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| Saturday, February 25th, 2012 |
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 Slowly but surely, I am working through my commission list...
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| Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 |
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Monster High rompers and bloomers in the shop at 11am EST, February 9th!
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| Thursday, January 12th, 2012 |
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Okay, I swear I am a relatively organized person, but I have been trying to put together my wait list for Calavera commissions and I feel like a super scatter brain. I use my emails, so please, if we have spoken (especially on Flickr or Etsy or some other place) and you are not on the list or have a question, please contact me and I'll sort it out.
As of right now, this is the list of people who have confirmed commission spots for this year and have sent me their deposit:
- January -- Pam, Pullip COMPLETED
- January -- Fabbie, Blythe COMPLETED
- February --Pamela, Blythe COMPLETED
- February -- Joey, Blythe COMPLETED
- April --Liseth, Blythe
- May -- Meghan, Blythe
- June -- Melissa, Blythe
- September (tentative) -- Elle, Dami
EDIT (1/13/12): 2. has moved to the end of the list, else everyone has been moved up
This is a list of people who have expressed interest in a commission, I have not asked for a deposit and they have not been given a spot yet:
- Sarah
- Judy
- Ole
- Fee
- Kaatje
- Bionie
- Lauren
- Sabrina
- Jasmine
So, as of right now, I will not be taking new names. I would like to eventually move away from commissions entirely and sell only completed dolls. I will attempt to complete some fullset dolls this year between commissions and when I do, I will be notifying the people on these lists first, and if someone with a confirmed spot decides to purchase a doll, they can give up their spot.
If anyone cancels, I will move down the list and update here. If you need to be moved to the end of the list, I can do that too. Only after I have completed the confirmed 8 commissions I've accepted for this year will I move onto the wait list. Once I am closer to that, I will be sending out emails to confirm spots and ask for deposits.
Again, I hope that is everyone/everything! I'm looking forward to a productive year -- thanks everyone for your support!!
xoxo,Kat
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| Thursday, January 5th, 2012 |
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Happy New Year!!
This is just a super quick post to say that I am excited to begin work on this year's dollies and hopefully some new things. The holidays sent me for a loop and now I've got a tenacious cold, but! I'm ready to get back to work.
Over the weekend, I hope to put up a list of the reserved commission spots for this year, so that everyone who is on it knows when their spot is and I can keep it updated with my progress/cancellations. I have not begun taking any names past 2012, I'll sort that out soon
I'm also hoping to begin work on a whole custom calavera to sell directly and to have some clothes up in the shop (finally!) I'd like to offer finished dolls more often to lighten my commission load and bypass the waiting process. More on that soon.
I'll keep things updated here!
Hope the new year finds you well!
xo,
Kat
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| Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 |
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Hello! Happy December!
I'm happy to say that I've actually been both busy AND productive and have a few things to share. First off, I've had new postcards made and they are currently in my Etsy shop. The original Blythe calavera images have been reprinted and I've added a new Blythe and two Pullip calaveras. I also have one of the skeleton boy BJD I painted and the Monster High series of family portraits I did a while back.
I printed them in both full color and sepia. The sepia images also have rounded corners and will only be sold as a set. I will not be reprinting those.
Also, I have painted a Monster High calavera that I will be selling on eBay starting tonight. She started as an experiment, which I really enjoyed but I have gotten several offers for her and decided that eBay was the fairest way for her to find a new home. Her listing will be live at 8pm tonight.
Finally, I do have actual doll clothing cut out and strewn across my work table, so I should be able to restock the store a bit soon! I've got rompers for Blythe, Lati and Monster High. There might be a few bloomers thrown in too.
I think that's it! I'll keep the updates up to date here and I think I might start using my Twitter for things other than my snack habits! I'll be tweeting when things go live and things are up in the shop and such, feel free to follow. ^_^
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| Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 |
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Today is November 1st, Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, and I wanted to take a moment to talk about what the holiday means to me and my art and where I find myself today, 3 years after I painted this doll.
She began as an extra Unoa face plate that I wanted to sell. It was a sleeping face, meaning the eyes were sculpted closed, and therefore a bit less desirable than regular faces. I had just received an art magazine which featured a spread on Day of the Dead inspired art and an idea was born. I painted her as a Calavera and made an outfit to photograph her in and sold both on eBay in October of 2007. The reaction I got was surprising and wonderful. Some people thought she was frightening but others, lots of others, appreciated the scary beauty of a painted, flowery skull. She sold and I packed her up and sent her to her new owner. I have never seen any other images of her, though this one remains my most viewed photograph on Flickr.
A full year later, I received an inquiry about a Calavera commission for another Unoa face plate. I was happy to revisit the style. Soon after that, a few more commission requests came in, and as customer photos began to appear of my work, even more. I was then asked to paint an open-eyed doll and other Ball Joint dolls who did not have changeable face plates. After that, Blythes and Pullips. Where once I had assumed that this style of paint was so specific that I was creating dolls that were static, I began to see my work through the eyes of my customers. They wore new clothes and had adventures and became characters with life and joy and began to embody some of the spirit of the holiday that inspired them.
      
