On The Worktable- Current Projects

Okay, here's a rundown of what I've been up to the last few months, and what I have planned or am already working on, in between bouts of bedrest. (Don't ask, long story, medications and then a sinus infection)
I would have included pics but Blogger is being weird right now and messing up my uploads, so you get me blathering instead.



Just finished:
-Making Taki the realpuki hybrid, painting him and making his basic outfit. He is now a very smiley warrior fae in spiffy duds.
-Gave Winter, Leeke Romeo hybrid, a new wig, nice and short.
-Gave Elinore a new wig, dark brown instead of sable.
-Made Donovan the EID Akando a full outfit, tunic and shoes and everything.
-Made Kevya some pants that fit, finally.
-Gave Adara's Khorae, a YID Iplehouse girl, a massive mod makeover and blushing.
-Finished faceup and blushing of Farron, my new Littlefee Elf El.
-Gave Stella the LTF Troll a serious hip modification, new blushing and a new faceup, as well as a new sleeping faceplate.
-Re-faceupped Scythe the MSD, got him real clothes, but the shoes don't fit, so I need to sell those and get good ones.

Currently working:
-Working on Kitso, a Puki Madeleine mod, who will be another tiny warrior fae and Taki's former hunting buddy. All that's left is to sand his ears smooth and remove his seams, and then I can paint him up. Made him some clothes tonight.
-Softening the jawline and browline of a Souldoll Killian head to go on a custom ordered muscular woman body- She will be Fiachra.
-Finding Tiarnach a body imposing enough for him- Soom Supergem is nice but too lean. He needs to have more oomph.
-Waiting on a custom colored body for Siofra. I love her face like crazy, but ResinSoul's kicky 58 cm girl body just isn't enough for me as a collector any more- it can't pose nearly well enough to be my Siofra.
-I need to mod Sir Malcolm's head so it will fit on the Iplehouse SID body he is supposed to be able to use.
-I need to blush that body and make it some clothes for Malcolm to wear.
-Waiting on a Dream High Studio Fira, a special limited fairy that I may sell to make room for other purchases.
-Waiting on an Iplehouse Elemental Guardian Taregan, which will be getting a few subtle mods to be my Davan, villain of my Dun Elisedd Story.
-Going to be buying a Minifee Ruth sometime in the coming year to re-shell my character Two Hands.
-Going to be getting a Minifee Girl body for my Unoa faceplates, which I have decided to make into my character Aithne, so she will need a faceup and blush too, once that body gets here.

As always, props need making for my dollies- I mean to make Elinore a healer's kit, a pack and survival tools for Kitso, and this big white Battat horse I have is going to get spruced up for the Minifees to use.

Also, I am sculpting my own BJDs! First project is a tiny doll, using Super Sculpey Firm, and he is meant to be a Feegle, as in Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books. A six inch tall warrior faery with a tendency to fight everything.
The other sculpt is a Paperclay experiment I have dubbed Mighty Aphrodite, and she is a plus sized 61 cm female body with plenty of curve. So far she is just a rough torso, but I like what I've got and intend to keep going.

Masssive Mods- Iplehouse YID girl

Click Here for the blog post detailing what was done, but I recently took a doll from unposable all the way to Humanly Posable. It was an interesting and sometimes daunting project, but it's done and the results are worth it.

Character Flaws

Almost all of my human/human-like characters have "flaws" of some kind, it's what makes them relatable.
Out of the Court of Dun Elisedd storyline, several of them have problems from mild to debilitating.

Lir and Elinore's issues are mostly situational- the understandable trauma of losing your family, then having to run a kingdom.

Rowena is a bit claustrophobic- a common problem but it makes her a little stir crazy when she can't leave the castle.

Kevya, now, poor Kevya- Here's a list! Poor guy has no memory of a youth or childhood, severe trauma physical and mental from being enslaved and tormented for six years, including extensive scarring and branding on his shoulders and hands. He doesn't trust people, doesn't like being touched, has a fear of crowds, being locked up, has acute senses (which can be a painful flaw, trust me) and has serious social difficulties from years of being treated like an animal. Add to this insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks, and for the first several months an inability to remember how to speak... Yeah.

Winter gets dark painful bruises if he's too close to iron or steel for very long- it's why he doesn't carry a knife. He also has an uncanny ability to tell sometimes what people's intentions are- sounds fun until you imagine if no one could lie to you. Ever. Not even when they need to. Think about it.
As a partial result, he's a terrible cynical jerk. He knows who fears him, who is smiling at him but doesn't like him, who wants to manipulate him for his influence so close to the King, and who thinks he's a coward because he did not fight in the War.

Sir Donovan had a childhood stammer in his speech that returns when he gets embarrassed, or around a pretty woman. He hates it.

Sir Malcolm was badly injured during the war. He has a marked limp in one leg and can barely do anything with his left hand anymore- nerve damage from a stab wound.
He's got bad survivor's guilt after his king and all his friends died in the war.

Mathonwy is nearsighted, so he has glasses. He was also born very pale-skinned, but that's just how he is. All he can do is avoid the harshest daylight.

Fiachra, a character coming soon, has a serious chip on her shoulder about having to play both the lovely noblewoman and the fierce warrior, and how people don't seem to want her to be anything but one or the other. She's got a bit of a lost identity.

Tiarnach, whose doll form awaits a body, has his own weirdness but that's because he's Fae. Mostly, he has angst over the fact that the woman he loves can't keep herself to herself.

Davan, also on his way, is simply freakin' sadistic. He's cruel, but not petty, and logical like a steel vise. He will dominate, possess or destroy anything of power that he comes across, no holds barred, no remorse, and no mercy.

Wardrobe Updates

So Halloween has come and gone, and the month of October is over. It has promptly begun to snow, and sealant-spraying-friendly weather will now be extremely hard to come by. It's times like this I wish fervently that I had a fume hood like in my high school chem lab.
However, I can sew, which means I can keep adding to my dolls' expanding wardrobes. I want to get each of them into a basic outfit with shoes by New Year or so. Here's Donovan's new outfit. [Donovan is an EID Akando from Iplehouse.]



In my Dun Elisedd story, Don's people are northern Clansmen heavily inspired by the historical Scots, Picts and Irish, so his clothing has influences from them, including a large penannular style brooch for his brat, or shoulder wrap, and a knee length tunic with a keyhole neckline, as well as several pieces of almost gaudy jewelry.



The outfit without the shoulder wrap. Even his belt buckle was chosen for its similarity to La Tene' period Celtic metal finds.



Here's a shot of his shoes- Not entirely historically accurate in type or construction, but plausible.


Siofra the Fae Lady got some new clothes earlier this year but I hadn't taken pics yet, so here is her new outfit.



It has a heavy Roman influence because I wanted her outfits to hearken back to an earlier style, and early British clothing was influenced by the Roman occupation. Siofra needed a Pre-Medieval look. She also needs a new faceup, but that can wait for Spring, I guess.


