infinite and diverse as snowflakes.

How important is customer feedback to your creative process?
It is of the utmost importance. Knowing that people are happy with your dolls is the key to success in our business.

How large is your facility and how many people work for you in producing the dolls?
We are small. Currently I have one other person working for me in sculpting and casting, and another who helps with administrative tasks.

What do you hope to achieve as an artist and company that would set you apart from everyone else?
In my future work, I hope to achieve innovations in the artform. I will be happy if DollStories can become a well-known Asian-style ball-jointed doll company in the United States.

Closing Comments (anything you’d like to tell us)?
I live and work outside of Philadelphia, with my two-year-old daugher, Lily. I adopted Lily from Vietnam in 2007. One of the greatest challenges is to get work done when you have a toddler in the house! But I hope that one day my daughter will be interested in learning to make dolls, too.

Thanks Glenna, for sharing with us!

I finished  the sweater for Monty. It is cute (pics not loaded yet lol). He is not sure of it, but it really hasn’t been cold enough yet and when I took the pics, he was trying to sleep. I have started my xmas list. I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew there…we will see LOL.

I also have started a sweater for SD sized BJDs. I hope to be able to start creating more items to sell in my Etsy shop; custom or off the rack, either one.

Mom got me a lovely set of circular needles by Hiya-Hiya. I love them! They are interchangable circulars from sizes 2-8. She also got me a US000 circular by Addi, very helpful for knitting dolly clothes.

I decided that since I really seem to lack inspiration lately that perhaps committing myself to a 365 day challenge would get my creative juices flowing. I will blog my photos daily, they will be of my toy collection. I will try and photograph a good variety of items, not just my dolls but anime figures and other toys as well. I also have enough of a variety of stuff so that I won’t photograph anything more than once, it will definitely make me focus on some of my less photographed stuff.

Photo 1/365- BJD- Little Fee- Ante

I took all of my bjds (true bjds, I am doing a DD outing later in the week) out for a shoot today and I decided while I was taking this picture that I would start this project up.

Outdoor shooting is lame at this time of year. All the trees are bare and everything is starting to look dead and ready for winter. But this fall has been fairly mild so far and we’re still waiting for snow to finally cover all the dead things and make everything white and sparkly for awhile. Nevertheless, Magnolia put on her little white booties and red dress today and explored my backyard for a bit.

<3

In other news, AFA09 is this weekend and I’m eagerly watching all my favorite blogs for updates! Kodomut posted some amazing pictues of World is Mine and BRS– the two biggest figures on my preorder that I’ve been waiting SO LONG for (curse you, delays!). World is Mine looks especially beautiful, although BRS is my heart and soul (she is the figure that got me into figure collecting!). Otherwise, AFA looks REALLY awesome and I just wish I could be there. Alas, I’m a lone figure collector stuck up in the frozen tundra of VT.

However, I hope to be at Anime Boston ‘10 in the spring and Otakon ‘10 next summer. Anyone going?

Barbie– the monstrously popular doll of the 20th century!

As a child I owned a cabinet-full of them, but I could never really fall in love with her and I actually preferred to play with my animal toys.  Barbie was too… plastic, she didn’t have enough detail or value.  She’s preteen “corporate,” she’s “american,” barbie is “the woman.”

BJDs, on the other hand, are quickly becoming the new, modern beautiful doll in trend… and I must say that they are frankly a hundred times more stunning and well-made than Barbie ever was.  That, and they cost 25 times as much.  =/  Ball-jointed dolls are customizable, posable, more life-like, and larger.  They are also made by hundreds of artisans in all kinds of different molds!   Maybe I should add that they are Asian – and Asians are known for pushing achievements to the next level.

So out of curiosity, I’ve decided to do a bit of research to compare Barbie proportions with BJD proportions and normal people.  Barbies are approximately on a 1/6 scale, and the standard ball-jointed doll is about 1/3 the size of a real person. Using those proportions, here’s the estimated measurements in inches if the dolls were to be real:

BJD vs. Barbie proportions

“avg american” data taken from this site

Pretty interesting, huh?  I see that Barbie’s chest-waist ratio is more extreme than a BJD’s; though the newer generation is still not exactly realistic in size.

Thoughts?  Introspection on culture, trends?

