Our new Steampunk girl, Impstar Lauretta from Impldoll, has been dressed by the talented costumer Charie Wilson. Charie is a French Canadian designer of both BJD and children’s clothing.  Previously she has worked on other projects with BJDcollectasy including a Mardi Gras Mask Project and The Snow Queen Project .  The costume she created for the Snow Queen will eventually be made into a pattern for ImpStar girl dolls for gracefaerie designs. The eyes worn by Lauretta, one of which has a tiny clock face, were custom-created by Ersa Flora – Doll Eyes for this project (Photo detail left). The boots are from Impldoll. The copper-colored pocket watch was purchased from Doll Mansion.

Special thanks to ImplDoll, Junkyspot, and Aaron Egawa of LeDolls for their assistance with this project!

Charie Wilson has made dolls and sewn clothes for dolls since she was 12 years old. ” I was always a history lover and loved historical clothing, so I made my first cloth doll when I was 12 and dressed her in a french ball gown. I sewed her completely by hand.” Her aunt asked her to make one for her, and since then Charie has continued to make dolls and doll fashions. “I got my first Barbie with the money I earned off the sale of the first doll, and some fabrics, and started making gowns to sell for Barbie. I have been making my own original dolls and costumes for antique bisque and modern bisque, Tonner and Cissy for 39 years.”

While she liked many types of dolls, nothing captured Charie’s heart like BJDs. “I saw My first ball jointed doll in Doll reader magazine in 1999. It was a Volks article, and I fell head over heels in love with BJD dolls from that day on.” She added, “My first resin SD doll was Gena by Soom,  and my MSD was my soul Kid Harang renamed  Ginny by Soul  Doll. These are the only 2 dolls I have with their factory face ups. I have touched them up, but I have kept them as I got them.” Due to the high price of the dolls, Charie soon learned how to do her own face-up as well as sew for the dolls to save money. “I still wanted a Volks doll, so I started scouring eBay for one. and realized people bought clothing for the dolls there. I started sewing and selling my BJD creations right away. As I sold, my doll collection grew. 3 years later I finally got my Volks Mimi and Megu. I had to buy them in pieces and put them together, so I learned how to restring a doll, sand them, and body blush. I learned by trial and error. When I first started there were very few companys selling BJD and only a few US suppliers; no one in Canada sold them.”

Charie sews in several doll sizes and customizes the fit to dolls in her collection. “I make clothing for most sizes of BJD dolls from 27cm to 70cm . I really love sewing for all sizes of BJD dolls, but I think my favorite is MSD and Goodreau  12″ and 8″ dolls and 27 cm Planet Dolls. I love the challange of working in smaller scales but also love to sew for my larger dolls. My Impldoll Natasha is one of my all time favorite models. My Goodreau 12″ Alice and Adam  are also two of my Favorites.”  Charie will also accept commissions. “I do comissions and I am willing to take on any challange. I will make outfits just from a customer’s input on what they would like or from their sketches.”

Under the ID cyw159, Charie continues to offer her doll clothing on eBay, but she has now also launched  an Etsy Store for her doll fashions. Her OOAK clothing for 12″ Goodreau dolls is also available at the Goodreau Doll Lab. Charie also has an Etsy shop of fashions for children which she runs with her daughter. “I started the children’s clothing this year with my daughter. It is called Fiddly Dee. We sell on Etsy and eBay. My oldest daughter Leslie and I started the line. The Model is my granddaughter and inspiration for the line. My daughter and I design and create all the outfits. Lesie makes all the wonderful bows that are included with each outfit, and is in charge of photography and sales.