I never thought I'd have a doll who could get away with wearing orange, but she wears it rather well. Her coloring is so different from any of my other dolls.
[Siofra is a Resinsoul Yun cast in Light Tan.]

Racing the Year Wheel

I am working on several dolly projects that I must complete before the end of this month. By that time it will be Late Autumn/Early Winter here, and I will have no more warm sunny dry days good for spraying sealant.

I'm used to SoCal, where Summer doesn't end until after October, and November is our entire Autumn. Winter doesn't arrive until Late November or December, and only brings frost and rain. Here in the Rocky Mountains it's different. Sometime in Sept. it was as if someone hit a switch and said, "Let There Be Fall!" and lo, it was Fall indeed, verily. The trees on the mountains are all turning reds and yellows and oranges, vivid blazing colors. It's a new experience for me.

I have so much to blog about but my hands are hurting, so I'll be more eloquent later. You will see my Massive Makeover for Khorae; my new Littlefee, Farron; Don's new outfit; Lir's new boots; and you will meet Tiarnach, Prince of the Wild Wood. Also WIP pics of Stella's Makeover.

QuasiMiddleAges, or What year is this Court thing supposed to be?

In case you're a new guest to my little corner of the blogosphere, I should mention that I have this medieval sort of fantasy story I've been working on for years, and a majority of my dolls are characters belonging to that story. Specifically they belong to the Court of Dun Elisedd, the group of people who are the movers and shakers of a castle in a small northern kingdom.

It draws inspiration from many, many sources, not the least of which are things like The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Prydain, Beowulf, the Arthurian mythos, and histories of many actual kingdoms. It is a fantasy story, but like Tolkien and other authors, I have something of a passion for world-building and cultural anthropology, so I have done a lot of thinking about the cultures in this world and how they interact, and what their clashing or melding means for their society.

I have trouble sometimes with keeping my historical & locational influences to one period or place. I am madly in love with the Arthurian era of war-torn, Saxon-invaded Britain, with kings and chieftains and warriors, and the simpler architecture and gorgeous celtic artistic forms they had. I also like the "Ivanhoe" period of Post-Hastings England with the Saxons and Normans uncomfortably mixing, and all the cultural awkwardness there. There are lots of things in fashion and clothing, however, that I like from as late as the High Middle Ages, 1300 or so. I try to keep my main influences in fashion, art and architecture somewhere between the Roman British era and theNorman Invasion, just for the sake of clarity and some vague unity in the whole mess.

It is well worth pointing out that I have only barely begun a dabbling study of British and European history compared to many authors and illustrators, and there's a lot more to study. It's one of the things that makes this story a work in progress.

Why base a fantasy novel on history, you might ask? Because I've seen what happens when you don't, and it looks like Dungeons and Dragons. *twitch* Not that I have anything against High Fantasy, as it's known, but it doesn't feel as real to me. The appeal of Fantasy is that you can imagine somewhere, somehow, once upon a time, it was real. My story is about real people, even if there is a bit of magic involved and they use swords and horses instead of iPhones and Toyotas. These people live and love and bleed and die, and I can't cheapen that by making everything up and having it not make sense. Their world needs to be solid, and have real weather, real troubles and real life in it.
My fantasy world cannot have everyone on the continent under just one king, they can't all speak a Common Speech with no good reason for it, and they can't have an economy based on unrealistic amounts of gold pieces everyone has and everyone values exactly the same, and they can't all have conveniently enlightened modern views on property, citizenship, women, and slavery. That's how it is in many Fantasy settings, but not in mine.

The Grindbox - Resin is Toxic

Resin dust is like silica, coal dust or other things tiny, particulate and inorganic- once it gets into your lungs, it never comes out. It can cause cancer like Mesothelioma, or simply Miner's Lung just by being in there. Cancer can be fought by horrible chemicals, but there is no way to cure Miner's Lung. It is a slow death sentence.

Sounds dramatic, but that's the truth. Lots of things that we deal with every day can totally kill you if you do something stupid, and resin dust is no different. Arc welders and industrial power tools are just as deadly, but the right equipment makes them safe. With the right precautions, you can make resin safer to work with. One vital way is to wear a properly fitted respirator of N95 rating or higher and make sure it is always fitted and has fresh filters. There are lots of ways to keep resin dust out of your environment and under control.

What I have for my setup is a thing I've been calling the Grindbox. (Pictures coming later!) It's like a sandblasting box used industrially or a chemical hood, except it's built out of hacked together parts and caulked foamcore board because I couldn't be bothered to try to cut wood in an apartment, and wood is heavy. Metal was out of the question. I plan to post images of the thing to my blog eventually but I'd recommend building this thing to serious modders only, since it takes a lot of work and buying a dedicated shop vac and expensive HEPA filters- Also, I have not yet perfected the design and cannot in good conscience vouch for its efficacy yet. I still wear an N95 mask while working with it, just in case. (Mesothelioma is a horrible way to go. Not for me, no thank you!)

What the Grindbox is made up of is a big ol' box with a wide, tilted lid on top that has a panel of clear acrylic in the lid so I can see what I'm doing, and big sleeves and gloves that are caulked into their holes and extend into the box. The gloves are rubbery non slip gripper things that help me not drop things when I am working with the Dremel and they are thick enough to protect my fingers when the toolbit slips accidentally. (Never work with a Dremel without gloves- we like our fingers' flesh!)

The lid is sealed by velcro straps to hold it tight shut when I am working in the box. The box has an air intake made of a hole with HEPA filter over it caulked to the side, which I will have to replace periodically. The air outlet is a caulked on funnel in the opposite side, to which has been sealed a vacuum hose attachment. This is connected to a just-for-this Shop Vacuum that has been fitted with HEPA rated filters that also have to be regularly changed, but this thing sucks up all the dust and shavings from whatever I work on inside the box and does not allow particles back out into the air.

There is also a hole in the side of the box to allow me to place a Dremel in the box, then run the cord out of the box. This currently has a valve-like sealing around the cord made of layers of rubber and Gorilla tape, but I'd like something less kludgey eventually. Currently the Dremel just kind of stays in the box and I open the lid to put new bits in the box, then close the box promptly and use my gloved hands inside it to change Dremel bits.

I am still perfecting the whole thing but it does make it possible for me to do lots of stuff I could never contemplate doing in an apartment. I wear an N95 mask when I use it anyway, and have air purifying filter fans running in the studio pretty much all the time just to be extra safe.

About Copernica

 ( Click on the "About" Label for more of my characters and info about the dolls that portray them! )


This is Copernica.

I did her aesthetic design, but she kind of made herself. It all just... happened.

