Hi, hello, and welcome to my wonderfully cluttered creative universe!
I’m Kendra, the human behind the curtain and the heartbeat of Virgo’s Alchemy.
This is where handmade doll eyes, custom molds, and small-scale art are created for doll makers, customizers, and collectors who appreciate thoughtful detail and a touch of whimsy. If your taste leans toward fairytale undertones, expressive eyes, and carefully crafted 1:6 scale work, you’ll feel right at home here.
Where It All Began
My passion for the Arts began early, stitched into my very DNA by my Mother, who was also a doll artist in the early 80’s. She made incredibly detailed clowns using Styrofoam armatures and a fabric draping technique that is hardly seen anymore today. She landed a contract with Circus World under the name “Connie’s Clowns”. As a small child, I remember watching her intently in her studio as she hand painted every detail. My father was also a huge inspiration to me, and was quite literally my best friend in life. He was a master jeweler, calligrapher, watch and clockmaker. Our whole house ticked growing up. Watching him tinker tiny gears and wheels and delicately constructing fine details into silver and gold was mesmerizing.
Between my mother’s sculpted characters and my father’s intricate mechanics, I grew up in a home where precision and imagination were simply part of the air. They shaped the way I see detail, scale, and storytelling. By the time I reached school, art teachers were already singling me out, and I found myself collecting ribbons from local art competitions without fully realizing how deeply rooted it all was.
Although I grew up surrounded by extraordinary creative energy, the atmosphere was not always gentle. There was dysfunction woven into it too, along with mental and emotional trauma that shaped the edges of my childhood in harder ways.
So I found another world.
The outdoors became my refuge. I would disappear into the woods for hours, trading depression and fear for wind through the trees and the steady rhythm of my own imagination. In that quiet, I built entire realms populated by unicorns, Fae folk, and creatures only I could see. What may have looked like a child at play was, in truth, a young artist learning how to survive through creation.
Those solitary hours became my first studio. The forest was my collaborator. The unseen became my muse.
That early instinct to transform discomfort into beauty, and solitude into story, is something I still carry with me. It’s the same current that runs through my work today: resilience shaped into art, imagination turned into something tangible, and a belief that even in difficult landscapes, something luminous can take root.
The Rabbit Hole and Where Its Led Me
My work with dolls began in the early 2000s, sculpting OOAK polymer clay art dolls from lifeless lumps of clay. I’ve been working with polymer clay for over two decades now, and somewhere along the way I fell completely in love with making resin doll eyes. This included heat-resistant eyes for OOAK polymer clay, 1:6 scale figures, BJD, Reborn, and now Blythe. I’ve been making eyes for nearly 20 years, which officially makes me ancient…
Back then, miniature eye molds were hard to source. So that resulted in a lot of artists being resourceful with tiny glass beads and other hacks to achieve eyes as small as 3mm in size. When 3D printing became more accessible around 2014, my background working for SolidWorks nudged me into developing more reliable, artist-friendly eye forms. In 2016, I collaborated with Hollywood special-effects artist (and good friend 🩷) Todd Debreceni to refine those early concepts into usable master molds. Seeing my molds and resin eyes in studios, as well as in the works of talented artists around the world, has been one of the greatest honors of my career.
My personal style is a bit of a kitchen sink, but has always wandered toward the whimsical and slightly off-kilter, even a little darker at times. Think a whisper of Tim Burton energy, a nod to the worlds of Brian Froud and Wendy Froud, layered with playful Kawaii sweetness. I’m also a huge fan of watercolor mixed with hand drawn sketches in ink. My more realistic designs are derived from combining both sculpting and high-resolution digital design. I’ve been sharpening my skills in Adobe, Procreate, ZBrush, and AI-assisted tools to keep evolving alongside this ever-expanding creative landscape.
Deep Thoughts on AI and 3D Printing
Artificial intelligence tends to trigger strong reactions, often from people who have not explored how it can function as a creative tool. I understand that hesitation. I once felt the same resistance toward 3D printing. After spending years refining traditional sculpting skills by hand, it was difficult to see digital fabrication as anything but a shortcut.
What changed my perspective was experience.
Tools such as AI, 3D printing, and digital painting do not replace skill. They require it. They demand design knowledge, aesthetic judgment, technical understanding, and restraint. A poorly trained model or a careless prompt produces weak results, just as an untrained hand produces weak sculpture. The tool does not determine the artistry. The artist does.
Digital painting was once dismissed for not using “real” materials. Today, it is a respected medium with its own mastery curve. AI sits in a similar position. It is not inherently lesser, nor is it inherently unethical. Its impact depends entirely on how it is used.
