Featured Sculptor: Ping Lau
Welcome to the first post in our series of Meet the Sculptor…
In an effort to help promote authenticity, I want to introduce you to the talented artists who sculpt the babies and creatures that make our hobby possible! Everytime your purchase an authentic kit direct from a sculptor or one of their chosen authorized dealers, or a completed doll made with an authentic kit, you are enabling this amazing art to continue! This series will provide an inside look into some of the most talented women in the reborn doll community – those who sculpt the beautiful kits that we as reborn artists get to bring to life!
I am so grateful for the response that I have received to this project and the number of sculptors who have already submitted responses. I have had the opportunity to meet some of them, and others, I’ve connected with on social media. I’ve provided each sculptor with a list of about 20 questions from which they choose to respond. The goal of the interview is to give you as and artist and/or collector some insight into the sculptor, their process and their thoughts on the reborn doll community… I hope you enjoy learning more about each of these amazing women!
PING LAU is a renowned artist and sculptor, celebrated for her hyper-realistic portraits of people and animals. Her work spans various mediums, including portrait sculpture, dolls, painting, and silicone pets. Beyond her artistic endeavors, she has a passion for opera, hiking, her beautiful pack of dogs, and world travel.
Like me, Ping is based in the Washington DC Metro Area (United States). She has collaborated with doll manufacturers such as Ashton-Drake and Paradise Galleries to create lifelike baby dolls. Because of their price-point, these dolls are often people’s first introduction to reborns. In the reborn world, Ping has created a beautiful line of reborn doll kits including both infant and toddler sized kits. Ping Lau maintains an active presence on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, where she shares her latest works and engages with the reborn doll community. I encourage you to follow her!
Ping has taken steps to combat counterfeiting in the reborn doll community by actively protecting her intellectual property. This has become a significant issue in the reborn doll community, as unauthorized replicas often flood the market, impacting the value and reputation of the original art. She has worked with legal teams to enforce copyright protection on her designs, ensuring that her creations are not reproduced without permission, including issuing cease-and-desist orders to companies or individuals who are found to be creating counterfeit versions of her dolls. Ping also collaborates with well-established doll manufacturers and kit producers (Esther Newmark Orlando/Irresistables) to ensure that only licensed versions of her dolls are produced and sold to the public. These partnerships help to control the distribution of her work and prevent counterfeit versions from flooding the market. Ping actively educates her fans and followers on social media about the issue of counterfeiting and the importance of buying original, licensed dolls. Through her online platforms, she often shares updates and reminds her audience about the significance of supporting authentic, artist-created works. Through these efforts, she helps to maintain the integrity of the reborn doll community and protect the value of authentic, artist-made dolls reborn dolls.
The Interview
Tell me a little bit about your process…how you decide on facial expressions and feature an what types of materials you prefer.
All my doll kits are commissioned, and they are all sculpted from photos of real babies and children. I don’t choose the models to sculpt from. It typically takes me about 10 days to sculpt a head and maybe about six weeks for a head, torso, arms and limbs. I use Super Sculpey for large pieces (e.g., heads and torsos), and I prefer Cosclay for thin parts like fingers so I usually sculpt arms in Cosclay.
What do you see as the biggest challenges in sculpting a realistic reborn doll?
Achieving accuracy in a portrait sculpture. I spend many hours just looking and looking and looking at the photo. To ensure the proportions and details are as lifelike as possible, I always sculpt from photos.
Since you started, how do you think the reborn doll industry has changed?
Sadly, it has now become a constant battle against cheap, poor-quality counterfeits and scams. We have to keep educating newcomers to the hobby about this.
What trends do you see emerging in the reborn doll world?
I see doll shows gaining popularity again! As scams and counterfeits flood the Internet, buyers have to be very wary of purchasing online. It’s much safer to make purchases in person. I hope to attend more shows this year, which are really fun, and I love meeting collectors in person too.
There seems to be a move toward AI-generated faces and digital sculping tools. What are your thoughts on this?
It’s going to alter people’s perception of reality. AI generated or enhanced photos are not realistic.
Do you ever collaborate with reborn doll painters or other artists?
Yes, I work only as a sculptor and although I would just love to paint and root my own doll kits, I simply don’t have the time, so I depend very much on reborn artists to paint them.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start sculpting reborn dolls?
Do it for the love of reborn art only. Because you enjoy it, not as a career, as this is really not something that will generate much income.
What’s the most meaningful reaction you’ve received from someone about your work?
When they tell me that a doll is making them happy, helps them through loneliness or a bereavement, that is the greatest gift that I can receive as a sculptor.
Where do you see your sculpting career going in the next five to ten years?
I’m striving to keep improving my sculpting skills!
For a comprehensive overview of Ping’s creations and her artistic philosophy, you can visit her official website: pingart.com.