It all started with a Doll In Mind Secret head I was keeping around for some reason. I received it for free, if I recall correctly, because the "Secret" head was a free gift given as part of an event done by Doll In Mind, a doll company in Korea. I liked the sculpt, but all my bigger "SD"- sized dolls have made themselves a realistic group, and the Secret head was just too childlike and stylized... but the perfect, heavy white resin and beautiful sculpture was so lovely I couldn't bring myself to sell her.

Then I was dyeing another doll, and sanding his head to re-dye for even tones, and I looked at the way the dye appeared, half sanded off, as if it were worn away, like antique pottery or ivory or bone...
I set him down, ran upstairs, seized the DIM head and dunked it into the dye, then sanded like a mad thing. I knew all of a sudden what she had to become, exactly how she should be.

Here she is in her beginning.


I went to a local yarn shop and hunted for a good hour to find the perfect thing to make her wig from. I knew it had to be soft, huggable, touchable, and preferably resemble hair or dredlocks. I knew this stuff would be perfect:


I sewed a wig cap out of felt and stitched locks of the yarn to the wig cap.

Some are stitched on the inside so that her wigcap won't show when the hair is pulled back from her face.


Here she is wearing the wig; little moonface. I thought Copernica would be a whimsical name, and now I can't think of her as anything else.


Next: her faceup, or lack thereof, placing her very special eyes, and modding her hands and body.

***

I gave her glass cabochons in 16mm for eyes. I got them from a jewelry supplier.

***

We have a body! A kind soul sold me a body for a great price, and it was in great condition, though being a Domuya Flexi body it needed some work on the stringing channels, some tightening and some sueding. She was comically floppy, which was nice to hug but tricky to pose.

I also made her a little smock to wear until I had finished her mods and could make her more fitted clothing. She liked the embroidery, I think. Here she is finally looking like a proper doll!
She hopes you'll pardon her showing up in her nightie.

Nude shot! Dolly Nudity, nothing explicit.
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This body was obviously much too mature for her, and there are things about the shapes of the torso I wasn't too fond of, so I reshaped her, and her neck was juuuuuust a touch too short, so she got some Apoxie on the neck top to help how her head sits.

Here's how she looked after those mods-


I took the body apart, reshaped the breasts to be smaller and higher, recut all the stringing channels to be wider, replaced the hand wire bits posing as s-hooks with actual hooks, replaced the failing lanyard hooks inside her feet with new twisted wire parts, and sanded some of her larger sharper seams.

Then, with her still in pieces, I dyed the entire body in Rit dye on my kitchen stovetop. She's uneven, but I wanted her to look a little rough, and somewhat wooden. The colors I mixed gave me a nice rich mahogany or cherrywood color. It photographs very orange but is more wooden looking in person. The thing about her legs is a doll stand to help her remain upright, since she gets played with and moved about so often that her elastic doesn't stay very tight for long.

I got her some White Skinned hands. I ordered them from LUTS. They're Delf boy hands but I've always loved their sculpting and the female hands were too small and delicate for her.
I dyed these hands as close as I could get to the colors I've used on the rest of her, then strapped on my respirator and went into the garage for some sanding work.

Here's before and after shots of the hands, dyed and sanded.


Here's both hands sanded and on her wrists!

And here is the result!

This body is insanely posable and natural, able to sink into poses my other dolls can't even try.



She's one of my favorites in the collection, even if she doesn't "match" with any of them. She's her own little creature.

The King's Wolf

from the Court of Dun Elisedd storyline...

His Royal Majesty Lir and Kevya the Wolf, his servant.

Corn is No Place For a Mighty Warrior

So right now my studio is halfway unpacked from moving, thanks to the fabulousness of a best friend. Since I'm not done setting up again, doll mods are slow at the moment but are at least faster than they have previously been the last four months.

I'm working on a Fairyland Pukipuki/Realpuki hybrid, giving him the sturdier body of a pukipuki but the elfin face of a Realpuki Soso sleeping faceplate. He's going to be Apple's beau and eventual husband.
So far he's had his headback adjusted to take the Realpuki faceplate, dyed a mahogany tan, and now given a teeny tiny faceup made possible by Acrylic thinner and a new paintbrush I have that lets me make ridiculously tiny lines.
Here he is, in all his tiny nude glory:



Now that he has a face proper, I can't help but think I've made a mistake. I've been calling him Sorrel up until this point, reasoning that Apple had a floral name so he should too. Sorrel is just not the kind of name a tribal-looking little hunter and warrior should have. He seems much more joyful and fierce. Especially fierce. Sorrel is no name for a mighty warrior. I must find him a new name.

About Apple

Type: Fairyland Tyni, a realpuki from Fairyland
Name: Apple Blossom
Nickname(s): Imp, fashionista, The Domestic Goddess
Sex: F
Age: Unknown/young lady
Birthdate: unknown
Faceup: Me
Skin: Normal
Hair: FakeFur from e'bay
Eyes: Glib Brown 6mm
Nationality/Species: Fairy
Favourite colours: Green, strawberry
Look: Fairy nature sprite thing.
Likes: The outdoors, her sister, exploring, collecting sparkly things, nesting, making new fashion creations
Dislikes: Being told to sit still
Secrets: Is considering finding herself a mate and making a love nest.
Personality: Cheeky, clever, sneaky, cheerful, optimistic
Background: Came here with her sister Cherry Blossom looking for fun and adventure

When the company Fairyland first released their 9cm Realpuki line, I thought the Tyni sculpt was obnoxious and kinda homely. He didn't have eyebrows to speak of and they gave him a long pointy mosquito nose. Then I saw owner pictures and I started to get ideas. Ideas about maybe modding the nose, and how cute the Tyni's eyes could be, and what if it were painted and dressed as a girl instead of a boy... (Realpuki bodies are gender neutral) Eventually I fell in love and got one, and within an hour of opening the box I had modded her nose to be less pointy and began planning faceups.

I tried several looks, but she ended up with a surprisingly feminine ladylike faceup, complete with impish lashes and strawberry lips. She also just looked best in blonde, another thing I had not expected. She was going to be my little wild fae, but she wanted gowns, frocks and dresses! Jewelry and tiaras, and maybe a few purses? Her sense of style is still very nature-based and whimsical, but I never thought I'd have a fairy who wants to be a fashion designer!

Her personality appears to be some expression of my home-maker side, because all this fairy wants to do is set up house, interior decorate, and cook and sew amazing fae couture! She's got a little pumpkin house that she's set up shop in for now, and she is a designer for other fairies who come to get gowns made by her.



I bought a tiny sewing machine and I found this wee sewing basket at Hobby Lobby with ribbons and thread and things. She has several outfits now, and teeny tiny jewelry, and two pairs of shoes from Fairyland.

I am working on a Pukipuki/Realpuki hybrid so she can have a beau, and then I have a teensy tiny micro BJD, a "Squee" from DreamHigh Studio that is 5cm high, and he's gonna be their kid after they get married. Yes, I've got it all planned, hah.

