Yuliya Yuzhakova

Russia, Moskow

www.yukidoll.com

www.instagram.com/yukidolls

yuliya@yukidoll.com

www.facebook.com/yuliya.yuzhakova

Dolls were always around me. My mother was a director in a Puppet Theater and a talented teacher. She made puppets for our school theatre and kept in her archives wonderful hand dolls and very big marionettes about a meter high each.

I loved marionettes as they were bright, live and could move. I remember Shahrazada doll very well. She was dressed in sequins, fine light clouds and satin pants; moreover, she had eyeliner on her eyes. Her look impressed me so much! There was Emelya, the hero of Russian folktale with a wooden bucket and a glance pike in it. The smell was also pleasant; it was similar to an old theatre backstage scent.

When I got older Barbie dolls arrived, they were wonderful and unattainable for us, so tan and toothy. I dreamed about Barbie, but this dream couldn’t come true because these beauties were out of my mum’s budget, as she was just a teacher with two small children. Being an adult, I’ve bought Barbie dolls for my collection. I found two dolls issued in 1989 and 1990.

I decided on the profession I wanted to have when I was fourteen. I had in thoughts that it should be a kind of job I love and couldn’t be without it. I studied a lot to be ready to enter the Moscow Art College, and I became a student of the Art Painting department when I was just 16 years old. Education process wasn’t impressive; we made a lot of useful things like geometry plasterwork, sketches and ornaments, but they bored me so much!  From my point of view, it was necessary to learn how to paint and only then create artworks. I left the College and worked as an artist for landscape design office, created illustrations for glossy magazines and concept-art objects for games. At this time I started to develop characters, at first, they lived just in my mind, but later materialised in dolls.  Now I study Art and Metalwork at the Moscow State University of Arts and Industry named after S.G. Stroganov.

My first doll was made in 2008. I decided that I’m not ready for this kind of art and I had to make sketches for three or four years before the next trial. Despite this, I keep my first doll and sometimes take her from the box with mixed emotions. I think that professional growth is very important. A good artist always sees shortcomings of his (or her) artworks and wishes to overcome them; that process is natural for artist’s skills development. While you are sculpting, it’s important to stop when your artwork is ready, but not to tire it up. It’s necessary to keep the sense of lightness and freshness in your artwork. But try to remember all the mistakes to avoid them in the next doll.

I make sketches for my works. Despite this fact, my dolls are not always following these sketches because the idea could be transformed on every stage of work. Sometimes I am ‘thinking’ with my hands and don’t need drawings or notes at all.

It’s difficult to say what motivates me to create my dolls. I’m happy to say that the most part of my skills was developed during college years. Drawing, painting, work with colours, light and shapes were learned under the supervision of very talented people. One of them was Evgeny I. Tretyakov, magnificent artist and teacher. It’s not enough to have a set of drawing or sculpting skills, you need to have a specific artist experience. You have to attend exhibitions, galleries and museums, look at the art objects with a great history and at the same time compare artworks, analyse technique and try to understand the backstage[1] of every art object.

I use different materials, for example, ‘LaDoll’  and epoxy resin are perfect for master models. Epoxy is very strong and gives an opportunity to make your doll with lots of details. To work with this material I use a dental burr. For dolls themselves, I prefer polyurethane synthetic resin which has positive features and shortcomings as well. I love this material for its strength, beauty and tactile comfort. It is also good for painting. But if a doll will stay at sunlight, its painting would require restoration and resin will change colour. These are significant shortcomings of this way of doll making.

I do not sort my characters to favourites and unloved ones, as I love them all. I never make ties with my dolls; I just let them go to the world. Each my doll has a story, and I created a whole world for them, and now I work as a guide to their invented world and our reality.

The doll maker work is extremely important and necessary. Humanity has grown up with a doll in hands, not with a textbook on nuclear physics, not with music papers or a brush, but with a toy. The history of the doll and human history are tied together for many centuries. As long as there would be people there also would be dolls. At all times the doll was mystified, often endowed with the soul and even believed sometimes that life or death could depend on the doll.

Now, of course, life is simpler, doll magic is not the same as at the dawn of humanity. However, it is still possible to hear: "Brrr ... Such terrible creatures? Adopt such a bogeyman? Yes, no way!" By the way, artists are very pleased sometimes to feel themselves a Drosselmeier. In that context spectator’s "Brrr" reaction could show us real feelings and emotions. We appreciate live emotions, of course.

The mass fascination with the author doll is a feature of the time. Like any fashion trend, it will pass through. I think that this is a bad tendency as it harms both artists and collectors since there would be a huge number of unprofessional people that could make only fakes. At the same time, very talented artists come to the niche and do just fantastic things. Of course, this is a positive trend.

A doll can send spectators any message; it is a work of art as a picture or something of the sort. Perhaps, the artist should remember that he should be responsible for this message and act accordingly. Dolls for different age categories are not the same; there are no common criteria that may help you to evaluate them. For example, a doll for children should have a very specific set of qualities: it must be made of sustainable materials; it should be simplified for perception and look nice. But these rules are completely inappropriate for the collection doll.

