Describe your perfect client. Do you like to get a lot of direction, or just be given a general mood, or do you like to see visual examples?
Usually I like to have about the doll, the name, the background and the style. Then I listen to the owner’s ideas and together we can create the Make Up. I like people that know what they want ! If they have at least an idea about the complete doll, it will be very easy to realize it! Otherwise, if they want 100000 different things, it will be very difficult to satisfy them, because they don’t even know what they want XD !!!

Of all the face-ups/customizations you’ve done, do any stand out to you in particular? Howso?
My Choa Twins, I am working on them. They are a creation for my Tattoo Studio!

Do you paint/alter other types of dolls, and if so, how does that compare with working on BJDs? If you do other types of art (drawing, painting, etc) does that influence your faceup style?
I aint every type of dolls, I also like to draw and paint… and tattoos ! I have a Tattoo Studio in Genova (Italy) with my husband.

Have you ever refused a commission? Why? Or if not, can you think of a circumstance where you might?
I might refuse a commission if the feedback of the client is really bad.

Is there something that is still difficult for you to do? What is the most difficult?
Findind MSC in Italy!!!

How important is customer feedback to your creative process?
A lot! It helps people to know more about my work! And, of course it helps me feeling great !

Is there a mold, doll, or company that you prefer to work on?
Notdoll, Fairyland, Alchemic laboratory Unoa, CocoTribe are some of my favorite!

Do you prefer working on male or female dolls? Why?
I like female dolls because I like sweet faces long eyelashes.

What is your background? Have you had any special schooling (art school, sculpture, painting, etc)?
Nope, I’ve always loved to draw, but I’ve learned about all by myself.

When you were a child did you ever work on dolls or create with similar things?
Yes, on my Barbie Dolls!

Do you have any other interests that might have helped you in your development of customizing ABJD (like customizing other dolls, action figures, etc)? Please tell us about them.
I try to customize everything I can get my hands on XD !

Do you have any other interests? Collections?
I like reading, movies, shoes XD ! I was into Manga and Anime, but know I don’t have time for them, I have my little collection of “classics” and I am happy with it (JoJo, VideoGirl Ai, Bakuretsu Hunter…) ! And body art of course !

What factors do you consider before giving a doll its make-up so it will have the expression you want?
Nothing, it may sounds strange but I just start working, sometime without a particular idea, and the Make Up just “arrive” to me ^___^ !

Are there any painting techniques that can make a face look more masculine or feminine?
I think it is all about the style. Like longer lashes for female dolls, lighter blush for males etc.some info

How long does it usually take to do a face-up (or custom alteration job)?
Sometimes months, sometimes just days !

Can you offer any helpful hints to the amateur face-up artists? Can you recommend a list of supplies including colors, paints & pastels etc?
You have to try. Materials, styles, colours… you have to find YOUR materials, feel the connection with them!

Do you have a favorite medium you like to work with when not creating for BJDs in your spare time?
I like to draw, with a pencil, that’s all ^__^ !

How long have you been doing face-ups/customizing BJDs?
Since 2003.

What is your biggest inspiration for your face-ups and customizations?
Real Make Up <3 ! I am a Make Up Artist too!

Do you have any tips you’d like to share for people that want to learn how to do what you do or just want to improve? Something that’s helped you a lot or something that you think is important to know when doing a successful customization/face-up?
Buy only resin-friendly materials!!! And if you are not sure about something, DO NOT USE IT! PS. Do not try nail polish or pens!!!

Thanks Stella Di Carta for the interview! I appreciate it.

Your name: Stella Di Carta
Your Legal Name: Cristina Martinelli
Your Website:
http://ipocrisia.altervista.org/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stelladicarta/

How did you get involved in Super Dollfies and customizing them?
I was a great “J-Rock” fan, one day I saw a Mana OOAK and I loved it sooo much XD I did some researches and I found the amazing BJD world!

What do you do best?
I like Smokey eyes and natural lips!

