A thread for the beautiful dolls of Tatyana Trifonova. At the time of starting this thread, there is only one resin doll in production, the stunning Sphinx. I am very much hoping this will increase. There are various places to view Tatyana's work. Website DeviantArt flickr Livejournal Tatyana can be contacted at triffonyartwork "at" yahoo "dot" com I did a mini review of the Sphinx for another thread, so I will copy it here. The Sphinx is a resin version of an original porcelain kitty-kat, both made by Russian doll artist Tatyana/Tatiana Trifonova. She is 35cm tall (so, on the tiny/MSD boundary) and available in cream (I think it is called. It is actually a very pale, pinky, beige normal skin sort of colour). I have also seen then in lilac resin, but don't know if these are readily available. She is professionally cast by StarDoll in Russia. She is not cheap, at $780 for UV protected urethane resin. Shipping from Russia is also expensive ($110 to the UK by an express service). I don't know if she takes layaway. However, Tatyana now takes Paypal as payment, which makes life a lot easier than the Western Union I paid with. So, that is the bad news out of the way. The good news is that Tatyana has the patience of a saint. I went on the waiting list in September, hoping to be able to pay by mid November. I couldn't and Tatyana was very patient. So, I paid in mid December and she was sent off a couple of days later. I am not sure how this would work if you were ready with the money straight away. The thing needs casting. She arrived four days after that. Packaging was great. Beautiful embossed cream box with satin cushions. And the doll is exquisite. She has been thoroughly sanded, not just the seams, so is smooth all over. The resin feels strong, which is just as well as she is strung frighteningly tight and her arms and legs are like little twigs. I am terrified of snapping something each time I move her. However, she poses like an action figure, so I am not about to loosen her any time soon. So, engineering. Being an art doll, I wasn't expecting much. I wasn't even expecting her to be able to stand unaided. I was wrong. She has double jointed knees, which means she has as much flexion as anyone needs there. And the knees don't look ugly when fully bent either, imo. Elbows are single jointed, so loss of flexion there. I can get perhaps 70 degrees. She has an upper torso joint, which looks harmonious and gives her great flexibility. I am a real sucker for a three part torso, but that one joint is so well made that I really wouldn't want another. She has "cups" in her upper thighs (I am sure there is a name for it. No idea what it is, though). These act like mobility joints. You can rotate the thigh and you can also bend it, so that she can draw her knees up. Due to the tight stringing, it isn't quite as successful as a traditional mobility joint, but at least you don't have to dislocate the leg to get it to work. She can't get her knees to her chest, but she can easily get enough bend to sit without problems. She has lock stops on the back of her upper thigh, presumably for stability. She has tiny feet. However, due to her tight-strung stability, she has no problem standing unaided, even with bent knees (only my CLines can do that). I haven't got her to stand on one leg yet, but I would say it is possible. However, due to her small feet, you would have to be pretty damned determined to achieve it. Sculpting is absolutely beautiful. The human torso is just stunning. So much love put into that. It is anatomically accurate whilst still being somewhat stylised. Can't fault it. Certain lack of detailing on the arms and legs, but it doesn't bother me. And the face! The face! It has been haunting me from when I first saw pictures of the porcelain version in a doll show, and it still blows the top of my head off. I don't know how she did it, but that face is pure magic. Beautiful. The ears are stronger than they look. They are transluscent but relatively thick. Thicker than Moment/Anson's petals, which scared the beejaysus out of me (I am easily scared. Can you tell?). So, what else? She takes 10mm eyes, but I think you could go down to 8mm if you wanted. No idea what clothes she takes yet, but I don't intend for her to wear much anyway. She is a kitty after all.
Yay! A thread for the Sphinx!! I must get one!! I was close, then Fairyland had a tan event! LOL! I'll start saving next year! Again!