I do not like to describe the idea of my doll. Usually, the viewer understands the idea of the work without additional explanations. I think if the artist has to explain the meaning of his artwork to the viewer in words, he is done a bad job.

I like exhibitions very much. They give you a unique opportunity to communicate face to face with colleagues, spectators and collectors; to see something that takes your breath away; to understand that a doll phenomenon is interesting to a huge number of people, and it inspires me.

The receptive artist nature from my point of view is just a popular myth and nothing more. I am sure that the artist should be a very down to earth person and be able to divorce himself from everything (criticism, praise and flattery, discontent or frank attacks) to look at the familiar things from a different angle and show the viewer these things in a different light.

There are a lot of visitors at doll shows, who simply came to admire the dolls or they just happened to be on the show. They do not know the specifics of our toy world, but they simply enjoy what they see, they ask a lot of questions. It’s wonderful to see their natural interest.

Exhibitions organised by Svetlana Pchelnikova are the best start for the artist, a guarantee that the work will be presented to a huge number of people. For many newcomers, Svetlana became the very fairy godmother who can create a miracle. At her exhibitions, despite the impressive scale and scope, and even due to them, there is an amazingly domestic atmosphere, where everyone, artist or spectator, feels care, attention and love.

My future plans, of course, are related to dolls. I wish to create many dolls, good and different. I want to try my hand at working with new materials that are unusual for me. I am often asked whether I organise master classes or courses. No, I do not, I do not have enough time for such events. Although, I think it would be a very interesting experience.         

[1] Backstage is an analysis of art object, what techniques and materials were used, how the composition is designed and so on.

Galina Shulgina

Russia, Tyumen

Dolls-antiques.ru

galshulgina@narod.ru

www.facebook.com/galina.shulgina.7

I try not to “stand still”

Dolls, as an object of creativity, appeared in my life about fifteen years ago quite by accident. I was given a pack of "Fimo" clay with the words that it is possible to make a doll out of it ... In one evening I read on the Internet everything about the technology of making dolls from polymer clay. The next day the first copy of my author's doll stood in front of me. It was a nice Thai girl, plain, funny, terribly touching and beloved.

In 2008 I visited the famous Ahoy Dolls, and Teddy bears Fair (Rotterdam) where I got my first close look at antique dolls. The topic completely captured me. It was a mysterious, enticing, magical world, with surprisingly thick-cheeked and such "sweet" faces of old dolls. When I returned to Tyumen, I studied all the available (at that time) information on the Internet. As I did not really find anything on the Russian-language Internet, I had to flaunt the entire www.com. The theme of old dolls simply had me. Later I’ve been turning my attention to world auctions. I did the restoration of antique dolls. In two years I’d collected a lot of dolls and decided to organise a personal exhibition of my collection in Tyumen. The collection was huge for that period of time (80 dolls), every element is restored, dressed up ... and at that moment I realised that I had nothing to do.

Ihave a habit of using my hands all the time.

The collection consisted mainly of German dolls, there was also a pair of French dolls (not very expensive). And suddenly it occurred to me that if I could not buy a Bru doll for my collection, I'd try to create my own French beauty. Again I searched the Internet and found that nobody was making replicant dolls in Russia. Again I needed to go to the USA. I found a craft-master with author techniques and went to visit him! It was quite expensive, but it didn’t matter. I studied for two months. The language barrier, a lot of problems with porcelain, and no one can be asked to cover the topic. I addressed my questions to American crafters, but even they couldn't answer as they used porcelain of a different quality, and my problems were unknown to them.

Six months later in April 2010, the first three copies of  Bru (20cm) were exhibited in Moscow. I had received smirks on doll forums, but I just gritted my teeth and continued to develop my skills. At the exhibition, I tried to take advice about working with porcelain from a famous Moscow porcelain maker. In a whisper, I got an answer ... she didn’t pour porcelain figures, does not bake, only made clothes for them. Since then, I figure out the secrets of porcelain in my own way. It is difficult but very interesting.

I have been making replicated dolls for 8 years. In the beginning, I tried to count them, but now I don’t know how many dolls have been made during this time ... I can only say that I make them with great interest. I look at my first dolls, which are in private collections. It’s not for me to say what skill level I have, it’s better to leave this question to collectors. I try not to "stand still," there is always something to think about and improve. In any case, I have not yet made my best doll. I hope that soon I will not do it ... Only in this way, with an inner spirit, there is a desire to create and continuously move forward ...

I love my doll making process. The work is multifaceted and very interesting. I think that everyone can achieve sufficient results only with full dedication to the things he loves. But there is also another side of the process, I’ve been turning myself into a hermit, the flat into a mini-factory with a constant creative disorder.