What Inspires You?
Everything <3 ! I am always having so many ideas for my Make Up ^__^ I just don’t have enough dolls to realize them all… for now !

What do you want people to think when they look at your Customizations?
That they are not just “painted resin dolls”, but they are made with love. I put a little of me inside every doll <3 !

What do you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years?
Get better! An artist always has something to learn!

What sorts of things do you enjoy the most about your designs/customizations?
I like to help my customers with the creation of their “dream doll” ! I am always so happy too see the pictures of the complete doll!!!

Other than yourself, who are your favorite doll customizers?
Illness Illusion, Morbidollz, Sdink, Rabiruna and Esthy!

What’s the Best thing about customizing your own dolls?
I really can give them a “soul” <3 !

What’s the most difficult thing about doing customizations (your mods, face-ups, tats, etc) and altering them?
Having too much ideas XD ! I would like to have tons of heads to realize all of them!

What type of dolls do you enjoy customizing (male/female/brands)?
I like dolls with pouty lips, and I am a huge fan on Fairyland and Notdoll!

What is your favorite style to create?
Dark/Goth with smokey eyes! And I really like face-tattoos!

Who would you love to collaborate with?
There are a lot of people I would like to collaborate with, but I think I would choose someone with a complete different style, to see what we can do together !

Why choose doll customizing as a form of Self Expression?
Because you can really create anything you want <3 !

How long does it take from start to finish on a typical doll to create and complete?
At least a month !

How do you like to work best with a custom order for a client? With total freedom to create your vision, or do you like some feedback/interchange with a client who might have an idea or theme they would like to see realized?
I like to “work” with my clients! I help them with the realization of the Make Up, with pics, advices, drawings and every info they need! But I always ask “for a little space” for my art, I have my own style and I need to put it in every Make Up I do.

What have been your favorite projects you’ve done thus far?
My doll Athena (MNF LUKA) is one of my favorite, I’ve done her Make Up for a DOA Contest! I like a lot my CocoTribe Ricci! I am actually working on my Choa Twins, and I really love them <3 !!! Also, a Lusion doll from a friend XD she is sooo big <3 !!!

What sets your doll customizations apart from all the others?
I am a perfectionist, everything must be clean and without imperfections XD and, as I said before, I always put “my soul” in my works!

Are there any sort of projects you’ve been hoping to work on but just haven’t gotten around to it?
A lot. I would love to paint an “artist self made” doll!

What was the most challenging thing you have ever done thus far?
Soom parts Blush XD they are HUGE!!!!!!!!!!

How has your style evolved over time, and where do you see it going in the future?
A lot, everyday I have the possibility to learn something new!
In the future? I will continue to learn a lot <3 !

Interview continues next time…

Soom Tremo Sales Page

Dear SOOM fans,

We have prepared a big surprise for you !!
You have now the possibility to order the human version as a basic item, then select each fantasy part according to your preference.

Ordering period: May the 10th ~ May the 23rd.
Please check it out here :
* Normal skin => http://dollsoom.com/eng/shop/item.php?it_id=1336619036
* Brown Tan skin => http://dollsoom.com/eng/shop/item.php?it_id=1336619078

Thank you for your kind attention~~ ^^
SoOm team

Here are the photos.

Sinbi Limited

Soi Limited

Were you a collector of other things besides dolls before you got into the hobby?  What started you off with BJDs?
Yes, I’m definitely a hunter gatherer. LOL. As a child I played with Barbies and Breyer horses, creating storylines with them. (I still have them all.) I also have a collection of plush Teddy Bears and Dogs…

Would you rather make doll accessories (clothes, wigs, props, jewelry ect) or pay for someone else to do it?
I wish I could sew and had the inclination to make more stuff. I’m very artistic so I think I could eventually learn a lot more…but my time is so tight, I just don’t have the energy (and space) to do everything. I love supporting other artisans who do wonderful things with materials I’m not familiar with.

