PatitaDolls Cover Page Magazine

One can only imagine my face when I opened my mailed yesterday to find out that Isabella was a cover page in the " Doll Crafter & Costuming Magazine" September 2010 Issue. Of course I new that she was going to be published but I did NOT know that it was a 5 page article with the cover page. Honestly, I almost flipped out of my chair!!!!WOW!!!

Ps. I am sorry I had to remove the comments from this site.Unfortunately I was getting lot Spam, specially in other languages.:-(

Finally!!!!!!!!

Doll prototype

I can't help thinking that most of you have already forgot about me.grin. I know , I know , I am moving so slow, but I promise you that when I do have my dolls ready it will worth the wait!

It took me so long to create my first dolls and when I finally did and had then in my hands I started to wonder how they would be if I changed here and there.....sigh.... and as hard it was for me to come to the decision that I did of completely restart again, I can not tell you how glad I am that I did that.

My mind was going back and forth in how could I improve the dolls I already had. in which by the way ,I love it very much and nothing was *wrong with it* but I want PD to look like real human and for that I needed to go back to want I have been doing for the past few years - sculpting.

From the beginning I wanted Isabella to have a smaller body equal a young girl. I also want a older girl body equal a 18 years old.

I am done with the first body prototype and you can have a peek below, and the older one is coming along but I will start molds tomorrow.

I was sick for while and was unable to handle some of the materials that I use on my shop. That it self put me behind a lot too but I am glad in way because I really feel refreshed and very much inspired.

These new bodies have so much details that only the porcelain will show you. The back bone is probably my favorite... you can see the ribs and the back bones like a real young girl has.

The doll's head you see below is my new doll . I am excite about her too, but I may have to wait until the second body is ready because she is older and her bust and hips will be more curved.

Anyways, I am here still working hard and Lord willing I should be able to have one or 2 dolls ready for sale before the holidays.

Yes, I will be taking orders after that but I also will have the first dolls ready for immediately buy.
* Excuse my pictures .... I use my work camera for it and the quality is not that great.

can't

Steel Articulation Prototype

**Click on the picture to see the other one**

I was hoping to post my horse but I have been so busy pouring dolls, making molds, and turning pottery that I did not have a chance yet to get pictures done but I will soon,I promise!*grin*

I want to share with you my prototype for my steel articulation. I have edited the photographs since my patents are pending.This model has the holes in the body in order that I may see the precision of the movements with the compression of the springs within the body. I know there are other doll makers that like to see how other people do their work . I understand that and of course you understand that I can not share my system but I can tell you some things about it in which will encourage or discourage you.

Patita dolls has a very unique skeleton system that is held together precisely by 5 pins-That was important to me. The amount of tension is what I like to say - perfect! Why ? Because she not only holds the position but also holds it in place even when holding something with some substantial weight and the other parts do not move when one part moves.

This prototype is marked, written , broken and glued back with epoxie, and still has temporary pins because I had take it apart and put together at least 80 times( probably more) during this process. I thought to replace the parts and make a neat looking model but I changed my mind ... this one means a lot to me.... means hard work, many many sleepless nights, tears , blood but at the end much joy . I am so very proud of this because it took a lot determination and an enormous amount of dedication for me to get here. I have so many plans and ideas , it is hard to sleep sometimes but I am very privileged to have a loving family that adores me and supports my work.

If you like my dolls, please keep visiting me ... I am working many hours a day in several different projects ( including different approach to face painting ) and although they all take a long time to get done , I will get there.

I Appreciate each one of you so much and for your lovely and kind emails to me. It has been a wonderful journey.

From my home to yours....a gift from my heart...and hands!

Last night I took a break from my mold making and turned some pots.While I was turning I was thinking of all my lovely visitors that often comes to *see* me and read about my work and has also began to love my dolls and its process of making it.
Soooo, I start turning some little pots...in fact very little*grin*
Well , as I worked my way I had several ideas and decided that I want to share it with you...not just the idea but what I am making!*smiles*

I have decided that I want to make a complete set of English China with a transferware pattern on it . This will be for my patitadolls and Iplan to turn a set of 40 pieces. My daughters are excited about it because they will be able to use their miniature wood stove and make real food for the dolls,*grin* , well , now they will have a plate to eat what makes me think I need to make them a.....table...and...chairs,grin. yes, I will get there.

I emailed my dear friend Anita and asked her about the give way and she gave me some excellent suggestion BUT I still need *your* help!