There are a lot of plans in my head - so many things I want to do: dolls-automatons and old toys; want to remake Russian cultural heritage which was lost in connection with historical events.

I dream about an old toy shop, small and cosy where you can stay and feel yourself fully caught by its atmosphere.

The assortment of my replica dolls is the largest among all the artists in the world. More than 30 different doll types. Each doll has its own character. Some dolls are created easy, another are capricious creatures. Once there was a case, when I’d been making a doll head about a year, had created several copies without success. Sometimes I have favourites among my dolls; usually, I firmly resolve to keep the doll in my private collection. Finally, my collection is an illusion, only intentions remain, but favourite dolls leave me for other art lovers.

It usually takes about three or four months of my daily work to create one doll. Large dolls are more detailed and require up to a year of work.

One more thing is extremely important. Every replica artist has his own approach in doll-making. I make only copies of dolls "with a happy fate."  Each antique doll has its own destiny. One doll was carefully nurtured, and it survives to our days relatively intact while others had a rough time. So, I make copies of happy dolls. I do not like knotted wigs, rags and damaged lace, which very often some artists use to achieve the effect of "age." The doll needs to be respected. It's my opinion. At least to comb it and stitch holes ... I want to show what well-dressed beauties were antic dolls over a hundred years ago when they stood on the shelves of shops.

There are many rules for replica dolls. We try to use the same technology of making a doll that was in use when the original doll was made. This requires special techniques while working with porcelain parts and soft doll bodies. It’s necessary to use natural fabrics, leather, natural wigs, stylized clothes, shoes and a complete set of underwear for every doll.

I am often asked if I can run a workshop for replica artists. I say that I can, but... you must live with me and work hard every day for three or four months for learning only the basic. Creation of replica dolls is a long, difficult, but very interesting and informative process. If someday I decide to organise a master class or workshop,  it will be difficult, long and quite expensive.

I never give the name to a doll, if I create it for sale. I give names only to those dolls that will remain in my personal collection.

Doll Shows

Doll Shows are as necessary to us as the air we breathe. Shows mean meetings with people united by one love for dolls. The exhibition is a powerful emotional charge; this is a special world of creativity, new ideas and new meetings. The exhibition is also a strict judge, who evaluates your achievements. The exhibition will show whether you take the right direction in your work. Perhaps it is time to stop and think about changes and improvements... I am a regular participant of the Doll Salon supervised by Svetlana Pchelnikova. This is the only exhibition I attend. I like its atmosphere which is friendly, cosy, just hearty and family.

Vladlena – Preili, Latvia

www.vladlenadoll.com

Member of the Art dolls section of the Creative Union of Russian Artists

Professional Doll Makers Art Guild  (PDMAG)

International Author Doll Association (IADA)

Baltic Guild of Doll and Toy Artists

Dolls are displayed in galleries of Moscow, Baku and private collections in many countries of the world such as England, Ireland, France, Germany, Russia, Belarus, America.

Vladlena has a personal art gallery in Preili. In 2009 she performed a doll order from the President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers for a gift to the Spanish King Juan Carlos.

I began to make dolls in 2007. Once someone brought me a broken puppet for repair, but when the work was done the owner decided to left it with me. Then I decided to make her a friend. I found the first plastic in the shop (it was clay named "Leningrad") and made a gentleman. It was a beginning of the doll story.

I could not stop making dolls, and this process more and more dragged me in. At that time, I did not have the Internet, and I did not quite understand that this is one of the art forms. For me, it was probably just a hobby. In the first year, I made 150 dolls. And then the Internet appeared, and I suddenly saw that a lot of people are engaged in doll making. I started experiments with Fimo, Cernit and Livingdoll. The last material is my favourite now, and I decide to work with it. Now I do a lot of works in mixed technique.

I do not make sketches in the process, do not plan images, because it is more interesting for me to let them happen. Sometimes the original idea changes its implementation, and I accept this order of things. This is also true about the costume when I choose the fabric, but it happens that it will remain untouched. I love to make doll dresses, probably costume sewing is my favourite part of dollmaking process.

Sometimes the doll has a mind of its own. If so, I leave it and rarely return back. But I’m happy to say that these situations do not repeat often. Most frequently I create fantasy and legends characters, sometimes I make portrait dolls, more out of curiosity than a sufficient interest. Sometimes the image just appears in my mind.

I created 940 dolls. The first two hundred shouldn’t be taken into account as they were just steps in search of my own art style. After that, I wanted to translate the meaning of the doll image. I love emotions and dynamics. That's why my creations are all so different: Goddess of the seas, sorcerers, dragons, fairy-tale characters and cheerful Dwarfs. There is a whole story in steampunk in my collection of works, all kinds of Pierrot with Columbines, funny skits from life and seasonal stories, King Lear and the Keeper of time.

I never felt something like lack of ideas or artistic block. Instead, I do not have time to implement them all. Images come to me one by one. The most exciting ideas I write to a sketchbook to have an opportunity to return to them later. I like to listen to music while working. It is necessary for me!