OH THANK YOU!! My gorgeous girl just arrived on Nov 12. Cant wait to share her! Tatanya is AMAZING to deal with. My gorgeous girl is one of the most beautiful things I have seen. I have her in cream with green on green eyes unpainted. But I may not paint her anyway since her resin is lovely in and of itself! I have not installed her eyes just yet but she is so pretty I just HAD to share! http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff409/Syaronn/Sphinxhead_zps1fabbc02.jpg
I purchased and received one of these dolls from Tatyana, however my experience has not been as pleasant as the others here. I paid through Paypal and ended up paying additional fees above and beyond the original asking price because Tatyanas Paypal account deducts the fees from the amount you enter for sending money, so you will need to figure out how much more you need to add for her to receive the full amount. This is a simple fix in her Paypal settings. I did receive my doll quickly in the mail, but it arrived with a broken hand due to the doll only being wrapped in one thin layer of Saran Wrap that you would use to keep food in the refrigerator. The hands were pressed so tightly to the body with Saran Wrap that when the box was tossed around by the courier it had no choice but to snap the fingers. I thought I would be able to resolve the issue with Tatyana quickly, but her response was that she did not know when I would receive a replacement hand because the dolls are no longer in production, and that she would be charging me for shipping the replacement hand when it did get made. I paid nearly $1,000.00 to receive a broken doll Be aware that the hands on this doll are so tiny and fragile that it is a miracle that anyone's doll arrived unbroken. I am not sure why Tatyana did not pack this expensive doll with any cushioning, but she didn't, and now I am the saddest boy blue( I will say that if I had not had received a broken doll, or Tatyana was willing to send me a new hand without charging me AGAIN for shipping, I would have had praise instead of a warning for a review. Her Sphinx, and resting box are beautiful.
I am so very sad to hear of your experience! And you are correct in saying not only are the hands delicate and fragile but I too was surprised the doll was only wrapped in the plastic wrap you described. You can see this in the photo above of my doll in her box. The resting box was wrapped in many layers of bubble wrap but there was no outer shipping box. Instead she arrived in a shipping envelope from DIMEX of Russia that was inside another bag from DHL (the delivery company here in my town). But my girl arrived safely I am glad to say. I am so very sorry yours' did not> For the Paypal, I estimated the amount over and above for the first payment but did not have to the second time so perhaps she fixed it? But again, I am very sorry to hear of your broken doll. They are so beautiful and it is sad she suffered this damage. It is so sad. One thing that was terrifying for me was the fact that DHL in my state got all confused with my address and tried to deliver her to someone NOT me! Thankfully that person was not home whoever they were. The doll was shipped by DIMEX in Russia to the US where it was transferred to DHL several states from me. It made it to the distribution center in Raleigh NC which is 120 miles west of the coastal town where I live. They robocalled me on a Sunday with a tracking number and instructions on how to have her delivered if I was not going to be home. I did everything they said but had no tracking number because they said the info too fast for me to get a pen! Imagine my horror when I checked the tracking provided by DIMEX later that night and found the doll was not delivered because no one was home and no instructions left! All of which I had done as they told me!! I found the phone number and called the DHL number where I was fortunate enough to get a customer service person who actually cared. She called to find out what happened and found that the deliver person mistook my Carolyn Drive address for Carolina Drive which does not exist so my doll was put back on the large van and driven back 120 miles to the office. I am not even sure where the delivery people tried to leave her the first time! The service person (Amy) printed out a map, a Google photo of my house, got my doll off the truck when she arrived, and the next day hand carried her to the driver with the map and photo. She called me twice to assure me the doll was in the right hands and again to make sure she arrived at MY door. I was so fortunate about that. I was in a state of pure panic! DIMEX customer service was also very helpful. They responded to my emails as to where my doll was located and who would be handling her once she was stateside. They researched her locations and gave me the DHL tracking number after DHL made their robocall too fast for me to get a pen and write it down which helped immensely. Again, I am so very sorry!!!!
