The making process

All Kokeshi making starts with the choice of wood. I mainly use sycamore, although I have sometimes used hornbeam and beech in the past. I choose according to the grain and colour. Sycamore has a lovely discreet grain, and is quite lightly coloured, so ideal for painting. 

I turn my dolls myself on a small lathe, this process is important for the finish, as the wood needs sanded as smooth as possible for the paint to even itself out fluently in the different scenes. 

I always pencil in my shapes before woodburning it, although for some detailed elements, I can woodburn straight on the doll. After engraving the face and kimono, there is  no straight order as to how I will paint or draw. Often I work scene by scene on the different kimono panels, sometimes I will wood burn most of the doll before starting the paint. It depends on the various elements and scenes I have to harmonize together, the colour scheme , the details…  

I always finish my dolls with an acrylic varnish. Mainly because it is something I can do quite easily in my studio, but also because I have tested the colour resistance to sunlight on a few years, and there was no fading. Thinking long term with art is quite important.