When you show others your work (whether it is photos or the dolls themselves), what sort of reaction are you hoping to get?  What sort of feeling or emotion do you hope people are experiencing when they look at your dolls and/or photos?
I really only share my dolls with online communities and friends. So, I’m beholden to only getting written reactions from them. But I think if I did show them more I would like people to see it can be a serious art form…not just senseless play…and that I do take the time to make a decent photograph.

What was your best lucky buy?
I got my grail doll last year by sheer chance. I revisited an old thread about one of the Volks Dolphas and people were just chatting about receiving their dolls….someone said they had a cancellation and I emailed them not even realizing they were a doll retailer and I snagged my Volks Williams that way. It was all very wham bam…dang I got one. LOL

Favorite Doll company?
Lately I’ve been consumed by Iplehouse and Soom’s Idealian line.

Favorite color of resin: Tan, Beauty white or regular skin?  Do you like the more fantasy color resins on dolls for your collection (pinks, blues, greens, grays, etc)?  Opinions?
I have all sorts of skin tones and like different shades for different sculpts.
But when it comes to getting something I myself will faceup…I have better luck with RS and LT…the lighter shades are harder for me at the moment.

Favorite size doll 60 cm, minis or tinies?
70cm. I’m used to that size and enjoy photographing that size. I have my first Iplehouse BID on order and who knows what she be like to photograph. I’m curious what I do with her. LOL.

What’s your most sought after doll prop that you can’t find?
Chainmail and plate armor for EIDs. I’m playing with the idea of learning how to make my own.

What is your “dream doll” that you hope to own some day?
I got my grail doll that I pined for years for (Williams) so now I don’t have that one and only got to have doll but at any given moment I can rattle off several dolls I want now. I fear there is no end in sight. LOL

What’s your favorite doll released in the last year? What is your favorite ‘classic’ BJD?
Favorite doll released last year…it’s hard…so many good ones…I love Iplehouse Claude though and felt he was extra special. As for ‘classic’ BJD I think of the CP Luts dolls, probably are because they were the first I really paid attention to…El is to me the Classic granddaddy of bjds. I see new sculpts all the time that to me, relate back to the El sculpt.

What are your favorite brands of wigs/ eyes/ shoes/ clothes?
Wigs: handmade by eclipse21
Eyes: Ugh, I have all sorts but lately I like Eyeco and Dollshe.
Shoes: I love shoes for bjds even though most of my gang roam barefooted most of the time…I love my Val Zeitler/Dollheart shoes for my SD girls and I just got some Oxfords for my EIDs by Freedom Teller that are divine!
Clothes: Val Zeitler/Dollheart for my SD girls, Tous les Garcons for my SD-17 and Idealians…and Emmafangfang for my Idealians. Iplehouse and Freedon Teller for company clothes.

What advice would you give someone new to the hobby?
Look at everything but buy only what you love most.

Where do you keep or store your dolls?
They hang out in two rooms in my home. I have them out of the box and store the boxes in the garage.

How do you relate to you dolls (are they art objects, toys, things, friends, muses, soul mates, investments, etc)? They are my little muses that I enjoy.

Why have you chosen the dolls that you have?
Some dolls just get me in the gut. I immediately feel a connection…and start to think all sorts of creative thoughts about them.

Love to hear about the evolution of your collection.  How did it start?  What was your original vision and how did it develop over time to how it is now.
When I first started I didn’t have a vision…I barely knew what they were…I loved their little sweet faces. I wanted to get them some of the big clunky shoes. Now I’m much more into more mature realistic sculpts (though I have on order my first doll with fantasy parts). My first two bjd dolls were female and now for the most part, I get mostly males.

Since you started, how have you noticed the hobby change?  Has the hobby influenced your life? Compared to when you got into BJDs, have you/your tastes changed, has the BJD scene changed?
When I first stuck my toe in the bjd world, most the websites were in foreign languages and scared me away, now I order form companies all over the world and think it’s so neat to order a wig from Russia, pants from China and a doll from Korea. I think my post office wonders why I get so much foreign mail. LOL.

