~The Rinku Project~

At the end of 2017, Ringdoll announced that they would introduce new Grown line Rinku, a collaborative project with artist Luisa Mesquita of Brazil.

From Ringdoll:

Rinku will be released in first half of this year.

Ringdoll had a great interaction with Luisa a long time ago, and she has so many Ringdoll fan arts. She has Frankenstein, Dracula and so on. Luisa is a great BJD designer, and she has a lot of wise and fancy ideas.

Especially,she is good at makeup, modeling, photography and so on. We found that she can create a unique LooLoo style with her dolls, whether Frankenstein or Dracula.After communicating with her, we decided to work together to create a cooperation doll,that is Rinku.

Interview with Luisa:

Q: Hi! Can you give me a little background on you and your project with Ringdoll?

A: My name is Luisa, I live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

I started in the hobby in 2010 and Ball Jointed Dolls quickly became my biggest passion! They are the perfect way to express my art and moods through customization and photography. Everyday there’s something new to be learned and thats very motivating to me!

I was thrilled when Ringdoll invited me to work together in this project!

I’ve always been a great fan of Ringdoll and I think my characters are very well represented, embodied in their sculpts. In this collaboration I’m responsible for the full character design, sculpting accessories and facial features and final customization with face up, styling and photos of Rinku.

I’m loving all the creative process and working with Ringdoll team.

In my real life, apart from the hobby, I’m an entrepreneur, designer and owner of a Registered Trademark fashion brand in a virtual world since 2007. I create visual concepts, designing outfits for 3D avatars. Today I have over 1000 products in my store GothiCatz. This is my real life job.

I am a big fan of asian culture in general, visual arts, painting, drawing, fashion, photography, technology, learning new languages and practicing Yoga.

Q: Can you tell me about how the design for Rinku was developed?

A: I had the initial character idea of Rinku in my mind for around ten years, when I started to work my first clothing line for my store GothiCatz. I was totally focused on “urban Neko” designs that time. ^^ So let’s talk a bit about his looks:

The idea was to create a hybrid, part human, part cat living in a dark alley with others like him, segregated from society, fighting gangs specially for territory dominance and being mischievous. Rinku has a strong but elongated body, pierced cat ears and a tail. The side grin shows a bit of his fang. The outfit plays an important role on describing the character personality and environment. Its an urban style with a touch of military and post apocalyptic to it. I opted for natural durable fabrics like cotton, sturdy leathers, wool and ropes. He wears oversized military cargo pocket pants, low rise, with a “dropped” look in dark grey. The leather utility belt carries a variety of his favorite items, some tied up with ropes giving the DIY touch I aimed for his look. There is a holster for the knife and a pouch for the set of shurikens he uses in his fights. He also carries a can of spray paint to leave his signature on the walls and some catnip cigars for his chill out moments. :} I decided to add the home-made explosives used in extreme confrontations and demolition to his accessories set. The original idea for Rinku is heavy loaded in attachments but I think I added the important ones. The red leather vest contrasts the muted tones of the rest. It has padded prominent shoulders and semi-stand up collar, zippers and buckles. The intention is that some skin shows between the dropped pants and jacket giving the idea of an elongated elegant cat silhouette. Under the vest I added a scarf and a thin chain crossing his torso, asymmetric arm warmers tied with ropes and finally worn out combat boots.

Q: How did the Rinku come to the attention of Ringdoll?

A: I’ve been having a great experience and communication with Ringdoll over the years, their works really inspire me, and I think their molds are so fitting for my characters.

They contacted me asking me if I’d like to work in collaboration with them. They asked me for a character we could translate in BJD form and I thought it would be a great opportunity to share the concept of “Rinku”.

Q: How did the you work out the details of the doll with them? Did they send you photos at each step of the process?

A: Firstly I sent them drawings of character and accessories then I created some images digitally with important remarks so they could understand of the fit and materials to be used. We discussed all details via email and Instant Messages exchanging photos and making decisions.

I sent them photos of the objects I was sculpting for Rinku, and they did the same at each step of the process, making outfit etc… In the final step, when everything is ready, I paint and assemble the doll in his full set and prepare him for the first pictures, taken by me, before sending him back to Ringdoll for official release.

Q: So you are the one to complete his look, correct?

A: Yes, I can’t wait to finally start this last step and see the character taking form as a BJD.

Q: What resin color do you think fits Rinku best?

A: His resin color is “Normal”.

Q: So do you think you are experiencing every doll fan’s dream – to have a doll designed by them made by a company they love?

A: I wouldn’t say it’s everyone’s dream in the hobby, but it’s definitely a great realization for me to have the chance to work with one of my absolute favorite BJD companies. I’m very grateful for this opportunity and hoping people will love the final product.

Q: Have they given you an idea when he will be shipped to you yet?

A: All I can say is that we’ll be sharing Rinku’s progresses again very soon! ^^

Rinku’s Story PDF

Luisa’s Flickr: flickr.com/loolooz

Instagram.com/loo.luisa

Ringdoll

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