Charie finds the creative spark for her work in many places.  ”I get my inspiration from everywhere; from books, movies, nature, to the fabrics and accessories I purchase. Sometimes It can be something as small as a pendant that just grows into a full outfit designed around it.  I also get inspiration from my dolls. It is strange sometimes, they just seem to tell me what they like best. Every BJD I have seems to have their own personalities.” Charie’s specialty is mixing patterns in a daring way. “Mixing colours and fabrics are my favorite things to do. I will pull out many different fabrics from my stash and lay them out together to see how they work. Sometime I deliberately choose large and crazy prints that you would never expect to see together then work it out. I love a challenge.I never have a pre-conceived idea when it comes to fabrics unless it is a custom order.  I just pull fabrics out and decide which ones  I want to use that day, and then look at all my BJD dolls and decide who would look best in the color. When I shop for fabrics, I tend to look for unusual prints and color combinations. I also love to hunt for vintage fabrics.”

Re: The Steampunk Project:

Charie: “I approched the steampunk project as a challange. When Mae said she would like the outfit in shades of brown with copper accents, that threw me a bit. I tend to do steampunk in blacks and plaids with gold or silver accents. and in brown that just would not do. I searched many fabric stores and most modern prints just did not suit what I was after. I had decided on stripes with shades of burgundy and oranges as accent colours and that was a huge mistake. I had great difficulty finding just the right base fabric which had to be a stripe with brown burgundy and gold. Well, all the fabrics I found the stripes were too large a scale for dolls or not the right colour combination. Off I went to antique stores looking for a vintage fabric and no luck.  Three months into the project I still had not found the right fabric, so I decide I would make some of them with Sulky Solvy. Late one night I decided to check out eBay and I found a bundle of old fabric up for auction that had just a tiny bit of stripe fabric peeking out of the bundle, and I jumped right out of my seat -- that was it exactly what I wanted. I got out-bid four times and was getting worried I would lose the fabric, but in the end I won it. Once I had the fabric, I was off and running in search of the rest of the fabric to go with it. It all came together fast once I had the stripes.This set was a true challenge and a joy to make.”

Lauretta’s outfit by Charie includes corset, pantaloons, black fishnet stockings, tulle petticoat, petticoat, underskirt with mult-fabric ‘bustle’, overdress in vintage striped fabric, hat, short jacket made with material constructed with sulky solvy, chocker necklace, and sunglasses.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wtsWbEkgTY

This is an all-new version of our No Paint face-up video.  Since that video was made last spring, we have upgraded our video systems which has greatly improved our picture and text quality.  Right now we are working to complete Steampunk Project #2 for next week. The doll for that project, Impldoll Lauretta, is colored in this video. Our Ringdoll Pan is also included in the video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZREiQmxqNpI

Lauretta’s Victorian style undergarments by Charie Wilson (Charie Wilson Etsy Store). Special thanks to ImplDoll and Ringdoll, Junkyspot for Mr. Super Clear, and Aaron Egawa of LeDolls!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn-DtOb14pU

watch?v=Pn-DtOb14pU

The doll featured in the project is a Ringdoll Ringteenager Pan. He is wearing part of his full-set outfit in the video. The wig and eyes are also from RIngdoll. Special thanks to Emory of the Junkyspot for an emergency shipment of Mr. Super Clear!

This is  part 1 of a multi-part Steampunk project. The concept started as a costume project similar in execution to the Snow Queen project from last winter, but it has expanded to include 3 dolls; a 1/3 size girl and 1/3 boy doll, and this project, a 1/4 size boy doll.

After years stored in a box, a Dream of Doll Yen was finally ready to be re-furbished. The 1/4th size doll that was selected for the project is an older Dream of Child line Yen that was bought used in 2007. He came with a heavy application of acrylic paint for a face-up. Due to the depth of the crevasses on the face of the doll, it was impossible to remove all of the paint.  The first part of this project using some acrylic paint as well as dry media to create Yen’s face-up. The coloring of the face-up was inspired by 19th century bisque dolls.

The second part of the project consisted of rounding up various talented people to produce items to create a Steampunk look for Yen.  Marsh of Marsh Pants was asked to create some Jodhpurs for Yen.  She decided to go beyond her specialty of well-fitted trousers and volunteered to create a full outfit for the doll. Taking inspiration from the brown of the leather trouser material, Marsh made a vest and shirt to match. The goggles were handmade by Pretty Petal Designs of Canada and the colors used were chosen to match Marsh’s outfit.  The final participant was Ersa Flora.  She turned a  vintage compass design into a special eye which was paired with a pupil-less eye in red. Additional items were added to tie the look together including a pair of dark chocolate brown boots, a wool scarf, a chain belt with a lock and keys, and a ribbon rosette pin made for a previous BJDcollectasy video (Easy Brooch for your Doll, February 2009).