Character Interview: Kevya

From a Character Interview thingy on "Den of Angels", a BJD forum.
Kevya is a character of mine from a Novel-In-Perpetual-Progress that I've been working on for years.
Being able to make a BJD that looks pretty much like him has been a goal of mine since I got into this hobby. I think I've almost got the doll how I want it.

-------------------------
Kevya
Doll Mold: Iplehouse Barron Mod
Face up: me
Eyes: Bright blue
Hair: Black
Age: Unknown

He's from a medieval world, and he's... a rather strange person. I'll let him answer but I may add comments.

If you were to describe yourself with one word, what would it be?
Wolf. That's one of my names.

What is most important to you in the world?
Right now, Lir. He saved my life, and probably my soul too.

Would you help someone who needed it while passing?
I... suppose so.

Are you very observant?
Very.

How innocent/naive can you be?
I was once. I'm not anymore, except maybe where court social life is concerned, but I'm under no illusions.

Can you entertain yourself easily?
I suppose. I can always spend time watching what's happening around me.

How well do you get along with others?
I don't... really like people. Especially not crowds.

What was the longest time you had a friend?
Before I was a slave, back in the north, I had friends I knew for years and years...

Do you have someone who knows you inside out?
Yes, and I pray never to meet him again.

How short is your temper?
That depends on what is bothering me. I am normally patient.

Can you let go of grudges easily?
I don't form them easily, but I doubt I ever let go of them. Some things I cannot forgive.

Do you read?
When I can.

How long do you stay interested in something?
As long as is needful.

Do you know your parents/creator?
No. I was found on the tideline after a storm, half drowned.

What is your birthday?
I don't know.

Do you have any siblings?
None that I know of.

Ever have to fight for what you believe in?
I've had to fight for my life. I believe in surviving. Now I fight to guard Lir. I believe in him.

When did you move out on your own?
A year or so after I was found, I left the house of the people who took me in and built my own small home.

When did you REALLY mature?
I've always looked this same age, somewhat. I feel so much older and more worn having been a slave. Years were taken from me.

Did you have many friends?
I did, before being made a slave.

Any action you regret?
Every murder I was forced to commit in the fighting arena.

What is a memory you treasure?
Everything from before the arena is vague and faint, but I remember being married to my wife. I remember loving her.

Do you have a dream partner?
I haven't dreamt like that in a long time.

Do you believe you seek someone like your parents(or creator)?
I wouldn't know.

Do you have one night stands?
Do I what?

What feature is most attention grabbing for you?
In a woman? Her temperament. If she is unpleasant, her face hardly matters.

What MUST someone have for you to consider them?
Kindness.

Older, younger, same age as you?
I don't know my own age- Who am I to say?

How do you feel about settling down?
If I could, I think I would.

How many dates before you go to bed with someone?
Beg pardon? ... I would want to be married to a woman before I gave myself to her.

How do you handle rejection?
I'm not sure.

How many times did you stop something before it developed?
...I don't understand the question.

Have you settled down and if so for how long?
I was married once for fourteen years. She died.

Any Children?
No. I could not give her children. She had born a child of a previous marriage who had died in infancy, so she could have carried a child...

What do you love most about your partner?
It's hard to remember- Everything before the arena is so hard to recall- I loved her laugh. I loved her eyes. I loved being held by her.

Any petnames?
What? No.

How many relationships have you been in?
Elrehanna was my wife's name. She died of a fever.
There was a... woman who was employed by my owner, when I was a slave- that doesn't count.

Have you ended any?
I killed that woman. Snapped her neck.

Has your heart been broken?
Yes.

Any loves you cannot have?
My wife is gone, and I have grieved for her.

Do you believe in true love?
I think I had it once.


Have you ever died?
What? No, if I had, we would not be talking. [He has died, he doesn't remember]

Can you even die?
Well, yes.

Have you seen someone die?
Too many.

Have you killed someone?
Too many to count.

Have you had someone killed?
No.

What makes you truly happy?
Now? Being safe. Being with Lir, out in the countryside.

If you could, what is one thing you would spend your life doing?
I intend to spend it serving my King.

Do you have a job, if so what is it?
I am Lir's guard.

Have you ever gone insane?
Wha-? Yes. Yes I have and I'd prefer not to talk about it.

Did you ever feel as if you were the only sane one in the world?
No.

If you had a choice, would you live a calm eternal life, or live a wild short life?
Peace doesn't sound so bad.

Waiting for Dolly Weather

I used to live in Southern California, and I never realized until moving to the Rocky Mountains how much I took the frequently nice weather for granted. What, you ask, does this have to do with Ball Jointed Dolls? I shall tell you.

To paint/blush a bjd, you need nice dry weather so that the spray sealant can be used without clouding up or flaking once it's dry. The Rockies have lots of that dry weather, right? In theory.

Yes, it's usually drier than the back of the AA Wagon up here. You can dehydrate things just by leaving them out on a plate for a few hours. I have to buy body lotion as a necessity, like soap and shampoo... BUT the factor that slows me down is that stuff won't quit falling from the sky!





When I got here in late Winter it was snowing, and I knew that would clear up come Spring, so I waited, took pics of the dollies in the snow, and enjoyed the stuff. I never had snow around when I was a kid, so I think it's pretty fun. Now that it's supposed to be Spring, and the temperature is over 50 F outside, so I can go out without freezing- Yes, I'm a Southern Californian- it's quit snowing and started raining... and raining... and raining. People up here call this climate a desert. I call Shenanigans. I'm from SoCal. I know deserts. A desert never has rainfall 5 days out of 7 for nearly 2 months straight. A desert never has steady flooding and dams being stressed and reservoirs filling. "Desert", my little pink foot. Hah.

When it's raining, I cannot go outside to do resin sanding and carving. (Which needs to be done outside, equipped with a respirator, as the resin dust is messy and bad for you) I can't spray any sealant, since with all the moisture currently in the air outdoors, the sealant will cloud and ruin my blushing job. It's dry as ever indoors but you can't use the sealant indoors, obviously- Fumes.

The only thing to do, it seems, is sit back, do dolly sewing and take photos, and wait for the rain to stop and Summer to come.

BJDs as Therapy

Someone said "When you play with the doll, like when you take care of a small child, you heal the child you were and that is still in you."
I hadn't been able to put that idea into words myself but that's so true. I've often mused how Pip, with her dark brown hair and huge round blue eyes, looks very much like a four year old me. I've often called her an expression of my inner child- my eternal elfin child avatar. Through her, I get to have those happy little childhood moments and joys that heal me as an adult.



This is a very personal topic to me, and the biggest true reason behind my involvement in this hobby. BJDs have been one of the several good things keeping me afloat, one of my rays of hope that gets me out of my bed and my house and comfort zone to meet new people and make new things.

I live with Chronic Depression. It's kind of like a cancer or leukemia of the soul. It comes and goes, is beaten into remission and then flares up again. If you don't take care of yourself, it can even be very physically harmful, and for some people fatal.