Also, exhibitions are like oxygen for me. This is a holiday that inspires me so much! I like to look at other artists, to see how they changed and become more skilled. I suppose I do the same. I try to bring only new art objects every time as I want to surprise doll lovers. Maybe I'm not a stable person, but it seems to me that it’s a bit boring to create similar items.

Exhibitions are so important, as they allow us to meet with our beloved friends or communicate with admirers of our art!

There are lots of fairs in the World, but I prefer the Spring Ball and the Doll Salon in Moscow, «Nukukunst» in Tallinn, Art Dolls Expo in Amsterdam because those fairs are organised by Svetlana Pchelnikova. I try to participate as often as I only could because of the warm and friendly atmosphere. I feel like I am going to a holiday to see my beloved friends. I’m happy that it is so!

Anton Solnykov

Russia, Moscow

Has a degree in Polygraphy (Moscow State University named after Fedorov)

Member of the International Author Dolls Association (IADA)

Member of the Russian Artists Union (RAU), "Art doll" section

www.AntonDolls.net

Art without frames

I got involved into doll art rather accidentally, like many artists of the genre. I saw an announcement on the Internet about courses that were not far from my home. So I got acquainted with the school "KuklyRu", and my first teachers were Tamoykina Olga and Pribelskaya Marina. Before that, I had never come across this art; I did not even suspect it existed. At first, it was more like a fun hobby, but very quickly it grew into something more important for me.

Having created the first dolls, I participated in a Doll show on "Tishinka" and was surprised how interesting and diverse the world of dolls is. In the very beginning I’ve shared stands with my colleagues, but very soon I decide to exhibit my doll projects. In my opinion, projects give us an opportunity to reveal author's vision of the world. Being this creative stage, I got acquainted with Svetlana Pchelnikova, who is the organiser of Doll shows and charity projects; she is a wonderful and sensible person. Used to be a part of this artistic environment I joined the International Author Dolls Association (IADA) and soon became the director. It was an interesting experience: I plunged into the world of Doll shows, not only participating but also organising them. Unfortunately, I had to make a choice between the administrative work that took a lot of my time and creativity. After leaving the director position, I stayed with the IADA and participated in projects under the supervision of Svetlana Pchelnikova. These wonderful projects can always count on my creative support. Participation in them is a great holiday for me. It is very pleasant to meet like-minded artists, get acquainted with new art and demonstrate my works.

I have been doing dolls for more than 11 years. In retrospect, I see how naïve were my first dolls. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and I’ve been wasting a lot of time. But I’m sure that those mistakes led me to the particular path and helped to achieve my goals. At first, I tried to follow the technology as closely and accurately as possible. But after a while I realised that it is necessary to experiment with materials and forms, combining different methods. After all, the doll itself is a synthesis of techniques, methods and materials. Therefore, there are no borders, it is possible to combine things and materials that seem to be incompatible ones. This type of art is motivating me. At the moment, I plunged into work with paper-mâché and wood. It is very interesting to know the possibilities and properties of these materials.

Sometimes it can be hard to part with my works. A doll becomes alive just after a moment you make eyes for it. Probably it keeps a particle of the artist's soul. But I also perfectly understand that by selling a doll, I stimulate the birth of a new one. When creating a doll, I never think about selling. I always do it for myself. Sometimes I hear from young artists that it's very difficult to come up with an image. It sounds rather strange ... For me, so there is no particular problem in creating the image, rather the problem is to find enough time. The images come to me as they come. I rotate them for a very long time in my head and finally the idea slowly crystallise in my mind. Starting to make a doll, I know for sure all the nuances: what it will be made of, the frame, the colour scheme, etc. This greatly simplifies the work.

Over the past decade, the author's doll has become an art, but still, the way to full recognition and understanding by the viewer seems to be very long. I see that new artists come to this art with new ideas, new techniques and materials. I’m glad to see new exhibition areas. This encourages creativity a lot. I’m happy to be a part of this process, thereby contributing to the development of the author doll art.

I have gained experience working with different materials and techniques. Now I have the opportunity to share it. Several doll making classes were developed and launched. It's nice to see how young artists do their first works using my tutorials. After all, I already know that many processes can be simplified and speeded up. I really want my students to avoid the mistakes I made.

So, create! There is nothing better than the process of creating something new. Dolls make our life more beautiful. And if you want to learn something interesting about technology and materials, feel free to ask and join my classes. I can tell you what I know.

Mariya Volodina

Moscow, Russia

volodinamariya@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/maria.volodina.5

Dolls are saying without words

I’ve seen author dolls for the first time at my childhood friend’s home (my friend is Filippova Alice, very talented doll artist) and they touched my heart at once. I understood that handmade dolls can’t leave me in the still mood.