What outside skills or hobbies do you have that might have helped influence you in your BJD styles/collection/family (i.e. did you study art in college, etc)? I’ve studied Art and Photography for most of my life and have a BFA in Communication Arts (Illustration and Photography) and work in an art related field. I tend to gravitate towards dolls that photograph well.

Is there a doll that you never, ever would sell, only if it was unavoidable? I’ve never sold a doll…and it makes me sad to even think about it.

When you want a certain BJD, is there a limit to what you’re willing to spend/do to get it?
I used to think I had limits…but the bar keeps going up. LOL

Thanks for the interview, Luluna!  We had a blast learning about you.

Online Name: luluna
Real Name: Rhonda
How can people Contact you:Pm me on DOA
Website: On Live Journal I’m luluna33

How long have you been into BJDs?
Since 2006…took a doll hiatus for a couple of years and came back with a vengeance in 2010.

Who/What got you started?
I inadvertently saw a bjd on ebay and wondered what kind of doll it was. I was totally fascinated by the language of the hobby…faceup, meetup, dolpha…for example. I was also intrigued that pastels were used in creating facial details.

What inspires you?
Many things trigger my imagination and give me inspiration, and I’m more apt to have the problem of too many ideas to carry out. I love good photography, great art, eloquent lines, good books and seeing something really well made.

How many dolls do you have?
More than twenty and less than thirty.

What do you like best about the BJD scene?
I like how the online community stretches all over the globe. I love that I’ve met friends from Australia, China, Canada and Russia…just to name a few places. And I love how as a whole, they are a bunch of very creative people.

What do you like best about the fandom?
I like that there is a whole group of people collecting bjds that also write and create characters.

What would you like to see in the future from companies?
I love historical period costumes….so it’s neat to have default outfits that include such items.

Who are your favorite customizers?
Cheryl Austin (SDink) and Lyn Raftis (thelyn), and I do love to see owners who do their own faceups.

Who are you favorite clothing designers?
The ones I’ve bought from and hope to again are Tous les Garcons and Emmafangfang.

Is there any trick (photography, sewing, customizing, sculpting, etc) that you can share with us that would help someone out there with their dolls?
As for photography, I would say…don’t be afraid of the shadows. LOL. I love deep shadows…chiaroscuro. I believe that using them helps bring out volume in a sculpt and can add mood and atmosphere to a shot.

What has collecting BJDs done for you (like to change your life, enhance your life, new friends, new experiences etc.)
Other than decrease my bank account? LOL…I have made some very special friends online and through exchanging and sharing my collection on several online forums, it has reinvigorated my photography. In the last ten years I had removed myself from many forms of visual expression because I was focused on writing a novel. I also use my doll photography to learn Photoshop.

What’s the most challenging photoshoot you’ve ever done?
Outdoor photography is a challenge for me…dealing with the extreme temperatures…wind. I don’t have the proper supply of doll stands to aid in assuring my big resins won’t tip over. I’m also rather uncomfortable photographing my dolls in public areas. I greatly admire the people who tote their resin gang to all sorts of places, and I do get inspired by them. I hope to do more outdoor photography in the future.

Do you have a favorite doll? What makes it special?
I don’t like to pick favorites, and I am fortunate enough to have collected some incredible dolls, but my first bjd a CP Luts Miyu is still very special to me and I use her a lot in my Avatars.

What doll or doll-related item did you have the most difficulty obtaining?
Chainmail and armor for EIDs.

What are your favorite doll trends right now? Least favorite?
I love the realism…(up to a point). And I love to see companies go to the trouble of making fullsets with backgrounds and elaborate costumes. I enjoy reading about the worlds they create…even if I don’t buy everything or use it with my own dolls. It’s nice to have that option. Least favorite would probably be….waiting months (and months) for items to arrive.

