Meet the Artist ~ Kosomolski_Dolls
What is your name? Lena - Where are you from? A small City in the south of Germany. - Age? 32 - How long have you been customizing? I started in March 2015 so it's 2 1/2 years by now! Wow, time surely passes by! - What got you started? The wish of owning a BJD. I've seen photos of these gorgeous dolls all over deviantart and I wanted to get one for photos. The price was out of the question though. I've seen people repainting fashion dolls, but they always used acrylic paints and I can't draw such tiny details with brushes, so I said goodbye to that idea. Until I found Andreja on YouTube and saw that she did amazing things with pencils and pastels! So I got some sealant and some cheap monster high dolls and... started! - What types of customs do you do? I give makeovers to dolls from Monster High, Ever After High, and Disney Descendants, including Faceups, reroots and making clothes. Usually I make my own characters into dolls, sometimes characters from anime and games, and very seldom I just randomly start and see where it will lead me. - What sorts of mediums do you use? Watercolour pencils and inktense by Derwent, Albrecht Dürer watercolour pencils by Faber-Castell and soft pastels by Faber-Castell. I seal with Mister Super Clear as base, and depending on the weather I use my airbrush with liquitex matte medium as sealant for inbetween layers. Sometimes I use shimmer pigments by pearl ex for some accents. - Are there any products you just can’t live without? The above. Sealant, pencils, pastels, that's what I need for the Faceups.Doesn't matter which brands, what works, works =) - What is your most favorite custom that you have made? That is a really tough question. I think for the girls I'll go with my twisted Alice. I'm so happy with how her face came out! From the boys, it's my OC Ten Chii, my "angel boy". He was the first I tried the more realistic (or let's say less anime) eyes on and I'm super happy with his face. And especially the wings. I think I should give him some clothes soon...
- What is your least favorite custom that you have made? Ugh. Good question. I have no idea. I guess I'd say, my first Garry custom? He was the first boy doll I made and i made a lot of mistakes.
- A lot of beginners get so frustrated when their customs don't come out the way they want them to, and often compare themselves to their favorite artists and give up. Can you show us your very first custom? Yes, of course! She was my first reroot, too. I redid her about half a year later, so to everyone feeling frustrated: practice makes perfect =)
- What is your most recent custom? A doll for the Lolita swap. Psst, it's a secret ;) so instead, have my most recent dolls, Josh and Anthony (worked on both of them at the same time)
- What is the worst injury you’ve had from working on customs? Oh. Lots of blood baths caused by my relationship to sharp objects x"D worst was a pretty deep cut with an x-acto knife while cutting out eye holes for one of my 17" mh dolls. Blood everywhere ="D ALWAYS be careful when working with sharp objects, don't do it like me! - Who/What inspires you? What: my own characters and the stories about them Who: lots of people. There are a lot of awesome doll artists out there! Nerdystreak and dollightful to name only two of my biggest inspirations, but there are lots and lots of them! - What projects are you currently working on? A magical doll for another swap, two dolls for friends, one trade, one BJD and lots and lots and lots of unfinished dolls from this year... - Do you have any odd habits while working on customs? Yes. One, see above: I have a habit of starting way too many projects and not finishing them, because I hate sewing clothes for them. Second, when sewing I tend to poke my needle in my pants when not needing them, and forgetting them there... - What types of art do you enjoy? Uh. Lots of different types. Obviously dolls, but also sculpted stuff like food or figurines. I like looking at drawings, but also photography! - Do you take commissions? Not at the moment, no. I might open them again next year, or maybe sell some dolls. But working with too many restrictions kinda kills my creativity... - Where can people see your work and contact you? Instagram: Kosomolski_dolls, Facebook: Kosomolski Dolls as well, Deviantart: Mi-chan785 and Twitter @MinimizeMi Dollwise I'm most active on Instagram though =) But feel free to follow anywhere else =D - Do you have any favorite tips or tricks?
One tip for drawing eyes: try to position the iris and pupil a bit more towards the nose. Not in the center of the eye, because that will give them a really staring, dead look. More to the center of the face, until you almost think they're crosseyed.
And for pencil care: Don't wet them. It will weaken the core and slowly destroy them because it will dissolve it. I also sharpen my pencils by carving the tip a bit, so that I don't waste so much. - Any advice for people just starting out?
Practice makes perfect. Don't let other people's success discourage you! We all started somewhere. We all started with 0 followers. We all had a first repaint, we all struggle. Try new stuff every once in a while! Experiment with materials, with styles, so you can find your own way! =)
And never forget, that it is all about fun ♥
