Wearing the Lantern pendant

Here you go guys; you wanted some shots of the lantern pendant being worn, you got it.

I snapped these really quickly just now, so the lighting and picture quality is not the best, but they convey the message well enough, I think. It can be worn casually on a long chain over tops, sweaters and even coats, and it looks very pretty on a shorter chain with low cut evening wear as well. The good thing about the complimentary chain included with the pendant, is that it's very long and can be adjusted to a desired size to be worn low on the chest of close around the neck. Or you can use your own, favorite chain altogether if you prefer.

The batch of orders for next month is nearly full, so if you want to have your little lantern by the end of June, then email inquiries@enchanteddoll.com with "Lantern Pendant" in the subject line. The pendants are $350 CAD. International shipping is available.

Let me know if you have any more questions regarding this Lantern.

The Silver Lantern pendant

Hey folks!

After much debate, I've decided to make the silver lantern pendant available to order. It wasn't an easy decision, because this piece is quite difficult and time consuming to make, requiring a special assembly and a technical casting. But, having gotten a bunch of requests for it, I think I can pull off a very limited number of orders per month.

I love this Lantern and wear it as a reminder of the things I've already done and those I've yet to do. It helps me stay focused on my priorities, because whenever I get distracted or lazy, its weight on my chest reminds me that there are still too many dreams yet left to pursue to be lying around on the couch. To me, this little Lantern is a symbol of inspiration, guidance and direction. It's a beacon of light and hope in a relentless pursuit of happiness which constitutes the essence of life. Perhaps my little charm would mean something profound to you as well.

Metal: Sterling Silver

Weight: 26 grams

Size: 2"x 1" (5.1 cm x 2.2 cm) + 3/4" (18mm) crown bail

Price: $350 CAD

Comes with a crown bail and an adjustable ball chain seen in the picture. Production time is 4-6 weeks. Email me if you are interested in having it made at inquiries@enchanteddoll.com, with a subject line of Lantern Pendant.

Also, which one of the four pictures is your favorite? I can't decide which one to make the principal shot and need your input.

Enchanted Doll in 'Flawless' exhibition in Berlin

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Hey, just a reminder you all, that my first rubenesque doll "Muse of Art Nouveau" will be in the exhibition at Strychnin gallery in Berlin. The show opens on May 11th, but the preview begins today for those who may be interested in this special doll (contact Strychnin for more info).

Also, the gallery has one signed and numbered copy #268 of the sold out, 1st edition Enchanted Doll book available for sale.

Dolls and Diplomats

Hello All!

This is not directly related to my recent projects, but does have everything to do with dolls. Rather, with my dream of the day when a doll is no longer thought of as just a toy, but a separate art form.

Last week I've had a the pleasure of meeting the Honorary Consul of the Russian Embassy in Canada, Mr.Bardin, had paid a visit to my studio. He can be seen in the picture holding my new rubenesque doll. And since such serious people have begun to pay attention to dolls, it may be that my dream will soon come true!

I am doubly pleased that the Russian diplomats in Canada are interested in the life of Russian citizens abroad.

Cover Girl - Enchanted Doll on the cover of Cinder

So, I think it's pretty cool that my doll Cinderella has been chosen to grace the Spanish language cover of the New York Times bestseller novel Cinder: The Lunar Chronicles, written by Marrissa Meyer.

I just don't know which cover I love more, the original English version or the Spanish one, featuring my work. They are both so pretty. The publishers requested to use my work for this title a few months ago, but due to the chaos of releasing my own book, I totally forgot about this one until a fan had recognized the image on the cover in Barcelona and written me recently.

The novel is a futuristic fiction about a cyborg girl from New Beijing who struggles to overcome her circumstances and discover her purpose in life. Although I haven't read it myself yet, it sounds like a pretty intriguing take on the traditional fairy tale. If any of you here have read this book already, I'd love to hear what you think about it.

I love the back cover too. I'm very pleased altogether.

Anyway, thought I'd share this little bit of news while I'm signing my own Enchanted Doll books and shipping them out. My wrist is so busted from the repetitive motion, that I now have to break up signing sessions into just a few dozen copies at a time and take long breaks. You will be receiving a confirmation email before your copy is mailed to you. If you haven't received a confirmation yet, don't panic, it just means your copy is still being prepared for shipping. Thanks for your patience everyone. You won't be sorry.