When it's bad, I always find comfort and actually beneficial therapy in playing with my dolls. I discovered Ball Jointed Dolls over a year ago, and I think I was searching for something artistic and childlike that would let me draw out the innocence and strength I had as a child. Modifying and customizing these dolls is an amazing therapy. I find that doing faceups and making clothes for them is comforting to me, because if I have made something so beautiful, it must have come from inside me, and it shows me I am beautiful inside. I find that "taking care" of my dolls (Keeping them out of sunlight, making sure they are safely stored when not in use) reminds me to also look after myself, keeping me eating regular meals and sleeping decent hours. This hobby gives me something to do when I just can't sleep, and something pleasant to think about while I fall asleep. It gives me a safe common ground on which to meet total strangers and make new friends and feel comfortable doing so.

Having the distraction of the hobby gives me something pleasant to think about instead of spiraling into unproductive thought patterns or fears. Making things for the dolls is a therapy stronger than any medicine for calming and centering me, letting me be productive and creative and strong. Anxiety is hard to fight without something like dolls to ease it and redirect that energy in a healthy way. Even my somewhat skeptic family sees how happy the dolls make me and has come to accept their positive influence on my health as something worthwhile.

About Lir

Prince Lir


Company and sculpt: SOOM Lupin
Height: 63cm
Resin colour: NS
Modifications: Shortened neck
Faceup: Me
Eyes: Masterpiece Afghan 13mm
Wig: wool roving, made by Me

Name (and nicknames): Lir (the doll itself is known occasionally as Mister Scruffy)
Age: 23
Birthday: in the Autumn
Family and/or relationships: Father: Gahaeris (dcs.), Mother: Elaine (dcs.), Brother: Cai (dcs.), Sister: Elinore
Pets: A raven named Scratch
Personality: Calm, curious, mild, compassionate, soft spoken, introspective, capable of being brave
Hobbies: wandering, reading, studying histories and records,
Likes: Time alone or with close friends, long journeys, riddles and mysteries, books, his family
Dislikes: shallowness, rudeness, useless noise, flattery, cruelty
Other/misc. facts: Believer in lost causes, likes the Lady Rowena very much.
The scar on one side of his jaw was not given by some sworn enemy's cursed blade- it's the result of a fledgling Scratch the Raven trying to peck at Lir's eye. That's how Scratch got his name.
He calls his sister Elinore the pet name "Linnet Bird".

Short bio: He left his castle home, going out alone as he often did, but this time he stayed away for two years, chasing rumors of a hidden record, an ancient text. He found it, and followed the advice of a blind poet to sail to an island ruled by a cruel lord, where he rescued a slave who could read the words written in the book. Then he journeyed home, hastened on his way by rumors of war in his father's kingdom. Nothing could have prepared him for what he would find on his arrival.

About the Doll:
Lir is a sculpt called Lupin from a company called Soom, based in South Korea. Like most Ball Jointed Dolls, he was handcast in polyurethane resin from molds taken from an original artist's sculpt.

Lir was the very first BJD I ordered, and I found him by hunting through websites for a masculine yet young and handsome face on a sculpt. I didn't want another anime-faced "bishounen". (That's Japan-Fan talk for Pretty Young Man, usually quite androgynous and effeminate) Stylized Beauty has its appeals, but I prefer a certain amount of realism in faces, and manliness in men. I wanted to make dolls that were a bit different.

He's had that extra long Soom Super Gem neck shortened to give him the proportions I wanted him to have. The Super Gem body that Soom makes for their 63 cm male dolls is lean but muscular, a beautiful sculpt if not the very best at posing. He stands very well, even unsupported. I got him with the exquisite jointed hands Soom makes, and they are incredibly gorgeous in expressiveness and engineering. I can't imagine this doll without them, because they do allow him such a great emotive range, and he's an emotional sort of character.

When he arrived he looked like this:

Those incredible eyes of his are Masterpiece Eyes, in the color "Afghan". The faceup (BJD Hobby Talk for his face painting) is the faceup that I ordered him with, because at the time I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to do faceups myself. It was very nice, admittedly, but I decided I wanted eventually to do my own faceups, so later I repainted his face myself.
His wig I made by building a felt wigcap in the shape of the hairline I wanted, then gluing dabs of wool roving onto it a little bit at a time. Eventually he'll get a custom fiber wig that will be in roughly this same style.


This is how his face looks now. I did this faceup myself. Eventually I may redo it yet again, but this is good for now. He's wearing the same eyes as before, but this shot doesn't catch all their colors as well as that other one. The bird there on his shoulder is supposed to be his pet raven, Scratch. He's dressed in his rough traveling clothes.
I haven't done a shoot with him in a while, and I owe him one as soon as I finish his new courtly clothes.

Quiz thing- If your Dolls could speak

If your dolls could speak, or for some reason had to have actors to provide voices for them, who would you pick?
Just gonna answer for the Court, as trying this for all the dolls would take a while.

My gang, let's see... All of the Court should technically have British-like accents, with a few exceptions, seeing as they are from a world based on medieval Cornwall, Wales, Sussex, Wessex, and so on. Time to hit IMDb!

Lir, His Majesty, should have a tenor-baritone range, quite soft spoken. Almost never raised, but very commanding in certain tones. Joseph Fiennes could do Lir's voice very well.

Kevya... Low tenor, informal tone. His accent isn't quite English. It isn't quite anything really. You'd have to mix Gaelic, Spanish and a little Hebrew or Arabic to get the correct cadences and sounds for his accent, and it still would be a little off. He belongs to a people who have their own language in the Medieval Fantasy world I've made, and it's got a lot of Semitic language rhythms to it, but since my second language is Spanish, some of the vowels are particularly Italic/Romance based. (*NERD*)
However, I'm not sure who I'd pick to be his voice actor.

Lady Rowena is a second soprano, and probably sounds a lot like Kate Winslet, circa Sense and Sensibility.

Princess Elinore ...Not sure. She hasn't been around long enough for me to figure out who I'd have to voice her.

Winter, the Harpist... Tenor, a singer's voice, fine elocution, prone to a sardonic edge. David Tennant ( 10th Doctor, BBC's Dr. Who) would do an amazing job here.

Donovan actually sounds a lot like Ewan MacGregor, when that actor isn't covering his native Scottish accent quite so much as he typically does.

Sir Malcolm Owen- Gerard Butler. Resonance, man, resonance.

Mathonwy, the Scholar, should probably sound a bit more Welsh. Not that I really have a clear idea of how it sounds, but he should. And he's a tenor, nice and clear, good vocabulary, excellent diction. No idea who'd play him. Someone Welsh?

Siofra the Fae should have a melodic, sensual Alto, with a gaelic sort of lilt to it. Laura Fraser, who played Kate the Ferris in A Knight's Tale, would be great for this role.

