Doll info
About
After many years of working with epoxy clay and mixed media, making fixed figures, we decided to evolve to other materials and ways of expression. We chose porcelain for its nobility, versatility and resistance, and we start to looking for new horizons for our work, specially focused since 2012 into the ball jointed doll's world posibilities.
Our porcelain art dolls are made from our original dolls sculpted on epoxy clay or sculptor's wax , sometimes we sculpt the originals directly on the raw porcelain to make the master pieces or ooak pieces for final dolls. We make our own plaster molds from the master pieces, but no molds are taken from ooak pieces, such in the portrait heads case.
The pieces obtained from the molds, specially hands and faces, are also modified during the cleaning process.
Painting, hairstyling, accesories and costume are made by our selves based on our own designs or on request of the buyer. From those earlier dolls and figures in epoxy clay we still preserve the use of acrylics, lacquers and mixed media details to finishing and embellish our dolls.
Due to the artisanal nature of the dollmaking process none of our dolls is totally equal to another.Each one is unique, a one of a kind object of art.
We hope you find here what you are looking for. But if it is not, please ask and we will make an original custom doll for you.
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Custom dolls
Most of the dolls already sold that can be seen at our facebook page or the old blog, can be made again as similar as possible, always referring to made to order characters. Or, you can suggest a character to make, in which case we will request for pictures or drawings to establish all the details and to make a free estimate for you.
For what is about of our artistic dolls, the characters born form our very heart and soul, we can make, not equal dolls, but similar inspired characters, with different features but the same enchantment.
For custom characters we work over the base of our standard molds: Malena, Lucienne, Maxine, the Pinkies and the 1:12 miniatures. Depending on the model we have standar options for the heads and body . The mold Meiko, the 29 cms. doll , is still available, but for a limited time, since we pretend to replaced it for the mold Malena.
The starting price for a made to order doll is the nude doll price, wich includes the porcelain doll itself, basic skin blushing, face painting, lacquer protection, a fixed wig in mohair or synthetic hair, a sinthetic or natural leather protection at the joints, the assemblage, COA and a stand.
The hairstyling, make up, costume, tattoos, decoupage, body modifications and accessories that could be requested will be added to that starting price.
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Available molds
In this facebook albums you can see the base blank standar pieces for each mold:
Maxine
Lucienne
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Malena
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Pinkies
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1:12 miniatures
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Meiko (for limited time)
Mold Meiko, which has been used since 2012 to 2016:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.714911865233372.1073741858.100001436942309&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.717473211643904.1073741861.100001436942309&type=3
We have options for the heads and body for the girls but male dolls have unique bodies. Some of the heads are unisex.
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Portraits
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The resemblance of the faces with the requested character is made mostly with dimensional painting on a similar head, but if you want a realistic face we can re-sculpt a raw porcelain head, in which case we will add an extra fee to the price of the doll. We don’t take molds from the ooak heads, so each one is truly unique and it will not be reproduced.
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Face dimensional painting
In the scale of some of the dolls, which measurements can vary from 11 to 60 cms. of height, the dimensional painting work is very delicate, involving many layers of translucent acrylic paints and the use of aerographer and very tiny brushes for the details. The goal for this options is to adapt the requested character's features to the chossed head, which countours are not always coincident with the shapes of the desired character, with the use of light and shadows. A wide sort of mediums is used to paint our dolls, acrilics, pastels and cretas. The painting work is finally sealed with several layers of satin UV protector lacquer.
Sculpted ooak portrait heads
The character is portrayed re-sculpting a standard head in the raw stage of the porcelain. Any head poured from the mold can be used as a hollow base form and modified by adding the necessary material or carving the details.
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General doll process
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Our porcelain art dolls are made from our original dolls sculpted on epoxy clay or sculptor's wax , sometimes we sculpt the originals directly on the raw porcelain to make the master pieces or ooak pieces for final dolls. We make our own plaster molds from the master pieces, but no molds are taken from ooak pieces, such in the portrait heads case.
The porcelain slip is made of white porcelain, non translucent, fired at 1245 ºC degrees. Our adult bjd dolls have 18 points of articulation: neck, chest, hips, ankles and wrists are simple joints, while the arms and legs have double joints. The dolls goes from 29 cms. to 55 cms. and are strung with elastic cords or a a steel spring system acrding to its size. The Pinkies are 11 cms. and have only five joints. The joints are protected with sinthetic or natural leather.
The 1:12 miniatures have 6 pieces and are assembled with a cloth/wire method.
All our dolls are painted with aerographer and tiny brushes with acrylics and pastels and sealed with an acrylic satin lacquer for a more natural look.
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Skin colors:
Tan, brown, very dark brown or fantasy colors requires more layers of paint to achieve intense skin tones. Also, these dolls has more layers of protective lacquer to prevent scratches. The lacquer is UV protector.
