Creating LoveChilde

LoveChilde's creation is now viewable as a video!

Josh and Andrew's Ball Jointed Doll: part 3

Sealing the doll parts. This gives the doll a hard shell so she can be painted and played with. This also provides the overall flesh color.Second coat of sealant
Detail work, body blushing, painted toes and fingernails, nips....waiting for a head

Some beautiful face painting

Then we set her eyes, added very tiny little eyelashes, and whipped up some old fashioned glamor.....

Ladies and Gentlemen, modeling two couture looks....

LoveChilde: by McKenney and Yang

Josh and Andrew's Ball Jointed Doll: part 2

This is the second, but not last, installment of Josh and Andrew's first ball jointed doll. The last time I blogged about the doll she was ready to be jointed, so lets start there.

I created the hip joints, and neck joint
Knee joints (in the oven at a low heat for quicker drying)
Testing both leg joints.
Creating the shoulder joint:

hollow ball
sealed into the arm
Hollowed out the eyes

Setting the eyeballs into the head
All joints finished, ready for carving, and then stringing.
Andrew creating the ankle joint with wire
Joints carved
And after much much tweaking and refining she is all strung together!
I did a test coloring of the face to see what she would look like painted, then I sanded it off.
She is now a fully poseable doll but she needs to be sealed, primed, and then painted.
PHOTO SHOOT:
Andrew and I couldn't wait to dress her up, so we had a photo shoot at Andrew's studio with the raw doll. We dressed her without color since she doesn't yet have any color.





Stay tuned for the finished doll!

Also check out the September issue of American Vogue, page 429 for a blurb about Andrew's amazing line of dolls The Kouklitas at Barney's in New York City

Josh and Andrew's Ball Jointed Doll: part 1

My good friend, artist, doll maker, and creative soul-mate Andrew Yang and I have ventured on a several doll making projects since we first became friends in December of last yer. This entry documents the first part of our most ambitious doll project yet.
It was inspired by a trip to KinoKinuya where we found the book Yoshida Style: Ball Jointed Doll Making Guide by Ryo Yoshida. The entire book is in Japanese but we are stumbling stumbling through it thanks to the very good instructional photos.

Our supplies:
Styrofoam, La Doll air dry clay, and sanding and filing tools.

designing the dolls proportionscarefully carving the foam support
refining the parts

more refining
The BJ Doll next to one of Andrews blank fabric Kouklitas. (We are hoping they can share clothes)

with hands
hollowing the limbs and sawing the joints
refining the face
Now she is completely hollow and ready for her ball joints!

Stay tuned!