Making a Lantern Ornament

You've seen this sterling silver lantern featured in my latest project The Muse of Art Nouveau. I've been wanting to make a tiny lantern for doll ornamentation for a year or so before I was finally able to find the time and put the work into making it.

My sketch was heavily inspired by an actual street lantern in Nice. When I saw it, it took my breath away and I resolved to make a little replica of it. I think I have a thing for lamps and lightscaping, because my place is lit by over a dozen different table lamps. I really hate the harsh ceiling lights, and prefer the warm, muted glow of lamp-lit interiors.

I made detailed schematics for computer rendering. If the scale allowed it, I would have carved it myself, but I found it impossible to translate the richness of the ornamentation of the original into a miniature scale with my human hands. In some ways it was harder than just getting right down to it and carving away, because instead of working organically and relying on my own instincts and my hand-to-eye coordination, I had to approach it from a geometric and mathematical standpoint. I had to transcribe the shape from my imagination as accurately as possible, to make the technician understand exactly what I had in mind.

In some ways, working out the precise measurements of each part was pure torture. Every few hours I would find a mistake in the proportional calculations, lose my composure, curse and yell at the graph paper in frustration, throw my pen against the wall and curl into an upright fetal position in my chair, rocking and crying quietly. Then I would put myself back together and begin measuring and drafting my model all over again.

When the model was finally built, molding it was another can of worms while nearly half of the models fail to cast properly due to the extremely technical casting, but I really love the result and the effort that went into creating it. I had made one into a pendant for myself to wear. I frequently catch myself touching it and pretending that the tiny lantern is some sort of an ancient talisman which allows one to see things hidden from human eyes as it illuminates a path through the dark maze of its wearer's subconsciousness.

And finally -The New Enchanted Rubenesque!

Well, it's been a long wait and a lot of work, but it was all worth it. I am very pleased and excited to finally unveil to you my new curvaceous doll - The Rubenesque!

Now, before I hear another word (!!!) about how she is not technically, and I quote "fat enough" to be called a Rubenesque, please allow me to point out that the dictionary definition of Rubenesque states that it is: "Plump or rounded, usually in a pleasing or attractive way". Now, look at the comparison of my two dolls and tell me that she is not pleasantly rounder than my other doll. I rest my case. She IS a legitimate Rubenesque.

She is also slightly taller than my first doll. The feet are the same size though, as are the hands.

I haven't had a lot time or space to photograph her in a variety of poses or settings because my studio is filled with stacks of books and boxes right now, but sometime this week you will get to see more of this doll. In a brand new head ornament I made for her. It's pretty awesome. You'll see.

This very FIRST Rubenesque doll will be available for sale from the Strychnin gallery at the end of the month. More information and pricing coming in the next post.

So, tell me. How do you like her compared to my slimmer doll?

Like her, love her or, dare I say it, hate her?

Signing books

...And boxing them up for shipping into custom boxes with a custom stamp. Chad had the boxes made, while I had the stamp carved. I sign them, he packages them. That's the division of labor in our relationship. He also does the cooking. Cha-ching!Anyway, when you see this box in the mail, you'll know what's in it. ;)Now back to signing.

The Books Are Here!

Greetings collectors! It's been a long wait, but the first edition of the Enchanted Doll book has arrived! I hope you are all as excited about it as I am.

We've been sorting them out all day today, and I hope to sign and ship out the first 150 copies to you guys by the end of this week, and tackle as many more as possible over the long Easter Weekend.

Shortly we will begin sending you confirmation emails regarding the shipping status of your copies. If you bought a copy but haven't made any shipping arrangements yet, then please email inquiries@enchanteddoll.com at your soonest convenience. If you didn't buy a copy, I'm sorry to say that the first edition has been sold out, and we want to get this edition taken care of completely before moving on to a second edition.

They are coming!

A Day Away From Dolls

This is Anya, my new board. I got it a couple of months ago and now she is a part of me. On Friday, instead of the usual local mountains, Chad and I went riding at beautiful Whistler-Blackcomb, our amazing world-class ski resort just 1.5 hours drive north of Vancouver. I've been skiing this mountain sporadically since 1998, but earlier this year I decided to commit the whole 2012 season to snowboarding to get a taste of it, and fell hopelessly in love with the sport! Having been strapped into a board, skis just no longer feel the same way to me. I've been guiltlessly cheating on them with Anya.

It was a sensory abundant, physically challenging and an intensely gratifying day. Nothing to think about but the sky above me, the snow below me and the wind all around me.