Lost Kitten, Thank you so much for your reply and care for my experience! It really means a lot because I am very upset right now trying to sort this out with Tayana. I really don't know what to do. I could just suck it up and pay the shipping for the replacement hand, but she is making me feel like I did something wrong. I only wanted one of her art pieces and now I feel like I'm being punished for spending a ton of money, by being asked to spend more. Oh, the irony! Also, it feel like I'm being blamed for it being broken and I am am the most careful, cautious person I know. I am glad that you confirmed that I was not the only one surprised by the lack of packaging of the actual doll. Of course the delivery people could care less about what's inside of that box they are tossing around. I have no recourse with them, but I did notice that insurance was placed on this package, so it would not be impossible for Tatyana to be compensated for the damage by them. One other thing that makes me feel terrible about this is that she said " I think its all about USA Custom-House, with a strange hidden rules of receiving and processing parcels from Russia and possibly some other «bad» countries that full of «dangerous» and «[FONT=arial, sans-serif]aggressive» people living there…" I assured her that we are not all a bunch of foolish people that believe in propaganda and lies about any other country and their people. We are seen around the world as'' haters", and that makes me very very sad because I for one love other countries and their people, and I think most other people here do too. I would like to know the percentage of damage claims made by U.S. customers vs other countries though..Maybe we need to get serious about the couriers being so disrespectful to the packages the deliver?. It shouldn't matter how much you get paid to do your job, you should do it with respect to paying clients. Anyway, thanks again for listening, and I am really glad that your Sphinx made it home to you all safe and sound. They really are exquisite little creatures, and like I said, the resting box is a work of art in itself. Enjoy!! [/FONT]
What a mess. I am so very sorry! I wonder if it is possible to get a hand made for another doll to fit your lovely girl? Maybe it is an odd thought but the Popovy Sisters dolls are also made at the Star Doll factory as I understand it. I have two of their dolls at my house, When I get home from work I will compare the two and see how close the resin match is to their dolls. They are the same size and the resin feels the same. I just never compared the colors. The Sisters are in full swing with their production and are simply fabulous to deal with. If their doll's hands will fit your doll in color and style maybe you can contact them and order one hand. Igor, their customer contact, is a dear to work with. Not saying it will work but maybe it is an alternative. A bit off topic but I am sorry you were subjected to a such a political harangue also. That is quite disturbing. I adore the art of dolls regardless of where they come from too. NONE of us has any control over the politics of suspicion that rules this world. I too try my very best to keep any mention of ideology out of my dolly dealings. If we all believe what the propaganda machines say about any of us regardless of where we live then we will be restricted to the dolls of our own little corner of the world. I will PM you when I check on the resin my PS dolls are made of in comparison to my Sphinx. If it is close at all perhaps you can contact Igor and see if you can get a replacement hand for your lovely. Again, my heartfelt sadness for your experience.
Thanks again Lost Kitten! I think if the resin is a match that the possibility of Popovy hands for this doll is an excellent one) I look forward to your message later. Have a wonderful rest of the day! btw..I am just about to order Little Owl and Peewit!!
You will LOVE Little Owl and Peewit. The Sisters are wonderful as you well know. I have a painted eye Magpie and an Open Eye Cuckoo.
Wow, that is absolutely terrible service. You should not have to pay for her poor packaging, she should know better than to wrap the doll in nothing more than seran, it is a miracle not more of her dolls are broken.
[/URL][/IMG] My pretty girl in her lingerie and box. She is such a joy to have and hold. Faceup and body blushing by me. It was my first so I was not sure how it would turn out but this gorgeous doll does not need a lot to enhance her beauty. I think the lingerie was by OrchidsDesigns. I may get her some new eyes but the faceplate is a little difficult to take off and on. There is a magnet in the chin area and also a metal post that has to be lined up with a corresponding hole. Trying to balance my bifocals just right to line that up takes me a little time. But I love the fit of her faceplate and the tightness of her stringing. I just love her! I named her after the only real Sphinx cat I ever got to meet. A joyful little creature named Fuss Bucket. Undignified maybe but I like it for her. So Fussie she is.
She is gorgeous!! My doll remains in her box with her broken hand. I am not sure when I will be inspired to glue the tiny fingers back on her. Congrats on your beauty))
lostkitten: she is sooooo beatutiful. Mau: thank you for your picture. she is very lovely. i am waiting for my secondhand kitty to come from my friend in australia. i do not know if we will chance her travelling during the Christmas rush. I need lots of kittie spam to get me through. So, more pictures everyone, please.
I am so sad for you. Please bring her out and fix her little fingers. I am sure the Fates will reward you for your patience. Or send me that tiny hand and I will do my very best to repair it for you! I will even pay postage here and back! Hugs and kitty kisses! Thank you so much fro the sweet note about my girl. Lostkitten
John: if you can get her little fingers glued on, then make her a lace glove for that hand. Friends talked me through the repair of one doll hand and that is what i then did. The glove really works wonders. you really do need to get her out and enjoy her. it is too sad that she arrived that way. but she is very beautiful. it is as lostkitten has said: you should enjoy her.
Congrats @Cat!! I am very happy for you! I plan on making a little photoshoot today of my kitty. I will be happy to post them. This doll poses amazingly. I chnaged out her eyes today for some with black pupils. The new eyes gave her an intense look. I like that one small change makes a such a difference. And I seem to have gotten the faceplate post thing figured out. I want to get her some cat eyes. Think I will order some today.