What is Steampunk?

Steampunk is a term first coined by fiction writer K.W. Jeter to describe his novel Morlock Night and  also the works of some of his writing contemporaries. Steampunk started as a subcategory of science fiction that includes 19th century technology and either develops it further  to create fantastical machines or combines it with modern technology. In addition to fiction, the concept of steampunk has inspired many artists and craftspeople to create a “steampunk aesthetic”.

BJDs are an obvious choice for a steampunk style as they are a combination of  old (ball jointed dolls held together by elastic) and new (polyurethane resin material) technologies. They also perfect for modeling steampunk fashions.

According to WIkipedia: “Steampunk fashion has no set guidelines, but tends to synthesize modern styles influenced by the Victorian era. This may include gowns, corsets, petticoats and bustles; suits with vests, coats, and spats; or military-inspired garments. Steampunk-influenced outfits will often be accented with a mixture of technological and period accessories: timepieces, parasols, goggles and ray guns. Modern accessories like cell phones or music players can be found in steampunk outfits, after being modified to give them the appearance of Victorian-made objects. Aspects of steampunk fashion have been anticipated by mainstream high fashion; the Lolita fashion and aristocrat styles, neo-Victorianism, and the romantic goth subculture.”

Yen ~before~

P.Aewsiri is the artist behind DollGru.  She also goes by her nickname ‘Kappa’. The Thai artist works as an illustrator for a living, but in her free time she also loves to sculpt. She is self-taught, learning mostly from books, magazines, and websites. Kappa chatted with us about how she started out, and about her current and future plans for doll making.

~~~~~

Q: Do you have an art background?

A: I’m not a major in art. I studied plant diseases as a major, but I like to draw art in manga style. Since I was young, I used to draw illustrations, fanart, dojinshi, and since 2005 I have worked as novel cover illustrator with Jamsai Publishing.

Q: How did you start sculpting BJDs?

A: Around 2004, I saw BJD art in S-Magazine .(The volume of magazine I  saw is Vol.6 and it  has BJD as main theme.) The first BJD I saw that made me fall in love is Hizuki’s doll. Her work is my inspiration, but I didn’t know how to sculpt, didn’t know what is a BJD.

One day I went to a stationary store and bought clay, wanting to sculpt something. I thought about sculpting a BJD, so I began to search all about it. I found a BJD making guide book by (Japanese artist) Ryo Yoshida-sensei and some guides on a Japanese doll maker’s site. I was very happy, and learned from them. (I never learned about sculpting before, but I thought I could sculpt because I draw.) I finished my first doll in 2007, and do others until now. I’ve not made many dolls, I make only 9 heads and two bodies in 3 years because of some problems. I’m allergic to the clay’s dust and spray. they make me sick, but I still love to do it.

Q: Can you tell me more about Hizuki?

A: Hizuki is a name of a doll artist, and most of Japan’s  doll artists I really like, and are my inspiration. They make me want to do my own doll. I very much admire them. (Note: Hizuki’s Website can be seen HERE.)

Q: Can you tell me more about the book you mentioned?

A: The Ryo Yoshida’s book shows how to making a BJD step by step.(in Japanese language, but I can understand by pictures, they’re very clear.) Another making guide I found by internet is Aimi Doll.

Q: What was your first doll head?  Do you have photos of it?

A: My first doll head disappeared, sorry. I learned to sculpt dolls by sculpting again and again.
My #01 doll is the 10th doll-head I made. #01 is a full clay doll (50cm). Because #01 can have damage, I can’t play with him as I want. I want my doll more durable, so I learn to cast them by resin. I made 2nd body for #04-Reiv and #05-Hann (cast resin by myself) in 47.5cm size (with head). Not for sale, because I couldn’t cast resin in good quality, it’s had a lot of bubbles. I didn’t find a casting company at that time.

Q: Why did you choose the name “Kappa”?

A: My friends call me “kappa” as my nickname instead my real name, so I used it as pen-name when I (began to) draw over 10 years ago.

Q: Do you ever do your own face-ups?