Sewing a Barbie Pattern to a BJD

This is something I’ve been waiting to do since BEFORE I acquired Senna! =)  My generous grandmother bought me Barbie clothes patterns back in July, and now I’m undertaking the transformation of pattern scaling to make Senna her first real girl clothes.   The blue dress she had before is now too big for her.

Simplicity 4719: these patterns are so small, they could not fit all of the text onto the pieces! XD

Scaling -  I found that Senna’s measurements are approximately twice as big as Barbie’s, so I remade the dress pattern.  The really cool thing about doll clothes is they’re so simple; it is intellectually refreshing to see shapes and curves reduced into basic pieces that are very easy to understand how to fit together. And, the pattern doesn’t even call for lining or a zipper :O

Okay, so I ended up doing a lot more modifications to the pattern than “2x” to make it fit her– partially because I was lazy about getting accurate measurements, seam allowance, etc.  I also ended up lining the bodice with fleece to tone down the NHO, and added fabric in the skirting for modesty with this slightly transparent calico fabric. =)

Although I threw this together too quickly and didn’t even add a fastener in the back, Senna was SO happy to finally have a real dress…..

That she was willing to STAND ON ONE LEG for me for a full ten minutes!! BJD owners out there know that this is incredibly tough for their dolls to perform.

Actually, my original plan with this fabric  was to make a life size dress of similar style.

So… audience participation time! What’s an appropriate price for a custom-made dress of this pattern? I have received feedback that my prices should change – any suggestions on this? I will take what you give me on this one! 

*For some really interesting facts about Barbie’s history, I’d recommend checking out her wikipedia article.

edit: I have received ~5 comments on this, and not one price suggestion for this dress! =/

Your name: Glenna Hartwell
Your Company Name: DollStories
Your Website: http://www.dollstories.us
Method of Payments Accepted: PayPal

How did you get involved in the doll industry?
My tremendous admiration and love for Asian-style ball-jointed dolls led me to get involved in the industry. Like some other fans of BJDs, I had seldom played with dolls as a child. I had no interest in creating “regular” dolls.

I first discovered BJDs in 2005, and fell head-over-heels in love with the art form. Almost as wonderful as the dolls themselves was the culture surrounding them. I was astounded at the vast collectors’ community that spanned the world. These strange dolls with their alien-like beauty, so on-the-edge artistic, and so unlike anything I had ever seen in the US, had an amazing group of people following them. I loved the fact that the community was comprised, itself, of so many people in the arts; graphic designers and photographers abounded. It was like coming home.

I had little experience as a sculptor, but had always been involved with the human face as an art form. I was working as a graphic designer and creative director for a large company, and was looking to start my own business to get away from corporate life. A desire grew in me to meet the challenge of creating a doll in this subtlety formal Asian style.

When did you start? Tell us about your company.
I began sculpting Kirya in 2006. She began as a lump of Super-Sculpey jammed onto the top of my lava lamp. Since I was working full-time at my “day job”, progress was slow. And since she was my first, I was inexperienced. For reference, I altered photographs of the supermodel Kate Moss, enlarging her eyes and cheekbones. I liked the intensity I saw in this particular photograph of the model. I thought hard about the expression I wanted to see in Kirya. I was thinking about pure beauty, in its essence, beyond sensuality.

The finished sculpt looks nothing like Kate Moss, though!

From the beginning, I thought of my doll as a part of our company, DollStories, rather than as an “artists’ sculpt.” She was never a hobby. I knew I wanted sculpting Asian-style bjds to one day become my full-time profession.

The name DollStories comes from my belief that the face of every ABJD has a story, a history, behind it. These dolls have souls. They’re not just vapid, pretty production faces. That’s why so many adults who collect them believe they’re alive somehow. You look at the best examples of these dolls, and you see a personality there. This essence can be adapted, naturally, to the owner of the doll. But it’s there. And I think that’s where the success of the artform lies.

I wanted each doll to begin with a story. For Kirya, this story is based in mythology. (The DollStories home page has Kirya’s story on it, in the form of a poem about a woman who comes to guide the spirits of fallen warriors to their reward in the afterlife.)

DollStories began with just one head, but we will be expanding. We also have a line clothing in production.

What is your background? Have you had any special schooling (art school, sculpture, painting, etc)?
I began my career as a portrait artist. I worked as a street artist, later studio artist, in Cape Cod from May to September for five years, while studying painting at The Cape School of Art under the impressionist painter Henry Hensche. Later on, I received my BA in fine arts, with a graphic design specialty. I have extensive experience observing and painting the human face; facial anatomy, etc.

