I'm waffling again. While I would love for this doll (from here and forever referred to as the Kharis doll. A slightly different spelled name of the person I'm using as a body model) to be an MSD, I'm sitting here and wondering if I'm not biting off more than I can chew.
I'm looking at my YO-SD sized doll and I love her poseability and size, so perhaps going with an adult-proportioned YO-SD size will be best. I'm going to model the body first, then the head last, so that I can get a good idea of what I want, before I'm locked into a size.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Dolly update.
I have decided to go with an MSD sized doll. I believe this will give me room to play with, and not make it so that I'm trying to sculpt a face the size of a marble. Went and got the LA Doll clay yesterday, and am working on the sketches now.
I am using my current MSD for size reference, and determining about how long the limbs should be, as well as the size of the ball joints. Also, since I like the way his head and body are proportioned to each other, I'll take that into consideration.
He is a hybrid, and seems to have a slightly different ratio than he did when he was a matched head/body combination. But I love it. :)
Kit
I am using my current MSD for size reference, and determining about how long the limbs should be, as well as the size of the ball joints. Also, since I like the way his head and body are proportioned to each other, I'll take that into consideration.
He is a hybrid, and seems to have a slightly different ratio than he did when he was a matched head/body combination. But I love it. :)
Kit
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Inspiration has been had!
Noting this down for myself...
Legs - Similar to Sileas' legs. She has this absolutely awesome mobility joint just below her hips on each leg that I didn't realise were locking pieces that let her legs bend upward to nearly bring her knees to her chest. Must work with this. Also debating whether to add the upper arm mobility joint just below the shoulder, or just above the elbow.
Knee and elbow joints will have a slightly hollowed back on the upper parts. Less 'realistic', when you look at it, but will allow for the full flexibility I want with this doll.
Feet - Will need two sets cast. Normal standing feet, and pointed toe feet.
Single jointed doll, however with a ridge at the elbow and knee to allow the joint to lock into place for half-bend and full bend. This will likely be easier than trying to make it double jointed, but will still give the flexibility.
Body will be most definitely male, but with some softness and curves that you would find on a female doll. Face will (hopefully) be androgynous.
Photo inspiration for this doll, and visual benchmarks for flexibility will be Karis Wilde. Beautiful man, and one hell of a hula hoop dancer. The doll will not be a 'Karis doll', but I'm going to be looking heavily at his build and musculature for reference.
I need graph paper. Like NOW.
Kit
Legs - Similar to Sileas' legs. She has this absolutely awesome mobility joint just below her hips on each leg that I didn't realise were locking pieces that let her legs bend upward to nearly bring her knees to her chest. Must work with this. Also debating whether to add the upper arm mobility joint just below the shoulder, or just above the elbow.
Knee and elbow joints will have a slightly hollowed back on the upper parts. Less 'realistic', when you look at it, but will allow for the full flexibility I want with this doll.
Feet - Will need two sets cast. Normal standing feet, and pointed toe feet.
Single jointed doll, however with a ridge at the elbow and knee to allow the joint to lock into place for half-bend and full bend. This will likely be easier than trying to make it double jointed, but will still give the flexibility.
Body will be most definitely male, but with some softness and curves that you would find on a female doll. Face will (hopefully) be androgynous.
Photo inspiration for this doll, and visual benchmarks for flexibility will be Karis Wilde. Beautiful man, and one hell of a hula hoop dancer. The doll will not be a 'Karis doll', but I'm going to be looking heavily at his build and musculature for reference.
I need graph paper. Like NOW.
Kit
Making my doll.
Most people scour to find a BJD that fits the character they want. I, however, have not been at all lucky in finding a doll to match one particular character of mine. The body that would have worked was made by a company that went out of business. I have yet to find a face that screams "I'M HIM!!", and so I find myself in the quandary of either ditching the idea completely, or making one from scratch for myself.
I'm not known as one who gives up. SO... I have decided to make the character into a doll myself.
I had been keen on the idea of making my own doll, but didn't know what to make. My friend Lii and I bantered around ideas and I thought I had come up with a good plan. Then I realised that I already have a character in my head who needs a form, and I would feel completely guilty if I didn't let him be realised before I go traipsing off into other ideas.
I also realise that it is 4am and I should be in bed, but this is generally when my ideas hit me. My brain thinks it's grand fun to do this to me at least 2-3 times a week.
So today, once someplace nearby opens, I will be going to get graph paper and lots of caffeine. I'm hoping to have the initial sketches done by tonight. Who knows, maybe I'll even start the sculpting. While I don't have enough clay currently to make the whole doll, I should have enough to at least get started.
Oh, and brain? Can we please go to SLEEP now?
Kit
I'm not known as one who gives up. SO... I have decided to make the character into a doll myself.