Do you fit your doll to the character or the character to the doll?
Both. When I first started buying bjds the first two or three I got just because I really liked them…then I got my first one that actually represented an Original Character of mine. And then looking back at the first ones I bought…each one actually fit an OC of mine. I was rather tickled about that. I was doing it subconsciously. I didn’t have, at that time, any connection to anyone else who collected bjds and didn’t know there was this whole subculture of people “shelling” characters…and I learned all about that only in 2010.

How do your friends and family feel about your hobby?
I’m very private about my collections. The couple friends and family that actually know I collect…are for the most part supportive.

Are there any role models in your life or the BJD community who influenced you?
No one person but joining online communities in the last year and a half has opened my eyes to what it available out there. It’s probably why I’ve acquired so much the in the last year.

What do you think makes your dolls unique?
For the most part they seem to exude vast amounts of sex appeal. LOL I didn’t plan that btw…it just happened.

Do you find yourself attracted to any certain type of doll?
I’ve collected many types of dolls over my life time and it’s hard to tell if they fall into a type.

What kind of reaction would you like people to have from your dolls/ photos, etc?
I have to admit, I love it when after gushing about the doll (the nosebleed emoticon cracks me up) they say something nice about the actual photo. Someone once commented saying they liked how I ‘styled’ my dolls…and it actually was the first time I realized that I actually do. LOL.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken with your dolls?
Keeping many of them in a semi light infused room. I do throw a blanket over them sometimes.

What’s your biggest strength & biggest weakness as a collector/ photographer/ etc?
Hmmm…my biggest strength as a collector seems to be focusing on dolls I really want. I haven’t had any regrets about buying one yet. I have to agonize and stalk a site when I get my eye on a doll that might be my next one. (Though, sometime I know at first sight and can be rather impulsive. LOL. My weakness as a collector is I can’t seem to bring myself to sell any.

As a photographer my biggest strength is I get inspired as I go which leads to some nice results I had not planned and I’m doing a lot with very little equipment. My photography weakness is I’m so hesitant to go outside where people are to photograph and I know I could have some awesome shots if I would.

I wouldn’t say I follow any themes because I diversify every now and again. But lately I’m into big hunky dolls with leather jackets and frilly shirts and great shoes.

Do you send your dolls out to be customized, or do you do it yourself?  If you have done any of your own changes to the doll (face ups, mods, etc), what have they been?
I have a little bit of everything…only in the last couple of months have I had customized dolls done just for me. But I have some with company default faceups, some second hand dolls with custom faceups and in the last year I’ve started doing some of my own custom faceups.

Do any of your dolls or doll items have interesting RL stories behind them?
In RL they are a bunch of home bodies…. But in my imaginary ‘Scriptorium Mersey’ world they have lots of exciting backgrounds and adventures….and by playing with them, they in turn, inspire me.

Luluna collector interview continues….

Do you paint/alter other types of dolls, and if so, how does that compare with working on BJDs? If you do other types of art (drawing, painting, etc) does that influence your faceup style?
I draw and paint a lot, in fact the way I do face ups influence the way I draw and paint! I always fall back to the palette I use for my face ups and I focus more on the little details in my work, mainly the eyes and lips.

Have you ever refused a commission? Why? Or if not, can you think of a circumstance where you might?
Yes I have. It is usually when I know I am not confident enough to bring out the character that the client wants me to. I certainly am weak in portraying very bold or fantasy-like face ups.

How important is customer feedback to your creative process?
Very important as I’d like to know how I can improve my work ethics and process, since I struggle at times.

Is there a mold, doll, or company that you prefer to work on?
Dollshe, Supia or Volks.

Do you prefer working on male or female dolls? Why?
I tend to work more on male dolls because I like to balance out the masculinity of the mold with the softness of my pastel and brushwork.

What is your background? Have you had any special schooling (art school, sculpture, painting, etc)?
I took design and photography, but transferred into a different school for my BFA, which I am currently in right now.

When you were a child did you ever work on dolls or create with similar things?
When I was a child, I was obsessed with creating people out of plasticine. My mother would paint little wooden boxes or doll-shaped wood cut outs and sometimes I would attempt to paint them as well.