I couldn’t understand how to sculpt so small fingers or sew stockings. It was magic! At one moment I realised that I want to make a doll. I did the first trial and sculpted a doll from oven baked clay with glass eyes. Then I became a student of the Dollmaking School named “Elena Gromov’s Doll Collection”. From this moment I started to learn seriously.

I used to study at Vasily Selivanov classic sculpture class, then got familiar with air dry clay of different types at the course managed by Lubov Luquanchuk. I found these materials quite easy to work with, as at every stage of the work you can make the doll better. At first, I absorbed all the information like foam! On Internet, I looked at works of famous artists such as Filippova Alice, Natalia Pobedina, Sasha Khudyakova, Natasha Lopusov-Tomskaya, Olga Soukach and many others. With great admiration, I stared at art objects on exhibitions. I was shopping spent a lot of hours and roubles for tissues, lase and other supplies. I didn’t know where and when I would use it, but I got it. I loved the materials and the process itself. My working space at that times was my home where I sculpted and sewed just on the floor!

After the first class, I decided to create my first collection of dolls for the closest Doll Salon on Tishinka. I was glad that artists noticed my works and said pleasant words about dolls. So I became a part of the doll world, and I’m still there and don’t mind to leave.

At the current stage, I create my dolls more consciously. Difficult moments don’t scare me anymore. For static dolls, I make just a brief sketch not very detailed. Dolls help me to send a personal message to the world, express myself without words.

Later I understood why is necessary to participate in exhibitions and shows. Twice a year in Moscow take place brilliant Doll Shows organised by Svetlana Pchelnikova. Svetlana is a kind and sensitive person who loves dolls and artists, and you feel her love and care. The exhibition is a particular stage in a doll artist development, a small exam for him. When dolls are going out, you feel them differently in comparison with a photo. No one picture can show all our feelings that we have regarding a ‘natural’ charming and detailed doll. It’s so important for every artist to get spectators’ emotions and collectors’ feedbacks. Of course, we also want to feel this festive atmosphere that makes our meetings and acquaintances pleasant. It’s so important, you couldn’t get it from any other event.

Natalia Feoktistova

Russia, Saint Petersburg

feoktistvan@yandex.ru

www.vk.com/feona2000

Coming from childhood

One day, after arriving in Moscow, I went to the Central House of Artists and saw glass showcases with dolls. And I thought that this is what I would like to do. Five years after a colleague brought to the studio magazines for doll makers about different kinds of dolls. And all worked out as best it could! Despite the fact that I already had some skills, I decided to take a basic course to learn new materials and techniques. The first doll I made in 2007 to train new skills. The second appeared six months later. But I came to them only two years later, when received an order for ten dolls for a restaurant.

Doll starts with the brief image, invisible and abstract. Sometimes it’s motivated by completely unexpected things like coffee stains on the table or nice combination of colours. I make sketches, give a name to the image, but sometimes it will never turn into a doll. Probably, I’ll create a doll after a couple of years. After that moment her independent life begins. I suppose all these absolutely improbable stories based on mystics or doll’s naughty features are just stories. I don’t trust mysticism. If the outfit doesn’t match to a doll, this is only my miscalculation and my fault.

I am often asked about my style. Why my girls are so elegant and exquisite. I see that the style is coming from childhood, from books of the elder sister: Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev, poets of the turn of the century. As a child I loved paper dolls, I played with them, but also made them. In summer I liked to dress my paper dolls in leaves, flower petals or grass, especially good for these purposes was dill! I imagined that dill’s magnificent umbrella could be crinoline, leaves could play the role of multi-layered skirts and to complete a costume we needed only a hat-bindweed! Such a stylish person my doll was. Therefore, flower motifs often appear in my work.

As about daytime for work, I can sew or make hairstyles for dolls at any time; but sculpting is a very special operation that I can do only late at night when no one distracts, at that time there is a dialogue between us. Of course, from time to time topics and images change, new materials appear that I want to cover. I prefer to work with air-dry materials: Fimo Efaplast, Ladoll and Paperclay. But now I decide to try porcelain and wood.

My sources of inspiration in a dol world are the profound art dolls by Gulya Alekseeva, unexpectable and original dolls carved from wood by Julia Ralnikova and steampunk creatures by Andrei Drozdov. Painting, icons and sculptures always inspire me. All these arts represent classics, that will never go out of style. I do not understand the use of the word "fashion" for creative works when almost all artists do works in one style. But there is a bit of plagiarism in this approach. Of course, you always want to experiment with materials, textures, proportions and so on. But it is important not to escape from yourself. I don’t deny modern directions in the doll art, such as monsters and horror dolls, I take it easy if those works are created not just for the sake of shocking. An antique doll is a story that is already written. There are certain frameworks and rules in this area. I know artists who are great in this art form. I prefer fantasy costumes, not anchored to a particular history and style. I fully admit eclecticism in the costumes of my girls. To me, the colour and the form are of particular importance in that regard.

