Sunday 17 December 2017

Interview with Shrike Aesthetics

Hello there!! I know it is mid-December, but this interview is very special to me! I want to itnroduce you to Charlie from Tales From The Shrike: she is a rising artists that makes faceups but also crafts amazing fantasy urethane eyes for really good prices. I need to be honest, I also have an order incoming from her, and I can't wait to show it to you!

Anyways, the interview is in both English and Spanish, and all photos were used with permission, as always. So, without further ado...!

Hi there! Thank you for doing the interview! :D
Thank you so much for asking me! It’s an honor. My name is Charlie, but I’m probably better known by my handle ‘Talesfromtheshrike’ and my shop name ‘Shrike Aesthetics’ I am a faceup artist and also recent eye maker based in the Pacific Northwest in the USA.
¡Hola! ¡Gracias por aceptar la entrevista!
¡Gracias por solicitarlo! Es un honor. Mi nombre es Charlie, pero seguro que me conocen más por mi pseudónimo “Tales From The Shrike” y mi tienda “Shrike Aesthetics”. Soy una artista de maquillaje y reciente creadora de ojos, localizada en el pacífico noroeste, en los Estados Unidos.



How long have you been in the BJD hobby? How did you get started?
I have been in this hobby for about 4 years know but I knew about these dolls long before that, I just didn’t find myself interested because the only company I knew of was Volks and it just wasn’t really my style. Much later, some roommates of mine were getting interested and I was kind of indifferent towards it but then later found some I really liked! My very first doll was a Mystic Kids Lillian! She seems to be popular for beginners~ and after that I was really smitten!!
¿Cuánto tiempo has estado en el hobby de BJDs? ¿Cómo empezaste?
Soy parte desde hace 4 años, pero he conocido estas muñecas desde antes. Sin embargo, no me interasaba porque la única tienda que conocía era Volks, la cual no es realmente mi estilo. Mucho después, algunos compañeros de cuarto comenzaron a interesarse y yo permanecí indeferente. ¡Pero luego encontré algunas que relamente me gustaron! Mi primera muñeca fue una Mystic Kids Lillian. Ella parece ser popular para los que recién comienzan~ luego de eso, ¡realmente me atraparon!


You make amazing handmade eyes! What inspired you to start? Do you have any workplace to share with us?
Ah, Thank you! I was inspired to start because I realized that even though my dolls all had eyes, I wasn’t necessarily happy with them, and the nicer resin ones seemed to cost so much, and with the amount of dolls I have it just wasn’t feasible to spend that kind of money on eyes that may or may not work for that particular character. My fiancee suggested I do it because I already had a working knowledge of most of the supplies that are used for making them, so I figured why not give it a shot! And to my own surprise I was actually pretty decent at making them!
¡Haces ojos hermosos! ¿Qué es lo que te inspiró a hacerlos? ¿Tienes algún espacio de trabajo para compartir con nosotros?
¡Ah, gracias! Me inpiré a comenzar cuando me di cuenta de que, a pesar de que mis muñecas tenían ojitos, yo no estaba realmente contenta con ellos. Y los bonitos de resina eran muy caros y, con la cantidad de muñecos que tengo, gastar tanto dinero en algo que podría o no funcionar no era posible. Mi prometido me sugirió que lo hiciera porque ya tengo conocimiento de los materiales que se utilizan, ¡así que me decidí a darles una oportunidad! Y para mi sorpresa, era bastante buena en hacerlos.



You offer a lot of styles for your eyes! What can you tell us about them? Do you work by stock or accept commissions?
That was another reason I started making eyes in the first place as well. My dolls are the more realistic type and needed eyes that looked natural, and most BJD eyes are very large (and cute haha) So having the smaller iris size was definitely a great thing. I also make all my eyes low dome so they fit better in their eye sockets. I make some dragon and cat eyes since I also noticed it was hard to find them for a cheaper price. I offer commissions for any type of eyes and I also have blind boxes where you can get a few pairs at a little bit of a discount!
¡Ofreces muchos estilos de ojos! ¿Qué nos puedes contar? ¿Trabajas por stock o aceptas comisiones?
Esa fue otra razón por la cual comencé a hacer ojos en un principio. Mis muñecas son más del tipo realista y necesitaban ojos naturales, y la mayoría de ojos de BJDs son muy grandes (y adorables, jajaja!). Así que tener un iris más pequeño era definitivamente algo bueno. También hago todos los ojos con domo bajo, para que entren mejor en las cuencas. Hago algunos con pupilas de dragón o gato, dado que me percaté que es dificil encontrarlos a un precio accesible. Ofrezco comisiones por cualquier tipo, y ¡y además tengo cajas ciegas donde puedes comprar varios pares a un precio descontado!



Among your eyes, is there a style that is your favorite? Why?
Personally, I really like eyes that catch the light with a bit of shimmer. I think they photograph very well and have a certain depth that seems more life like. I also have come to really love “mirror pupils” where the eye shines depending on how they are turned. They could be a multi-chrome or just a nice little shine of one color. I think they look very unique! I recently started to do cotton candy or unicorn eyes along with rainbow and mermaid colors since they seemed very popular. These are super fun to make and blend the colors!
Entre tus ojos… ¿Hay algún estilo que sea tu favorito? ¿Por qué?
En lo personal, me gustan esos que atrapan la luz con algo de brillo. Creo que se fotografían muy bien, y tienen una profundidad que los hace más vivos. También he empezado a apreciar mucho las ‘pupilas espejadas’, donde el ojo brilla dependiendo del ángulo. Pueden ser multicromáticos o solo tener un toque de un único color. ¡Creo que se ven muy únicos! He empezado a hacer ojos de algodón dulce o de unicornio, con colores de arcoiris y sirena, y son muy populares. ¡Es muy divertido de hacerlos y mezclar los colores!