Do you have any other interests that might have helped you in your development of customizing ABJD (like customizing other dolls, action figures, etc)? Please tell us about them.
Around the age of 12, my brother and I would purchase the little figurines from war hammer and we would paint them. Never played the game in my life though, haha! I think this influenced me to paint such tiny detail.

Do you have any other interests? Collections?
I collect a lot of old art books…I may just be a book hoarder!

What factors do you consider before giving a doll its make-up so it will have the expression you want? 
The way the eyes, lips and overall facial structure are shaped before deciding on what kind of eyebrows to draw onto it.

How long does it usually take to do a face-up (or custom alteration job)?
I usually take breaks every other day, but I spend at least an hour planning the base, and a couple hours after that to get the eyebrows shaped, placed and painted correctly on the face. I am guessing a total of 5-6 hours, including the breaks for sealing the doll with MSC and doing alterations.

Can you offer any helpful hints to the amateur face-up artists? Can you recommend a list of supplies including colors, paints & pastels etc?
For painting eyelashes, I highly suggest a liner brush that has long bristles. The size depends on the brand as well though but I’d recommend a 0 on a Raphael brush. I find the soft Rembrandt pastels or Mungyo have the best pigment and seem to be the easiest for the brush to pick up. As for colours…experiment and see which colours compliment each other.

Do you have a favorite medium you like to work with when not creating for BJDs in your spare time?
Simply a sketchbook and a pencil. I love to draw and I always bring it along with me, even when I’m out and about.

How long have you been doing face-ups/customizing BJDs?
On and off for about 2 years.

What is your biggest inspiration for your face-ups and customizations?
Memento mori photographs.

Do you have any tips you’d like to share for people that want to learn how to do what you do or just want to improve? Something that’s helped you a lot or something that you think is important to know when doing a successful customization/face-up?
Take a break if you are frustrated with the face up you are working with and get back to it the next day.

Thanks for the interview, Korisanzu!

Your name: Korisanzu
Your Legal Name: Anna
Your Website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/addiolula/

How did you get involved in Super Dollfies and customizing them?
I discovered Super Dollfies online when I was 14, and then I met another member on DOA who was a face up artist at the time. I was inspired by her and decided to try out face ups from there. I opened up a thread and did free face ups for a while until I was ready to take on priced commissions.

What do you do best?
I am not quite sure what I do best, but I try to bring out a doll’s personality prominently with my pastel work.

What Inspires You?
A combined effort of everything and everyone I’ve encountered in my life from books and poems by Charles Bukowski, to music such as Erik Satie, and art such as Takato Yamamoto.

What do you want people to think when they look at your Customizations?
Hopefully a cathartic response through my use of colour. I find colour to be a huge element in my work.
What do you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years? Gaining more experience in drawing and painting. I’d like to be able to find a style that fully expresses me.

What sorts of things do you enjoy the most about your designs/customizations?
Definitely working with bringing out distinct characteristics of a doll through the use of colour and subtle detail.

Other than yourself, who are your favorite doll customizers?
Viridian House, SDink, pulse, gloomyclassic…

What’s the Best thing about customizing your own dolls?
The spontaneity of forming a blank canvas into a being with personality. I have never planned the way my dolls should look before customizing them.

What’s the most difficult thing about doing customizations (your mods, face-ups, tats, etc) and altering them?
The base of the face up is the most difficult to begin with. I find that the shape of the eyebrows and the way the eyelashes and eyelids are painted are the most important part of customizing before adding everything else. It is the essence of the entire face.

What type of dolls do you enjoy customizing (male/female/brands)?
I enjoy realistic/mature molds, especially males, however I do get excited when I’m presented with a mold I don’t usually work with.

What is your favorite style to create?
Haunting, antique and sleep-deprived.

Who would you love to collaborate with?
I’d love to collaborate with someone who is sculpting their own doll! That would be exciting.