I had been keen on the idea of making my own doll, but didn't know what to make. My friend Lii and I bantered around ideas and I thought I had come up with a good plan. Then I realised that I already have a character in my head who needs a form, and I would feel completely guilty if I didn't let him be realised before I go traipsing off into other ideas.
I also realise that it is 4am and I should be in bed, but this is generally when my ideas hit me. My brain thinks it's grand fun to do this to me at least 2-3 times a week.
So today, once someplace nearby opens, I will be going to get graph paper and lots of caffeine. I'm hoping to have the initial sketches done by tonight. Who knows, maybe I'll even start the sculpting. While I don't have enough clay currently to make the whole doll, I should have enough to at least get started.
Oh, and brain? Can we please go to SLEEP now?
Kit
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Glossary (Or: What do all those abbreviations mean??)
Hi again!
I know. I just left. But I'm back, to share some pearls of knowledge that I found helpful back when I didn't know squat about the hobby and felt too much like a nubcake to ask. Let's start with terminology, and what it means. You know... all those funky abbreviations, wig references, etc, that everyone in the hobby takes for granted, but forgets how annoying it was when we didn't know either.
Sizes
This was my big thing. I kept seeing SD, MSD, YO-SD, Puki, Little, Mini, SD-13, SD-17... I was expecting a micro at some point that was small enough to balance on your fingertip. Here's the scoop on those sizes and what they mean:
SD - Your standard SD size reference is anything between 57cm and 65cm. They were considered the largest dolls, but in recent years, larger ones have been showing up. 70cm is also common now, as are 73cm and 80cm. If you go looking around, you can also find 105cm and even a lifesize BJD that stands 5'8" tall! Sorry, I'm not having a doll that's taller than I am, it just kinda takes the Uncanny Valley and strip mines it.
SD 13 and SD 17 are just varying sizes of those, and are mainly used by the doll company Volks. They are designed to look like young teens and older teens, respectively. 13's are on the shorter side, around 57-60cm, and 17's are closer to the 65cm mark.
MSD - This seems to be one of the more popular sizes. MSD's are right around 45cm, give or take, and are a very convenient size if you like taking your dolls with you to conventions or other places. Your SD's can get heavy after a bit... YO-SD's and smaller sometimes have parts that can get lost (magnetic hands, etc).
YO-SD - YO-SD's are the kids of the group. They can range between 25cm and 29cm, and are generally used for child characters. There are some exceptions to this rule, but I don't know enough about the Obitsu and Dollfie Dreams to really make a comparison. There are adult-proportioned YO-SD's, but for the most part, they seem to be child based.
Then you get into the smaller ones. Fairyland has a series of 'Puki' dolls that range from small to REALLY TINY. Latidoll also has colour-coded dolls that can be really small in size. I don't know the exact specs on those, as I don't own one, but trust me when I say they're small. If you have a cat, they're toy-sized.
Wigs
This was the part that confused the bejeebus out of me when I got into the hobby. You have a doll whose head is measured in centimetres, but the wigs are sized 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8, etc. FINALLY someone explained it to me. Doll wigs are sized in inches. So... you take your doll's head measurement (usually can be found on their order page, or you can measure their head from just above the ears), and either convert it to inches... or look at your tape measure.
If the doll's head is, say 8.4 inches, then you need a size 8-9 wig for them. Because your measurement falls between 8 and 9 inches. If your doll's site says their head is 24cm, then you'll need a 9-10, because that equals out to about 9.5 inches.
It's easy once you know what the heck you're looking for!
That's the main bulk of stuff that was confusing for me when I first started. I'm sure I'll come up with more later... or feel free to ask! If I don't know the answer, I'll find out!
Cheers,
Kit
I know. I just left. But I'm back, to share some pearls of knowledge that I found helpful back when I didn't know squat about the hobby and felt too much like a nubcake to ask. Let's start with terminology, and what it means. You know... all those funky abbreviations, wig references, etc, that everyone in the hobby takes for granted, but forgets how annoying it was when we didn't know either.
Sizes
This was my big thing. I kept seeing SD, MSD, YO-SD, Puki, Little, Mini, SD-13, SD-17... I was expecting a micro at some point that was small enough to balance on your fingertip. Here's the scoop on those sizes and what they mean:
SD - Your standard SD size reference is anything between 57cm and 65cm. They were considered the largest dolls, but in recent years, larger ones have been showing up. 70cm is also common now, as are 73cm and 80cm. If you go looking around, you can also find 105cm and even a lifesize BJD that stands 5'8" tall! Sorry, I'm not having a doll that's taller than I am, it just kinda takes the Uncanny Valley and strip mines it.
