Group Photos of the Valentino Zubiri Dolls

Sorry, it just occurred to me that the headlines are indexed by Google. So I'm including my name as if I were a third person. lol. "Valentino Zubiri Dolls." I might change the headings to add at least my last name.

Here are group pics. of my work.

I prefer to make the dolls as part of a set, but you can get one or two for yourself. Or, you can get a group going and you can do a group buy. I will discount it that way.

The problem with making this is time. For example, use of the kiln. Each doll uses the kiln several times and at different temperatures. Once the porcelain dries, it goes to the kiln for the first time at what is called a "bisque firing." It's that stage where the mud solidifies and forms permanently, but the ceramic is still porous, much like a flower pot, where you see that water can be absorbed by the pot, but the pot would not lose its shape and revert back to mud. The ceramic is brittle, and this is the ideal stage to sand the pieces.

Then there is the higher temperature, "glaze fired stage," which I call the "glass-forming" stage. The ceramic melts and this is when it shrinks and becomes glass-like.

I call the kiln "The Little Volcano," because of the temperature they reach. Anyway, after "finalizing" at the glaze fired stage, painting the makeup or the "faceup" comes into the picture, and although the temperature is brought back down to that where the pigments stick to the porcelain, this stage requires a few firings, especially the face. This is also when I paint on the fingernails and toenails. The face needs several firings to get the look of the eyes and makeup right.

Each firing needs about 13 hours or up to a full day, for the kiln to rise and then climb back down. You cannot rush the cooling. You cannot speed up the cooling stage by opening the kiln. The pieces can shatter.

So it would be better for a group buy. Like I said, I don't want people to receive the same face, so I either have to have them already available or not. It's all dependent on what we will agree upon. Just email me and we'll work something out.

 

Dolls on the Guitars

I put two dolls on my guitar.

I'm happy with the results.

The Six Finished Zubiri Dolls - Doll # 6

Once again, since BlogSpot posts in reverse, I just want to remind everyone that I am posting so you can use the pictures online, in a non-commercial manner. The green screen background, if you know how, can be keyed out, and replaced with your choice of backgrounds, and you might want to use these as avatars in the forums go you to, or you can add poetry or use the images for your invitations to your parties.

One bad thing about getting into this, is that I tend to buy more supplies than needed. I have a lot of fabric at home. These dolls don't need a lot.

This set comes with the stained glass panels in the back. I did not stop at making the dolls. I have always felt the need to add more elements, in this case, some stained glass panels, which themselves takes time to make. It added to the delay of the work, but I'm happy I did it.

The solder is lead-free solder. I read somewhere that whatever lead is in a regular solder really is not cause for worry. Leaded solder makes smoother work. Lead-free solder is clumpy. Some say it's difficult to "tame" but I was targeting having a clumpy solder look. It takes the monotony of a smooth solder. People in general don't know much about soldering but they know a regular type of solder when they see one. Hence, clumpy solder looks unfamiliar and is a way to throw off the viewer.

The Six Finished Dolls - Doll # 5

I used glass beads for the necklaces. The earrings are Swarovski crystals. I had been collecting glass beads for a while, and I had been looking forward to making combinations of them. I also made sure that they did not totally coordinate with the wardrobe. My idea was "Girls Day Off Work," so I was thinking it would make sense to put on something comfortable. haha.

I was asked if I'm into playing with dolls. That's a tricky question.

I've always seen myself as a producer, not as a consumer. When I got into this early on, it was the riddle of becoming a producer. However, as an artist, I would not do this if it weren't fun.

So I'm having fun making this, thinking about this, etc., but do I play with them? The answer would be no.

Here's one thing you might want to consider. The dolls are made of porcelain, and it would be most advisable not to handle them too much. They should be left alone and the enjoyment should come from viewing them, not touching them too much.

Part of the definition of "Art Doll" is that they are contemporary art, they are fine art, and nowhere is it mentioned that they are toys to be played with through too much handling.

In a way, my work invites handling. That's part of the art. It looks like a toy, and it can be a toy, but it's best left alone and displayed.

Below are only two pictures of this doll. I thought I took enough pictures, but apparently not.

The Six Finished Dolls by Valentino Zubiri - Doll # 4

I use different doll heads. What you might not know yet, is that each doll head gets sculpted separately. Then a plaster mold is made, which is made up of 4 pieces - the face, the neck area and a left and right side that include the ears and the back of the head. All this takes time to make.

This is my chosen thing to do, I don't want to take orders as if the molds are already waiting. Because of this, what I plan to do is to make the exact number of heads as agreed, this is one option, and just surprise myself and the collector on the actual look of the doll. I make the decisions anyway, including the hair. Of course you might think I might unintentionally make an ugly face, but even that might be intentional.

I read somewhere where we as human beings, including babies, can recognize faces, even though there are billions us here on earth. In another article, I also read that we human beings can tell a beautiful face from an ugly face. With that in mind, trust me to make acceptable images. In addition, the process of making these art dolls continues to the makeup / faceup, and dressing / costuming. Just like a real human being, the later processes are elements which can add to the beauty of even what you might think as ugly in the beginning. It's like making a swan out of an ugly duckling.

As you can see, each doll used a different hair style. The hair came from separate packages of real hair. I reused the same fabric for a top and a pair of pants. I did that on purpose. I will reuse the same hair source, if the set calls for it, like a set of sisters would have the same hair color and maybe even the same curl.