Super Clay!

I mean, I'm working with normal clay and all, but I have my doll lying in a Superman pose while the breast pieces are drying. I'm hoping the magnets will work out between the front and back and that I can get the joins to line up, but I've got them sculpted and drying at least.

I've been using my nephew's cat-free room to lay the doll for drying since my little heathens would find some way to either knock it down or get cat hair all over it... I'm sure he's glad when the weird headless doll isn't in his room though...

So I did the cuffs at least:

I may do the hip guards today but I've yet to plan that on card stock so I'll have to get to it.

I got some writing done at least too. So it's been a productive weekend. Can't say that about all of them.

Omg, shoes

Yes, I did more work on the doll boots today. Today, I painted and glued the cork to the base of the feet today. There are some visible seams, which I'll probably just clean up with more glue and silver paint once this glue cures. For now:

So they're coming along well enough...

I've ordered a cutting board for my Xacto knife since I kinda sorta left a couple of gashes on my dad's kitchen table when I cut the clay for the shoulder piece. Oops. But the board is coming and I'll be laying down Saran Wrap over it to work on the breastpiece. I need to roll it pretty thin so I don't want to stretch it when I peel it up. Not too thin, just not as thick as I did for the shoulder guards. Yeah, I can sand everything down as needed, but I don't want to spend hours drying and sanding clay because I was *too* careful. I have plenty of the clay in case I need to redo anything.

Hoping to work on more doll stuff over the weekend. I'd also like to cut and sew the boot cuffs, get the boots done this weekend if possible. I don't have a plan for the hip guards yet, so that part will probably wait yet another weekend, but I might be tempted to at least try an idea or two. Once everything is all painted up in the armor department, I'd like to start bejeweling those.

The sword is what I'm least confident about. I have two blocks of wood to carve, fit and paint into what I hope resembles a fitting sword. I've never done wood carving so I might be chipping away at it for longer than the rest.

Oh! I need to do the arm bands too so that might get done when I'm doing cuffs. It will use the same fabrics I've used for the boots anyway. That covers most of it. There will also be small details like her barrette, a pouch and some buckles but I'll be planning those after the big pieces are done. Sometimes, you just have to see the big picture before the details make sense.

So this weekend: boots (with cuffs), arm guards, breastplate. A good mix of waiting for clay to dry while sewing. See how that goes and do more if there's time.

Now, this girl needs sleep. Keeping busy is tiresome work!

Project Updates

Just some more pictures to share before I snuggle off to bed. My new girl got herself a wig:

I also worked on the doll boots for Rienna today. This involved a sort of moccasin stitching on the sole. I've cut some cork to glue on the bottom later. I'll be painting the cork silver first though.

bottom view of soles

boots with sewn bottoms

I know picture quality is kinda PBBBTTTT but I'm always snapping low light pics with my tablet in my dungeon of a bedroom. When I'm more awake, I might take the time to post a tutorial on how I'm doing these boots. Not that I'm an expert, but it might help someone else brave a DIY.

Last pic is the white clay mold of the shoulder guards.

Hoping I can work on the breastplate sometime this month, but it's tough picking a day where I can work on it. Or that the cats won't mess with it...

So that's all for now! Off to bed! I'll keep everyone updated on the projects when possible.

Finishing Things

Three day weekend, woot, woot!

I had to start off by saying that. Hella busy week at the restaurant so I am more than happy for a break. And some good news! I got this blanket done:

TA-DAAAAA!

As well as receiving my latest doll in the mail.

The tan lady on the right

She's actually the last one I plan on getting for a while until I actually finish up the others. I still have to learn to use my airbrush machine and plan for some sculpting for some of the other parts of projects-- a Nendoroid's ears and feet, Rienna's armor, whatever else. I feel like I'm mentally lazy with that list right now. I have several different types of clay though that are meant for quite a few projects and I'm not entirely sure how far I was going with that anyway.

In any case, my new doll, I actually bought the face-up, clothes and wig for so that's not a custom job. I really just wanted a finished doll to gawk at and maybe inspire me to finish the others. Especially since my two boys would be the easiest to go ahead and finish. It's the girls that will take me a while.

'Specially with Rienna always under construction...

I'm also crocheting a Simon Belmont for my friend Joe. Crocheting is one of those nice in-betweeners these days while I sort out the rest.

