E-Mail Address: Tom@lumicast.com
Company Name: Tom Banwell Designs
http://www.lumicast.comCity/State/Country: Penn Valley, CA USA
Family information: Married
Media used: Lumicast resin and other resins
Type/style of dolls: Caricature dolls with secondary characters on a custom-made base, usually in a humorous situation.
Length of time in dollmaking: Since 1987
Professional Credits: I have written several articles on rubber moldmaking and resin casting for doll magazines, produced a video on resin dollmaking, teach seminars on moldmaking and resin dollmaking, and formulated Lumicast, a translucent resin for making lifelike dolls.
Comments on dollmaking: I have recently actively begun making dolls again, due to the inspiration I received from attending the annual NIADA conference. I love the way resin can be made to resemble almost anything, and seek to utilize this characteristic in my work. I have cast bases which look like marble and onyx, and have made accessories that resemble fried chicken, walnuts, amethysts, and walrus tusks, among others things. I love historical costuming, especially medievil and Elizabethan. And I love sculpting outrageous faces. Above all, I enjoy incorporating a lot of humor into my work, so that I can watch people's faces light up when they first see my dolls. I also thoroughly enjoy teaching others what I've learned about resin dollmaking.
Pilgarlic stands 12" tall and is made of Lumicast resin, LE 10.
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