Meet the Artist
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Elisabeth Suelli, a.k.a. Iza, is a EU based face up artist in Vienna, Austria. There she resides with her wife and two cats in a lovely suburb. Her wife shares in the hobby with her.
Iza got into the BJD hobby May 2011 and jumped in head first. A friend of hers, who was also her downstairs neighbor in the dorms in the USA, introduced her to the hobby and helped her buy her first doll. She was also kind enough to paint Iza's first doll, but with her second she taught her how to paint them around August of 2011. She instantly was hooked. After a lot of practice and a thirst for more dolls to paint, Iza opened up shop in 2012 as a face up artist. She loves working on all sorts of dolls in all sizes and themes. Iza has a degree in Illustration that she completed in 2013. |
F.A.Q.
What do you do?
I do the aesthetics for BJDs of all sorts by painting them. I do not make the dolls, nor do I provide them. I do my best to bring your vision to life through my art. I sometimes will modify dolls either by carving, sanding, or adding on to them.
How long does it take you to get a commission done?
My turn around time is roughly 3-4 weeks, depending on many factors such as weather, workload, and working full time.
How many heads do you take per slot?
On average I take up to 3 parts per slot, depending on what it is. Like it can be 2 heads and a body, or 2 heads and a manicure, etc. That does extend the work time though, so please keep that in mind!
Do you work on recasts?
No, I don't. I'm very much pro-artist and prefer to keep my portfolio all legit, thank you.
Do you only work with EU clients?
Not at all! I moved back from the USA into the EU (specifically to Austria). Within the EU I don't have to pay custom fees on dolls, but if you ship from outside it to me I'll have to ask you to declare the parts as "Item for Service" and then I will ship it back as "Return Item for Service", that way neither of us should be hit with customs on the full value of the doll itself, only on the aesthetic work cost.
If I do get charged for customs, I cannot be responsible for the fees and you would need to pay it on top of the commission and shipping fees.
What does BJD stand for and what is it?
BJD stands for Ball Jointed Doll, which generally is a doll with joints and strung with elastic, though some dolls have an internal skeleton (such as Volks Dollfie Dreams, Obitsu dolls of all sizes, and Smart Dolls), or spring systems to give them a wide range of motion and ability to hold poses.
What are BJDs made of?
The most common material for dolls is Polyurethane or Environmental Resin, but they also come in ABS plastics, Vinyl, and some are made of Porcelain. Vinyl dolls generally have an internal skeleton rather than strings.
What is a Face Up?
A face up is the painting of a dolls head. Most dolls are either sold blank (with no painting at all) or already painted by the companies. There are many artists that will paint them custom as well.
What is Body Blushing/Brushing?
Body blushing/brushing refers to painting of the body to give it more life. It can be just contouring, or include tattoos, scars, and otherwise.
How can I get a Face Up/Body Blush off?
There are many safe ways for removing an old face up or body blushing. My preferred method is to use a melamine sponge (aka Magic Eraser) with 90% and above Isopropyl Alcohol that can be bought in most pharmacies. You can also use Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner (just not on ABS plastics as it will melt), and some people will use Acetone or even Acetone-Free Nail Polish remover. The Acetone has a higher risk of damaging the doll though.
Where can I buy a BJD?
There are so many companies out there that make beautiful dolls in a variety of sizes and price ranges. A good place to get a feel for what you may like you can check out BJD Collectasy and on my Links page I have several dealers listed.
What is a Dealer?
Dealers are companies that are affiliated with BJD companies and sell on their behalf. They are essentially the middle man between consumers and the creators of BJDs. Many of them offer Layaway programs where you can buy a doll on a monthly payment plan of a fixed amount. They’re also a great way of seeing many different companies in one place.
Not all companies have dealers though, so it’s always a good idea to go to the main site of a BJD company and see whom they are affiliated with to get a legitimate doll.
What is a Recast?
