The Artist is the person who makes life more interesting or beautiful, more understandable or mysterious, or probably, in the best sense, more wonderful.
~ George Bellows
There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun.
Given my new, passionate fascination with contemporary Japanese street style and Asian ball jointed dolls (which are often costumed in wild, vivid style: Gothic Lolita, Doll, or Cyber fashion, all inspired by the kids who inhabit the Harajuku region of Tokyo), it's maybe no surprise that Shoichi Aoki's FRUITS (2001) caught my eye while I was browsing art titles at BORDERS yesterday evening.
Certainly, I have no intention of actually dressing like these beautifully costumed Asian youths (most of them teenagers). And for all I know, these styles are already long out of vogue. No matter, though; the eye candy in this jam-packed, inspirational volume is extraordinary. It's perfect, wildly original, incentive to create for artistic types of every ilk. And what's exceptionally cool is that the "models" in these shots are all regular people, walking the streets of Tokyo... every one of them photographed against an urban backdrop that makes Japan itself a character in each image. I think I've read and reread the book no less than ten times since I brought it home just last night. I was supremely thrilled to find there's even a sequel, FRESH FRUITS (2005), which I'll be nabbing at my local Barnes & Noble later today. Both books are compilations of photos taken by Aoki for his magazine of the same name (FRUITS) which has something of a cult following in Japan, or so it's written.
If, like me, you're inspired by vivid colors; foreign locales; fancy, funky costumes and altered fashions; and beauty in all its varied forms; check these volumes out. Pretty, pretty!!
BIG HUGE LABS is a cool place to create fun stuff from flickr photos. You can "Warhol-ize" a photo; create a foldable 8.5x11 mini album; make widgets for use on blogs and websites; and make mosaics, as I've done here. It's just a few quick steps if you've already got photos uploaded to flickr to go from individual shots to a grid of images like this.
Just wanted to share the entire group of my most recent Zetti chunky book pages, all together.
I tried something new with my Gothic Alice triptych. Which isn't saying that much, actually, because I'm really just making this up as I go along! It's fun to play without rules. :)
In this case, I first created a pencil sketch on paper, which I've done many times before. The NEW part is that I then scanned my sketch into my computer and cleaned it up digitally with my pen & tablet (which I'm still learning and playing around with; so fun!)
After making a few digital changes and erasing some extraneous marks (most of them from my dirty scanner glass; ugh) I lowered the opacity of the line art to something very light and gray, and then printed it out on nice cardstock. Then, back to the studio table I went. I inked over the printed lines with a very fine Micron pen, and in places, made changes, like adding fur spikes around the cat's face for one.
Once my line art was completed for a third time (1st, pencil sketch on paper; 2nd, digital work printed to cardstock; 3rd, inked lines) I moved to the color phase and laid down layers of Prismacolor pencil, using thinner to blend for a smudgy effect. A very, very spare use of white gel pen at the very end of things added back in highlights and accents in places where they had become obscured. As a last step, I sprayed several coats of final fixative to my work, to prevent smudging over time.
Here's a look at how that played out. The top image is the cleaned-up pencil sketch, ready for printing; the second image is my inked line art (which for the first time ever since I started doing ATC's, I scanned and saved to possibly recolor and recustomize for additional Gothic Alice projects); and the third image is my final artwork.
Personally, I love it when I stumble on progressions like this; for sure, one of my favorite things in the art world is the vast number of "process" tutorials, demos, books, and videos available to Joe Every Man, like me. I learn so much from them. Well, that, or I just enjoy myself silly taking them in; it's so fun to peek into someone else's methods and mindset. I can highly recommend you visit YouTube and SEARCH "speed paint" whe you get a chance. You'll see some amazing (usually digital) process art for yourself!
Got back into art cards a bit today with some cards for a Gothic Alice in Wonderland swap. I made them as a triptych -- my first -- all in a row, but they'll be cut apart into three separate 2.5 x 3.5 art cards before they're sent.
I also scanned and kept the line art on these, plus the triptypch at
high resolution, so maybe I'll make these available as ATC prints or
try to sell the entire triptych on Etsy or something. Haven't done any of that
before.
As a long-time admirer of artist and OOAK dolls; a former doll convention visitor (IDEX used to regularly land in San Francisco, where I lived); and a dabbler in the creation of cloth and clay dolls myself; I've long been aware of Ball Jointed Dolls, or BJDs as they're more commonly known. But these last weeks have seen my interest in BJD's grow by leaps and bounds, influenced by the fact that a good friend of mine (who owns a doll shop here in Chico) is now carrying these beauties, as well as back issues of HAUTE DOLL (a magazine that features them), which I couldn't help but pick up when I last visited her shop. They're sooooooooo beautiful and inspiring, these dolls -- the best of them, anyway. And of late, I'm really finding myself wanting to own and dress one, or maybe even to make an original, BJD myself. Talk about a project!!