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Body pieces modifications:
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Any raw piece can be remodeled at the raw stage of the porcelain, or in the soft fired stage for engraved or carved motifs. Also, textures ad details can be added with epoxy clay on highfired pieces, dependign on the wishes of the customer. Each technique involves different times of processing and skill levels, then, prices are different.
Tattoo and paper decoupage:
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An original drawing can be requested to be added on the dolls. The work is made with acrilics, pencils and pastels on the highfired pieces, by hand, with tiny brushes. Several lacquer layers protect the work.
The decoupage technque is made cutting out little motifs from paper napkins, lacquered, polished and then lacquered again. The process is repeated until the finishing is as smooth as the doll surface itself. Both techniques can be combined toghether.
It is not possible to replicate the decoupage motifs of some of the previous dolls , but there are many similar motifs and colours to choose.
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Hairstyling, costume and accesories
Hairstyle
The wigs are made with mohair or with synthetic fibers. Mohair fiber is a natural hair that can be washed, dyed, fixed and treated with products for human hair. It can be curled or ironed, but the use of heat must be very careful, because mohair is much more thin and delicate than human hair.
The wigs are made gluing the hair on tulle by segments and then glued onto the doll's head. We can make a non-fixed wig by request. The hairstlyes, unless we state the contrary, are not glued but holded with elastic bands and sewing threads. Eventually, the hairstyle can be unmade to make another new. Curls, braids, special colors or color combinations, very short hair or other cuts, elaborated and ornamented hairstyles will be priced and added to the base price.
Costume and accesories
For every requested design the process begin with research, sketching, the realization of the molds and the gathering of all the neccesary materials. The clothing for the ball jointed dolls is fully functional, is not glued or sewed to the doll, unless we state the contrary; for the 1:12 scale dolls the clothes are fixed to them.
All the clothing that requires it is fully lined: skirts, capes, vests, dresses. Those made in lighter fabrics or depending on the cut or the type of fabric, are finished with french seams, sealed with heat or with tiny stiches to make them more resistant and durable to manipulation.
The fabrics can be handpainted or dyed, embroidered with beads, pearls, sequins and a variety of threads and ribbons, embellished with fringes, fabric manipulation techniques, metal pieces or lace apliqué.
Because some of the fabrics used in some characters,for example Daenerys Targarien, are hand painted and dyed, they can not be always reproduced with the exact colours and tones of the original ones of the pictures.
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Accesories
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All the accesories are handmade for each doll, even shoes and boots with natural or synthetic leather or fabric. We also use porcelain, metallic pieces or epoxy clay to make shoes, masks and other details for the dolls.
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Prices
The prices can be consulted in each doll section, by following the link to our store or else by private message.
In the case of made to order characters, you can send pictures or drawings to set the details of the work and a free estimate will be made for you.
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Reserves and processing times
The processing time to make a doll, if the pieces are already fired and in stock, is from 7-10 days for blank bjd dolls up to four-five weeks or more depending on the complexity of the requested character and the model of the doll.
Ask for the pieces in stock, if the piece you want is not available it can be made again, but in that case the processing time will be extended for a month or two, depending on the date in which we make our firing. For portrait heads or special pieces is the same cas.
A non refundable deposit of the 50% of the value of the doll is required to reserve a commission.
The rest plus the shipping can be paid in one or two installments after the doll is finished.
Ask for the available dates to reserve.
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Payment and shipment
The cost of the doll and the shipment cost must be made before the doll will be shipped out.
The big new girls are sending only by DHL , which is the only availabe postal service which is expedited, has full tracking and includes insurance. The doll sizes Maxine and Lucienne are very large and heavy, the box can weight from two to two and a half kilos and most of the shipping cost are due to the size of the box needed to fit them. Please ask before purchase for the shipping costs which are not included in the doll's price. They can vary from USD 180 to USD 250 or more depending on the destination.
Shipping of little dolls is made mostly with EMS, which have tracking worldwide. There are more economic options, as Express air mail and Certified Airmail. Certified airmail is delivered with customer signature. Ask for the cost of each option, which varies according the size,weight and destiny. For defect, the normal dolls are sending by EMS, and the little ones, the Pinkies, are sent by the economic options.
You can ask for your desired shipping system and we will adjust the listing on Etsy for you, to reflect the changes. If you don't see your country in the shipment section of Etsy, ask for it and I will include it.
Paypal is available.
Care and warranty
The dolls can be cleaned with a soft wet cloth. Do not try to scratch the doll surface or to apply solvents on it. If something ever happens to your doll, we offer free repair service for the first time. You will be charged only for the shipping. It is possible that the new pieces will not be exactly equal to the original, since every piece is slightly modified during the cleaning process before fire.