Your name: Glenna Hartwell
Your Company Name: DollStories
Your Website: http://www.dollstories.us
Method of Payments Accepted: PayPal
How did you get involved in the doll industry?
My tremendous admiration and love for Asian-style ball-jointed dolls led me to get involved in the industry. Like some other fans of BJDs, I had seldom played with dolls as a child. I had no interest in creating “regular” dolls.
I first discovered BJDs in 2005, and fell head-over-heels in love with the art form. Almost as wonderful as the dolls themselves was the culture surrounding them. I was astounded at the vast collectors’ community that spanned the world. These strange dolls with their alien-like beauty, so on-the-edge artistic, and so unlike anything I had ever seen in the US, had an amazing group of people following them. I loved the fact that the community was comprised, itself, of so many people in the arts; graphic designers and photographers abounded. It was like coming home.
I had little experience as a sculptor, but had always been involved with the human face as an art form. I was working as a graphic designer and creative director for a large company, and was looking to start my own business to get away from corporate life. A desire grew in me to meet the challenge of creating a doll in this subtlety formal Asian style.
When did you start? Tell us about your company.
I began sculpting Kirya in 2006. She began as a lump of Super-Sculpey jammed onto the top of my lava lamp. Since I was working full-time at my “day job”, progress was slow. And since she was my first, I was inexperienced. For reference, I altered photographs of the supermodel Kate Moss, enlarging her eyes and cheekbones. I liked the intensity I saw in this particular photograph of the model. I thought hard about the expression I wanted to see in Kirya. I was thinking about pure beauty, in its essence, beyond sensuality.
The finished sculpt looks nothing like Kate Moss, though!
From the beginning, I thought of my doll as a part of our company, DollStories, rather than as an “artists’ sculpt.” She was never a hobby. I knew I wanted sculpting Asian-style bjds to one day become my full-time profession.
The name DollStories comes from my belief that the face of every ABJD has a story, a history, behind it. These dolls have souls. They’re not just vapid, pretty production faces. That’s why so many adults who collect them believe they’re alive somehow. You look at the best examples of these dolls, and you see a personality there. This essence can be adapted, naturally, to the owner of the doll. But it’s there. And I think that’s where the success of the artform lies.
I wanted each doll to begin with a story. For Kirya, this story is based in mythology. (The DollStories home page has Kirya’s story on it, in the form of a poem about a woman who comes to guide the spirits of fallen warriors to their reward in the afterlife.)
DollStories began with just one head, but we will be expanding. We also have a line clothing in production.
What is your background? Have you had any special schooling (art school, sculpture, painting, etc)?
I began my career as a portrait artist. I worked as a street artist, later studio artist, in Cape Cod from May to September for five years, while studying painting at The Cape School of Art under the impressionist painter Henry Hensche. Later on, I received my BA in fine arts, with a graphic design specialty. I have extensive experience observing and painting the human face; facial anatomy, etc.
I have also worked as an illustrator, creating calendars, book covers, and greeting cards. In my corporate job I have done a lot of medical illustration. I think that practice helps build the love for detail needed to make a good face sculptor.
Why dolls? And why Asian Ball Jointed Dolls?
I love the style and sensibility of Asian-style ball-jointed dolls. They are realistic, yet stylized. They are like creatures from another world, with a charisma that demands they be photographed and shared with others. There is something about the style of Asian ball-jointed dolls that reminds me of ballet: the most beautiful form of dance. These dolls are the most beautiful form of figural sculpture. They can be childlike, yet sensual; cute, yet fierce or horrific… the possibilities in these contrasts are compelling, both as a collector and as a creator in this form.
When you were a child did you ever work on dolls or create with similar things?
I’ve always drawn people, bodies and faces. Never sculpture, though. I did have a fascination with building dioramas, which seems to go along with the hobby.
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.
Painting portraits is good grounding for dollmaking. It’s great for training the eye to reproduce accurately from reference. The habit of observing faces is great inspiration for a dollmaker. I guess I’ve done, literally, miles of portraits of people! It’s helped me to be able to understand expression… what changes it… the musculature around the mouth that, with one tiny alteration, can make someone beautiful, or handsome, innocent-looking, sneering, etc.
The professions of portrait painting and medical illustration are also good ways to develop patience, perfectionism, and the ability to be still for long periods of time. Very necessary as a doll sculptor!
Do you have any other interests? Collections?
Yes, I have a collection of Asian style ball-jointed dolls, of course. I also collect Re-ment miniatures. I still love making dioramas, and want to do more of that in the future.
Currently I’m practicing with the 3D modeling program zBrush. I’m interested in character modeling for illustration. As a hobby I make jewelry. Glass beads are my favorite thing to make, but I don’t have much time for that now. I also collect old Tibetan painted furniture. I love it—it’s colorful and primitive-looking.
Do you prefer working on male or female dolls? What types of dolls do you enjoy creating most? Why?
I prefer working on female dolls. The anatomy is familiar, and I can “feel” it better as I’m working.
Tell us about your products. What are your featured lines?So far we just have our Kirya head, and a line of clothing which is not on up the site yet. We did have our clothing at Dollectable in 2008. It’s a little high-fashion—not typical for ABJD.
We are developing a line of accessories which are like Re-ment, but with a sense of humor and a dose of darkness.
What products are you most proud of?
Our Kirya head, of course!
What items have been the most challenging to make and why?For me, the most challenging thing to do is to work quickly. I take too long making everything. I was very slow fulfilling my orders last year because of the excessive time I took to do faceups.
Also, the insides of the ears are difficult! They are challenging to smooth! For the future, my big challenge will be learning to do my own casting. I had a partner last year who was our casting technician, but he has left the company. I decided that it was time for me to learn this part of the business, even if though I will have another person helping. Fortunately, there are many members of the doll community who have been generous in sharing their experiences and knowledge of the mold-making and resin casting process.
What inspires your company?
Simply, a love and respect for this art form and for the work of other sculptors in the business.
Interview continues… soon! Keep your eyes peeled on Doll-Lite for Part II.
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