Sneak peek at Lara.

New girl. I spent Saturday on the lingerie. Next project besides working on my Irish girl (I renamed her Aili, an Irish name which means Light) I will be working on a guys head for Maywong to check out. Anyway here is a quick shot. I will do a proper shoot later tonight or tomorrow.

EDIT: Tomorrow or the next day after it is. I got booked for an on site job tomorrow so I need sleep tonight.

Giant Heads!...

Well, relatively.... I got a nice package from Emory again. This guy is fast! His store is on the West coast but I normally get the package three days after I place an order. Besides the wonderful gifts that Emory included (full size Pocky and cute Monchhichi) I finally got an Obitsu body in White Skin and it's the 27cm Small soft bust version. I also got the Natural Skin 27cm in Large bust. Let me tell yah...it's hooooooge. Unnaturally so, but sometimes you just have a character that needs melons like that. I also ordered some baldies to paint as well as a Dollzone BB July head in WS and an Obitsu Gretel head. They are 1/6 (BJD size) and 1/3 size respectively. Here are some pics to compare the sizes with a normal 1/6 Obitsu head Type 01 (F01NC07).

This is the Dollzone BB head. It is supposed to be 1/6 scale but to be honest since they make 1/6 BJDs as kid shapes but scaled in terms of adult size, this is really more like 1/4 toddler size. I've discovered I don't like Dollzone noses. I know they are one of the most popular companies but the nose on this fella is not pretty. It borders on piggish. Perhaps they aren't all sculpted this way but I can see that there are similar characteristics between most Dollzone noses. (In general I'm in love with Dollzone dolls. I want a NS Aurora but she's too expensive for me.)

This is the 1/3 size Gretel. I feel like the sculpt has a weird pushed in nose bridge. Maybe mine is deformed. Who knows. But I like it in photos. I got these guys because I need to see what working at a bigger scale is like, so in a week or two we'll see if I can pull these off!

So I've been scheming and planning. I don't have a lot to show yet but I can show you sketches of the girls I plan to paint next. I'm most excited about...


She ain't pretty but she is so coool!! I was going to paint her right away after Llewyn but after analyzing her hairline, I realized she needed some rooting to make her just right. I know I shouldn't spend so much time on just one head, but Ace is pretty special to me and I want her to be great! I'm using the Type03 head in NS with dark brown hair. Since I'm getting a male head with dark brown hair from Emory soon I thought I'd wait and cut the hair off him for Ace. The reason why I don't want to paint the face before I root is because I'm afraid of ruining the paint job with the pulling and tugging.

So instead of Ace, I will be painting this girl. She will be the one on the Large bust body...can you see it?


Let me also include a sketch of Llewyn. This is just to show how the final product really doesn't end up looking like the concept sketch. This is because the face is kind of predetermined by the headsculpt. You can always fudge some things, but you can' only push it so far. I also tend to change my mind as I'm working on a face because I want to try new things. With Llewyn I knew I wanted to try bigger eyes than I have done on realistic faces so that part pretty much stayed the same. However her lips and lashes did change as did the iridescent floral detail. (Note: She is an Obitsu Type 02 head which means her eyeballs are not defined allowing me to make her eyes bigger than I would be able to on the Type 01 or 03. However, her lip sculpt is for thinner lips so I was not able to make fuller lips than what she has.)


Oh....and yes I did work on a head. I couldn't help myself. This is Drew. She is the doll for St. Patrick's Day! I guess it's a little hard to tell what makes her Irish right now but hopefully it'll all come together. She is still a WIP. There's no sketch for her. I just wanted to do an Irish girl. Oh yah, she is also my first freckled girl! I've been wanting to try freckles. I think it came out ok. Next time maybe I'll be more heavy handed. The flash washes things out. We'll see when I take better photos if she looks ok.



She looks a little too young for my liking but I think this is due to the round cheeks of the face sculpt. The limited sculpts from Obitsu is getting to me now. I didn't consider this when I first started painting heads but now I find myself looking elsewhere for different headsculpts to play with. I have ordered some from Triad Toys as well as Dollsfigure to see how the quality holds up. They'll be here in about two weeks I hope.