On the Meanings of the Dolls' Names

The court:
-Lir- A name of a sea deity and several kings historical and mythic.
-Rowena- Used/possibly coined by Sir Walter Scott for the lovely Saxon love interest/heroine in "Ivanhoe".
-Mathonwy- A king in a Welsh myth I read. I decided the name was awesome and needed to go to a character of mine, someone with gravitas.
-Winter- what it sounds like, a nickname acquired from his silver hair and charming temperament. His real given name is Aeron, which is said roughly as EYE-ron. It's Welsh too. Apparently in Welsh mythology Aeron was often portrayed as a masculine deity of some kind or another. It might mean "Berry".
-Donovan- According to "Behind the Name", The given name Donndubhán is made of the Gaelic element donn "brown" combined with dubh "dark" and a diminutive suffix. So, little dark brown [guy]. Sorta. Not very descriptive, as my character Don is neither dark, brown, nor has he been little since he was wee.
-Malcolm- From the Gaelic Mael Colum, servant of Colum. Again, this has no bearing on the character.
-Elinore- Whoo boy. From "Behind the Name": From the Old French form of the Provençal name Aliénor. It was first borne by the influential Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was named Aenor after her mother, and was called by the Provençal phrase alia Aenor "the other AENOR" in order to distinguish her from her mother.
-Siofra- One of the Gaelic words for Fairy.
-Tiarnach- from Irish Gaelic tigern, meaning "lord".
-Kevya- means No One or Nobody in a Constructed Language of mine. Story reasons for this.

Not part of the Court:
Copernica: I feminized the Latin name Copernicus. Original meaning has something to do with goat horns, I'm sure. My intent was referencing the astronomer by the name.
Stella- Star. Like twinkle twinkle.
Apple- Well duh.
Pip- a seed, very small, as of a grape. Fitting, since she was the first Tiny sized doll I got.
Nikos- A pet form of Nikolas or Nikolaos, which is from Greek νικη (nike) "victory" and λαος (laos) "people". Victors, or victorious people?
Sorrel- a woodland plant, looks shamrocky. Also a color of horse, a burnished brown.
Timmany- She insisted this was her name. I'm not gonna argue with a jet-lagged fairy.

About Timmany

Timmany is one of my very smallest dolls, at about 6 cm tall. She's a Limited Edition Sylph from DreamHigh Studio, from a production run of a month or two in Winter 2010->2011. I bought her for myself as a reward of sorts for hanging on through some pretty freaky happenings. I like to think her stubborn face and teeny fists symbolize a sort of hopeful little fighting spirit.


This is her sitting on Stella's lap, in her new wig I just made. Her first wig was white tibetan mohair, and it was unruly and stiff and wouldn't stay on. This one is softer lambswool roving, wispier and better fitting. It also matches the eyebrows she came painted with. Timmany is one of the only dolls I have whose face I did not paint- I ordered her fully blushed and painted because she was just so small, I don't know that I could do it myself. Her eyes are the ones she arrived with from DH Studio. I have no idea what size they are, but the teal is a pretty color.


Here she is with her new wings. I made them from a printout of Cicada wings, some wire, and superglue. They're stuck to her back with sticky-tac for now. I'm wondering about attaching them permanently but we'll see. She's looking much more "herself" with them on.

So far, character-wise, she's a feisty little thing, but given to wailing and a bit of sulking if she's feeling particularly miserable. This is cleared up quickly by a half-thimbleful of something tasty. She likes the company of the other tinies, and is quick to perch on an available shoulder, hand, arm or head of any other doll nearby.


Timmany is also the only fairy I have with this magical talent- She glows! I tried to catch the effect of her glow in this pic. After exposure to bright light, her glow is intense! DH Studio is the only company I know of that is currently producing Glow In The Dark dolls. Donny (the artist) has formulated a durable new resin recipe that lets him not only sculpt things to be cast so small, but it appears to take glow-pigment-stuff really well!


This is a quick snapshot of Timmany's Lantern House. I bought a lantern from a local home decor place, lined the bottom with Mosscloth, and the back panel with fake vellum to keep it translucent so light can come in. She has a little seashell and a tiny basket in there, and a scrap of white rabbit fur for a bed. I put the little gold seal on the top of the lantern- a piece I made years ago out of Sculpey.

On Surnaming Dolls

Would you give your BJDs a surname?

Yes. Since the Main group of my dolls are "medievalish" fictional in genre, there are a few basic kinds of surnames typically used in that setting:
Descriptive, (Jon the Tall, Jon Hammerhand, etc)
Patronymic (Jon Larsson, Jon Mac Duncan, etc)
Locative: (Jon Bywood, Jon o' Kent, Jon o' Darbyshire)
And Occupational: (Jon the Hunter, Jon Tanner, Jon Taylor)

So Kevya is Kevya the Wolf, and that's a descriptive name. My harpist is Aeron Winter, another descriptive surname, even though his mother's surname was Pryderi. I have a knight named Sir Malcolm Owen, and it's a patronymic name, as his family is the House of Owen. The Prince/King is Lir, known to his people as Lir The Wanderer- I haven't decided on Lir's family name yet.

Would you give them YOUR surname?
Certainly not. My surname is for members of my family. My own surname is a very specific locative surname referring to a certain ancestral farmstead in a certain country. As there are less than two hundred of us by our name on this broad blue Earth, we bear it with a certain amount of pride, and use it to determine who, out in the wide world, is some distant kin of ours. Dolls aren't real people, and they are not in my family, nor are my dollies my "children", so they do not get my surname.

Would you rather give them a random surname?
Their surnames actually tend to mean something, as I mentioned above. Medievally, surnames were to tell people apart when they had the same first name, and also to impart extra information about them, such as what they were like or what they did for a living.

Some of the Tinies

My Dolls: The Tinies
In the Asian Ball Jointed Doll Hobby, "tinies" are the dolls about 26cm and smaller. These are some of mine.


Type: Fairyland Littlefee Pipi, modded, Soom Ai hooves
Name: Stella the Troll Child
Nickname(s): Stella-Bella
Age: somewhere around 7
Birthdate: April 12, which is when I had finished her, I think, in 2010
Faceup: By Me, all mods by me
Nationality/Species: Bridge Troll
Favourite colours: Green, rose, earth tones
Skin:":"white "
Hair: fake fur wig
Eyes: violet 14mm
Sex: Female
Look: Earthy/Nature themed fantasy clothes
Likes: Nature, books, dressing up in awesome clothes, running around, pastries, mushrooms
Dislikes: pesky fairies. Bad writing. Swiss cheese.
Secrets: Wants a rose pink Tudor gown
Personality: Bit of a loner, book child with a lively imagination
Background: none in particular.