A: Yes, but I do not do face-ups frequently. I do only the dolls I play with. It’s not good enough to promote. Most face-ups which are on my website are done by my friend, but only #08’s face-up I did by myself.

Q: How did your beautiful #9 head Rebirth doll come about?    Was it displayed at an event?

A: Rebirth was done for a show event: International Doll Festival#2 2009 December 2nd-11th, at Seaconsquare, Bangkok, Thailand. I and my friend  aya&ume of HappyDolly were invited to show a custom doll, so my friend came to invite other Thai artists too. Wings by MoneDesign, Outfits by GreensLeaf, accessories by SecretSmallRoom, and display by aya&ume. I was really happy to work with them, they’re so  talented.

Q: You cast your heads in Korea, correct?

A: Yes, I cast my doll heads in Korea. I tried to cast by myself, but it not good enough for selling. Around 1 year  after I try by myself, I found a casting company in Korea. I was really really happy and sent #09 head to cast.

I can’t find Polyurethane-resin cast company in Thailand, and Polyurethane-resin(which used to make doll) is not for sale in Thailand too. not enough people use Polyurethane resin, because it’s very expensive. Polyester resin is more prevalent. The resin which I used to cast was imported from USA. Shipping cost is very high!

Q: Are you working on anything new?

A: Now I almost finished modifying #06 head to cast again, and I am beginning to make #10-tiny doll size, full doll, and maybe to sell in the future.^^

Photos above: #09 head with face-up by HappyDolly, #04-Reiv (left) and #05-Hann, hand=cast by the artist.

DollGru Website

DollGru Photo Gallery

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#08 Head Voild, face-up by Kappa

#09 Head another version

Reiv girl version

#09 in 'Rebirth' joint project

Illustration for Jamsai Publishing 2010

#01 sculpted clay doll

Hand cast doll with body 47 cm tall

Jenifer or ‘Spampy’ creates charming fashions for the littlest dolls.  She loves to sew, and the first ‘real’ item she ever made was a bathing suit for her favorite doll named ‘Pinky’. Jenifer worked as a professional seamstress for a number of years. “I did bridal, decorating, childrens clothes, alterations, worked for a craft store, and worked at Cloth World, which is now Joann.” Dolls re-entered her life when her mother, also a professional seamstress, developed an interest in miniature porcelain dolls. “It was in the miniature world that I discovered sculpted dolls and tried my hand at it. I loved it!” Jenifer was later approached by a doll maker about creating tiny clothing. ” An artist who was sculpting her own BJD found my work and asked if I could create some fashions for her doll, since he was a unique size. In my quest to figure out what was a BJD was exactly, I ventured onto Den of Angels and the rest is history! I fell in love with the personalities and pose ability of these little guys, and the bonus was, those who collected these dolls were just the nicest people. All were so willing to answer silly questions and encourage me. It really is such a giving and talented community.” In 2007, about a year after finding DoA, Jennifer opened her shop.

The shop name Spampy Stuff originally came from Jenifer’s email address. When setting up an account, a sign over her son’s desk seemed like the perfect name to use. Later, a customer referred to her outfits as “Spampy’s stuff” and the email address became her business name. The Spampy online shop started as a place to display and sell finished work, but developed into a commission shop as well. “People started asking for examples of fabrics and I thought, hey why not just take pictures of everything I have and allow customers to design their own clothes? Buying fabric is a bit of an addiction of mine, and actually, most of it is clothes that I buy and cut up. I could clothe an army of kindergartners.” As a result, the bulk of the outfits ordered from Spampy are commissions. “I love letting people pick out the fabrics and styles that they like. It can be a little overwhelming though, so I always will lend a hand in the design proccess if they need it. I also have people who just say “Make something pink and cute”. That works too!” Jenifer also posts new styles as time and creativity allow. “Most of the pre-made stuff I do is during my once-a-week refreshing time; kind of my opportunity to let my own creative juices flow. These fashions are almost always sent out on my email list. If something doesn’t sell, I really don’t like to put it “on sale”. So I usually put it ‘Up for grabs”. Give it away. I don’t like having things sitting around not being put to good use!”

