Delphine of Dark Tales started making her first doll Mayfair in late 2011. The doll was completed in early 2012. A new doll, Maydeleine, was displayed for the first time at the Paris Fashion Doll Festival. More doll sculpts are in the process of being completed for Ldoll Festival next Fall. Meanwhile Mayfair was released for pre-order at Jpop Dolls in two versions, Sweet and Dark.
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Q: How did you become interested in BJDs?
A: I was an interior designer and not interested in dolls before I heard about BJDs. Customizing was the reason why I bought my first doll. I also love to make some decorations and objects/furniture for my dolls!
Q: Are you still working as an interior designer?
A: No, I only work on dolls now. I prefer to be my own boss and to work by night and organize my time how I want! I still love interior design, but if you don’t work in a very good company projects are often boring, and with the crisis is became a luxury service.
Q: Was Mayfair your very first resin doll?
A: Yes, Mayfair was my very first doll, I wanted to try to create a ball jointed doll for 2 years, I had clay in my fridge all this time, and one day I decided to try. (As I am very often with Asella (Noble Dolls). I was jealous to see her modeling beautiful dolls!)
Q: What was your idea behind Mayfair?
A: I wanted to do a girl with shapes I never found in companies, I love the MSD size but most of them look very young. I was looking for a more mature design, and I always loved the shapes of women wearing corsets! I made her for me, not thinking about what other people would think of her, and I am still very surprised to see that I have cast about 60 girls for others!
Q:Your newest doll is Maydeleine, correct? Is Maydeleine larger than Mayfair? How tall is she? I saw that you had a cat and bunny ear version. Will you have both ear types available for her?
A: Maydeleine is a little smaller than Mayfair, and her shape is more natural. Mayfair is very thin, Maydeleine has more curves even if she is a slim MSD.
The bunny version is something I love to do (There was a March Hare Mayfair for the Ldoll). The ears are from Asella’s Pinou. The cat is an unexpected idea, when I see the blue color I remember my blue Russian cat, so I worked very fast on her tail and stole ears from Asella’s cat (we often mix our parts)! And I loved it so much that I decided to do my own ears and a new cat faceplate for Maydeleine! So only the cat version will be done, but I will certainly do some bunnies again! I also like to do some fauna (I did horns last year.)
Q: What clay do you like to sculpt your prototypes in?
A: I use several clay, Apoxy, Ladoll, Super sculpey, depending what to do, but most of my prototypes are in Ladoll.
Q: Do you paint all of your own dolls?
A: I can not appropriate a doll if I don’t paint her myself, it is very important for me! I like to have a theme or a story to start a make-up. For me only the visual things are important. if you need words to explain it the customization is failed.
About the dolls I produce, I like to paint the make-up, but I also love to discover other styles!
Q:How did you get to know Grace?
A: Ho that’s a very funny story! My dear Asella was working with Grace for a few months, so I heard about her. In March, I was at the Paris Fashion Doll show with my two Mayfairs just finished. A lot of people took pictures of them and posted them on flickr, and the same evening I get an email from Grace; she wanted to order 2 dolls! I thought it was a joke from Asella and I phoned her! But no, it was really Grace! that’s how the story begins!
Q: This year you and Asella had a table at the Paris Fashion doll show How did it go?
A: The Paris Fashion Doll is more about Mattel, Sybarite, Tonner, Bears, Reborn and classical dolls than BJD, but in the last few years french BJD artists are present there, and there are more booths! The lovely Julien Martinez was here this year again!It’s a small convention open to to the public only the third day.
It was the first time for me and Asella. We went there in past years but only as visitors, and this time we wanted to try to present and sell dolls! So yes, I have sold almost all the girls (the cat is going to Seattle!!) I just have the purple left! It was a very good experience, very different from the Ldoll.
Q:Do you sew clothing for your dolls?
A: I did before, but now I have no more time for that (and I’m not very good in sewing!). I just do wigs. I love that very much because it is part of the character of the doll.
Q:Will you be bringing your dolls to other doll shows this year?
A: Yes, I will perhaps have some dolls in Asella’s booth for the Japan expo, but the big show is the Ldoll4. We will share a booth this year again and I will start to work on the dolls very soon!
I also like to create some accessory, like the “hat” of my Maleficient Mayfair, but only OOAK things because I often use improbable materials I have at home. It starts like a new experience and I could never redo it!
Q: Are you currently working on your next doll?
A: I will finish Claudia and Cara-May before the Ldoll, and now I’m working on the Maydeleine home cast pre-orders!
And I have a project of a pet, a little fox, but this one is not started!
Photos above: Dark tales logo created by Delfine and Asella, Mayfair with deer horns, piles of parts for show dolls for last year’s Ldoll Festival.
Jpop Dolls Exclusive release of white resin Mayfair light and dark.
To read a review on Jpop Doll’s Sweet Mayfair, please go HERE.
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I’d really love to see that dark purple girl assembled…
I love these dolls they are a refreshing change for the regular dolls you see