Do Dolls Dream is a new BJD company. Margaret will be the first doll released. She will be available in October.
Q: Hi! Could you tell me a little about yourself and how you became interested in BJDs?
A: Hello, my name is Malgorzata and I’m a BJD collector and designer from Poland. I’ve been collecting BJDs for over 8 years now. As a teenager I was fascinated with japanese culture and especially lolita fashion. BJDs were a natural progression from there. Dolls allowed me to enjoy all the dresses and aesthetic I love on a smaller scale. Through the years of collecting BJDs I saw a lot of beautiful work by amazingly talented sculptors, make up artists and clothing designers. My admiration for them grew and it became my dream to someday work with them. I decided to slowly progress towards this goal by creating my own doll – Do Dolls Dream Margaret.
Q: So was Margaret the very first doll that you tried to sculpt?
A: Yes! Margaret is the very first doll that I tried to sculpt. Earlier there were a few experimental or practice sculpts that never reached the phase of being a doll, as in having joints etc. It was a long road for me to actually discover and understand what it takes to make a doll, especially one rooted in my sensibilities. Taking ideas from your imagination and actually turning them into something real is very difficult.
Q: Did you have previous experience sculpting?
A: My previous experiences with sculpting or art in general were hobbyist in nature. My husband is a professional 3D artist and over the years of being together I observed how he worked, what tools he used etc. At one point he started teaching me and helping me with developing my own projects. Eventually I decided that it’s time to tackle my dream project of making a doll and here I am! But sometimes I still ask my husband for help, like with 3D printer maintenance.
Q: What materials did you use to create your prototype?
A: When prototyping I work both digitally and traditionally. For the digital part I use Zbrush for sculpting and Blender for some special cases (like checking dimensions). I use a home 3D printer for initial prototyping and then a professional 3D printing service for the final prototype. Then I put finishing touches on it by hand – sanding, priming and fixing any flaws until I get a smooth surface I’m satisfied with..
Q: Can you tell me more about how you develop your ideas?
A: I usually get inspired by what I call “cute imperfections” of people or fictional characters like sticking out ears or short legs (Margaret has both!). I draw, write up my ideas and create mood boards until everything is clear on paper and in my mind. Some concepts are hidden and nurtured secretly inside my sketchbook for years!
Q: Does Margaret fit into any type of standard doll clothing and shoes?
A: Yes! She can wear many of standard 50-60 cm sized doll clothing and shoes. It’s important to keep in mind that she is short, has wide hips and narrow waist. I’m posting photos of Margaret in clothes from different artists and I hope to prepare a clothing guide very soon as well.
Q: So you worked with two people to provide the finishing touches on Margaret. How did your collaboration with Aoi and Pauli come about?
A: I met Aoi through her blog 5 years ago. I saw the clothes she makes, immediately fell in love with them and gathered enough courage to message her. We talked about dolls, our countries and our cultures. We became friends. She was actually the first person I talked to about creating Margaret. We thought it would be great if she could make clothes for her. She is a well known artist in Japan and Margaret’s full-set dress is the first time her clothes are available overseas outside of Yahoo auctions.
I encountered Pauli’s work on a Polish BJD forum. Our community is fairly small, but it allows us to appreciate everyone’s dolls. I admired over the years how Pauli’s makeup style evolved. Around a year ago I decided to commision her to make an antique-inspired faceup for the very first doll I ever bought. Pauli did such a wonderful job that it brought new life into my 8 years old doll. At this point I knew I could trust Pauli with every doll .
Q: Is Margaret going to be a limited edition? Will she be sold in different resin colors?
A: Margaret is not going to be limited, but full-sets will be. I would like to introduce different resin colors as well in the future, but it depends on casting company availability, so I cannot tell anything just yet.
Q: Do you have plans for or are you starting a new doll project at this time?
A: I have many plans and ideas for new projects, including parts and full dolls, but for now I am focusing all my attention on Margaret 🙂
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