Today I'm back at the studio, making Echos. Anya beckons to me from her wall mount, but I force my eyes away and bend over my desk, thinking to myself: "Soon, my darling, soon".

Probably tomorrow.

The most beautiful porcelain hand I ever made!

I made this hand for my test doll. I'm convinced it's the most beautiful hand I ever made. You see, I don't just pull a hand out of the mold and fire it, I manually shape and sculpt it to make it more expressive. Unfortunately, expressive, tiny hands are virtually impossible to mold with the rigid plaster molding method. So, they have to be very simplified in order to be mold-able. Therefore, each hand undergoes significant re-sculpting and remodeling in the post-molding period.

I separate the fingers, define the knuckles and establish the bending angles on all the fingers. It's ridiculously tedious and I hate doing it, while simultaneously loving it. I estimate that it takes me 2-3 hours to make one hand from casting to painting, or 4-6 labor hours+ 12 kiln firing hours for a pair of hands for one doll.

This hand is the pinnacle of my achievement. Just wanted to share it.

New Raised feet

Although I intensely dislike the look of raised feet on dolls, for the sake of experimenting I had made a pair of them for Enchanted Dolls. Raised feet look pretty in high heels, but naked, they look so contorted and unnatural, that it repels me. In my opinion, raised feet restrict a doll to a specific, severe glamor look, while flat feet can be more versatile, soft and feminine. I dislike dolls that are permanently stuck on their tiptoes. Particularly if they have a movable ankle joint. It just looks silly.

Those of you who own my dolls know, that even though they have flat feet, they can still wear the custom designed high heels of the Enchanted Doll brand. I design stilettos specifically so that can go on a flat foot and appear as if they belong there.

Anyway, I was curious to see if I could make better raised feet somehow. I've learned that sometimes ideas which make us initially uncomfortable, are the ones that may turn out to be quite interesting with enough consideration and proper treatment. So, whenever I am repelled by something, I try to give it enough thought and decide if it may actually be worth pursuing. So, I made raised feet against my own reservations. It could be an interchangeable option for those who do like it. I'm going to model a couple of raised shoe designs for them in sterling silver and see if I like them any better then.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear what you guys think about dolls with permanently raised feet and which you prefer.

The Enchanted Rubenesque-New body model for Enchated Doll

Surprise! I've been secretly developing a new body prototype for the past 5 months, and now it's nearly ready! It feels so good to get that off my shoulders. I've been bursting at the seams with this news for weeks, but couldn't tell you until I knew it would work. This is partially the reason I've been mostly absent from the web lately. Between this and the book and a couple of other really challenging new projects, there was no time to chat. Now, allow me introduce you to the rough master model of the Rubenesque!

Definition of RUBENESQUE

:

of, relating to, or suggestive of the painter Rubens or his works;

especially

:

plump or rounded (figures) usually in a pleasing or attractive way

<a

Rubenesque

figure>.

Her figure is inspired by the fuller feminine form of classical antiquity, painting and sculpture. Of course I also stylized it to suit my own aesthetic preferences and to add a touch of surrealism. I've been wanting to make this body shape for a long time, but things kept getting in the way and I'm so relieved to have finally done it.

When I sculpted my first, slim body model, I sculpted all the parts and joints separately, gauging the desired movement of the ball joints without ever stringing them together and testing how them move until they were already painted porcelain parts. The reason is that all the parts were made solid, without thought out hollows and at the time i didn't have a drill to drill them out and string them. It was a risky, arrogant and kind of a stupid thing to do as I had to fix a lot of mistakes postmortem, but the doll turned out alright in the end.

This body though, was a lot more thoroughly designed and modeled than the first one. I had spend a lot more time tuning every part to fit just right and to move like silk. I'm also loving the new shape. She is lovely.

I didn't think I'd finish it before summer, but it's starting to look like I just might. I'm already doing china painting trials on the first parts!

I know it's hard to judge properly at this early stage, but what do you guys think about her?

Blank Porcelain

A handful of hands. I never usually have this many blank pieces all at once, as each doll gets cast, sanded, painted and strung individually, but since I've mostly been too preoccupied with the book to complete a doll lately, these unpainted parts have accumulated over the past few months. Soon, they will become dolls. A couple of these will become Echos, while one of these heads will become the latest show doll for the exhibition at the Strychnin Gallery in May.

Oh which one, which one will it be, I wonder?