Seito is a French artist with a fondness for magical forest creatures. He started by creating miniature figures from his imagination, and he released his first doll, Manda, last year. This year his first fully jointed BJD, Kyūko arrived. Seito’s work may be seen on his Facebook page L’Atelier De Seito and on Instagram.
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Q: I want to start by asking for some background. Can you tell me about yourself and how you became interested in BJDs?
A: I’m Seito, 32yo, living in Paris (France) and I’m a BJD Creator for one year approximately, but I’ve been in the hobby since 2011.
During my childhood, Japanese culture was really intense because it was at the time when anime TV programs and toys such as “Monchhichi” and “Koeda-Chan Treehouse” were introduced. I grew up with my grandparents who were really strict, and I remember I was the kind of child who was always quiet but dreaming of magical worlds where animals could talk and imaginary creatures could live. Even if I am an adult now, I think that personality is engraved in me and still helps me to take a break when I need it. So, even if I originally fell in love with Pullip dolls in 2011 and started taking Groove/JP doll makeup commissions in 2013… My big doll crush was when I discovered creature BJDs in 2014 when I bought my very first BJD, a Chouchou by Nympheas Dolls at Doll Rendez-vous in Paris.
After this meeting, I collaborated with K6 to make-up some of her dolls and started to do fewer face-up commissions as I felt not totally free to do what I wanted … and I started to play with clay. Even if I had gone to an art school when I was a teen, I’d never have listened to teachers because I’ve always wanted to be free in my style. That’s why I’ve never learned to sculpt. I don’t know why it came naturally and I enjoy sculpting more than painting face-ups. I started to sculpt little miniatures like my “Naturamon Mandragoras” and after my first BJD attempt a few years ago, “Manda” came out last year, then “Kyūko” and now “Kino” will be finished soon.
I enjoyed attending a lot of exhibitions such as Ldoll Festival last year where I placed a huge treehouse in my booth, but it was very stressful. This year, I’m focusing on BJD releases and casting to show you all the secret ideas I have in mind and have never been seen before in the BJD hobby. I really want to introduce people to my world where magical creatures live with happiness in nature in L’Atelier De Seito. 😉
Q: Your painting of your dolls and figures is really great! Do you still take some face-up commissions?
A: No, absolutely not because I tried a few times and I didn’t like it at all. That’s why I only occasionally make-up artist BJDs for collaborations.
Q: Could you tell me a little more about the two dolls that you have created and released so far, Manda and Kyūko. What sizes are they? What size of dolls do you like to create?
A: Manda is about 8cm with her leaves and Kyūko is about 18cm.
I really like to create tiny sizes because… I don’t know, they are exactly like that in my head – cute and small creatures. Some people don’t like to create tiny dolls because it’s harder to make the details clearly, but I’m used to working on tiny sculpting, so it’s not as hard for me to sculpt small details. Nevertheless, I have a big doll project in mind that I don’t see as a small one… So, let’s see what I’ll prefer, but honestly, I think I will like both.
Q: Do you cast your own work?
A: Personally, I think a real BJD artist must know the casting process and I do… My Manda dolls and my first Kyūko were hand-cast. However, it took a lot of time and I would like to focus on the creation, so I will send Kyūko and Kino to a professional caster, but I will keep Manda and cast her myself as she is small and easier to do.
Q: Are all of your dolls sculpted by hand?
A: Yes they are! Maybe I will try the 3D process in the future, but it’s not in my current projects. I enjoy sculpting things on my own and one thing is for sure, I will never hide it if I’m using 3D one day. Too many creators hide it, and I think it’s not fair.
Q: What are your other non-BJD dolls made of?
A: My miniatures called “Naturamon” are made of polymer clay primarily, but I use a lot of different materials. Sometimes it’s even natural materials such as little stones, branches, etc…
Q: So Kino is your next doll? When will it be released?
A: I don’t know exactly because he’s not totally finished but I think it’ll be ready for this Spring/Summer.
Q: Are all of your dolls limited editions?
A: Yes, they are not numbered but they are limited. Casting costs time and money and if you want to plan new models, you need to make a few copies of each.
Q: Will you be attending doll shows this year on the sales floor? If so, where do you plan to go?
A: This year, I am going to focus on production because I’ve sold quite well in the last exhibitions. Now I need to cast more dolls, sculpt more miniatures and take time for new doll projects.
For these reasons, I am sure to attend Doll Rendez Vous in Paris (December 1st, 2019) and LDoll 2020 but I’m really not sure about other events… However, I also would love to go out of France to exhibit, so maybe one day, I will travel outside!
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Facebook Page – L’Atelier De Seito
Instagram @latelier_de_seito