SD 13 and SD 17 are just varying sizes of those, and are mainly used by the doll company Volks. They are designed to look like young teens and older teens, respectively. 13's are on the shorter side, around 57-60cm, and 17's are closer to the 65cm mark.
MSD - This seems to be one of the more popular sizes. MSD's are right around 45cm, give or take, and are a very convenient size if you like taking your dolls with you to conventions or other places. Your SD's can get heavy after a bit... YO-SD's and smaller sometimes have parts that can get lost (magnetic hands, etc).
YO-SD - YO-SD's are the kids of the group. They can range between 25cm and 29cm, and are generally used for child characters. There are some exceptions to this rule, but I don't know enough about the Obitsu and Dollfie Dreams to really make a comparison. There are adult-proportioned YO-SD's, but for the most part, they seem to be child based.
Then you get into the smaller ones. Fairyland has a series of 'Puki' dolls that range from small to REALLY TINY. Latidoll also has colour-coded dolls that can be really small in size. I don't know the exact specs on those, as I don't own one, but trust me when I say they're small. If you have a cat, they're toy-sized.
Wigs
This was the part that confused the bejeebus out of me when I got into the hobby. You have a doll whose head is measured in centimetres, but the wigs are sized 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8, etc. FINALLY someone explained it to me. Doll wigs are sized in inches. So... you take your doll's head measurement (usually can be found on their order page, or you can measure their head from just above the ears), and either convert it to inches... or look at your tape measure.
If the doll's head is, say 8.4 inches, then you need a size 8-9 wig for them. Because your measurement falls between 8 and 9 inches. If your doll's site says their head is 24cm, then you'll need a 9-10, because that equals out to about 9.5 inches.
It's easy once you know what the heck you're looking for!
That's the main bulk of stuff that was confusing for me when I first started. I'm sure I'll come up with more later... or feel free to ask! If I don't know the answer, I'll find out!
Cheers,
Kit
First post! (AKA: I'm a wordy thing.)
Welp, I'm here... >.>
That's saying a lot. There's so much to say, and so little of it makes sense when it spews onto the keyboard. Makes perfect sense in my head though.
Let's start, shall we? I am currently a 38 year old, who just got into the BJD hobby at the beginning of this year when I ordered my very first doll. Granted, I'd wanted him for something like 4 years or so.
He is Youko, my DollZone Yuu-2 in normal yellow skin. I paid out the nose for the fullset, only to find out that I hated his default outfit so much that he never wears it. I adore his company faceup though. He now has different clothes, and is beginning to take on the character he was meant for. Youko is a kitsune, and therefore has fox ears and a tail. Once I am able to do the colouring on his magnetic fox ears, he'll be complete. He has silver hair, gold eyes, and silver fox ears and tail.
My second doll is still a floating head, but has a character in mind. When I ordered Youko, DollZone was doing their spring event, so I got a free head. I chose Tulip, also in normal yellow. Originally, she was going to be a character doll for Retsu Unohana, from Bleach. When she got here, however, I decided that it just wouldn't work, so the head sat there, waiting for an idea. It wasn't until mid-summer that I decided to still make a character doll... but male. The Tulip head will now be Linneus, from the Teahouse online comic. If you'd like to see, their website is www.teahousecomic.com but please be warned that it is a yaoi comic. Linneus has pink hair and bright blue eyes.
My third doll happened by accident. I was attending an online auction for BJD stuff, and someone had a Luts Winter Event 2009 head for sale. I loved it, and bought it. It will become Omi, an original idea character of mine, and I can't wait. She has normal pink skin. She and Linneus are both waiting on bodies. Because I couldn't afford two more bodies from DZ and Luts at $400 apiece, I have ordered their bodies from Resinsoul and 5StarDoll, respectively, and I'm hoping they're here by Christmas. Omi has black hair and I'm waiting to find the perfect pair of dark blue eyes. Currently, she is wearing the gray eyes that Youko shipped with by default.
My fourth doll also happened by accident. I was on Ebay, looking for bodies for Linn and Omi, when I stumbled onto an auction for an MSD DollZone Mo. Since all of my dolls so far were SD sized, I thought what the heck, and got him. Takai has quickly become my favourite, and I'm addicted to this sculpt. I already have a line on another one for sale, in tan skin, that will be paid off by mid-November. Takai has taken on the character of Youko's younger brother... he is also blind, as a character. Takai has silver hair, blue/blind eyes (white pupil), as well as fox ears and tail that are black with white tips.
My fifth was Sileas. I also found her on Ebay, and she is a Doll N Doll Miro, YO-SD sized in normal skin. I think she's adorable, and she quickly became my Steampunk princess. She is so easy to pose and work with, and so much fun to make clothes for, that I cannot wait for Omi's body to get here, so that I have a larger girl to sew for. Sileas has green eyes and bright red, corkscrew curly hair.