For the next three days I will turn all the pots . I am not sure yet about the sizes so I am turning different sizes. Clay shrinks and because some of these items ( the real ones) I don't have in hand to measure and find the scale, I will turn many and just choose the best ones that fits the scale.

I want to list on the bottom of this page a list of options that I can make it for you so , if you would like to take part on this , please leave me a comment and choose which item ( number) you would like to have it. The most voted one will be the final give way.

Some information:

The china will be in stoneware , hand thrown in a potters wheel . each piece will be signed and dated by me.

Each piece will be glazed and fired.

A specially made miniature replica of English pattern will be used as a transfer and fired to each piece to produce a true and realistic English dish.

The scale is close to a 1/6. My dolls are 14" tall and will be perfect for them.

You don't need to own a doll to want participate, just leave me a comment.*grin*

Now , I don't know exactly when it will be ready but I am guessing 4 weeks from today.If I have it ready sooner I will do a post ,show the pictures and ,we can do the withdraw earlier.

I will write down all the names and do one single withdraw. I will announce the winner on a following post.

Now I need your help, please tell me what would like the give way to be:

1 . A set (2) cobalt-blue-decorated Stoneware canisters. Much like what you see for antique butter churn or real vintage stoneware.( I will try my best to replicate, these won't be transferware , but hand painted with potters glazes)

2. A set of 6 dinner plates ( Floral English trasferware)

3. A set of 3 soup bowls and 3 dinner plates.( Floral E. tansferware)

I Will be turning the mini pots the next three day and will take some suggestions , if any. I will be doing some firing on my dolls in 2 weeks... no , is not the new molds yet... these things takes time and I am only able to do this pottery pieces because I am exhausted with the mold making and I need a little break.

As a bottom note, I want to tell you that my next post will be showing you my horse.The first one is all done BUT I am working on the saddle and I have decided that I want to make his horse shoes simply using steel and an anvil to form the shape and permanently attach to the horse feet. I am very proud of him and can't wait to show it to you!*grin*...yes, got find a name... I am horrible about names.....sigh

I must get busy with my designs now....Smiles!!!!!

I will ship to you at my cost....worldwide!

New look to Patitadolls website!

Hello~
Patitadolls website has a new look.... You are invited in..... www.patitadolls.com

Isabella and I

For while now I have been wanted to take pictures with my dolls but I was always leaving it for later ;However I want you to see the size comparison . I am here with Isabella. My dolls are quite petite but not too small to make sewing difficult for them.*grin*
When I made Isabella I wanted her to look young and innocent . She is just like that. I am now working on 2 new set of bodies. One is a younger girl and the other is a more fuller ( Brazilian woman is on my mind, grin) body. I have double jointed for them too. I can't wait to have it ready.
It took me some time to develop all the parts to where I felt happy . I don't think I will ever settle to one thing only , because it is not in my nature, I get bored easily and I love a challenge, plus as an artist my work is never done. I love improvements and they don't necessarily means better but ... different.
It will take me some time to show you my new dolls and all the new parts , but I will get there.
I have study the possibility to reduce the dolls to a 10" size but because my steel articulation is so precise with such perfect tension, I am not sure if I can reduce it all , perhaps I can but I have many other ideas before I get to that.
I will leave you with my very natural pictures taken by my daughter -Kate.*smiles*

Double Joints

After creating my single jointed dolls , I began thinking what next. I love the look of the single joints because is more uniform ;however I have to admit that the double joints allows a little more flexibility and extension of the parts. I could have made just the new joints and adjusted the molds but I have been wanting to sculpt a new body as well. What I didn't realized when I first started making my dolls was that I would have so many ideas popping in my head.*grin*

I have learned to *select* them too. Everything that has to do with mold-making and porcelain-firing takes a lot of time - from designing to execution .

I finished the prototype and now I will be starting on mold making next week. It is a long process as I have become obsess ,*grin* , in how my molds looks. It is because it's functionality is affected if the mold is not smooth and clean.

The entire process of making molds takes about 10 days then I have to let it dry . Normally with in 2 weeks is ready for use but when I make a mold for the first time I always make a master mold because these molds wears out after so many pouring.

I have a new doll (face) ready but I will wait for the new body to show her to you.

As a foot note. I did not like how my horse flockling turned out . I removed the entire work that I did and because I didn't want to damage the sculpt ,in which I loved , it took me 3 full days of work .