Beefy baby-man in progress

And yes, writing was done. The only thing I'm neglecting these days is drawing, but I'll get back to that in my own time. The writing is going well enough... even though I feel like I'm being kind of mentally lazy with that too. It's not really a cardinal sin for a first draft to be kinda lazy though. I'll be able to dress it up in edits as long as I can make it at least partially coherent.

So tomorrow, more crochet and whatever else. You know me by now; enjoying the random. Letting the impulses lead since my muse is an asshole mostly. I'll see if she feels like playing tomorrow. Or not. I can manage.

When the weather is nice again, I'm hoping my dolls will be ready for some photo shoots. So I guess I better get cracking on them before spring springs up! But to be honest, this cold weather is ripe for writing. And drawing, if I feel like it.

Seriously, I sound like the world's worst procrastinator, but we all know that's... not really like me at all. I don't have clear intent for plans in the first place.

And that's probably the secret to happiness. Eschew expectation, comparison, and if you have nothing planned, you can't procrastinate! Sounds good to me.

All in all, I have to say I do love finishing things. It's not often that I get to say that because I rarely choose small projects. Everything has small steps and progress, but sometimes I like to save things for a big reveal. Other times, I just have to show anything at all. If only because I love to share.

Wig Quest

Didn't think I was done going on the quest for making the perfect wig, did ya?

Okay, not really 'perfect'. Perfection is an idea I rightfully murdered long ago. The best for my ideals is plenty, but I digress.

Came up with this:

Well, these. The first came out taller than I wanted and a little shabby at the part. I've since hot glued the part a bit more flush, but she's going end up with some sort of crown to cover the mess. As for the redhead, it did turn out beautifully, but I originally intended it to just be bangs and a ponytail. The seams were too visible so I ended up laying braids over the spot I didn't like. Turned out very well, even if it wasn't what I set out for.

What's next? Well, I said 'quest', so that's not all I had in mind.

I bought some pre sewn wig caps to sew wefts. I've seen some interesting tutorials on blanket stitching wefts and using a hand sewing machine, so naturally, I ordered what I need for both to try at a later date. AliExpress can be slow but it's worth it to buy crafts there. Amazon overcharges and I'm just not a brick and mortar shopper.

Resting for the remainder of the day since I work the next couple of days but more projects to come!

BJD Clothes: Swimsuit Part 1

This one might get broken up over time a bit, but I'll keep the tags going so they can be found easily.

For this one, I just took a PDF of a bathing suit I found and put it together in Illustrator then modified it. Rienna's body piece has three panels, dark blue on the sides of her body, light blue in the middle. The pattern I found only did the split panel in the front so I took the back pieces, split them and redrew them as separate pieces. It ended up looking something like this:

This, but with the right piece split.

Insofar, I've only cut the pattern pieces, pinned the pattern to the fabric and cut the pieces, so I can't show a finished product just yet. What comes next is a matter of fussing and altering to get the benefit of the stretchy fabric I'm using, as well as any difference between a doll's torso and the design being made for an actual person. I edited out the chest lining and I'm not using the piece at the top of the pattern either, the bottom lining, since a lining in a doll bathing suit is both way too extra and would deform the streamlined look I'm going for. The fabric I'm using is semi-transparent so if there's too much show-through, I do have a solid suit pattern and can reinforce it with a different fabric.

I guess, just in review, I can at least list off what else I have planned for the outfit. Plan may change but for now, the shoulder guards, breastplate, and hip plates will be modeled out of clay (trying both baking and air dry varieties). The sword may similarly be a clay sculpt, but I have decided on that yet. A cape with neck draping is probably the simplest element, to be done with blue velvet. I'm also making thigh high boots with rubber soles. As for the adornments to her outfit, I have an assortment of rhinestones and pearls so that part will just be on a whim. Also, still working on the wig, but I need to order more glue.

I'm also planning Talia, but so far, I've only planned her scarves, leotard and hair. Her design is meant to be simple but stunning, all fiery colors with only her eyes the hottest part of the flame- blue! I'm anxious to see it done, but in no hurry to throw it together since patience and precision is far more important than haste.