Soon the shop became a family store, as Spampy’s mother Julienne and grandmother Georgette also added items. “My mom is an incredible seamstress and was making hats for “real” people. One night I thought, how cute would it be to see if she could make one for the dolls? It came out so cute! She’s come up with many different styles and loves doing one-of-a-kind customs as well. My  Grandma doesn’t sew, but knits like a wonder. She has tried to teach me many times, but I think she’s finally given up. A couple of month ago we started fiddling around with patterns, and she created the cutest sweater for LittleFee! From there, she has also come up with several different styles, each one cuter than the next.”

Spampy Stuff specializes in outfits for 1/6 size and smaller dolls. “I sew only for the tinies for a couple of reasons. Mainly because it’s just the styles I love to do. I love doing ‘cute’. I have had several bigger dolls over the years, but they just don’t touch my heart like the little ones. That’s the thing I love about the BJD world. Everyone has their own particular style, and everone else appreciates that.”

Not surprisingly, Jenifer collects primarily tiny dolls. “I woud say almost all (my dolls are) tiny BJDs. I do have one little Riley who I adore, and she’s made very good friends with the rest of the kids.” Her collection includes RealPuki Soso, Puki, Esheki, DZ Christmas babies, Elfdoll Bong, Banji, Pocket Fairy, Riley Kish, Marley, Lati Yellow Miel, Lati Yellow Special Coco, Bobobie Erin, Pukifee Bonnie, Planetdoll Mini Riz, Bambicrony Kumi, Little Fee Ante, Yo Kun, and Lati Green Lea.

When she can, Jenifer likes to introduce new outfits. “When I have the time, I’ll usually get inspired by something I’ve seen in real life, or something that I used to make for my daughter when she was little.” Recently Spampy introduced multi-tiered dresses for spring in various styles and colors. Customers can have them custom-made from the fabrics on display. “People can always order anything they’d like in any fabrics in any size. Some people make up their own styles too!”

Photos above from top: Pink Onsie, Tiered Arm Dress.

Spampy Stuff – Webshop

Spampy Stuff Gallery Album

Monkey Dress

Alien 'Jammies

Winter Night

Ski Bunny

Shaw Collar Sweater by Grandma Georgette

Red Kitties

Multi Skull

Family Portrait

Sign that inspired the name

www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2CuzuGs0jE

The sueding material adds friction to the joint so the doll is more apt to stay in position. There are other materials you can suede with, but none are as easy to use or as easily removable as the stick-on moleskin used here. The doll used in this video is a KazeKidz Annabella with wig and eyes from Jpop dolls and OOAK outfit by Marbled Halls.

Kevalee or Kay is best known in the BJD world as Hoshino, the name of her doll jewelry line and face-up business.  She is also known by her user name on Den of Angels, Dr. Seiji. Kay is from Thailand, but is currently working to complete her BFA degree in Illustration in San Francisco. She is a manga fan and hopes one day to work on graphic novels. She explained that, “Dr.Hoshino Seiji is actually one of my original characters. I created him when I was in high school, so he has been around with me for long time before he became my dream come true.  So I use the name Dr.Seiji on the forum and Hoshino. It has become a trademark!” Kay discovered BJDs in 2007. “The beauty of BJDs of course, got me into this hobby. I am sure that it’s the reason that no one can resist!…My obsession grows uncontrollably ever since.”

Kay’s grandmother originally painted doll faces “I did not know why I am very interested in BJD face-up until I found out from my grandmother. She was also a doll make up painter back when my grandparents still owned a doll factory. My grand parents created various kinds and sizes of dolls. My grandmother painted them all with airbrush. Now I believe sometimes skill also can automatically passed down from generation to generation just like DNA.” Her studies in traditional painting methods she believes have helped her with her doll face-ups. “The most helpful about traditional illustration is that you get to hold your brushes, charcoal, pastel and paint every day for hours. You gain a lot more knowledge in color theory and materials what to use and what not to use and also receiving a lot of suggestions about technique directly from professional artists. I applied not only on doll works, but everything I create as well.”

