Doll artist Yukari, half of the doll company Custom Lovers, introduced her first 1/4 size girl at Jpop Dolls. In this interview, Yukari discusses her concept and design process for Sumire with BJDcollectasy.
~~~~~
Q: How did you meet Grace from Jpop?
A: Well, I think almost all the collectors know about Jpopdolls. I always loved their wigs and also the wide range of dolls they provide to customers, allowing new artists to be more known and also offering collectors different and unusual dolls. I admire what Grace did and continue doing for BJD community.
Q: Had you already started work on a 1/4 doll before you talked to her, or did you both decide to introduce your first one for Jpop?
A: My first dolls were the two little mermaids Espuma and Ona, I was really happy with them but I wanted to take the challenge to make a 1/4 doll. When I started Sumire, Grace and I had been in touch for some time, talking about the idea of introduce me in Jpopdolls. I showed Sumire to Grace and we both agreed to offer her to Jpopdoll customers.
Q: Can you tell me a bit about the inspiration behind Sumire?
A: In making Sumire, I imagined a beautiful and exotic melancholy princess. I think all of my dolls have some kind of inspiration in fairy tale imagery. I love those kind of stories, and for me it is easier to sculpt if I have a character with a full personality in mind.
Q: How was working on Sumire different from your previous dolls?
A: To begin with, she was the first one with two legs, hahaha! The proportions were completely different because Espuma and Ona are more childish than Sumire, and the concept was also different. So in fact I needed to change a lot of things in my mind at that time! Moreover, I wanted to try to make double joints, and that was quite difficult, but I invested a lot of time doing that, and the result worth it. Also when I made Sumire I realized that things that work well on a tiny BJD would not work at all on a bigger one. That’s something to take into account when you are not used to a new size.
Q: Do you plan to make more heads for your 1/4 body?
A: Yes, why not? Probably one a bit more smiley and with different features would be nice. If Grace likes the idea, it could be a fun future project for me.
Q: Do you think that you will eventually make a 1/3 size doll?
A: I cannot say that I will never make a 1/3 size doll, but at this moment it is something that is not at all in my plans. Making bigger BJDs involves more money investment in materials, and probably more time sanding the prototype and more space to work on it. In addition, for me 1/3 dolls are quite difficult to play with and to photograph. You need a big scenario to take good full pictures of one. Finally, I find that for me it is more fun to play with the smaller ones.
Sumire’s pre-order is open through November 23rd at Jpop Dolls.
Click HERE to read BJDcollectasy’s previous article on Custom Lovers.
~~~~~
