Asian Ball Jointed Dolls and their aesthetic

One medium that i believe has been untapped by artists is the world of ABJD's. These dolls are sold in different body types, unfinished.

 

From that point on, everything is customized by you. Eyes are picked for the head, the doll artist must paint on whatever makeup or skin tones they would like their doll character to have. Wigs are made, and so is clothing. Beyond these basic aspects of appearance- some doll artists create fantastic modifications to their pieces.

Pretty amazing right? All just using clay and paint (I don't know about the deer girl though- that's something of its own!) Anyway the whole thing that got me thinking about my love for BJDs was the lovely photographs i saw of Giovanna Gabrielli's dolls. Sadly she doesn't have any other profile online besides her flickr account. I would love to know more about her creative process- does she buy pre-made doll bases? Or is everything she makes her own? The thing i like most about her work is that she really integrates the dolls within an environment that tells us more about their personality. Everything about the doll is significant- from their clothing to their props.

 

 

Concept Board: Symmetry

For this concept i thought of things that have reflective qualities, consistency, things that could be spliced in two.

Japanese Kabuki (歌舞伎) literally translates to "sing, dance, skill" and is translated into English as the art of singing and dancing. Kabuki performers wear makeup like the face seen above. This design reflects across the face to create a symmetrical balance. The same thing occurs in the fur patterns of many animals. Also found on many horses, this beagle has a wonderful white snout that leads straight up his forehead. The dog's paws also have white "sock" fur patterns. Cute!

These two images are more representative of a radial symmetry. The star fruit's 5 points all come out from the center, and separate into 5 even sections. Superman and Batman's hands meet in their high five, and as their bodies part- their chests, hips and knees reflect each other and line up.