The Art Of The Doll
Pasha figure (left), Popovy Figure (right)
Figure made for me by Pasha Setrova, which I photographed several times in my Toronto studio from 2016 to 2018
Why sketch from a doll instead of a live model? First of all, we’re not really talking about dolls. There are artist created figures made by-hand with the most meticulous details you could imagine. In addition, these figures are ball jointed; able to twist and turn in a variety of poses. For an artist working in a small space who paints distorted female subjects, there are many instances in which a doll like this could be more advantageous than a live model.
I’ve spent hours searching for reference material online, sometimes to no avail. If my idea changes while I’m painting it and the reference image I shot during a photo session stops being useful, and the layer is drying, a pint sized model really comes in handy at 2am. You can set this very detailed figure up on a table with the right lighting in 5 minutes. If you’re an artist who tends to change ideas all the time and play with proportion these figures can be a unique and valuable tool.
It’s an entire creative industry that I had no idea even existed until around 2016. The BJD (Ball Jointed Doll). Back then I had been sent a few copies of a magazine that featured my work and I came across an article about the Popovy Sisters. There were photographs of these shockingly life-like figures with all these points of articulation, posing in very precise positions. The pictures were so evocative and I thought at first they were life-size installation pieces. They weren’t.
The drawing above was done with Polychromos colored pencils on black paper. I wanted the figure to be bioluminescent and I had trouble determining how to render that effect. After a few failed experiments photographing the Popovy figure in my studio in Toronto late one night, I pointed a tiny, finger-sized flashlight over the head and finally got the reference shot I needed.
From This Window - oil on panel - 16”x20”
Soon after that reading that article I started to find out more about this art form and the artists who made them. I was fascinated by the style and craftsmanship and picked out my two favourite artists. The Popovy Sisters and Pasha Setrova. I reached out to the Popovy Sisters first to speak to them about using their figures as inspiration for some new work. They were delighted. Shortly after that, I contacted Pasha Pasha New York and told her I was a big fan of her work. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she was a fan of mine as well. These figurers are made with a resin that is wonderfully translucent and bears a skin-like glow when lit properly. But where the real magic happens is when they paint these figures. They not only design the bodies, they also paint everything by hand, down to very realistic freckles and veins. The level of diminutive detail can be truly breathtaking. Pasha, being very familiar with my work, made me a figure with a distinct dash of film noir. Blood red lips, thick Hollywood mascara and a Veronica Lake wig. It was a captivating piece of moving sculpture.
Another thing that made these figures so special were the fact that the actual eye balls could be adjusted and changed. They’re made of glass and catch the light like real irises. They’re placed inside the head with a transparent putty.
Pasha head with glass eyes removed.
The Popovy Sisters and Pasha Setrova have created some very inventive footwear and clothing designs. Spidery heals and impossibly spiked angles are worthy of Alexander McQueen and Thierry Mugler.
It was fantastic to be able to test any sort of lighting concept I could think of at any time, night or day. It didn’t have to be perfect. I just needed a starting off point. These figures were the impetus of what would become my Skinwalker series which opened in Los Angeles at Corey Helford Gallery 2018. Because I have a natural tendency to elongate, after using these figures as reference points, the end result was reminiscent of Japanese anime.
This original Troy Brooks (drawing on pink paper) “Pasha Smoking” is available for purchase. Just click on the image below for details.
If you’d like to find out more about Pasha or the Popovy Sisters please visit their sites below…