Oh, um for anyone reading this, please say hi! I would love to meet you guys. Most of my followers right now (4 out of 5...hangs head in shame) are my friends in RL who I begged to follow me and have no real interest in dolls. Thank you Jangalian for following me!!!

What makes a head worth keeping?

Looking at all the heads I've done (a total of 7 so far) I think some ppl must wonder how I am able to just let them go and whether or not I have any attachment to them. The truth is that I put a lot of myself into anything that I make and this is the first time I have ever had to let anything go that isn't easily reproducible. If people have taken time to read the little blurbs I have written about each head, they can see that even if they don't have specific stories, each head is unique and each is a different character. If I could keep them all I would but I am not someone who is very interested in making photo stories or dioramas so I wouldn't really do much with them except keep them safe in a box (which is where the ones that haven't sold yet are right now). I know that if I sell them, they will go to someone who will probably put them to more use than I will. Another thing that makes it easier to let them go is that I did create them with the express purpose of selling them. For me the enjoyment of dolls has more to do with the creation process than anything else that comes after. I am also interested in seeing how the new owners decide to develop a doll I've painted. They would probably see different characteristics in the head than I do and it's fun to see how a character develops.

EDIT: There is one head that I am keeping and will never be selling. That head is my first. (Milla is technically my second head but she was the first I painted to sell.) She was never finished which is why I don't have photos of her here but in due time.

So after that long explanation, let me introduce you to two new heads. Song and Llewyn.

Song is an East Asian beauty. At first glance I assumed she was quiet and sweet. Her character seemed a little flat but I thought she was pretty so I left her alone. The next day I looked at her again and realized she looked like she was laughing about something and that she had a bit of an attitude about her. She's the kind of girl who let's you think that they are simple and easy to understand when they are really laughing at you silently.

This is Llewyn. She's...something else. We don't get along and I have to say she is the first doll head I've painted that I've been so frustrated with. I like her but I spent hours trying to fix some mistakes I made on her (and she feels nothing but disdain for me because of this). Also she seems a bit too preoccupied with the shoulds and should nots for my taste. She'll probably grow out of it but for now she's got a stick up her butt.

Heads Will Roll!

So I've been sidetracked as I often will be. The moogle is not dead but he's not quite alive yet either. I have done changes but they aren't noticeable to anyone but me. So for now let's just say his pieces fit well together and need to be made all nice and pretty. (Meaning sculpt his cuffs and fix his arms but everything is positioned well.) The armature for Serenity and Endy is going well but I won't post pics just yet.

What I have been working on are heads. Yes heads. Doll heads. I am madly in love with dolls at the moment and I have been painting little 1/6 scale heads. The thing about garage kits is that you have to build before you paint and make sure everything fits when all you really want to do is paint. Behold the doll head! No real prep work. Just start swabbing at it with your teeny brush. Now I also have ulterior motives. I am not painting just for my own selfish enjoyment but also to make some money. All the heads I have painted are up for grabs. In fact I have already sold one.

Without further ado, here they are.

Milla - My "first" though technically my second. She is a favorite for obvious reasons. I hate to let her go but it helps that she kind of has a cold expression though I get the feeling she's the sort of "person" who has a little soft side if only you could find it...but once you find it you'll love her forever. She's been sold though...runs and cries.

Meryl - She is cute and I like her. She seems so haughty and I doubt she wll sell since most ppl really only want the realistic ones.

Lilly - She is bright and chirpy and not done yet. I need to perm her hair but I haven't had time. I was influenced by the way BJD faces look. I really like the results. Not sure if I'll sell her. I might keep her to be with Meryl.

Rhea (Queen of Hearts 2011) - She looks cold and distant but she's only playing her role. You can see that under the heart face paint her face is flushed with excitement!

Stacey (Princess of Hearts 2011) - Young and vivacious, she is sure of her good looks and popularity. She blows kisses to her fans. Very popular in school even though she is still a freshman.

Oh in case you're wondering what these heads look like before they are painted, here is a photo of three different sculpts for blank heads.

Thats it for now. I will update again soon. I do a lot of forum posting so I figure I will probably end up posting on my blog more often too.