Will I be selling these? I've already been asked, but no, not my 'prototypes'. Once I'm confident in the build, I may be up for selling some customs, but for now, call this one purely a hobby. I tried to rush into making a business out of crochet and it nearly crushed my love for it. Having people back out and haggle and nag has made me seriously think out how I will sell my art and to whom. I keep my selling circle very small, limited to those who truly appreciate and understand the time and talent that goes into a great piece. I earned the right to call my work professional and one can call it arrogance, but let them. Hand-crafted pieces are treasures and the prices are a motivation to treat them all the more irreplaceable. Expect to pay a living wage for any craft you obtain.

In any case, I'll get to more blogging as I get it done. Hope you'll find it helpful or just enjoy the updates to the process!

Making a BJD Wig Part 3

Forgive my lackluster picture taking skill on this gloomy day, but let's start with where I ended up on the last wig...

As you can see, there's still some work to do to finish the braids and style, but it did hold together. I ended up hot-gluing the braids but tacky glue would have driven me up a wall...

But enough about that one!

I've started doing the first of the big ones. This time around, I'm actually sewing in the first row on the underside of the cap. This will make it so if the hair is gathered, there won't be any visible hair around the cap edges.

So for this one you need:

• Sharp scissors
• Synthetic wefts
• Saran wrap
• Clover Black and Gold needles
• Thread (go with either white or one to match the hair)
• Glue (tacky or hot glue or whatever you prefer)
• Rubber bands
• Wig cap

This is assuming you have a wig cap made from before. I'm using the harder tacky glue one I made since it's much easier to pierce a needle through it.

I specified Clover Black and Gold needles for a reason. These tiny evil samurai swords will pierce through anything. And yes, they slip through skin like it's made of Jello so be careful.

Cut the first weft the length of the bottom neck base to start.

You don't have to be a seamstress and no one is going to see these stitches so just line the weft up, about 1\8 from the bottom on the underside and do a running stitch into the area between the two stitches anchoring the hairs in the weft. Running is a simple through the front to back, back to front stitch.

Now because I'm doing an off center part, I'm going to use a diagram to show how i mapped the head for this one. The hair will be glued on accordingly, but I think I'm going to go for the E6000 on this one. I didn't mention it before but it's an industrial glue that I'm familiar with so I know how it works out. What makes it a favorite is that it's a quick grip but a slow cure. So it holds on contact but you can nudge things around. It doesn't fully cure for 24 hours, but it does hold tight about an hour or less after setting. It's a bit messy, like hot glue, but you can touch it and it does wipe right off of skin. You can always opt to use a paint brush or wooden stick to smear it on like tacky glue though.

I'm going to have to treat you to yet another of my diagrams to kind of explain how the off-center wig will work.

It's very similar to the braid wig at first, just laying down rows of wefts until you reach the crown. On the crown, you'll have made a cut line, which I wouldn't bother actually cutting until the bottom hair is dry and you can lift the wig off of the head/stand again. Go ahead and lay out vertical rows that radiate away from the cut line, but leave about a 1/8" edge away from it. Once those are dry, go ahead and lift the wig from the base and carefully make the cut.

You're actually going to lay the next wefts with the sewn edge on the inside with the hair radiating outside the wig. Hot glue might be a bit too puffy, but if you want the quick glue, you can go for it, just carefully smear it down with a wooden stick. When you're ready to seal it back, the best solution is to use a piece of power mesh made the same way as the wig, one large enough to cover the hair and affix to the underside of the wig there and glue it in securely to hold the part together.

Since this is just a play by play that I haven't finished yet, there isn't a picture to go with it (yet), but I'll be back once that's done to say how it went. I'm nervous because I've actually got to cut/style this one, since the hair I'm going for is short and wavy, but I'll study up on that before I take the plunge.

I hope you found this helpful! Stay tuned for pics and possibly a start on the next wig, which will involve a ponytail and bangs.

Making BJD Wigs Part 2

I'll be adding pictures later, so if you're reading this early, you'll see some placeholders instead.

First off, my favorite of the wig cap experiments is... Power mesh with tacky glue and a layer of silicone sealant underneath. It's this wig cap that I started my first foray into hair wefting.

I used these premade synthetic hair wefts:

Aliexpress.com

Along with Saran Wrap, rubber bands and tacky glue. I also had a pair of bent tip tweezers to do some holding of the wefts.

But I'm already telling you; I'm going to do hot glue for the next one because the tacky glue just didn't hold the wefts very quickly so I did a lot of holding them into place until I was sure they'd hold enough to move to the next row.

