So it's been a Year

And I haven't posted much at all. This year I haven't had much time for dolls, just a few moments snagged here and there. I'm not sure what more to say than that- real life jumped up and took all my time.

I guess I can recount some of what I did manage over the course of the whole year.

 This is Chioma, my dyed Chibi Unoa. I finally dyed her, with iDye Poly and bought new PanPastels and finished her off with them. The richer colors were perfect for making her dye colors flawless. Her wig is a custom job by StellaMaris. I had made her clothes in 2015, while I was sick that Autumn.


Fayeth (Resinsoul Ju/Soom Adamelli body) is now modeling an experimental outfit I made for her last Spring, in the influence of green and growing things.

The top is just a heavy necklace made out of silver and glass beads. Now that it's cold winter, I feel like I should make her a more fitting gown for snowy weather.

 I finally made an outfit for Amadi. (Simply Divine Harlequin on a Dollstown18 body) This ombre silk has been in my fabric stash for ages, but I couldn't work out what to do with such odd colors- peach and mint?- until I matched them to this vintage scarf I've made a coat out of. Silk is so hard to work with, but the draping it gives is gorgeous. I hand-stitched it all, but it caught and snagged on every callous of my working hands. I was worried I'd ruin it.

I finished the blushing and faceup on my Withdoll Mai girl Nevae, part of the Eddion story. She's been without a faceup for far too long.

 I also made her a wig, after the one I bought for her just did not work out. This is black dyed tibetan lambswool type fiber, applied to a hardcap, pulled back in a chignon knot.

Doll stuff was planned: I am waiting on a head from Armeleia. "Wol" will be put on a slender Doll Chateau Kid body to become my long desired Aspen Dryad. I hand dyed some lace to make stuff for wigs for that doll, but I can't proceed without the head. The next step will be merely to work on the mods I want to do to the body. I can't blush it yet without the head to match it to.

I'm also making another doll I've thought a long time about, or  I will when I have time. I don't know how long I'll keep him, a few years, I guess- Some dolls are just compulsions, art I have to make, that pesters at my mind until I make them real. This one's name is Shade, and he is an IOS Anima head on a Dikadoll body. It will be dyed black.

PSA- why you NEED a proper respirator when spraying Sealants or paints.

Dear friends, Let me show you guys why respirators are VITAL no matter what you are spraying.

I have a shop where I do my spraying work. It has a filter and a fan that sucks the air out of the spray chamber, filtering as it goes.




This is a few sprays of a paint onto some doll parts. You see that square in the wall? That is the filter. It was white when I started this. That is what was pulled out of the air while I sprayed, the can was never aimed at the filter. 

That's what ends up in your lungs when you inhale aerosols. it just shows up here because I was using a paint which has a strong color.

Please, PLEASE use a properly fitted and rated respirator. You only get one set of lungs.

Making Solas, part 2

Part 2,
Part 1 is here.

I am making a doll of a Dragon Age character called Solas, who is a bald elf male.
I am going to make the lovely but happily inexpensive Resinsoul/Bobobie Tang into this character.

The Plan:

First, facial mods. I need Tang to resemble Solas more closely. I'll be adding or refining his elf ears, and reshaping parts of his face.

Second, Aesthetics. I want to paint and blush him to look just like the art style of the games.

Third, Outfit. I'm going to make him his basic clothing from the game art, with a few accessories.

I ended up going out of order and doing a lot of the sewing first.
Then I did a ton of sculpting. See part 1.

So as of yesterday here is what he looked like.
We went from this:

To this:

And then today I scrubbed my fingers sore doing sanding work on this sculpt and polishing up the details. More pics and updates to come!

edit: UPDATE 1/10

I am now adding paint and blushing, using images from Dragon Age Inquisition to see how the actual animated figure was "skinned" with a digitally painted texture. I can copy the shading and colors. I was able to put his little brow scar in as an actual indentation- pretty proud of that. I will be adding more color and details later today, like his lip color, freckles, eyebrows and eyelashes, and so on.

 Here he is all shirtless and scrawny but looking more himself. I wish I had better eyes for him to use but these were the only ones that fit. They are the perfect color, just not the best fit.

 He's judging me over having trouble trying to work out those stupid foot wraps of his. He couldn't just wear boots like an ordinary fantasy character, oooooh no.