I'm interested not so much in beginning a BJD collection (although they do look gorgeous in a grouping, and I'd love to have ONE), but in using them (or more accurately, photos of them) as a source of inspiration -- something beautiful to rest my eye on, in my own creative pursuits; a tangible object d'art in my midst which can remind me on a daily basis to dream and stretch and pursue the ethereal... the unusual... the different... and the extreme. The lengths to which some people go to paint, wig, dress, arrange, style, and photograph their dolls are tremendous, and the end result of all their efforts are scenes and tableaux of breathtaking beauty and exquisite detail and strangeness and magic that I find seriously inspiring.
For those who don't know anything about ball jointed dolls, I'll share what little I know --> BJDs as a modern industry originated in Asia (mostly Japan, I think) and have been gaining in popularity as awareness of them spreads west. Some BJDs are available in vinyl (less pricey; very durable) or resin (very expensive; most fragile; more desirable.) They're made by a number of different manufacturers and come in a range of sizes from teensy tiny (four inches!) to truly enormous by any doll standard -- nearly three feet tall!! Some BJDs are proportioned realistically, and others feature giant, round heads and huge eyes on tiny, slender bodies. They're usually sold bald and eyeless (or at least, the eyes aren't installed), and sometimes they're even unassembled, and arrive as a kit you need to string yourself. Many are available with optional hand styles/positions, different torso options (large bust vs. small bust, for example), and removable/interchangeable face plates so you can change out expressions easily. All are strung. Many are willowy and waif-like in their proportions, and very inclined toward a fantasy interpretation. Here's a 60cm "Lucille" from DollsTown, as example.
What makes these dolls so spectacular and unique and different from the dolls of my -- and likely, your -- youth is (1) their extraordinary pose-ability and (2) their customization options, even beyond what I mentioned above. The name "ball jointed" says it all; these dolls are jointed at neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, waist, hip, knee, and ankle, which allows for a realism in posing that's truly remarkable. Below, a page from HAUTE DOLL magazine (August 2007) featuring 16-inch resin 'Couture Savage' chalk-white Sybarites from Superdoll, illustrating just how flexible and human-like ball jointed dolls, at the top of their artform and dressed to the nines in beautiful couture designs, can be.
All concepts, designs, and layouts by Charles H. Fegen and Desmond Lingard. Photo by Alex Howe, Charles H. Fegen and Dominique Maitre.
BJD's are generally sold naked and without face paint. You can choose to pay extra for a face-up from the on-site factory artists when you order. If you don't, you're able to create any look you want for your BJD, to apply "makeup" in any color(s) you choose, once your doll arrives. This is done with acrylic paints, pastel (non-oil) chalks, and special resin sealers. If you're interested in viewing a face-up in progress, check out this tutorial I found on YouTube (where you can search the terms "face-up" or "BJD" and find a variety of ball jointed doll videos.)
Of course, there are are professional face-up artists to whom you can send your doll and who, for a fee, will customize it to your heart's desire. A few of the more spectacular face-up artist sites I've found online include this one (French, which I can't read, but luckily the pictures speak for themselves -- check out the face-up and spectacular dragon tattoo on this doll!)... this one(Russian?)... and this one. Just below is a face-up on a Narae Classic BJD that I found at xtremedolls.com, that really appeals to me.
Doll eyes are sold separately, too. Although most dolls come with eyes, they're considered more or less throwaway by the BJD connousieur, or so it seems. Since BJDs usually arrives bald or with a less-than-ideal wig, you can also choose any hair you'd like from the huge variety of wigs
available in wool, mohair, synthetic, or even real human hair; long,
short, funky -- you name it! There's an entire cottage industry of BJD wig manufacturers. And since BJDs also arrive naked, you're left to dress your doll in whatever manner suits, too. Seamstresses and designers of extraordinary talent abound and can custom design the attire of your dreams, if it doesn't already exist.
Some people dress their BJDs as gorgeous fashion models or sexy vamps or as "normal" people, often teenagers which is generally the age group represented by these dolls (although some dolls are younger and some, more mature.) For me, though, it's the truly COSTUMED dolls -- the ones dripping with embellishments and folds of glorious, imaginatively designed fabric, or dressed to fantasy themes -- that hold the most appeal; the dolls that are thoroughly Goth or Lolita, or are dressed in period attire, like the gorgeous Marie Antoinettes featured in the August 2007 issue of fashion doll magazine HAUTE DOLL, the cover of which is shown below.