My first exhibition was the III International Doll Salon, I exhibited my works on the IADA (International Author Dolls Association) stand. It was a great holiday, almost like a fairytale! Many works are art objects in which artists reveal their feelings, thoughts and love. Since then, this is a favourite exhibition area for me, an exhibition that is loved and expected not only by doll authors but also by visitors. Our excellent organisers are waiting for doll artists and take extra special care of us. Also, there we meet our collectors and friends.

Anya Anderson

USA, Boise

www.instagram.com/andersanya

borjusik880@yahoo.com

Dolls have always been a part of my life, but they became a serious passion of my art just recently. In my Soviet childhood we played mostly with chubby-cheeked plastic baby dolls and my first admiration was caused by a friend’s doll which was brought from abroad. The doll was a woman, not a child, and seemed like she was from another world. She had a wig for special events and a change of clothes. When I got older, I read in a magazine about a collection of dolls which belonged to one of the celebrities, and when I looked at the photographs, I felt the same childish admiration for these creations. It was just like a simple thing that turned into something magical; a play doll into art.

Art has always been in my life – mostly painting. When I moved to America, I tried different art mediums like felting, illustration, and digital painting, but I felt there was always something missing. My only creative outlet seemed to be painting. The idea of making dolls was with me for a while but I simply did not know where to start first.

Several times I bought oven-hardening modelling clay, started to sculpt and gave up. I finally began making dolls, just four years ago. It’s interesting that my first dolls were felted. This was an extraordinary feeling: At one moment it was just unshaped wool, then suddenly it looked like a little creature.

I got quite excited about the idea of creating dolls and found this process gave me a pleasant buzz. It was mine! I’d make them somehow, out of something. However, the process of needle felting was not attractive to me enough because of my fear of needles. Then I found paper clay. It was not only am amazing material to work with, but the surface of the dried paper clay felt similar to paper on canvas. That is a feeling I really love.

Suddenly doll making changed the focus of my life as all my skills, fantasies and experience happened to be very handy – sculpture, paintings, theatre (which I adored where I used to work), literature, felting and fashion. Of course, my favorite creative stage is painting because it was always my absolute pleasure. And I love that magical moment when a little human starts to stare back at you.

After a couple of years of my doll creations, I was incredibly lucky to get a scholarship to the NIADA conference (The National Institute of American Doll Artists). There, for the first time, I saw dolls as an art form by one of the some most remarkable artists. One of them was E.J. Taylor. And better yet, I got to take a master class from this patriarch of American doll making, and legend of the doll world. After the workshop, I realized that doll creation is for life.

Later I went to his studio for a private class, and it was an unforgettable experience. The teacher, whose art and personality are so deep and philosophical, definitely helps you to comprehend everything that you do. It is inspiring and gives you an incredible opportunity to grow. I'm very grateful to E.J. His dolls are fine artwork and thoughtful. And the opportunity to know the artist of his level and hear the stories behind his creations, was truly a real gift.

Then, for the first time, I went to the Spring Ball of Dolls in Moscow, Russia. It was an amazing event of great fantasies and a real spectacle of holiday fairy-tales created by the hands of talented people. I think doll makers are a little different from the other artists as they are not afraid to demonstrate their inner child and be naive.

The concept of a, "doll", in culture is complicated and simple simultaniously. On one hand it is a child’s toy, and on the other, it represents the history of spiritual and magical value, puppet history, social class representation, etc.

For me, doll making is an art, a self-expression. It’s my view of the world, my fantasies and my experiences in the art shape of a little human.

Yes, a doll is very personal. Despite the fact that dolls connect us to lots of superstitions, for me, the doll remains exclusively an artwork.

Creation of a doll for me is no different from the any other creative process. Maybe it is a little more sentimental than other forms of art. The process formulates a personal message – a demonstration of your inner child. It’s very similar to poetry in this sense.

As for exhibitions, of course, they are very important for the artist to get out of their shell and comfort zone to communicate with like-minded people, see the live spectators’ response, and be inspired. This will help promote your growth to appreciate the clarity of your message that you send in doll creation.

Gulya Alexeeva

Russia, Saint-Petersburg

www.instagram.com/algulya/

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001998124217

With every doll, I start a new story

- How do you start to make dolls? At what moment you understood that this process is like a deep breath of the fresh air?

Now it’s difficult to remember what point I start. Probably it came from the early childhood when my mother made rag dolls for me, and I tried to repeat her creations. A roll made from old clothes tightened with threads. Embroidered eyes and a mouth added with a couple of stitches. A roll was wrapped in a quilt to represent a baby. Later I made dolls from different things like perfume bottles wrapped in beautiful paper and fabric scraps. These creations served princesses. I understood that there were no limits on the use of materials and I experimented with them with all my fantasy. It's interesting to note that I never made clothes for factory-made dolls, only for created by my hands. Probably, it happened because I took a great interest in theatre and puppets as heroes of pieces.