As Dr. Seiji, Kay operates her face-up service primarily on Den of Angels doll forum. “90% of the time, I accept commissions through Den of Angels, and I sometimes take commissions on a Thai BJD forum when I travel back home so it can save the shipping fee and custom tax for my Thai customers. I’ve been offering face-up service since 2008. I don’t do body blushing as commission or modding heads at the moment, but I’ve done several heads and eyes modding before.” She describes her  face-up work, “My face-up style is more into cute and natural for girls. and sometimes can be gentle and formal for boys. I love elegant style very much. I’m most comfortable with working with SD size dolls, but I can also work on smaller dolls as well. All my face-ups are done by hand. I use acrylic paints and pastels. I’m also still working on how to use an airbrush properly. Hopefully I will be able to approach it someday.”

Jewelry-making is a more recent addition. “I started making jewelry around Summer 2009. I still have long way to go to be a good jewelry artist, but I really REALLY enjoy making jewelries and can spend all day and night designing!” She started by making accessories for her own dolls. “I first started making a pearl hair band just for my doll. When I posted a photo on DoA gallery, I received a PM if I can make more for sale. From that time up to now, here I am as a jewelry designer and face-up artist!” She sells her work both on the forum and also through the Thai accessory shop DollWhy. “Dollwhy was created by Thai BJD lovers. We know each other personally and have been sharing the love of BJD and designing for long time. Now that we wanted to go further and do something bigger together. That’s also why I became part of DollWhy.”

Currently Kay owns about 14 full dolls and quite a few doll heads. ”I actually love many companies! The most favorite company is probably Volks. After visiting LA Dolpa in 2007, I got an impression and bonding between myself and Volks. I love their customer service and their doll quality. Their doll style also matches a lot of my character drawings as well. That is probably the main reason why I really bond with Volks dolls.” She adds, “I have 90% Volks some of the Luts dolls, K-doll and Dollgru.”

As she approaches graduation from college, Kay is thinking about her next step. “I want take some  fashion classes including clothes making and, web design in Thailand (never enough education!). I’ll try to find a job related to illustration in the States first.”  She has no plans to stop working with dolls. “I’ll keep doing what I really enjoy, which is face-up and jewelry design. I always wanted to start sewing some doll clothes! It would be nice and fun when I take a break from face-up as well.”

Photos above from top: Face-up on DollsTown Triste, Rose necklace.

Hoshino Gallery Album – Face-up, Jewelry, and illustration work by Kay.

To contact Kay for face-up service or jewelry commissions:

On Den of Angels:
Face-up Service thread
Jewelry thread

On LiveJournal:
Dr. Seiji LiveJournal

Hoshino Jewelry is also available through Doll Accessory Store DollWhy.

Face-up on Iplehouse Mars

Face-up on Dollmore-Ha-Yarn-Cho

Face-up on Volks SD Suiseiseki

Necklace design 'One-Winged-Angel'

Necklace 'Black Butterfly'

Necklace 'Hydrangea'

Illustration by Kay

Illustration by Kay

A doll can be lightly to heavily blushed. Hands and feet only can be blushed, or only body parts likely to show when the doll is clothed. Blushing in the joints can wear off quickly with posing.  The body can be completely or only partially disassembled to be sprayed.  Taking off the head, hands, and feet  may be sufficient. More pictures of Tara can be seen HERE.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuHjP3ED41M

Doll used in project; Planet PlanetDoll. Wig from Jpop Dolls.