Sculpt: Fairyland Pukipuki Pipi
Name: Pip
Nickname(s): my Darling
Age: Unknown
Birthdate: June 13
Faceup: By me
Nationality/Species: Elf pixie thing
Favourite colours: Blue
Skin:":"normal"
Hair: little brown pigtails by Tabloach! 3-4"
Eyes: Very blue, unknown 8mm
Sex: Female
Look: She is my little fairygnome girl! Favorite outfits are the green felt sundress I made her, her steampunk outfit and goggles, or her traveling leathers, with a little string belt she keeps charms on. Prefers to go barefoot, but owns leather slippers, tennies and little elf clogs.
Likes: Her nest, Sparkly things, Seashells, silver charms, playing outside, bothering the bigger dolls, Playing with Mister Tibbles the plushie cat, exploring, sailing in her airship, playing with Nikos, Briar, and Iggy, her puki friends so far, or hanging out with Apple and Timmany the fairies.
Dislikes: Being bored, being alone, scary movies, being teased by Nikos.
Secrets: Likes to dress up and be a pretty-princess every so often.
Personality: Wise but childlike, Very curious and bold, eager to "asplore new fings an' places". Speaks entirely in LOL. "Can haz airship?"
Background: Arrived a bit bewildered from her many travels, but settled right in, thrilled to be out of the wide world and have a room and a nest of her very own. Now that she's adjusted, she's raring for another high adventure and hoping I find her friends to share it with. "Da Airship Fisseldown gotta haz a crew!"




Type: Fairyland Tyni
Name: Apple Blossom
Nickname(s): Imp
Sex: F
Age: Unknown/young lady
Birthdate: unknown
Faceup: Me
Skin:": Normal
Hair: FakeFur
Eyes: Glib Brown 6mm
Nationality/Species: Fairy
Favourite colours: Green
Look: Fairy nature sprite thing.
Likes: The outdoors, her sister, teasing Stella sometimes, exploring, collecting sparkly things, nesting
Dislikes: Being told to sit still
Secrets: Is considering finding herself a mate and making a love nest.
Personality: Cheeky, clever, sneaky, cheerful, optimistic
Background: Came here with her sister Cherry looking for fun and adventure

My Dolls- The Court of Dun Elisedd

(All characters except as noted belong to me and are original creations, please do not use.)

-The Court-
Composed of SD+ sized dolls, (Which is hobby lingo for dolls about 58 cm and larger) the Court is made up of the main characters of a medieval fantasy court in a castle. I do have a storyline of sorts for them, and someday I might get around to writing and publishing their story as a novel of the Medieval fantasy genre. They all have very different, sometimes clashing personalities that keep the function of a court in running the kingdom very interesting.


High on a hill sits the castle, Dun Elisedd. It was the ancient king Elisedd himself who first raised a fortress here, and it has been added to and built upon in the years since by his royal descendants.

War has torn the kingdom, bloody and swift. A country's young and hale men have been cut down like wheat in a terrible harvest, leaving the few survivors to try to pull their world together again. The old King Gahaeris, his heir Cai, and almost all the knights are slain. The Princess Elinore rallies the people to rebuild, and sends out another messenger every so often to try to find her wandering brother Lir, now heir to the throne, and bring him home. He returns to find a kingdom and a house in ruins, and all hopes resting upon him.


Prince Lir
Company and sculpt: SOOM Lupin
Height: 63cm
Resin colour: NS
Modifications: Shortened neck
Faceup: Me
Eyes: Masterpiece Afghan 13mm
Wig: wool roving, made by Me

Name (and nicknames): Lir (the doll itself is known occasionally as Mister Scruffy)
Age: 23
Birthday: in the Autumn
Family and/or relationships: Father:Gahaeris (dcs.), Mother:Elaine (dcs.), Brother: Cai (dcs.), Sister: Elinore
Pets: A raven named Scratch
Personality: Calm, curious, mild, compassionate, soft spoken, introspective
Hobbies: wandering, reading, studying histories and records,
Likes: Time alone or with close friends, long journeys, riddles and mysteries, books, his family
Dislikes: shallowness, rudeness, useless noise, flattery, cruelty
Other/misc. facts: Believer in lost causes, likes the Lady Rowena very much

Short bio: He left his castle home, going out alone as he often did, but this time he stayed away for two years, chasing rumors of a hidden record, an ancient text. He found it, and followed the advice of a blind poet to sail to an island ruled by a cruel lord, where he rescued a slave who could read the words written in the book. Then he journeyed home, hastened on his way by rumors of war in his father's kingdom. Nothing could have prepared him for what he would find on his arrival.


Princess Elinore
Company and sculpt: Migidoll Jina/Aoi Tuki body/Elfdoll Hands
Height: 60?cm
Resin colour: NS
Modifications: some sanding on the Aoi Tuki body, hybridzed
Faceup: me
Eyes: ?14mm
Wig: Dollzone wavy black 8"

Name (and nicknames): Elinore, Linnet Bird
Age: 20
Birthday: in Spring
Family and/or relationships: Father: Gahaeris (dcs.), Mother: Elaine (dcs.), Brother: Cai (dcs.), Brother: Lir
Pets: none.
Personality: Observant, clever, feminine, brave, bold
Hobbies: reading, stargazing, singing
Likes: sweets, roses, songbirds, honest men,
Dislikes: liars, panderers, flatterers, over-ambition, battle
Other/misc. facts: Quite capable of taking the Throne.

Short bio: The youngest of the three children of King Gahaeris, Elinore is left by the deaths of her father and brother to act as Regent and rule the Kingdom. It never would have happened but for the war, and the absence of her brother Lir, who will have to accept the Throne and become King.


Lady Rowena
Company and sculpt: Unidoll Suri
Height: 62cm
Resin colour: default
Modifications: Sanded on the body, blushed back to original skintone
Faceup: me
Eyes: Glib acrylics, 14mm (?)
Wig: Happy Camille dark brown wavy.

Name (and nicknames): Lady Rowena
Age: 20
Birthday: In the Spring
Family and/or relationships: Parents
Pets: none
Personality: Lively, smart, inquisitive, daring
Hobbies: riding, hawking, long walks, exploring
Likes: fresh air, sunshine, windy weather, Lir
Dislikes: being shut in, gossip, court intrigue
Other/misc. facts: She and Lir were childhood sweethearts

Short bio: Rowena used to visit the castle with her family when she was young. When the war broke out and their home was captured, they escaped and came to live at the castle.



Kevya the Wolf
Company and sculpt: IH Barron Mod/Lost Angel Thunder body mod/Dikadoll hands, modded
Height:60cm
Resin colour:NS
Modifications: Extensive body mods, facial mods, finger mods, scar mods
Faceup: me
Eyes: Volks metallic Lt Blue 14mm
Wig: Iplehouse wavy black 8", modded by me

Name (and nicknames): Kevya, Wolf
Age: unknown
Birthday:unknown
Family and/or relationships: none
Pets:none
Personality: feral, shy, alert, intelligent, slow to trust but very loyal once trust is gained
Hobbies: following Lir around, eavesdropping, people-watching, sparring with the soldiers
Likes: being outdoors, animals, going barefoot, music
Dislikes: being locked up, being restrained, crowds, being touched, being grabbed
Other/misc. facts: Expert at hand to hand fighting. Growls if cornered. His canine and premolar teeth are slightly pointy.