Although I cut the long weft as I went, you may find it easier to precut the pieces ahead of time. For this wig, I did straight rows that began a gradual curve as they neared the crown. The rough edges meet where the bangs end and, to cover that, I am gluing in a braid over those edges (with hot glue).

To start, it's the regular drill of securing Saran Wrap to the base or head you're using. The wig cap goes over that.

The easiest way to describe the wefting is with a diagram I drew. The wavy lines are the row I built from the base of the neck to the crown. The jagged lines are the top head fillers. The dots are rows for bangs. The number of rows isn't a precise count but it gives you an idea of how the wefts were paid to build shape and cover the head.

I squeezed the glue in lines directly onto the cap and just laying the wefts carefully in place and holding them as needed...

So far I've only gotten everything glued down. I placed another piece of Saran Wrap, secured with a rubber band to both secure the last rows and keep anything from sticking to it while drying. We'll see if that was a good idea or not when it comes time to remove it and secure the braid. More pictures to come as I finish it up and see what I end up with. I don't expect a first try to be stellar but I've been open to the learning process coming with a few failures.

Be back with the results!

Making BJD Wigs Part 1.5?

While digging through some craft bins, I came across what was left of some GE Clear Silicone Sealant and some cheap nylon wig caps so I'm running some more experiments. I used one of my smaller, much cheaper heads to lay out some of the sealant on power mesh. Not only did it only take a few hours to dry completely, but it peeled right off of the Saran Wrap and doesn't slide around on the head. However it is stretchy, which may or may not be ideal for all styles and I don't know if other glue will adhere to silicone. The package makes it clear that you can't paint on the sealant. It may be possible to use more of the sealant to weft hair, but it's very thick and could get messy. Silicone tends to only adhere to other silicone, if that, but more experiments to come...

Currently waiting for the nylon stocking/silicone one to dry to see how it holds up with material even thinner than power mesh. Even if these don't work well for working with wefts, they look like they might be a cheap fix for non-skid caps under the wig anyway.

This isn't a formal addition to the tutorials, just some brain-picking thoughts since it's always good to look for alternatives that can be used for a multitude of projects. 

That being said, the power mesh/tacky glue ones turned out great. I slipped a silicone cap onto the head and the wig cap I made was able to fit on snugly over that. Which looks like it would be the best solution for a heavier updo wig since it doesn't slide around easily once settled on. Next up will be some wefting tests on the silicone, see if we can get it to cooperate as a wig or not.

Making BJD Wigs Part One

It's been a while since I've blogged; not for any particular reason, just work and the boys starting school and time slipping by. But today, I started the process of making doll wigs so, as promised, I wanted to share the process.

I began making wig caps for my 1/3 Bomelon heads. This will work for any size head, but let's start with the supplies I'm using.

• Power mesh fabric (white or the skin tone of the head--you'll find this at craft stores and it's basically the stretchy material you find in swimsuits)
• Aleene's Turbo Tacky glue (you can use silicone based glues to make a nonskid wig, but I have silicone wig caps to do that. Wig caps are available on AliExpress)
• Rubber bands (any size is fine but make sure they fit snugly without over or under stretching)
• Popsicle sticks (some people like to use a throwaway paint brush, but I'll get into why I prefer these instead)
• Saran Wrap (you can use cheaper plastic wrap but I like the self stick properties of this brand)
• Doll head on the body or wig stand with the right dimensions

To start, tear off a piece of Saran Wrap large enough to cover the entire head. Drape it on as close to the head as possible, pulling it to the back and twisting it. You may choose to secure it further with a rubber band around the neck. 

Pull the power mesh fabric over the protected head or stand and secure with a rubber band from the base of the head to just over the bridge of the nose. Pull it as tautly as possible under the band. If there are any wrinkles, try to pull them towards the back of the head. Even with very strong glue, lumps at the hairline are difficult to disguise but usually unnoticeable at the back.

Begin spreading the glue liberally but not so thick that it starts to run. I like to use a Popsicle stick because it doesn't pull glue out of the fine mesh holes and I make about a one inch line on the stick, which covers more area. You'll want the glue to cover at least an inch past where you think you might draw the hairline.

Let dry overnight. Some impatient people attempt it 'when it dries' only to discover the underside near the plastic is sopping wet. You won't want to compromise the shape by peeling it off when not completely dry.