He has a new coat , new flockling and it is looking really good. I still have a lot to do and I have been enjoying this challenge. I am not sure yet but I am contemplating the possibility of air brushing paint.... I guess I will have to try and see what works best.

Steel Articulation

For more than six months now, I have been working on a design that would provide for my dolls a perfect articulation. I first experimented with elastic, and although I was able to produce a very nice tension, I was unable to create an EXACT measurement for the size of the elastic, therefore creating a problem regarding all the dolls having the SAME amount of tension. There wasn’t any consistency with the tension, and that bothered me.

After a while, I designed a steel system for the dolls which allows for perfect tension and incredible mimicking of human movements. The skeleton consists of double twist, aircraft-grade tie wire connected by hardened, steel, swivel joints and applied tension with springs.

Patitadolls porcelain BJDs are able to stay in ANY position they are posed in. You will be amazed at how silent they are!

Horses for Patitadolls

I love to sculpt animals almost as much as I love to sculpt dolls. I have made several dollhouse animals in the past and now I am making in a much larger scale ( close to 1/6) to fit my dolls. I am working on two new dolls and their accessories. It will take some time for me to have them ready and available to order because the entire plaster mold process takes a long time , but I will get there.*grin*
Meanwhile, I have been working with the horses. I plan to make 3 in which one will be : Appaloosa ,Friesian and Arabian Horses.

They are quite large and a challenge due to their sizes. I had to make them from mixed mediums . I have finished my first one ( Appaloosa ) and I am now doing the furring . This is a lot of fun specially because I did a deep research over model horses and what I found out was that most artists uses only airbrushes paints without any flockling. Well, I wanted to try with flockling because I think I can make the horses more realistic looking but, I must to say that the painted ones are pretty incredible too.

The WIP head you see has two layers and still needs a lot work but I like it so far....

For the equestrian-themed dolls I will have one dressed in 1800s attire, and the other with modern riding clothing. The third one... for the Arabian Horse will be a princess.... I am not sure yet but probably from the Middle East.

Doll Show

Hello everyone~ As much fun and excitement I had at the doll show, nothing like getting back home to my family and my farm. *grin*
The show was *wonderful* , so much more than I expected. I meet wonderful people, collectors, and artists. What a experience !!!!!!!!!
My pictures are awful . The lighting was not good and I learn that I need to take my own lighting with me to my next show in which by the way, it will probably be the IDEX in Orlando, FL, in January 2010.
I have a lot to do before that and I can tell you that Monday I will get start working.



There were so many wonderful artists at the show.... here you can see me with Monica Reo. This lady is an incredible doll maker. Her porcelain dolls are large scale and one of the most beautiful and realistic faces I ever seen....Check out her site by clicking her name above.

The show was a busy one however I felt sick during the time I was there. I am not sure what it was and I can tell you that I am doing much better now, but I had a very hard time breathing while I was there.

Over all, I can tell you that I am enjoying the whole business of doll making and I am excited to see what will come next!

Wigs

I just finished taking more pictures of the girls and they are all ready to go. I love to change the wigs because it changes the doll looks so much. I guess it is true when people say that "Your hair is the frame of your face"... well, I kinda translated this saying from Portuguese so it may not make a sense.*grin*
Thank you all of you kind visitors , friends and artists. I really appreciate that you take the time to visit me and see my dolls. It has been a long road but a very enjoyable one in which I have learned so much and I can only say that this is just the beginning .... I am *full* of plans .... smiles to you!

So many choices....

I will be completing my 40Th summer this weekend. This will be the first time in my life that I won't be with all my family, except for Kate ,as she is going to the show with me. *grin*
Birthdays are always very special occasion and the children are always eager to prepare gifts and to shop for the birthday person.
This year my *wish list* is the most strange one. It starts with fabrics, trims to wood supplies....smiles... and it is all about -Dolls!
I love , love to make Patitadolls and I am finding out that I also enjoy to dress them and to make accessories.
Now that we are in summer vacation , I have more time to spend on my art . Last Spring, I was only able to make one sofa for my dolls but I want to make more furniture. I have already start on one project that will accompany my next doll , in which by the way the mold is ready for pouring but it will be weeks until she be ready to show because the entire process takes a long time .