Short bio: He was a shepherd on the northern island of Sai Verdan. Then he was captured by raiders and spent six years in slavery on the island of Rilvomar. He was forced to fight men and beasts in an arena for the entertainment of a crowd, and he became something feral and terrible before finally being freed by a compassionate stranger called Lir.


Aeron Winter
Company and sculpt: Leeke Romeo head/SOOM Supergem body
Height: 63cm
Resin colour: NS
Modifications: Slightly shortened neck
Faceup: Me
Eyes: Glib, dark grey/black acrylic 16mm?
Wig: Leeke? and Iplehouse, both long and silver, 9"

Name (and nicknames): Aeron Winter (D***ed Harpist, That Bastard, Devil's Get)
Age: 22
Birthday: Very early spring
Family and/or relationships: Mother: Lady Catrin Pryderi (dcs.)
Pets: none
Personality: Inwardly a poet and a dreamer, outwardly a cynic, acerbic, doubtful, perceptive, snarky.
Hobbies: Music- he is the King's Harpist
Likes: Good wine, fine music, the rare honest person, quality harpstrings, fine weather, a receptive audience
Dislikes: most people, liars and sycophants, Kevya, ungrateful audiences
Other/misc. facts: If he's in a lousy enough mood, when there's feasting he waits until he's not needed for accompaniment and gets himself absolutely smashed, ending up with some willing young lady in his bed.

Short bio: His mother, Lady Catrin, vanished one Midsummer's Eve, only to turn up on a frosty misty morning near Allhallows claiming she'd been been away with the faeries, that she had a faery lord lover who would come to join her shortly, and take her away again to marry him. She did not seem to grasp reality at all anymore, and she sang strange songs to herself. She was deemed quite mad, and kept in the home of her brother. In the early spring as the earth began to thaw, she bore a child. A strange child with dark eyes and silver hair. She claimed the boy looked just like his supposed faery father. Everyone else just made warding signs against evil, and called him Devil's Get. He grew up with a prodigious gift for music and a fair voice, so he turned to harping as his occupation, being unable to claim noble birthright.


Sir Donovan
Company and sculpt: Iplehouse Akando
Height: 70cm
Resin colour: NS
Modifications: Hip mod so he can sit up by himself
Faceup: me
Eyes: Soom single-dome Nile 12-14mm?
Wig: Iplehouse, modded by me

Name (and nicknames): Sir Donovan Callaghan
Age: 25
Birthday: In Winter
Family and/or relationships: Lady Khorae
Occupation: Captain of the Castle Guard, knight
Pets: none
Personality: Honorable, gentle, chivalrous, almost naïve but more competent than he seems
Hobbies: hunting, riding
Likes: beautiful women, chivalry and honor, being polite, tourneys and good times with friends
Dislikes: rude people, cowards and traitors,
Other/misc. facts: A very capable leader of men, but stammers and blushes like a teenager when confronted by a pretty lady.

Short bio: Son of a northern lord, not standing to inherit much, so he came to the court and distinguished himself in the service of the King. He came to his current position by surviving the recent war, though that was not due to him holding back at all on the battlefield.


Mathonwy
Company and sculpt: DIM Torudoll Karon
Height: 61cm
Resin colour: WS
Modifications: None. (gasp!)
Faceup: Mostly me, some default
Eyes: glib sunflower 16mm
Wig: me

Name (and nicknames): Mathonwy
Age: 19
Birthday: in Autumn
Family and/or relationships: ?
Occupation: Scribe and recorder
Pets: none
Personality: inquisitive, meek but occasionally snarky, witty sense of humor
Hobbies: Reading! Eavesdropping
Likes: books, girls, feasts, food, books, maps, stories, books…
Dislikes: mold and mildew, illegible handwriting, mean girls
Other/misc. facts: Uses reading lenses. (Yes, I know they’re not the medieval kind, you try finding those at all let alone in doll scale. Hrmph)

Short bio: A simple scribe. Escaped having to join the battle and a likely death in the war by dint of his occupation as witness and recorder- someone must survive to tell the story.



Sir Malcolm Owen
Company and sculpt: DIM MNM Ian Somerhalder/shared body
Height: 63cm
Resin colour: NS DIM Minimee resin
Modifications: Eyes evened out a bit
Faceup: me
Eyes: Glib? Acrylic, Light Blue, 14mm
Wig: Iplehouse, modified

Name (and nicknames): Sir Malcolm Owen. (Not Mal. Ever.)
Age: 52
Birthday: in Spring
Family and/or relationships: ?
Occupation: Knight, formerly of the King’s personal guard
Pets: none
Personality: A weathered veteran of several battlefields, courageous, dependable, and often the voice of reason or experience. Has courtly flirting down to an art, which makes the ladies blush and the younger men feel like idiots.
Hobbies: hunting, hawking, riding, target archery
Likes: Chivalry, loyalty, duty, the royal family
Dislikes: coward and traitors, anyone who disrespects women or the Crown
Other/misc. facts: Has survivor’s guilt.

Short bio: A knight for most of his adult life, he was one of eight men who protected King Gahaeris at home and on the field of battle. In the war, the entire guard was cut down, the King and the Crown Prince were both slain. Only Sir Malcolm survived, lying wounded in the mud and assumed by the enemy to be already dead. He has yet to fully come to terms with the loss of not only his closest comrades, but his Prince and King, whose defense was his sworn duty.



Siofra
Company and sculpt: Resinsoul Yun,
Height: 58cm
Resin colour: lt. Tan
Modifications: none
Faceup: Me
Eyes: Eyeco?16mm Teak
Wig: by Tannis

Name (and nicknames): Siofra
Age: unknown
Birthday: unknown
Family and/or relationships: ?
Occupation: Faery?
Pets: none
Personality: Capricious, sensual, flirtacious, curious
Hobbies: leading men astray, confusing people, toying with mortals, singing, dancing
Likes: men, mortals in general, jokes and pranks, fine music, light and laughter
Dislikes: cold iron, steel, humorless people, being slighted
Other/misc. facts: She is one of the faery, the Sidhe, the Bright Ones, the Fair People, and don’t you forget it.

Also Known As Rosslyn

Yes, that's me. Rosslyn of Den of Angels doll forum.
Same person.
So this is my dolly blog, where I am going to stick all my chatter about modding, customizing, painting and even building Ball Jointed Dolls. I have an awful lot of them in my collection now, and I need a place to keep it all straight and post pictures. I'll also probably talk about music and art and history quite a bit, because I like to, and those things inspire me- but it'll be mostly the dolls.