My sixth was obtained from a private seller on Facebook, who was getting out of the hobby. I had seen Resinsoul Long before, on the RS website... and I HATED him. With the burning of a thousand suns. I thought the sculpt was ugly. It wasn't until I saw Tama on Facebook that I realised how much of Resinsoul's bad rap for dolls comes from the fact that their faceup artists and photographers don't know WTF they're doing. Tama is beautiful, and poses so well, it's like a dream. He has a custom faceup, and absolutely gorgeous dark tan/chocolate skin. He has pale gold eyes and black hair.
I will be inundating you all with pics at some point. I also will be posting pics of other stuff I do... I love making clothes for my dolls. I also love doing faceups on them myself, and making jewellery and accessories for them. I am in the process currently of working on making my own BJD from scratch. I'll be posting pics as the process moves onward.
So... that's me in a nutshell. Still here? Good!
I'll see you again soon. <3
Kit
That's saying a lot. There's so much to say, and so little of it makes sense when it spews onto the keyboard. Makes perfect sense in my head though.
Let's start, shall we? I am currently a 38 year old, who just got into the BJD hobby at the beginning of this year when I ordered my very first doll. Granted, I'd wanted him for something like 4 years or so.
He is Youko, my DollZone Yuu-2 in normal yellow skin. I paid out the nose for the fullset, only to find out that I hated his default outfit so much that he never wears it. I adore his company faceup though. He now has different clothes, and is beginning to take on the character he was meant for. Youko is a kitsune, and therefore has fox ears and a tail. Once I am able to do the colouring on his magnetic fox ears, he'll be complete. He has silver hair, gold eyes, and silver fox ears and tail.
My second doll is still a floating head, but has a character in mind. When I ordered Youko, DollZone was doing their spring event, so I got a free head. I chose Tulip, also in normal yellow. Originally, she was going to be a character doll for Retsu Unohana, from Bleach. When she got here, however, I decided that it just wouldn't work, so the head sat there, waiting for an idea. It wasn't until mid-summer that I decided to still make a character doll... but male. The Tulip head will now be Linneus, from the Teahouse online comic. If you'd like to see, their website is www.teahousecomic.com but please be warned that it is a yaoi comic. Linneus has pink hair and bright blue eyes.
My third doll happened by accident. I was attending an online auction for BJD stuff, and someone had a Luts Winter Event 2009 head for sale. I loved it, and bought it. It will become Omi, an original idea character of mine, and I can't wait. She has normal pink skin. She and Linneus are both waiting on bodies. Because I couldn't afford two more bodies from DZ and Luts at $400 apiece, I have ordered their bodies from Resinsoul and 5StarDoll, respectively, and I'm hoping they're here by Christmas. Omi has black hair and I'm waiting to find the perfect pair of dark blue eyes. Currently, she is wearing the gray eyes that Youko shipped with by default.
My fourth doll also happened by accident. I was on Ebay, looking for bodies for Linn and Omi, when I stumbled onto an auction for an MSD DollZone Mo. Since all of my dolls so far were SD sized, I thought what the heck, and got him. Takai has quickly become my favourite, and I'm addicted to this sculpt. I already have a line on another one for sale, in tan skin, that will be paid off by mid-November. Takai has taken on the character of Youko's younger brother... he is also blind, as a character. Takai has silver hair, blue/blind eyes (white pupil), as well as fox ears and tail that are black with white tips.
My fifth was Sileas. I also found her on Ebay, and she is a Doll N Doll Miro, YO-SD sized in normal skin. I think she's adorable, and she quickly became my Steampunk princess. She is so easy to pose and work with, and so much fun to make clothes for, that I cannot wait for Omi's body to get here, so that I have a larger girl to sew for. Sileas has green eyes and bright red, corkscrew curly hair.
My sixth was obtained from a private seller on Facebook, who was getting out of the hobby. I had seen Resinsoul Long before, on the RS website... and I HATED him. With the burning of a thousand suns. I thought the sculpt was ugly. It wasn't until I saw Tama on Facebook that I realised how much of Resinsoul's bad rap for dolls comes from the fact that their faceup artists and photographers don't know WTF they're doing. Tama is beautiful, and poses so well, it's like a dream. He has a custom faceup, and absolutely gorgeous dark tan/chocolate skin. He has pale gold eyes and black hair.
I will be inundating you all with pics at some point. I also will be posting pics of other stuff I do... I love making clothes for my dolls. I also love doing faceups on them myself, and making jewellery and accessories for them. I am in the process currently of working on making my own BJD from scratch. I'll be posting pics as the process moves onward.
So... that's me in a nutshell. Still here? Good!
I'll see you again soon. <3
Kit
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)