For a heaping dose of costumed BJD eye candy, I encourage you to visit the INCREDIBLE website of ARCADIA DOLLS, choc full of the most sumptuous themed costumes and props -- all designed, styled, and photographed by two Spanish, doll-collecting sisters whose hobby turned into a cottage industry. Some examples of their fabulous work and superb photography, directly below:
As you can imagine, the total cost of owning even one of these beauties can
quickly spiral into something absolutely astronomical, with dolls costing $500+ each and shoes at $50; elaborate costumes at $250; and so on. There's even perfectly scaled, exquisitely made furniture -- especially upholstered sofas and chairs -- made especially for BJDs. All those pricey accoutrements are the reason why I, personally, don't yet
own one; it's just too, too pricey for my budget to handle all at once. But that day is coming soon... I hope. I'm narrowing my choices and doing lots of research, and in
terms of what appeals most, I think I'm settling on either a Narae
Classic or a Unoa Lusis. I'm still trying to figure out all the
options in ordering -- size, skin, cost, variables, how to (it's not easy!) -- but that's okay. All that background research, all that time spent, gives me extra time to save.
What are your thoughts on ball jointed dolls? Do you have one, or a yen for one? If you do/did, how would you dress and display it? Do you have any favorite BJDshops or sites to share? Please add your comments!! I'll treasure every resource you can provide.
In the meantime, enjoy the pretties I've posted... and do consider getting yourself a subscription to HAUTE DOLL magazine, whether you're a fashion doll fanatic or not. Man-oh-man, the inspiring, glorious, textile-rich stuff it contains. <sigh>
One of my forums today had a thread asking, "What are your Top 20 Favorite Films?" I had the impulse to list every brainiac, foreign thing I'd ever seen, to highlight my learned and literary leanings. But the truth is, I like to yuk it up when I'm escaping into a film... or be scared witless... or watch something that's kinda, ya know, sexy. ;)
Anyhoos... Here are my Top 20 (give or take a few) Favorite Films of All Time -- the films I could watch over and over and over again and never get bored.
What are YOURS??
In no particular order...
1. French Kiss
2. Amelie
3. The Sure Thing
4. Little Miss Sunshine
5. The Princess Bride
6. Lord of the Rings -- the trilogy
7. Pirates of the Caribbean -- the trilogy but esp. #1
8. Sixteen Candles
9. The Illusionist
10. Pan's Labyrinth
11. Office Space (TPS reports, Swingline staplers; love it!)
My friend Laura noodged me into joining FaceBook 'cause she's there. Being an occasional lemming, I caved without much struggle, and added FaceBook to my list of web haunts (and bookmarks) today. If you're on FaceBook, too, look me up and let's be friends; you can find me by searching Shelli Heinemann.
Turns out, FaceBook is a cool little tool for networking and reconnecting and other stuff like passing around completely meaningless, hysterical videos. Plus, I was able to look up friends through other friends in a six-degrees-of-separation kind of way; it was, admittedly, very cool to see faces I haven't seen in 20 years or more!
Along the way, as I familiarized myself with this newest time-suck/diversion, I stumbled across many a FaceBook widget, the most silly-good-girly-fun of which is, without question, StyleFeeder. This nifty little tool takes you to stylefeeder.com where you are asked to select a few items that appeal to your shopping tastes. Then, the site builds a virtual shopping list of items tailored to your choices, featuring items that strangers who like what you like, have chosen. Thus, the entire purpose of StyleFeeder is to expose you to heaping hoardes of cute stuff you want but don't really need, encouraging ever more avenues through which you can quickly spend your hard earned cash. What every girl needs.
I added StyleFeeder to my FaceBook profile and also to the bottom left of my blog. I decided it would be a great place not just to bookmark what I think is uber-cute, but also, what inspires; wish-list items I can't currently afford; and just plain kewl stuff that makes me smile, whether I'd actually ever buy/wear it or not.
Having said that, I really am jonesing hard for the Calvin Klein periwinkle bedding and those awesome julidadesigns wire-wrap earrings. Some things never change.
Hope you're happy and well. And please, do look me up on FaceBook. Can't wait to see you there!
-- 18th Century France
-- Cakes & Confections
-- Coffee
-- Alice in Wonderland
-- Faeries/Mermaids/Pirates/Fantasy
-- Geisha
-- Zetti
-- India
-- Funky whimsical art
-- Day of the Dead/Mexican
-- Goth (cute, dark)
-- Vintage image collage
-- Animals
-- Shoes (antique, couture)
-- Repros:Cassandra Barney, Scott Radke, Audrey Kawasaki
BUY HANDMADE
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