You also do face-ups commissions! What do you like the most about this? Do you have a favorite style?
Yes! I have been doing them for just about as long as I have been in this hobby. I really wanted to get good at them so I could save myself some money and also give my dolls a very personal touch. It became a way for me to bond with the sculpts I was getting for my characters.
I have definitely experimented with different materials over the years and I think I have finally got the right ones down! I use Schmincke pastels, and I love them because they’re so so soft and pigmented, a little goes a very long way. I use golden fluid acrylics, these are good because you don’t really have to dilute them too much and they don’t chip easily. I also recently switched to sealing by airbrush with Liquitex matte varnish and Vallejo matte varnish.
Previously I used Zoukeimura Volks spray but being from a place where it rains more than not, it became very hard to seal in the fall/winter and even early spring. So far this has been really great! I recently started taking commissions last year as well! It was very nerve wracking for me because I always seem to doubt myself, but it’s really boosted my confidence in myself and my abilities!
The way my queue normally works is that I will do the least complicated orders first. So a natural minimal makeup faceup will go before something that is more labor intensive like heavy makeup and freckling/beauty marks etc. this way I can really take my time to focus on those detail heavy faceups and get them perfected so my clients are happy with them!
¡También haces comisiones de maquillaje! ¿Qué es lo que más te gusta? ¿Tienes un estilo favorito?
¡Sí! Lo he hecho desde que he comenzado en este hobby. Realmente quiero ser Buena en esto, para poder ahorrar algo de dinero y darles a mis muñecas un toque personal. Se convirtió en mi forma de unirme a los moldes que compraba para mis personajes.
Definitivamente he experimentado con varios materiales con el paso del tiempo, ¡y creo que finalmente tengo los correctos! Uso pasteles Schmincke y los adoro porque son muy suaves y con mucho pigmento –un poco sirve para mucho. Uso acrílicos dorados fluidos, que son Buenos porque no se necesita diluirlos mucho, y tampoco se saltan fácil. También hace poco cambié a usar el aerógrafo con selladores Liquitex y Vallejo en mate.
Previamente, usaba el Zoukeimura de Volks, pero siendo de un lugar donde llueve mucho, era complicado sellar en el invierno/otoño e incluso al inicio de la primavera. ¡Por ahora, este cambio es muy bueno! ¡Y de hecho, el año pasado empecé con las comisiones! Me dieron muchos nervios porque siempre dudo de mí misma, pero creo que realmente ha empujado mi confianza en mí misma y mis habilidades.
Lla forma en que mi cola trabaja normalmente, es que hago los encargos menos complicados primero. Así que un maquillaje natural mínimo va primero antes que algo más intensivo como pecas, marcas de belleza, etc. De esta forma me puedo concentrar en los maquillajes detallados y perfeccionarlos para que mis clientes estén contentos con ellos.



Finally, is there anything more you’ll like to share with us?
I am really so so grateful to everyone who has taken the time to look at my handmade eyes and purchase them and all of those who have commissioned me! It’s really such an awesome experience to see so many different types of dolls and resins and really do my best to make your little darlings come to life! So please look forward to more from here on out!!
Finalmente ¿hay algo más que quisieras compartir con nosotros?
¡Estoy realmente agradecida a todos los que se han tomado el tiempo de mirar los ojos que hago, y comprarlos, y a todos los que me han encargado comisiones! Es realmente una experiencia increíble ver tantas muñecas y resinas y realmente quiero hacer lo mejor para darle vida a sus muñecos. ¡Así que por favor, esperen las novedades de ahora en más!


Thank you for doing the interview! :D
Thank you again so much for wanting to interview me! I appreciate it so so much!
¡Gracias por aceptar la entrevista! :D
¡Nuevamente gracias por querer entrevistarme! ¡Realmente lo aprecio mucho!



And this is all for today!! I hope you have enjoyed the interview, and I assure you I'll be doing a review on Shrike's eyes as soon as I get them (beware of the speed of my custom and postal service, though). Anyways, you can find Shrike Aesthetics on the following places:
Also, feel free to share the link to the itnerview, but do not repost the interview! If you want to translate it to yet another language, contact me first.

Also, last week this blog turned 5 years old!!! It is amazing how times flies, and I want to give a special thanks to those who read my blog, follow my craziness and like my content. I'm just so happy to be able to share this hobby with you all! :D

6 comments :

  1. Thank you for showcasing an artist with whom I was unfamiliar. I'm always in the market for eyes so I can't wait to look at her shop. Her green-eyed redhead is gorgeous!

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    1. Happy you liked this!! Yeah, her dolls are amazing and her eyes are really cute!! I can't wait to get mine so I can review them! Dang this postal service D:

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  2. Me encantó la entrevista. Hace unos ojos muy bonitos y los maquillajes también me gustaron. Gracias por presentar a esta artista

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    1. ¡Me alegro que te guste! Hace unos ojitos preciosos, la verdad :D

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  3. Thank you for another lovely interview! I did not know about Shrike's eyes, so it was nice to learn to know about a new artist. Those eyes are beautiful, so I look forward to reading the review.
    Congratulations on the five years! Look forward to many more! Your blog is great!

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    1. Happy you liked this!! She makes amazing eyes, I can't wait to receive mine!
      And thanks for the wishes and compliments! I can't believe that 5 years already passed :O

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