At one time,  finding the right fashions to fit your BJD was an adventure, and locating  contemporary street clothing was amazingly difficult. JessicaC a/k/a Nightfall Walker (name on Den of Angels) from Hong Kong was one of the talented doll fashion designers who stepped into the void to provide cool contemporary doll outfits. She began to sell her fashion basics and trendy punk-inspired separates first on eBay, then in her own shop. Nightfall Punk Clothing still carries a range of both classic items and edgy outfits. Fashions are available for 70 cm boys, 1/3 boys and girls, 1/4 boys and girls, 1/6 boys and girls, and Dolfie Dream dolls.

Q.Do you have an art or sewing background?

I studied graphic and media design and cosplay (Jrock) for a couple of years when I was a student. I didn’t have enough money to buy or find someone to make costumes; therefore I started to make costumes by myself. I tried to learn how to make clothes and I fall in love with making some “unusual” clothing. ^^

Q. How did you become interested in BJDs?

A friend sent me a link to a doll site. I thought, those dolls are really attractive…well, simply because they were Visual-Kei dolls! I remembered the dolls were costumed into Hyde (L’Arc~en~Ciel) and Gackt. Although they were not my favorite Jrockers, I wanted to have one (or more), so I became interested in BJDs.

Q.When did you open your doll clothing business?

About 4 years before? In August,2005.

Q. How did you develop your style of casual clothing?

I make two main types of clothing : punk and casual wear.

I love punk clothing A LOT. My favorite brand is h.NAOTO, a Japanese brand. I wanted my own dolls to wear these kinds of clothes too. I didn’t plan to sell doll clothes at first, but after I post my doll’s pictures on doll forums, lots of people were asking where did I get the clothes. They encouraged me to open a store to fulfill their demand. I started my own style of punk clothing, and I thought there should be some casual wear to mix with it. At that time, there were not much casual wear in the market. Most of them were leather and Lolita dresses. I could not get my ideal casual clothing, therefore I just made them myself again.

Q. What sizes of dolls did you first offer clothes for?

LUTS Delf boy and Volks SD 13 boy, because they were the very first dolls that I owned ^^

Q. Can you tell me what your first doll or dolls were ?

My first doll was a LUTS EL. Costume by LUTS and I didn’t change his face-up because LUTS gave him the ideal face-up for my EL!

Q. What are some of your favorite doll companies?

My favorite is VOLKS. I like the skin tone. Super dollfies normal skin is the most natural skin tone for taking pictures ^^. Since it is a Japanese company, it always crossover with anime and manga to create the perfect Dollfie Dream. Most of the DD characters looks like their original anime or manga very much! Their wig style and clothing are perfect in my eye too.

Q. Did you first start selling your items on a forum or did you open a shop first?

I sold my BJD clothing on eBay at first, because I owned an eBay store at that time. But I couldn’t afford the high fee, therefore I made my web store at the same time. It was on geocities. I changed the server and now is at nightfallwalker.web.fc2.com. I post my shop information on DOA to let more people to know about my web store.

Q. Do you have a favorite size you like designing for the most?

In the past, I loved to make male clothing, but for now, it’s DD (Dollfie Dream) size! Making female clothing is more interesting. You can make hundreds of skirts in different patterns. And one more main point : I like anime clothing A LOT.

Q. Do you have a doll collection?

I’ve 5 SD size dolls, 2 MSD size doll and 1 yo-SD.

Q. Do you have any plans for your business for the future? (New products you are developing for example?)

Huh…I’ve been focusing my business on Japanese market, mainly DD clothing. It’s fun to list clothes on Y! JP auction, you can get a lot of information of buyer’s interest. I want to make more Yo-SD clothing too…if I have enough time.

Q. Did you go to events in cosplay? Are you still interested in and participate in cosplay?

I’m not interested in cosplay anymore. Now I should focus on designing doll clothes, but I’m glad that I was a cosplayer, it means a lot to me. It gave me a chance to learn how to make clothes and let me practice special techniques in sewing. One day if I have chance to visit US and join an anime event, I wish I can cosplay again with cosplayers worldwide. ^^

Above: SD Punk Tee, MSD leggings, First doll and model Luts Delf El (K). Below: Nightfall fashions and dolls from JessicaC’s collection.

Nightfall Punk Clothing Online Shop for Nightfall Walker (JessicaC)