Recasts are unauthorized (and illegal) copies created by making molds from legitimate dolls and casting copies of them for profit. They are different from knock offs as those are generally imitations while recasts are direct copies of an original. Because the BJD market is so small, it is very vulnerable to the negative effects of recasting. The BJD community at a majority does not support recasts. Most collectors will accept anyone that is willing to go legit though!
I do the aesthetics for BJDs of all sorts by painting them. I do not make the dolls, nor do I provide them. I do my best to bring your vision to life through my art. I sometimes will modify dolls either by carving, sanding, or adding on to them.
How long does it take you to get a commission done?
My turn around time is roughly 3-4 weeks, depending on many factors such as weather, workload, and working full time.
How many heads do you take per slot?
On average I take up to 3 parts per slot, depending on what it is. Like it can be 2 heads and a body, or 2 heads and a manicure, etc. That does extend the work time though, so please keep that in mind!
Do you work on recasts?
No, I don't. I'm very much pro-artist and prefer to keep my portfolio all legit, thank you.
Do you only work with EU clients?
Not at all! I moved back from the USA into the EU (specifically to Austria). Within the EU I don't have to pay custom fees on dolls, but if you ship from outside it to me I'll have to ask you to declare the parts as "Item for Service" and then I will ship it back as "Return Item for Service", that way neither of us should be hit with customs on the full value of the doll itself, only on the aesthetic work cost.
If I do get charged for customs, I cannot be responsible for the fees and you would need to pay it on top of the commission and shipping fees.
What does BJD stand for and what is it?
BJD stands for Ball Jointed Doll, which generally is a doll with joints and strung with elastic, though some dolls have an internal skeleton (such as Volks Dollfie Dreams, Obitsu dolls of all sizes, and Smart Dolls), or spring systems to give them a wide range of motion and ability to hold poses.
What are BJDs made of?
The most common material for dolls is Polyurethane or Environmental Resin, but they also come in ABS plastics, Vinyl, and some are made of Porcelain. Vinyl dolls generally have an internal skeleton rather than strings.
What is a Face Up?
A face up is the painting of a dolls head. Most dolls are either sold blank (with no painting at all) or already painted by the companies. There are many artists that will paint them custom as well.
What is Body Blushing/Brushing?
Body blushing/brushing refers to painting of the body to give it more life. It can be just contouring, or include tattoos, scars, and otherwise.
How can I get a Face Up/Body Blush off?
There are many safe ways for removing an old face up or body blushing. My preferred method is to use a melamine sponge (aka Magic Eraser) with 90% and above Isopropyl Alcohol that can be bought in most pharmacies. You can also use Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner (just not on ABS plastics as it will melt), and some people will use Acetone or even Acetone-Free Nail Polish remover. The Acetone has a higher risk of damaging the doll though.
Where can I buy a BJD?
There are so many companies out there that make beautiful dolls in a variety of sizes and price ranges. A good place to get a feel for what you may like you can check out BJD Collectasy and on my Links page I have several dealers listed.
What is a Dealer?
Dealers are companies that are affiliated with BJD companies and sell on their behalf. They are essentially the middle man between consumers and the creators of BJDs. Many of them offer Layaway programs where you can buy a doll on a monthly payment plan of a fixed amount. They’re also a great way of seeing many different companies in one place.
Not all companies have dealers though, so it’s always a good idea to go to the main site of a BJD company and see whom they are affiliated with to get a legitimate doll.
What is a Recast?
Recasts are unauthorized (and illegal) copies created by making molds from legitimate dolls and casting copies of them for profit. They are different from knock offs as those are generally imitations while recasts are direct copies of an original. Because the BJD market is so small, it is very vulnerable to the negative effects of recasting. The BJD community at a majority does not support recasts. Most collectors will accept anyone that is willing to go legit though!
For a thorough overview on all things BJD and things that go with the topic, please go to "The Big BJD FAQ"
which was put together by Ara, a long time collector and artist within the community!
which was put together by Ara, a long time collector and artist within the community!