Work in Progress

Gothic Bed Work Continues

in ,

Work on the gothic bed for the Insomnia project continues. Last week I made a cover for the comforter from beautiful antique lace. It’s nowhere near finished. Right now it’s too stiff and I need to weigh it down in the corners with some beads, or something, to make it drape naturally around the bed.

I wanted to make the bedding look and feel very comforting and cozy, to contrast it with the inability to sleep in even the most soothing environment for those suffering from insomnia and anxiety.

Right now my beloved personal doll Skyler is testing this bed, but I plan to make an insomniac doll for it once the bed is complete. Thank you for contributing your thoughts and opinions on the type of sleeping gown she should wear. 🙏 It’s all under consideration. Stay tuned. The work continues.

Time to Open the Molds

in ,
 

It’s time to open my molds, and see how the parts turned out.

This process, takes place about 2 hours after casting. Plaster molds absorb the water from the slip, and the doll parts harden, shrink, and detach themselves from the molds.

In this stage, the parts are fragile like eggshells, so I have to hold them with a feather touch, or they will get crushed.

I open the molds one at a time, and work quickly to cut away the sprues, open up sealed cavities with a scalpel, and pierce holes for the pins with drill bits.

 



Once exposed to the air, the parts start drying quickly, so time is of the essence here.

But despite the need for speed, I find this to be the most relaxing and enjoyable part of the whole process, because at this point, I don’t need to worry flawless execution. That will come later, but for now, without the pressure of perfection, or the need for extreme concentration, I can just enjoy the flow of my work and get lost in the process.

Hello Again

in

Hey guys! You’ve been asking me where I’ve been, and if i’m ok, and I wanted to let you all know that I’ve been here in my studio, working on my special doll orders the whole time.

 
Marina Bychkova sitting at her desk in her studio, working with porcelain doll molds, surrounded by plants
 

I just needed a long break from social media, because the News is giving me nightmares these days.🤯😱😵 I can’t even believe what’s going on in the world… Art is the only refuge. Whoever said that beauty will save the world… I hope they were right. And I hope my art can help even a tiny little bit. So I’m back.

 

Porcelain Ears

in

Porcelain ears need to be simplified down to the most basic shape to be released from the mold, and then details carved back in after de-molding or after the soft firing.

 
 

In this stage, porcelain is as fragile as an eggshell, and can’t tolerate any pressure or force.

 
 

Carving of details has to be done with the softest feather touch and the sharpest of tools. Or everything breaks into pieces.

 
 

But when everything goes right, the beauty and permanence of high-fired porcelain is simply incomparable.

 
 

Next step is china-painting.

White Peacock Queen

in ,
 

Peacock Engraving Tattoo 1st layer down, 7 more to go! The dark is my base, and now I’m gonna start making it look real pretty! For my next firing layer I’m painting the skin tone in 2 shades of Lotus and Peaches, and introducing white highlights to the feathers to make the bird POP! She is a White Peacock Queen!

 

Earth’s Children

in

What does this porcelain doll and the Amethyst geode she nestles in have in common? They are both Earth’s minerals, born deep inside the earth millions of years ago! They are children of the earth, and her treasures!

It moves me to think of Enchanted Dolls as Earth’s children, while the ancient process of using heat to transform brittle clay into hard, translucent porcelain, makes me feel connected to our ancient origins.

Porcelain is combination of Feldspar rock and Kaolin clay, while the Amethyst quartz grows in igneous rock.

I think it’s a huge part of why I keep choosing to work with porcelain over other, more modern, epoxy based materials - there is an ancient, natural magic in it that goes back to the begining of time and the birth of our planet. It’s Earth magic!