1/3 boy & girl fashions

Assorted 1/4 size fashions

1/6 size one-piece outfits

Hound/DZ 70 cm doll fashions

Dolfie Dream outfit

Luts Delf El (K) and Luts Delf Soo Dark Human (Mai)

'Brothers' Volks black cat Lucas (Setsu) and Volks MSD Hewitt (Tsubasa)

Blue Fairy Sarang (Saori)

Volks Yo Tenshi Yuki (Mikan)

Volks Dolfie Dream Yoko & Sasara

At the request of the creators, BJDcollectasy released the weekend article early to coincide with the release of the first dollk doll on February 14 2010 Beijing China time. Happy Lunar New Year!

Fong, a mother and former Web Programmer and Web Designer, quit her job after her son was born. After her son started school, Fong began to search for something that she could do at home in her spare time. Around March 2009, C.Y., who was a fashion designer and tiny BJD collector, asked Fong to help build an online community which specialized in tiny-size ball jointed dolls. C.Y. hoped to build a simple forum that also included a search engine for internet resources such as web pages, blog entries, photos on Flickr, and video from Youtube, to give members updated information. They worked on the site together, and TinyBJD.com was created and launched online May 1st, 2009. The forum developed a following of tiny doll enthusiasts from many countries.

Running a free online community turned out to be more complicated than C.Y. and Fong originally thought. As the online community required a lot of time and money for maintenance, updating, and interaction with the members, C.Y. and Fong started to look for a way to fund the site while keeping tinybjd.com a free community. One of the tinybjd.com members, Miu Miu, suggested that Fong and C.Y. set up an online shop to offer products for doll collectors.

Jenny and Patrick, who worked in a Guangzhou Toy Factory, knew C.Y. as they had worked together a few years earlier. Jenny and Patrick were both experienced in creating items, and soon they were taking C.Y. & Fong’s designs and developing products for the shop. Together they created a variety of detailed shoes and tiny outfits. The dollb.com studio was created in July 2009 in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, and dollb.com began selling its own designs in Oct 2009.

C.Y. is credited with proposing the creation their own brand of tiny doll. She has collected tinies for several years, and her collection currently includes a Lati Yellow, PukiFee, Bisou Ai, and a Felix Brownie. During the day, C.Y. works in a Hong Kong brand children’s apparel company as fashion designer, but her night job is now doll fashion designer. When designing shoes and outfits, C.Y. was regularly transporting her tiny dolls between Hong Kong and Guangzhou to work as models for Jenny and Patrick to develop the new products. Often her dolls were in Guangzhou for weeks at a time.

C.Y. then asked Patrick could if they could possibly design a BJD of similar size and body shape, for which they could develop more products. The doll took months to design. The head, complete with a face-plate system, was completed first, and photos were released in December 2009. The body proved to be more complicated. The group designed, then rebuilt the body until they were satisfied with the results. The first complete resin doll was made February 2nd, 2010, and was posted on dollb.com, TinyBJD.com, and Flickr that same night.

The doll will be sold on the website, dollk. It will be hand-cast and sanded. Dollk dolls will be sold as a basic doll with head, body, eyes, and face-up. Additional items will be available at dollb.com. According the the company, owners can share their Lati Yellow and PukiFee wigs with their dollK doll as they have the same head size.

Future plans for the doll line include additional face-plates and different styles of hands. The dolls will use the same body for males and females. In order to increase production, the company is moving to a bigger studio, and hopes to hire a few more staff members. They will continue to create new items for different brands of tiny dolls. Asked about future dolls, the company hinted, ” We still enjoy the honeymoon with our 16 cm Tiny DollK Doll; when he/she start to feel lonely, we may bring her some brother, sister, or even PETs!!

Photos above: First sculpt of ‘Leffy’ head, head in production.

dollk – doll website

dollb - shop specializing in fashions for the littlest BJDs

tinyBJD - tiny doll forum