I have also worked as an illustrator, creating calendars, book covers, and greeting cards. In my corporate job I have done a lot of medical illustration. I think that practice helps build the love for detail needed to make a good face sculptor.

Why dolls? And why Asian Ball Jointed Dolls?
I love the style and sensibility of Asian-style ball-jointed dolls. They are realistic, yet stylized. They are like creatures from another world, with a charisma that demands they be photographed and shared with others. There is something about the style of Asian ball-jointed dolls that reminds me of ballet: the most beautiful form of dance. These dolls are the most beautiful form of figural sculpture. They can be childlike, yet sensual; cute, yet fierce or horrific… the possibilities in these contrasts are compelling, both as a collector and as a creator in this form.

When you were a child did you ever work on dolls or create with similar things?
I’ve always drawn people, bodies and faces. Never sculpture, though. I did have a fascination with building dioramas, which seems to go along with the hobby.

Do you have any other interests that might have helped you in your development of customizing ABJD (like customizing other dolls, action figures, etc)? Please tell us about them.
Painting portraits is good grounding for dollmaking. It’s great for training the eye to reproduce accurately from reference. The habit of observing faces is great inspiration for a dollmaker. I guess I’ve done, literally, miles of portraits of people! It’s helped me to be able to understand expression… what changes it… the musculature around the mouth that, with one tiny alteration, can make someone beautiful, or handsome, innocent-looking, sneering, etc.

The professions of portrait painting and medical illustration are also good ways to develop patience, perfectionism, and the ability to be still for long periods of time. Very necessary as a doll sculptor!

Do you have any other interests? Collections?
Yes, I have a collection of Asian style ball-jointed dolls, of course. I also collect Re-ment miniatures. I still love making dioramas, and want to do more of that in the future.

Currently I’m practicing with the 3D modeling program zBrush. I’m interested in character modeling for illustration. As a hobby I make jewelry. Glass beads are my favorite thing to make, but I don’t have much time for that now. I also collect old Tibetan painted furniture. I love it—it’s colorful and primitive-looking.

Do you prefer working on male or female dolls? What types of dolls do you enjoy creating most? Why?
I prefer working on female dolls. The anatomy is familiar, and I can “feel” it better as I’m working.

Tell us about your products. What are your featured lines?So far we just have our Kirya head, and a line of clothing which is not on up the site yet. We did have our clothing at Dollectable in 2008. It’s a little high-fashion—not typical for ABJD.

We are developing a line of accessories which are like Re-ment, but with a sense of humor and a dose of darkness.

What products are you most proud of?
Our Kirya head, of course!

What items have been the most challenging to make and why?For me, the most challenging thing to do is to work quickly. I take too long making everything. I was very slow fulfilling my orders last year because of the excessive time I took to do faceups.

Also, the insides of the ears are difficult! They are challenging to smooth! For the future, my big challenge will be learning to do my own casting. I had a partner last year who was our casting technician, but he has left the company. I decided that it was time for me to learn this part of the business, even if though I will have another person helping. Fortunately, there are many members of the doll community who have been generous in sharing their experiences and knowledge of the mold-making and resin casting process.

What inspires your company?
Simply, a love and respect for this art form and for the work of other sculptors in the business.

Interview continues… soon! Keep your eyes peeled on Doll-Lite for Part II.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Orissa Assembly lost almost its entire day again on November 19 as anti-farmer motive of the ruling Biju Janata Dal obviously disallowed its legislative wing to support the Opposition demand for obituary mention in respect of farmers of Orissa that are extinguished through suicidal termination of life in the battle against adversity in agriculture.

Farmers’ suicide in Orissa is precipitated by the adverse agro-environment that the State has been subjected to due to Chief Minister Navin Patnaik’s blind ally with industry.

The party of his sycophants has bared its ugly face even in the Assembly as under its leadership the House of Representatives of the people of Orissa, when at least 80 percent of them are small and marginal farmers, has refused to stand up in respect for the brave ones who preferred to end life than staying away from producing food for fellow beings through farming.

Orissa Assembly will forfeit its relevance if it does not endeavor to honor the sufferers whose contributions to food productivity the administration has failed to recognize.