When I paint a doll this way, I begin with a sketch. I plan out the petals and swirls, intentionally not repeating any of my previous work. I paint the colored elements first and then fill in the white around them in extremely thinned layers of paint. It is time consuming that way, but it allows a depth of color I prefer, as well as an opportunity to allow flesh to peek out of the paint in unexpected ways. I like to ask my customers if they have any specific inspiration or elements they'd like me to incorporate, but otherwise the designs are my own. Right now, I have a wait list for commissioned Calaveras and a wait list for the wait list. I have several emails inquiring about spots that I have to respond to immediately after I post this. (Sorry!) I am overwhelmed by the response I have gotten and continue to get from these dolls. I am humbled and surprised and delighted and honored and I wish I were able to create them for people who would like them as soon as they asked. Of course, I can't. I intend to work through my lists and I plan to begin selling painted whole dolls to bypass the commission process. I am still working out the best way to do create new work and keep it exciting for me and for everyone else.
 
I am aware that I draw inspiration from a holiday that is sacred to many. It is a beautiful and colorful holiday, but it is rooted in the loss of loved ones and the fragility of life. Dia de los Muertos is a day to remember the dead and rejoice in the time you had with them. Skulls are painted as a way to reinforce the belief that lost loved ones should not be mourned, but celebrated. The message can be very powerful -- if you have lost someone, you know that that is not always easy to do. I hope that people who enjoy my work see the terrifying beauty of death as something that can be celebrated, something joyful.
So, thank you! Thank you for finding me, for contacting me, for viewing my photos or commissioning me. I hope today finds you well and happy and in a place where you can celebrate even death.
More from me soon.
xoxo,
Kat
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| Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 |
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Hello!
I am here, busy painting and trying to find time to revel in October. I have been working on some amazing projects for awesome people, as evidenced above. Right now, I'm allllmost finished with commissions for the year, so I'm hoping to have time to try new things and get back to sewing. I am excited to say that there are postcards in the shop right now! They are sold individually or in sets and they're great to mail or hang, just in time for Dia de los Muertos. Tell someone you miss them!
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| Thursday, August 11th, 2011 |
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The plan is to get these up in the shop someday...
  
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| Tuesday, July 19th, 2011 |
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A Quick Note to say that I have filled the spots for Calaveras in 2012. I have been away and have email to respond to, I promise to do that very soon!
If you are interested in a Calavera, I will begin a wait list to use in the case that anyone cancels their spot. I will also be selling a full set Calavera Blythe (whole doll, outfit) this year closer to Dia de los Muertos. I will update here when I have more information on her.
I have regular face up inquiries to respond to as well, but I will mention that those might be closing soon as well!
Thanks so much!
K
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| Tuesday, June 28th, 2011 |
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As of right now, 3 of the 4 Calavera spots are taken for 2012. Which is amazing! I plan on also creating a whole doll to sell both this year and next so there will be 5 per year. I do not know if I will take any reservations beyond next year, I will probably start a general waiting list, in the case that anyone turns down their spots when they come up. Also, I am planning on releasing prints/postcards of my Calavera photos this year, I'll be sure to mention that here.
Thanks so much for the interest! I sincerely had no idea other people loved skullies as much as I do!
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