Moogling update plus some Doll news

Brrrrr. It's bitterly cold these days and my space heater is on full blast cause that's the only way it stays warm in the basement. Slick (my cat) has learned to open the windows all by herself this past September. For the longest time I was really mad that some unknown busybody was opening my window. Once she figured out I was okay with her opening the window she stopped hiding her new found skill from me. Unfortunately, even though she knows not to open the window at night, she opens the window at first light so I end up waking to a freezing basement. So.....that window is locked for the winter.

Well, we all know no one wants to hear about my cat issues so lets get on with it. Montblanc isn't finished yet but he has a nice lacy collar now. I'm also working on his hands but they aren't quite done yet. After that it's just his sleeves, his lacy cuffs and the finishing touches. His hair is all done as are the wings and the body and for the most part his head. So here goes. Click on the pics for a closer look.

The illustration doesnt show the lace very well so I ended up just making it up. I like how it looks but there needs to be some very very minute touch ups. The images may look a little confusing but I hope you guys can see the details. Oh, and I measured him. From tip to tip, toes to ears he is five inches. My friend thought he was smaller but I was right! He looks smaller because a lot of his height is from his ears.

In other news, I am currently obsessed with dolls. I want to make em but I have a bunch of ideas for garage kits to do first. My next sculpt will be Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. It seems most ppl like them in 1/6 scale with Endymion in armor. I have big plans for these guys and I promise more detailed WIP updates even if things look bad in between.

Oh, and this is Peyton. She's my first BJD. I got her months ago but I didn't take her out and do her face-up and body blushing till about a week ago. She is currently eyeless but I like how she turned out even if she isn't an official sculpt. She is the free Happy sized head (1/4) that came with the New Happy Sized Girl Body from Doll In Mind (D.I.M.).

It's my birthday and I'll Grind if i waaaant to.*

You know someone loves you when they figure out something you've been wanting and needing before you even realized you wanted or needed it. I got a Flexible (Flex) Shaft from el Capitan for my birthday!...Now now, settle down. It sounds dirty but it's probably one of the more geeky presents out there. For those who don't know a Foredom Flex Shaft is basically like a Dremel but more powerful (more horsepower) and maneuverable (less weight on your hand). It has higher and lower RPM capabilities and a foot pedal controller that works much like those on a sewing a machine. I've actually never used a Dremel, but I have used a flex shaft so to be honest, I don't know from experience that a flex shaft is better than a Dremel or other similar tools. From what I've heard though, a Dremel can be fairly similar to a flex shaft if you get the flex shaft attachment and a foot pedal if you are working on small items. Once you move to bigger sculpts a Dremel won't do.

Here's a pic of my new baby! I haven't opened him up yet. I'm going to have to set up a space and make sure he doesn't get ruined.

My other present is TA-DA! Mini food jellies. My friend got them for me because my first initial is W. Pretty cute. I also have a terrible sweet tooth and yes I did eat them.

Yes, I was pretty excited about both presents. I get excited easily but I was blown away by the flex shaft. The project I'll be popping my Foredom's cherry on is a scratchbuild of Montblanc. He is about 1/7th to 1/6th scale. I don't know the actual height so I'm guessing since the game shows them to be about thigh height. I've only played a FFVIII and Chrono Trigger so I chose the character because I liked the design. He's a simple shape but there is a lot of nuance. The bunny ears were a big plus because I wanted to try making animal ears. Here are some WIP shots.

It's taking a while to work on him because I have a lot of interruptions and because I haven't sculpted in five years. This is also my first project sculpting in pieces and my second project using Magic Sculpt.  I don't have a lot of experience sculpting but I am familiar with Sculpey. My friend David (a sculptor but we have very different styles and he has also never used Magic Sculpt) and I both agree that if I had made him out of Sculpey I would have finished him in a snap. I would also have made him as one piece but I approached this as a learning experience. I almost swore off Magic Sculpt after my first project for my Halloween costume and that was something very simple. (I made hooves for myself)

When he is done, I will be casting him. It will be my third time casting since I made very simple casts a long time ago. Hopefully I can get some good results! Please stay tuned for his progress. I will also posts pics in the near future of my previous sculpts and casts. The casts are really simple so it's just to show I'm just learning along with everyone else.

* Grinding refers to grinding a sculpture with a tool to either add detail or smooth out and area etc.....Though it can also refer to other things......  >:)