When I was a child, I attended a school of art and a theatre training studio. That’s why I decided to work as an artist in a theatre and choose The Theatre Institute, the Department of Direction and production. Almost all my free time I spent with doll makers and made my dolls. In the Institute, I’ve met my husband, and now I can tell that my married life was a specific doll making school as well. After graduating from the Institute, I had different working experience from painting and graphics to art-objects and, of course, doll creation. All these skills I still use in my work. Speaking about making artistic dolls, I started in early 90’s, made them from time to time but seriously they attracted my attention only in 2003 when Varvara Skripkina organised her Doll Gallery in Saint Petersburg.

- What about your favourite materials? Have you changed your preferences?

When I start, polymer clay was not available and even well-known in Russia. That’s why I made the first dolls of papier-mache, textile and wood. Later I realised that polymer clays are comfortable in the process and give an opportunity to make a doll a bit faster than usual. I use several materials, use polymer clay, but my favourites are papier-mache and wood. In almost every my work you can find them.

- How long does it take to draw a sketch or a model of your future creation? How much time do you spend for one doll in average?

I create author dolls for several years and notice that all artistic works that I made existed somewhere in another world. My task is just helping them to appear among us. It doesn’t matter that I took clay or carving instrument and start to create an image without any preliminary work. Not! I always start working with sketch drawing. I draw until my idea became visible and detailed. If this part of a process is well-done, the rest of work is easy and full of joy. Only, in that case, I feel that the process is going on and my hero is coming from the other word to ours.

Let’s go back to drawings. I use a pencil to seek for an image. When I catch it I make a detailed sketch, but some features are not well-done yet, I leave a little space for my fantasy. I have tried to make detailed and live sketches which are in fact full-color pictures. But I understand that it’s not for me, as a picture has its life, and not so interesting to copy it in a sculpture.

When the sketch is done, it’s necessary to prepare a full-sized technical scheme of a doll. The detailed drawing helps me to keep proportions and solve technical questions, like ‘How to make the head with the possibility to turn for 360 degrees?’ or ‘What type of wire I should use and how to create a base of the doll?’ This part of my work is the most difficult and challenging. If I decide to skip it and later try to make a doll from scratch, in many cases, I’m dissatisfied with the result.

It’s difficult to say how much time needed to create a doll. When I make one doll at the same time, I think about the second and find details in my mind. I’m looking for her character and image. Sometimes this internal process goes fast, sometimes not. If you are asking about technical aspects of the doll making, it’s about one month or a couple of weeks more for one doll.

- What about throes of creation? Is the doll moody and changeable?

Rather I’d say about throes without creation. As for me, I feel the creative process as a reason to live in harmony. If I can’t work, I feel myself wrong. As my friend says: ‘if I don’t feel as an artist I have nothing to defend myself from the environment’. It doesn’t matter that I am always satisfied with the result. Sometimes I feel helpless. Usually, this happens at the beginning of the moulding process. With every doll, I start a new story. Sometimes I’m disappointed and dissatisfied with the intermediate result. But I know that this is a short-term feeling, I have to go further in any case. Honestly speaking, I don’t know why dolls could be changeable or flighty. I love my creations and come to an understanding with them. I create stories about them, know their characters. I feel myself fine being with them.

- What could you say about images transformations in your artistic life? For years dolls change their style, even in costumes or techniques. How do you feel the process?

First of all, I think an author is getting experience. I’m speaking about the doll making process, but not only about it. I do what I like at the moment. Then time passes by, and I change my priorities. The second reason is our cultural environment, we live among other people, and changes are part of our life. It’s difficult to say about my inspiration, but I always need a bit more time for my art. I don’t listen to the music during the process as it makes me an absent-minded person. Only during my leisure time, I can do this.

- Let me ask you about a style! When is possible to say that you are working in a particular style? And how does the process go?

I think that it’s an individual thing. I thought for a long time that the style feeling is like a musical sense of sound, which in perfect form is an exclusive event, or like natural opera voice. It’s clear that we couldn’t find many people with such specific features; they are unique and rarely met in ordinary life. But people born absolutely without ears for music are also rather unique. I think we can say the same about a style. If God does not bless you, don’t cry, but work and develop your style, learn from nature and your environment.

What can I advise to new authors? First of all, learn your eyes, try to notice details. In our era, we can easily have access to any object of art we like. We can visit galleries, museums, buy albums with bright pictures or even go to the internet for a virtual museum tour. Use all the sources to learn from artists or architects who lived before. Especially this advice is actual for people from small towns and villages, who has no possibilities to visit world-famous museums. Don’t relax your efforts, look around yourself! Any grass or leaf, tree branch or flowers are fantastic examples for an artist, harmonically grown by nature. There is nothing excessive in natural creations. Every detail is expedient and connected with others. The same should be if we are speaking about a style. Very often beginners make just one big mistake – a mess of styles and artistic principles. I understand that it could be because an artist is glad to open for himself lots of new techniques and tries to use the altogether. As a result, he or she would create a doll with too many details which you even couldn’t notice in real life. At the same time, the doll may have a felted dog in her hands, an accessory made in another technique and manner. So, I can say to young authors, stop, don’t try, to sum up, all your skills in one art doll. Select the tools, materials and details and find a style which could dominate and join all the details to one image. I think it’s a question of time. If an artist is ready to think about these issues and try different approaches, he or she will find a unique style. Later these authors’ works could be recognized from one quick look.

