While Virginia Comish has over a decade of experience as a doll artist, she only recently began to create BJDs. She went all-in, though, not just sculpting and finishing the dolls, but doing her own mold making and resin casting as well.
Her newest design is an 11-inch doll named April. “I named this girl for springtime, as she is designed to be about 13 years old and I wanted her name to signify the growth of a young woman,” Comish said. “I feel that in making my BJDs I have come a long way since I first started about a year ago or so.
“I’ve found new ways in making my molds to decrease casting lines that have to be sanded. I’ve also been able to increase the function of the ball joints. There has been a lot of trial and error, and I actually sculpted two dolls that I just threw out after I cast the first one. I am a BJD collector myself and I figured, if I didn’t love how it turned out, then I couldn’t expect anyone else to.
“So it can be looked at as a loss of time and materials, but I like to look at it as learning experiences that help me figure out how I can do better next time. I am confident this girl, April, is a huge step from the last few I’ve tried.”
Comish said she plans to make April available for preorder through her website. “I want to try several other things over this next year. I’m hoping to sculpt an adult female, as well as a girl around 5 or 6. I also want to try to sculpt a boy BJD to look similar to one of my own sweet little boys. I’ve decided to mainly sculpt realistic-style dolls for now, so I can focus on proportions and body composition. Eventually I do want to try again for some fantasy-style dolls as well as more anime style.”