Why choose doll customizing as a form of Self Expression?
The very thought of being able to bring another person’s vision to life through my own eyes gives me freedom to be able to express myself, even if there are specific limits in the process of customizing dolls.

How long does it take from start to finish on a typical doll to create and complete?
4-6 weeks, depending on schedule.

How do you like to work best with a custom order for a client? With total freedom to create your vision, or do you like some feedback/interchange with a client who might have an idea or theme they would like to see realized?
For me, there is such a thing as too much freedom- which causes me to struggle. I appreciate receiving feedback from the client so I know I am going in the right direction.

What have been your favorite projects you’ve done thus far?
I just recently got back into customizing dolls and I love projects that involve freckles, haha! There is such a tenderness to it.

What sets your doll customizations apart from all the others?
I am not quite sure…perhaps my use of colour and subtle, almost blurry quality. I do not like to paint crisp and bold brush marks in my work as I feel it takes away from the fragility of it.

Are there any sort of projects you’ve been hoping to work on but just haven’t gotten around to it? I’ve always wanted to do a face up that involves any sort of disease or illness.

What was the most challenging thing you have ever done thus far? Each commission has be quite challenging to me, which is something I always want to face in order to improve.

How has your style evolved over time, and where do you see it going in the future?
I think my style has become softer over time, and I tend to lean more towards purples and yellows in my palette.

Describe your perfect client. Do you like to get a lot of direction, or just be given a general mood, or do you like to see visual examples?
Most of my clients have been very understanding, honest and patient with me… but I do appreciate clients that provide constructive feedback.

Interview continues…

Have you ever refused a commission? Why? Or if not, can you think of a circumstance where you might?
I would not copy other artists work, I always let customers know, that I will only paint in my stile. I would refuse to take a job if I already had a bad experience with this person.

Is there something that is still difficult for you to do? What is the most difficult?
Eyebrows, I do find it a bit difficult to do eyebrows. Also I try to avoid applying eyelashes, because I have a shaky hands.

How important is customer feedback to your creative process?
I like receiving feedback.I enjoy make people happy

Is there a mold, doll, or company that you prefer to work on?
I love working with Soom monthly dolls, Iplehouse and Fairyland dolls.

Do you prefer working on male or female dolls? Why? I don’t have a preference

What is your background? Have you had any special schooling (art school, sculpture, painting, etc)?
I use to go to art lessons after school, I also studied in university on interior designer course.

When you were a child did you ever work on dolls or create with similar things?
Not really. I only had a couple of dolls as a child. and they was to precious to me to paint they faces.I did some sculpting thou.

Do you have any other interests that might have helped you in your development of customizing ABJD (like customizing other dolls, action figures, etc)? Please tell us about them.
About 5 years ago I created some plush animals. They had plush bodies and faces and poos sculpted out of clay. They were called LiAna’s Pets

Do you have any other interests? Collections?
I don’t have any other collections but I do enjoy decorating cakes, sewing dolls clothes and photography.

What factors do you consider before giving a doll its make-up so it will have the expression you want?
I try to understand better what my client want.

Are there any painting techniques that can make a face look more masculine or feminine?
With me its all about colour and lines.

How long does it usually take to do a face-up (or custom alteration job)?
It usually take me about 8 – 9 hours, I do a loads of layers, and it take time for sealant to dry.

Can you offer any helpful hints to the amateur face-up artists? Can you recommend a list of supplies including colors, paints & pastels etc?
Don’t be lazy, if you work with pastels work in layers and always use proper art materials like Liquitex acrylic, and good thinner.

How long have you been doing face-ups/customizing BJDs?
Not long, I only started in 2010.

Do you have any tips you’d like to share for people that want to learn how to do what you do or just want to improve? Something that’s helped you a lot or something that you think is important to know when doing a successful customization/face-up?
Just be patient and practise, practice, practice. Also its much easier to paint eyebrows if you turn head up side down.

Thanks, Pinktezka, for the interview!