I met Michelle Olrich on Facebook where she shows off her face-ups and OOAK dolls. With a delicate but deft touch, she strives to bring out the unique qualities of all of the sculpts she paints.
Q: Can you give me a little background on yourself?
A: I am going to be 48 this year. I have three grown children and my first grandchild on the way! I live by myself with five dogs and one kitty. Besides the OOAK dolls and BJDs, I have customized Blythe dolls and painted reborn and a variety of vinyl dolls. I strive to make the dolls I paint look sweet and inquisitive and real. BJDs feel alive to me…..that is probably what I love most about them. I feel so blessed to do what I love for a living. I do enjoy the sculpting, but would really love to be doing face ups full time. I pride myself in my face up turn-around time. I usually have them done within four days for my customers. When I have your doll I devote all of my time to them. I hate making people wait. Most days I am working until 2:00 AM.
Q: Where do you offer your services?
A: just recently made a FaceBook. I have been doing face ups since 2010 and my Flickr account and word of mouth was my main client source:https://www.flickr.com/photos/48594409@N03/.
Q: So do you paint all sizes of BJDs?
A: I paint any and all size BJDs. I have cut down my body blushing to avoid using the excessive amount of sealer they take. I will still doing blushing on very tiny dolls.
I have done face ups for a few SD size dolls and I love doing the bigger ones! I have also done several anthro dolls and just a handful of the animals. I love a variety. The animals are a real challenge though, because of spraying the sealer evenly.
Q: Do you also blush bodies and parts? Do you do any modifications?
A: I have only done modifications on my personal dolls. I don’t trust myself to do them for anyone else. I love painting them the best.
Q: Do you ever draw or paint tattoos?
A: I have done some cute tattoos on dolls too. I think those little touches make a doll unique. My personal dolls always have a unique beauty mark or freckles. It makes them special.
Q: What are your favorite art materials for face-ups?
A: I use a mix of pastels for my face ups. Pan pastels are among my very favorites. I also use artist grade colored pencils. I use MSC sealer for all my dolls.
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Q: I assume you have a collection of BJDs. What are some of the dolls you have collected? What are some of your favorite companies?
A: I used to have a very large collection of BJDs and sold most of them when I went through a hard time in my life. It made me sad but they were a blessing to have at the time. These dolls are wonderful investments too.
Now I am growing my collection again. My favorites are Nikki Britt, Kaye Wiggs, and Meadow Dolls. As far as big companies, I like Fairyland and Latidoll. I LOVE the child type dolls with the big heads. Those are my favorites. It excites me when I have dolls pre-ordered and I buy them clothes and shoes during the wait. I tend to go completely overboard though. I am very obsessive and go a little crazy buying sometimes.
Right now I have three Ellemennos by Nikki Britt with the Big El pre-ordered. That doll is my absolute favorite. I had to sell the two I had years ago and I feel so lucky to have this sweet doll again.
Q: You also make your own dolls too. Are they generally small? What are they made from?
A: My one-of-a-kind art dolls are usually between three and four inches. They have a sculpted heads and limbs from Livingdoll or Prosculpt clay and soft bodies.
Q: Do you also create any doll-related things like wigs, clothes, eyes or props?
A: I would also love to make BJD wigs and want to learn to make them. I am so picky about wigs. So many of the small BJD wigs have way too much hair. I have sculpted many small toys for the BJDs and made little handbags too. Accessories are so much fun to make. These dolls have opened up a wonderful world for me. They have helped me through many rough times in my life. Even sitting and dressing them is therapeutic for me.
Q: Would you ever consider making your own resin dolls or a resin BJD head?
A: Making a resin BJD is actually my dream!!! I have thought of just making a head too and practiced quite a bit. I sculpt in such small scale, so I need to get used to making a bigger head. I always think about having my own line of BJDs. It excites me!
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What a nice article!
Of course I don’t need to be sold on her work, I’m one of her biggest fans!! I value the work she does and her fantastic friendship!!