W Club members received a carefully worded statement about the use of decals in an email yesterday. It is more notable for the information that has been left out than for what has been included.
All I had to do was Google "water slide decal" and the information was right there. The following is from Wikipedia:
Water slide decals (or slip decals) are water-mounted decals generally printed face up and rely on the dextrose
corn sugar residue from the decal paper to bond the decal transfer to a
surface. A water-based adhesive layer can be added to the decal to
create a stronger bond or may be placed between layers of lacquer
to create a durable decal transfer. The paper also has a layer of
glucose film added prior to the dextrose layer which give it the
adhesion properties, the Dextrose layer give the decal (lubricity) the
ability to slide off the paper and onto the substrate.
Water slide decals are thinner than many other decorative techniques (such as vinyl stickers) and as they are printed, they can be produced to a very high level of detail. As such, they are popular in craft areas such as scale modeling, as well as for labeling DIY electronics devices, such as guitar pedals.
Until recently, water slide decals were professionally printed and
only available in supplied designs, but with the advent of printable
decal paper for colour inkjet and laser printers, custom decals can now be produced by the hobbyist or small business.
Source: Wikipedia Water slide Decal.
There are plenty of instructional videos on Youtube for making and applying your own.
I also found out that I can print my own water slide decals on paper readily available for home printers. So all this language "the
test was sent to a new partner we have overseas who recreated the
shapes for us in vector format and from that, tiny waterslide decals are
generated. " just means it's made in China.
Here is the text from the IT email.
Many
of our astute fans have commented online that there was something
different about the eyes of two of IT's recent dolls; Anika Luxottica
and the W Club Upgrade Vanessa Perrin. We can confirm that those
observations are correct; we are using a new technique to improve eye
consistency.
Based
on the ongoing feedback that the team has received expressing concerns
about sometimes subtle or pronounced balance issues with the screening
on various dolls, IT is currently testing a new water slide application
method for their doll eyes that will eventually eradicate this issue
completely.
This
relatively new method has been around for a little while now and is
being used by more and more companies in the industry. The W Club
Liaisons sat down with Alain Tremblay to ask about this new, promising
method to address some of the concerns that we read online... read on!
W Club Liaisons:
Alain, thank you for taking the time to get back to us. The Anika
Luxottica doll that was unveiled at IFDC is a huge hit with fans and
everyone was impressed with her, especially her edgy facial screening.
Can you please elaborate a little more about the technique that was used
to create this screening?
Alain T.:
Thank you, I'm glad everyone loved this girl; I had a blast designing
her! The new technique is actually really interesting! We decided to
test it out on her first and then, Vanessa since Anika's eyes are so
detailed and different than the other dolls that we've done in the last
few years. To achieve this new look, Jessy Ayala and I collaborated to
create her initial makeup look, then the test was sent to a new partner
we have overseas who recreated the shapes for us in vector format and
from that, tiny waterslide decals are generated.
WCL: Is the entire makeup on Anika and Vanessa applied using this technique?
AT:
The technique we are developing could basically be called a "hybrid
application method" if you'd like. Only the eyes (outline, white, iris,
pupils and "catch light" dots") themselves are applied this way, since
those are the most complicated/multi layered segments that are on any
doll's face. The rest, i.e., the lips, eyebrows and eye-shadow layers
are sprayed using the traditional mask and airbrush technique first,
before the eyes and eyelashes are applied on top. This way, the eyes
will be balanced, since generating these shapes in vector art is more
precise than spraying the entire screening in multiple-layers the
traditional way.
WCL: Is this new method durable? Will the eyes come off easily? Many are concerned about this.
AT:
Once applied, the water slides are sealed with a topcoat, so yes, it is
perfectly secured and should not be any different from the traditional
mask layer doll eyes. Of course, it goes without saying that using
alcohol, acetone or heavy scrubbing will damage the paint on any doll. Common sense applies.
...
WCL: What other IT dolls sport this new method?
AT:
At the moment, only Anika Luxottica and the Upgrade Vanessa have it,
but a few of the upcoming dolls in the 2016 FR Collection will also be
created using this new, cutting-edge method.
WCL:
Alain, thank you for taking the time to explain this to us and we look
forward to what new exciting things the team will be able to create
using this method!
Let's be clear, waterslide decals have been around for a very, very long time. It is not a "relatively new method." Decals are used in many other industries and are extremely durable. I'm fairly certain that the tattoos used on a series of Sybarite Dolls are waterslide decals. (Gothica (not shown), Neurotica and Toxica.)
Tonner's Zombie Boy - this had to be
mostly applied decals. In this Tonner photo below, left, one can see the edge of the applied decal on the forehead.
Water slide decals are different from ordinary decals and stickers:
Different variations of decals include: water-slide or water-dip; and vinyl peel-and-stick. A water-slide (or water-dip) decal is screen-printed on a layer of water-soluble adhesive on a water-resistant paper, that must first be dipped in water prior to its application.
Upon contact with water, the glue is loosened and the decal can be
removed from its backing; overlong exposure, however, dissolves the glue
completely causing the decal to fail to adhere. A peel-and-stick decal is actually not a decal as described above, but a vinyl sticker with adhesive backing, that can be transferred by peeling off its base. The sign industry calls these peel-and-stick vinyl stickers vinyl-cut-decals.
Source: Wikipedia "Decal"
Source: eBay Auction
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IMO (as always) the bottom line is that decals, used appropriately and according to need on dolls, can result in excellent effects. If used just to make it easier for a factory to get things right...well, that's another story.
Those of us who were Fashion Royalty collectors from the beginning know the difference.
Here are a few early Adeles and Veroniques. No decals, no lashes, just nicely painted faces. Everything changes. Most of us hope that things will get better along the way. This is an expensive hobby. It's a luxury and the dolls must match up to the high standards collectors are paying for.
Click to enlarge.