Sad to ear that it did not went as well as for me! I also have a sphynx, bought via Western Union as Paypal wasn't possible at this time. I had her quickly and well packaged, she arrived safe. But I was an early bird, it seems different now :/ BTW as soon as my girl arrived I unstrung her as it was too dangerous for such small resin pieces! She still is a poser and it's much better this way ^^
She is GORGEOUS!!! OMG ! I could BEVER restring this tiny thing! Here is a new one of my Fussie (her name). [/URL][/IMG]
These dolls are so beautiful! Perhaps someday I will have one as well! They look as if they pose so well!
My black resin sphinx from Triffony got shipped yesterday! Really excited, wonder who else has ordered her? I hope there are no damages, that sounds like a pain.
I ordered the 22th of December! So this was really, really quick, but Tatiana told me if I could pay the whole sum at once I'd have the doll earlier. I was sceptical when she said mid-january, but ha! No lies there!
Oh that's so quick!! I'm used to 7 months of wait so it sounds like music to my ears haha. I am tempted to buy the white skin one... damn
Unfortunately for now she is going to be blank, it's winter here and humidity+cold is too risky for me on black resin. Would hate it for her to get that misty look. Eventually I'll paint her face though, but the body is staying blank, maybe some paint on her teeny nails and toes. Since I can't unstring her without cutting the cords, and I really enjoy posing her I think the body is going to stay blank entirely.
Officially waiting for my Sphinx now! I have so many plans for my little one... and Tatiana said it will only take one month, like yours MisMantis. I'm super excited ^^
These are such gorgeous dolls- I really love their faces! I will admit that the shipping issue makes me nervous though- there is nothing more sad than spending a ton on a doll only to receive it broken.
You are welcome! Triffony_Artwork_Sphinx by matahata, on Flickr Triffony_Artwork_Sphinx 6 by matahata, on Flickr
I am very happy that people are receiving their Sphinx with no issues. The photos are stunning!! Congrats to all)
You really made me impatient to get my Sphinx now with those pics... hahah, she is beautiful, thanks for posting it :>
Ahh Matahata, she is soo pretty! That chair is really neat too. I really love this doll in every color, hopefully in the far off future I'll have the chance to get another one in a different color! Get my girl a friend, haha. I am having a bit of trouble finding clothes for the spinx though, it's kind of a tricky size. Has anyone experimented with that yet? Maybe has an idea for clothes that fit? I'll likely be sewing for her in the future but, I kind of like just being able to buy them too!
I have managed to get mine into a stretchy female action figure outfit, but it was a struggle. I wouldn't say it was a good fit.
MisMantis, thank you. I don't know about suitable outfit for her. Maybe some of slim-msd clothers? But she is thiner than ordinary slim-msd... So the slim-msd clothers, like MadamMauMau said, don't fit good. I think she is need handmade outfits. I can't sew so my doll have the only one outfit sewing by my friend. Triffony_Artwork_Sphinx 7 by matahata, on Flickr
No, I didn't try MSD clothes, but action figure ones. Action figs are in the 28-30cm range, so the clothes are tight and small. If they are stretchy and short sleeved, they work OK. I don't have many female figure clothes, so can't be any more expansive than that, I'm afraid.
MadamMauMau, i understand. I meant "don't fit good" then made reference to you. Sorry for misunderstanding. Perhaps the matter is in my bad english((((((
You made me imagine her in a supergirl outfit MadamMauMau haha! But that outfit is super cute Matahata, I'll hopefully be sewing for her too so she'll get clothed eventually. Was curious to hear what others have been getting for them
There is a Sphinx on Ebay! http://www.ebay.com/itm/221695429116?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Hybris - I just love her! I have been looking at her photos on Flickr for a long time and would really enjoy having her one day. What is her size?
Congrats! Aren't they stunning? The sculpting is just... jo1961, they are 35cm. Here is a quick shot I took of mine when she arrived, with an EID, to give you an idea of scale.
She is just breathtaking. Congratulations MadamMauMau! Thank you for the info and the photo. I so want one!
My heart just broke. I've had two Sphynx cats - now I need the doll! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I am so excited. I should have ordered her months ago as I fell in love with the first photos of her. She has been the only doll on my wish list for a long time. I like her little rabbit too. She is so creative.
I was just watching her doll on Ebay..did anyone else see it? It went for $9000.00! It was beautiful and took lots of time to paint but WOW!
Ah, such a stunning doll. I'd love to bring one home and get one of the talented artists on DoA to give her beautiful tattoos ( ◍>◡<◍)。✧♡ Though the stories of poor packing and broken hands has me wary :c EDIT: Also, anyone have any idea how much shipping would be from Russia to Canada?