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~ A Priori ~ status: Complete Redesign! Pics added 9/12

Sep 5, 2008

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    1. A Priori - adjective:

      1. Proceeding from a known or assumed cause to a necessarily related effect; deductive.
        1. Derived by or designating the process of reasoning without reference to particular facts or experience.
        2. Knowable without appeal to particular experience.
      3. Made before or without examination; not supported by factual study.
      Yet another first-time BJD sculpt... and my very first doll of any sort, at that--hence the name A Priori. She won't be anywhere NEAR as beautiful or well-made as most of yours, but she will be no less loved. :aheartbea

      My initial inspiration for this project came from Hikaru, Misaki Suzuhara's battle-doll in the anime Angelic Layer. As the project has progressed from fantasy to reality, however, I find her taking on more and more significance to me, so I'm looking for a name that will be more suitable to her "true" character, once I have discovered it.

      So far, you all have been absolutely beyond incredible in providing help, support, and encouragement. Thank you in advance to everyone who lends a hand in my first doll's creation!!

      Pictures

      TOTAL re-design in progress. I've drawn up a plan for a 24cm doll, which was my original plan. Many thanks to my wonderful Grandmother who's helping me name my girl and giving me so much encouragement (and food)! :aheartbea

      THE PLAN:
      [​IMG]

      My glorious tools! Minus the nail, of course... I lost it somewhere in my room. :...(
      That's the one major drawback of working with such a tiny "tool."
      [​IMG]

      Measurements

      (Currently re-working her body measurements for more realism.)
      (SEE IMAGE ABOVE!!)


      :abow: Thank you for comments and criticism! :abow:​
       
      #1 muse, Sep 5, 2008
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    2. It looks like you have a good start so far! I have to admit, Angelic Layer was what drew me into this hobby, too. xD
       
      #2 Chatvert, Sep 5, 2008
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    3. Thanks much!! Hehe, I figured I wasn't the only one. ;) I initially wanted a BJD as a way to complete a Misaki cosplay, but that became a fleeting thought after I discovered this community.
       
      #3 muse, Sep 5, 2008
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    4. Looks good so far! The eyes look even to me, although they might be a bit high set. I like anything to do with CLAMP *grin*
       
      #4 fragilelildoll, Sep 5, 2008
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    5. Thanks!!

      Oh, and if anyone knows how long I ought to boil her head (LOL!!) before cutting it open (double lol), I'd very much appreciate it. I'm going to try a boil-then-bake approach suggested by Mei-chan in the Customizing subforum.

      Another question, and a more important one: can you add uncured super sculpey to cured sculpey, and then re-bake it so it'll stick?? I seem to see a lot of folks doing that with various sculpting materials, but I'm not sure from the pictures...
       
      #5 muse, Sep 5, 2008
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    6. boil it for five minutes it should be enough, and yes you can add on top and bake again, just don't do it TOO many times

      as fragilelildoll said i think the eyes are too high set but you can add to the top of the head to fix it :)
       
      #6 du-hast, Sep 6, 2008
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    7. Hi Muse!
      Excellent start! In answer to your adding uncured sculpey to baked sculpey, yes, you sure can. You can rough up the baked area with sandpaper and then blend the new clay smoothly onto the baked surface. You do have to be prepared for uneven color on your finished model, because sometimes baked and rebaked sculpey starts to brown, but if you can see past that, it's a great technique.(obviously, the uneven color won't affect the mold or the resin cast. But if it bugs you, or you want to reveal tiny flaws before you make the mold, spray primer all over the finished, baked head... it will look very smooth and unified.) For me baking between steps is worth it, to keep the "skull" from squishing out of shape while you sculpt the features.
      Oh, if you do this, you'll want to make room for the eyeball forms or marbles you plan
      to sculpt the eyelids over before you bake the "skull" the first time. I'm sorry, I don't think that made sense... help, anybody! :)
       
      #7 ghostdollie, Sep 6, 2008
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    8. Umm, ghostdollie, you sort of ROCK my SOCKS. :dance That's exactly what I needed to hear!! Regarding the uneven color, I'm probably going to have to figure out some way to paint her whole body anyway, considering how crappy the sculpey is looking right now (stuff gets INTO the clay and STAYS there... grr...) but it's good to know that I can avoid squishing her head! XD If she's good enough, I might consider getting her cast, but from what I hear it's CRAZY expensive, and my plan with making a doll was to avoid excessive expense, difficult as it is with this hobby. ;) I'll probably buy a doll eventually, but I really want to make my own first. Kinda silly, but there you are. Oh, and any opinions on the possible names I've chosen? :)
       
      #8 muse, Sep 6, 2008
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    9. Yay! I'm glad I could help! In regard to the ugly sculpey, you may find that by the time you are done, have sanded the whole thing well, sprayed Mr. Super Clear on it, blushed it, and sprayed it again, your doll may look just fine without a coat of paint. Those last few steps can make all the difference sometimes. (Also, about getting it cast, you can do it yourself for less. It is however quite time intensive!) Nonetheless, your one of a kind, original art doll will be beautiful and start taking on a life of its own. :)
       
      #9 ghostdollie, Sep 6, 2008
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    10. coolies!!
      I love your doll so far!!
       
      #10 takkitackey, Sep 7, 2008
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    11. Thanks much, Takki. :)

      Bleh, the features of her face are driving me CRAZY!! I think I might just scrape them off entirely and sculpt them back on later, once the clay is boiled and half-cured, kinda like Ladysaiyuki did.

      Any tips on this?
       
      #11 muse, Sep 7, 2008
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    12. I really think, after looking over the SoulDoll kids dolls a couple of times, that I'm going to base her measurements on another doll, preferably one that's a bit more realistic.

      I'm going to troll the 43cm forum to see what the folks over there say, but if you've any ideas, feel free to slide them over thissaway. :)
       
      #12 muse, Sep 8, 2008
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