- What is your exchibitions experience? Do you take place in doll shows? What is important for you and how you attract your spectators?

I have really big exchibition experience. My first festivals were not specialized on dolls. I participated as a painter, graphical artist. Special doll show entered into my life with the Varvara Skripkina Doll Gallery in Saint Petersburg. She brought my dolls to Moscow Doll Salon first seasons. I made the first independent collection for the Doll Salon only in 2007, it was devoted to Alice adventures and had a name ‘Seeking for Alice’. I remember every detail of that festival! It was amazing and bright, including many interesting authors and their works. I’ve met many virtual friends face-to-face there. Impressive!

For a long time I collaborated with the Elena Gromova Gallery, and it was a good school for me. But when you send a doll to the gallery, you don’t communicate with people who decided to buy your creation. You don’t know how this person looks for the doll, what feeleings arise watching. But these aspects are important because every art doll needs a spectator, it should be a mute dialog between them. It’s clear that there are many platforms on the Internet where you can demonstrate dolls and read comments, but this process couldn’t replace face-to-face communications. So, I want to say many warm words to Svetlana Pchelnikova for her projects that she organizes for authors and their dolls, and for all friends that may meet each other.

Svetlana Dubodel

Russia, Moscow

dsn67@bk.ru

" I just make dolls, primarily for myself ... "

I started to make dolls after my daughter birth.  First porcelain dolls were made for her especially. Porcelain is my ideal material at the moment. I try to work with wide range of materials but always return to this one. I am sure that porcelain will exist forever. Sometimes I create a doll using a sharp image from my mind but in the process change everything because the doll decides to be different.  I prefer to carry out figures of women and children and never do portrait dolls. But the last one is just my opinion, nothing more.        

For the process, I need only silence, privacy and sometimes music. My inspiration consists of a wish to make dolls and necessity of doing this. For seventeen years I make more than a thousand artworks. Think that it’s not possible to create something fresh, just to polish the skills. But the creative process simplifies in this case.  I participate in almost 80 exhibitions; this fact supports a collection of certificates. Four personal shows organised, two of them with the help and supervision of Svetlana Pchelnikova: in Moscow (2007) and Tallinn (2014). I am sure that exhibitions bring another sense in a doll making process; they are useful both for artists and spectators. Many people start to think about the art doll phenomena only after the show. They now perceive this interior decoration from a new angle.

Irina Deineko

Russia, Saint-Petersburg

www.facebook.com/iradeineko.artdolls

ira-deineko.livejournal.com

What was in the beginning of my doll story? My birth. I was born in the same year when the Barbie doll was created. Maybe it was a sign for me. From the early childhood, I restored and changed my dolls starting from faces and finishing with hairstyles and dresses. I cut my grannie’s Chinese silk threads to small tails to make grass pads for my dolls. I made paper dolls for almost all my friends. I draw faces and costumes and never used ready patterns. Later I became a mom for two boys but I continued to play dolls.  I do play dolls till present moment.

In 1998 I was invited to join the group of artists and made a collection of dolls for an exhibition in honor of Pushkin. These creatures were the first dolls for everyone in the group. We made them with a great pleasure from the beginning to finishing. At this very moment, I understood that dolls took my heart forever. In 90’s we mostly used porcelain, as other materials we couldn’t buy in Saint Petersburg. So, I created my dolls from porcelain, made from 4 to 7 molds in one batch. I actually didn’t love to make series of dolls, even a small one. Now I use different materials, such as cured polymer clay, air dry clay or papier-mache.

The process of image creation is fully going inside; I do not draw full sketches and never make precise measurements. My mind creates realistic images, full-sized and detailed. It’s quite enough to start the process which is initiated with something inspiring, from a bead color to clouds in the sky. Sometimes I find myself making a scheme or scrapping dresses details. My best working place is my favorite chair. Other details aren’t important. I can work in silence or switch on TV, or use a playlist on my laptop; it doesn’t matter too much for me.

I cannot comment my dollmaking style. The only thing I know exactly is that minimalistic approach is not for me, I prefer rather a chaos harmony.  I can say nothing about my style evolution. My creations do change because the World is changing every second and I'm following these changes. 

I try to attend doll exhibitions; I love the opportunity to share emotions with colleagues and doll lovers, which you can get only offline in a place where many authors and artworks are gathered together.  There are many dolls exhibitions in Russia and European countries, but I choose for myself the Autumn Salon and the Spring Ball organized by Svetlana Pchelnikova. I love her competent manner and heartiness. I’m delighted with her energy and a friendly smile!