I Will be experimenting new ways to use china painting too. For years, I have only painted my dolls with oil paintings and it has nothing to do with china painting , in which is done by layers and firings between that . One can only see it progress as it goes and at the end final results . I had a much *careful* attitude about approaching to the china painting only because I was afraid . Once you fire a layer of paint , you can not fix it , but now I am feeling more confident and will try different face ups for Patitadolls. *grin*

I love all costumes for the dolls but my favorites are definitely from the Victorian Era. Any thing from 1830's to early 1900's is superb . I can not leave it out the Marie Antoinette era and even all the way back to the Egyptian times but most of all I like them all to be very practical too. I am not oppose to make some more extravagant costume in which could display the dolls at shows and with that purpose , I may do that some time in the future but I really enjoy to dress up the girls just like when I used to play as a child.

New dolls

Hello there~
I am not particularly fond of taking pictures of my dolls in nude as I rather see them dressed but because I make these dolls for sale, I need to show you as much as possible how they look like and how they can pose. I will start dressing the dolls tomorrow so I thought to take a group picture first however they aren't all here.

Alexa has such a fun face to work with it... I have not written a profile for her but I will soon.

Isabella is so sweet looking .... I am thinking to make a new torso for her with younger body... but first I am working on another doll and Sophia.... Poor Sophia, I had some trouble with her mold ... she is now patiently waiting for me.

Here comes the bride...

I am pleased to introduce you my new doll - Alexa!
Alexa is dressed as a bride and she one of the six dolls that I will be bringing to the 22nd Annual Doll Festival , on July 11th- 15th In Atlanta -GA.

Alexa is a new sculpt and I just love the way she looks. She is very different than sweet Isabella , don't you agree?*grin*

This bride has green eyes however you will have a chance soon to meet one Alexa with blue eyes and another with brown eyes.

Alexa is a very lovely bride. I mixed a very white porcelain slip with a hint of pink and it turned up a very soft flesh color ... not like most doll flesh and honestly speaking I prefer this skintone than the white one.

Alexa has a long and soft ( real) mohair wig that is removable. She looks lovely with a dark color wig too , but I had to choose ....

I pierced her ears and she can wear earrings....mmmm, I love that!*grin*

One thing about Patitadolls that I like to bring to attention is that all my dolls can stand alone without support. I study their anatomy a lot when I was designing these dolls because I want to make sure my dolls would be proportional, including their feet and hands

Patitadolls has a set of joints that hides the *bulkiness* of the balls. It is inserted in way that not only locks the legs perfectly, but also retain the natural look of a human legs.... if you read my earlier posts from last year , you know how much work I put into these joints . It was very important to me.

(((Thank you))) so much for visiting me and meeting my new doll... if you are interested to see my other dolls, come back next week as I plan to post some more pictures!

Isabella and her lion

Hello everyone~ I want to update you with some new pictures and a little information . My dolls are all ready, including all outfits and accessories. I am working on her stand and tomorrow hopefully I will be able to finish assembling all the dolls. I was only able to do one today, Isabella , as you see here with her pet lion. I would had all dolls done by now but I got sick and last night I end up at the ER because my sinus infection was so bad I could not breathe . I was able to get some x-rays done and one additional medication . Today I rested all day and only got out of the bed to assemble one doll but hopefully tomorrow I will do some more. I plan to take pictures on Monday and hopefully I will do a post before I leave to next week show.

Isabella is a little different.... I did another mold for her and adjusted few things ... I like it a lot.....I am anxious to introduce you to Alexa..... she will be here soon.....

The Bridal Dress

I finished my bridal dress . Although this dress has a very simple and elegant look , this was probably the most time consuming doll outfit I have ever made. I enjoyed doing it from the first point of designing the dress to the final details. The pictures was taken without a body and it is missing the petticoat , therefore is not showing the shape properly however ; it fits my dolls beautifully .

The dress is made from a lovely hand woven Silk Charmeuse in a pearl color ( my picture is not showing the true color ) . The corset was entirely hand applied with ribbon cords, lace, pearls and fluorescent,clear Sequins.

The skirt was made in 2 layers and underneath is suported by a 7 inches wired petticoat .A total of 60 inches is around the hemline that was finished with clear sequins. The entire lower edge of this gown has a Swiss lace applique that I meticulously adorned with glass beads and pearls.

The shoes were made using my doll's feet as pattern , so it fits her perfectly and match the gown very gracefully.

For the bouquet I choose handmade tiny roses, lace , pearls, and fine silk ribbons..

I am assembling the girls on Saturday and have plans to get pictures done Monday and Tuesday, hopefully I can post again soon.