In my own work, I have trained AI models on my original artwork, ensuring that the data reflects my voice and visual language. I use these tools to accelerate concept development, refine compositions, and explore variations more efficiently. They support my creative process. They do not replace it.
The claim that AI automatically “copies” other artists misunderstands both technology and creativity. Artists have always drawn from shared influences, visual culture, and collective inspiration. Similarity does not equal infringement. True copyright violation is specific and demonstrable. Assuming theft based solely on resemblance often says more about insecurity than legality.
I do not rely on AI for everything, nor do I believe it should replace foundational skills. But refusing to engage with evolving technology out of principle alone can be limiting. For artists willing to approach it thoughtfully and ethically, AI is not a threat to creativity. It is another instrument in the studio.
Some Lessor Unknown “Facts” About Me
Fun fact: I’m a Virgo who has had ADD most of my life and only recently connected the dots. It explains the zigzag résumé: Accounting nerd, Licensed massage therapist, Radio co-host, Retail shop owner, Freelance web designer and digital artist. I created cold process soaps and handmade body products for several years, as well as candles, and yes, I even once worked with Alaskan Malamutes at 8,700 feet in the Colorado Rockies for nearly six years. Because apparently I collect experiences the way some people collect teacups…
Through all of it, dolls and eyes have been the constant. I truly believe eyes anchor the entire mood of a piece. They can breathe personality into a sculpture or quietly sabotage it. No pressure, right?
I’m the mother of two remarkable young men, and raising them has been one of the most meaningful chapters of my life. Parenting a child with high-functioning autism, in particular, taught me how to be deeply present, endlessly resourceful, and flexible in ways I never expected. It shaped how I built my work life, often inventing income paths that allowed me to stay engaged where it mattered most.
That experience also clarified something I hold firmly: children need at least one adult who is truly paying attention. Not multitasking their upbringing away to institutions, algorithms, or brightly colored television characters. Presence matters. Focus matters. It changes outcomes.
It also shapes independent, thoughtful adults who know how to think for themselves and consider others in the process. In a culture that often rewards volume over depth and performance over character, that kind of grounded self-awareness feels more essential than ever.
It means teaching them not to become so self-serving that they lose sight of basic decency, and not to curate kindness for an audience while forgetting to practice it in real life. Integrity should exist whether or not anyone is watching.
Alongside me through nearly twenty years of marriage is my husband, an exceptionally talented human in his own right. He’s a musician, a maker, and a highly skilled technician, with a mind built for both creativity and problem-solving. His steady support, encouragement, and belief in my work have been a constant foundation, and I don’t take that for granted.
Together, we’ve built a life that values curiosity, craftsmanship, and showing up. For our work. For our kids. And for each other.
Why “Virgo’s Alchemy”?
The name Virgo’s Alchemy is a little wink at how my brain works behind the scenes.
The “Virgo” side is my analytical engine. It is the part of me that notices the half-millimeter shift, the slight color imbalance, the detail that most people would happily ignore. It is the critical eye, the pattern spotter, the quiet perfectionist who refuses to let something leave the studio until it feels right.
The “Alchemy” is where the magic happens. It represents my love of blending mediums, old-school hand skills with modern tools, clay with resin, digital with tangible. I rarely stay in one lane. I combine, experiment, refine, and transform raw materials and scattered ideas into something cohesive and intentional.
Together, the name holds both order and invention. Careful analysis paired with creative transformation. Structure meeting curiosity. It is not just a studio name. It is a description of my process: detail-obsessed, medium-hopping, and always turning base materials into something a little unexpected.
Current Goals, Aspirations and Direction
About three and a half years ago, I was thoroughly claimed by Blythe dolls. That big-headed, wide-eyed plastic marvel had me at first glance. Customizing Blythe lets me mash together digital art, carving, painting, sewing, 3D modeling, printing, pull strings, shoes, accessories, and the delightful fact that each doll gets four sets of eyes. Four! It’s a literal creative playground!
Most of my work is now customizing, but I still dabble in many different areas. I’m currently in the process of getting my digital designs perfected, but will be offering custom sculpted and hand painted eyes again in the near future. I’m also working on several new 3D designs for Blythe eye chip bases (because I see major room for enhancement) as well as new eye base and texture molds I plan to launch next year.
While I’ve stepped back from retailing 3rd party products and supplies in my shops, I still share trusted supplier recommendations, articles, and resources built from two decades of trial, error, and obsessive experimentation. If you like to watch, learn, or tumble further down the rabbit hole, you’ll find tutorials, tips, and behind-the-scenes adventures on YouTube, plus more resources at VirgosAlchemy.com.
Thank you for being here and supporting handmade art.
Creatively Yours,
— Kendra Gilbert 👁️💗