So I'll have to let it dry overnight. once it does, I'll peel it away from the plastic. Then, I'll place new plastic over the doll heads, replacing the cap and drawing the hair line with a fabric marker (otherwise known as a dressmaker's pen). The cap will be removed and I'll trim the wig into shape with fabric scissors.

After that, the fun will begin with wefting! For the first wig I'm doing, I'll be using synthetic wavy medium brown hair, about 15 cm in length, with a center part. I buy the wefts from AliExpress. It is recommended to use 3 100cm sets for a 1/3 head, so you'll likely only need two for a 1/4 head and one for 1/6 heads. That one is a bit tricky to simply describe so I'll try to take photos for example when I begin wefting.

The other wig I'm doing will be long, flaming red hair that will both have bangs and a ponytail, so I've had to research styling on those. Some people weft it for permanence, but I'd like a wig with more flexibility.

For gluing wigs, you can use the tacky glue or go with hot glue. You may not want to do hot gluing directly on your doll head without first protecting it with heat absorbent material or making sure the amount of heat can't warp or distort it. I'll be sticking with the tacky glue.

I'm not rushing into this project, so I can't promise daily posts, but they'll be properly tagged to find them easily when they're up. 

For those wondering why you might DIY wig caps rather than buy them pre made, I'll just add this. Unless you want a very standard shape, you need a nonstandard cap and a DIY lets you control features like mohawks, widow's peaks, sideburns etc. Depending on how complex the style, you'll want to work out which wefting techniques will let you hide how and where the hair is rooted.

See you on the next installment!

Double Post Time!

I was going to think of some eye-rolling, groan-worthy pun for dolls to hint at the reason for jumping into another post, but pretend I did, just enough that you're not actually irritated but still motivated to keep reading.

I got one of my doll parts today for Project Rienna! In case you're just tuning in to my aimless blog, I'm going to attempt to make a doll version of my cover art character on my second book, The Truth about Heroes: Two Sides to Everything. In case you haven't read it, which is more likely true, it's a series that explores an array of magical themes, intertwined with the all-too-human struggle for truth and happiness in a world balanced between grotesque realities and prevalent hope.

Damn, Gina, why can't I blurb like that when I actually need to?

In any case, Rienna isn't exactly a favorite, unless you count her being a sentimental first since she was the reason why I started it. She's not particularly exceptional in deed or spirit. This wasn't made to be a hero character, already sure they wanted to save the world or right some wrong. She seems awkward, sometimes reckless, all to certain, as most young adults are, that the world just needs to be taught how to treat her and everything would be simple.

When Rienna starts to begrudgingly take on more, it has little to do with a moral sense of justice. She simply concedes to taking on burdens on her single-minded mission. She'd sooner go through or around obstacles and be done it with, but her cold resolution does clash with aspects of her character she isn't consciously aware of. She hefts another weight and continues on, if only for fear that inaction will make her face the consequences.

So yes, I have a soft spot for her, but I could say the same about any of them. For me, the decision to make a doll of her came from that cover art. While I'm never actually married to what my characters 'should' look like, I truly enjoyed creating an aesthetic for her cover art and it's that aesthetic that I wanted to carry over into another medium.

I'm not much of a painter so I did order a face-up for the head. It wears a softer more neutral expression than my cover portrays, but the lips, minimal makeup, and silver-grey eyes on the doll head were just too perfect. The eyebrows and eyelashes even have that hint of copper I wanted. Show, don't tell though, right?

I haven't yet liberated the head from the protective packaging since the body is still in transit, but I lifted the face guard to steal a quick picture of her.

So many doll heads tend to have the sad orphan look so I love that this one is just a neutral expression that isn't forcing a mood. It's easy enough for me to take pictures and digitally modify expressions to enhance a mood so an easily editable expression is preferred.

I don't have plans to be exactly faithful to the source image, of course. I'd like to get more detailed with ornamental work. While drawn armor can be physically unlikely, I'll have to design the clothes and armor to actually stay on and not hinder the body, as well as be removable as necessary. It will take a lot of critical thinking and adjustments. I'm no fashion designer and my sewing skills are only passing, so I'll have to learn a lot as I go.

Either way, I'm excited. A hands-on project is always an exciting prospect for me. I hope to be able to post some progress shots, maybe tutorials, as I go. At the very least, a project can always help people learn what not to do.