Ashbet's Catgirl-head-in-progress (NEW RESIN PIX)

11/12/05 Update: Mau will be cast shortly, Caitlin had some surgery and has needed a little time to recover. Should have a sale post soon!!

Here are two pics that Caitlin just sent me of the resin cast of Mau's head





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Recent pics of Mau (master resin cast, without ears):









More soon!! Sorry for the photo quality, Caitlindevi took these on her phone-cam. The final version will be even in color, this one was V1 and we didn't bother worrying about pigment.

Eeee, she's turning out so cute!!

* * *

I'm working on making a custom head, hopefully eventually to be cast in resin. I used a Obitsu 60-303 head as a base, and I'm molding new features on with Sculpey. She'll be an SD-sized catgirl when she's finished :>

The beginning of the process can be seen here

Here's what I've got so far (in need of sanding, some reshaping of the forehead, and of course kitty-ears):







More to come!

-- Andi :>

 

Thank you!! Nixie was quite an inspiration -- I've been wanting to do a catgirl-doll for ages, but seeing Nixie really made me NEED to make her!

The ears are going to be done similar to Unoa Light ears -- they'll be on posts that go through the head at the point where the headcap joins it, and I'll just have to make small holes in her wigs to accommodate them. Wasn't a problem for Artemis, and the nice part is that the holes are small enough that they don't show if someone else wears the wig :>

I've just finished sanding her, so I'm going to move on to the ears next!!







Sorry for the photo quality, it's HARD to get a decent pic of unpainted white Sculpey in indoor lighting!

Thanks to all of you for your encouragement!! ^-^

-- Andi

 

Okay, last post in this thread, I swear!!









Okay, now to go beg a friend to help me cast her in resin ^-^

-- Andi *bouncebouncebounce*

 

Hehehe, don't worry -- I meant that it was the last time I was commenting on my own thread in one day

I'm sending her to my dear friend Caitlindevi to be cast in resin, and then I will definitely post more photos! We're probably going to do a small limited run of painted and unpainted catgirl-heads (between 10 and 20, depending on how the mold holds up), so I'll sell a few eventually once they're in a finished state.

Thank you!! I've done as much sanding as I'm going to do on the vinyl/Sculpey version (I have to be REALLY careful in sanding, because the vinyl is flexible and the Sculpey isn't, so I run the risk of cracking it if I press too hard), but Caitlin and I are going to do an initial resin cast and clean up that version, then use the resin master to create a new mold.

SQUEEEE, I'm so excited!! And Caitlin is a professional modelmaker, so between the two of us, we should be able to get these little guys looking good! *bounce*

-- Andi

 

Well, let me get them made first, but then I would probably be open to persuasion . . . *grin*

Thank you!!

-- Andi

 

Thanks, hon!! Here are a few pics of painted mock-ups, as a teaser between now and when they're cast:

That's a good question . . . I'm not sure it's a problem, since I've removed the ears, added the muzzle and cat-ears, totally recontoured the cheek and jaw . . . I'm basically just using the cranium as a mold, and that'll be slightly modified in the resin-cast version.

The grounds for copyright infringement tend to be whether or not the new item could be *mistaken for* the original item . . . and there's no chance of that here. According to patent/trademark law, it's permissible to use a copyrighted item as a *component* of a new item, as long as it's clear that the new item is not produced or endorsed by the original company. (I used to work for a patent/trademark law firm)

If I was going to sell these on any large scale, I'd want to completely resculpt the cranium from scratch to avoid that problem, but since the resin version will have further sanding and modification done to it, I'm not going to worry about it right now -- I don't think it poses an ethical problem because I'm not representing it as an Obitsu head, nor am I incorporating any recognizable Obitsu features into the final product.

Plus, there will probably only ever be 10-20 of this sculpt made at *maximum*, assuming the whole casting thing works out!!

I'll keep you guys posted with updates -- I'm mailing it off to Caitlin in England today!

-- A :>

 

I remember seeing some awesome paw-hands and feet on Y!J a while back . . . I was coveting them at the time! I might have to play around with the idea further down the line :>

Oh, and I have an idea for a *fully-articulated* (not just swivel-able) tail that could be worn by any BJD without drilling . . . I'll post about that once I'm sure it'll work ^-^

-- Andi (having WAY too much fun with this, hehe!)

P.S. I love Siamese, too -- I grew up with two much-beloved and much-missed Siamese sisters, although my household is now ruled by the iron paws in velvet gloves of Gozer and Zuul, our grey tabbies :>

 

We'll see how the experiment goes! She's in the UK, so shipping back and forth is going to be a pain, but she does brilliant work and she's got lots of experience with resin molding, so I'm confident that she'll do a good job.

Here's some of her (sculpted, cast, and painted) figurine work:

http://www.katnipstudio.com/figurines.htm

This will be our first time working on a doll, but it's pretty much the same in theory -- if this goes well, we may try casting some other doll-parts!!

Are you wanting to go through the casting process yourself, or do you want me to pass her information on to you regarding casting? She wouldn't be ready 'til we've done mine and we see how it works out, but I'm more than happy to introduce you if you need someone to do casting :>

-- Andi

 

*grins* I already have all the children I need -- how 'bout I just put you on the list and drop you a line when they're ready?

Thanks!!

-- Andi

 

I will keep you posted!! I am considering getting a Dollmore Eve body for "Mau" (that's what I'm thinking of calling her *smiles*), but I have a Luts BW mature body that I'm going to try her on first . . .

The idea is going to be for the Mau head to work on any resin body, if I can make it happen. I've also got a Notdoll "Crystal Rose White" (BW equivalent) body to try her on as well . . . they all seem to have a pretty similar method of attachment, so wish me luck!!

-- A :>

 

Honestly, I have no idea what color she'll turn out right now -- Caitlin usually works in white resin (since she makes painted resin figures), and we're going to experiment with adding some pigmentation to make it a color other than stark white. This is the first time making BJD parts for either of us, so it may take a little tinkering to get the mixture to match existing skin tones.

If possible, though, I'll be offering her in 'normal' and 'BW'

-- A

 

Aww, thanks!! I will put you on the list! There are probably only going to be 10-20 heads cast, so I will keep records of who asks . . . and if this goes well, I will probably be doing more sculpting in future (who am I kidding, I love to sculpt, I'll definitely be doing more!)

Oh, WOW!! Caradoc is COOL!! I love the way you painted the fur, it looks so real!! He's such an original mod . . . me likey!

Artemis says that if he changes his mind about wanting a TALLER girlfriend, he should give HER a call . . . hehehe!!

-- Andi :>

 

Note kitty-ears in icon. 'Nuff said. *hehehe*

Actually, you might like some of the art on my website (catgirls and wolfboys galore, among other things!) . . . the link is in my .sig line. Some of it is non-work-safe due to nudity, although it's all *artistic* nudity, nothing pornographic (I'm not THAT kind of furry artist!) . . . I just like drawing girls with their tops off!!

I have a number of dear friends in the UK who I'd love to visit more often (damn this lack of money), so the next time I make it over, I'll be sure to have Artemis give Caradoc a call *grin*

-- A

 

Not yet -- still waiting for her to reach Caitlin, the Labor Day weekend slowed down the mail. I'm planning on getting some supplies to work on the tail today, though!

-- A :>

 

Thank you!! I'll keep you guys posted on when they're ready!!

Anneguish, I'll add you to the list!

*eeee!!*

-- A, shopping for cat-eyes RIGHT NOW, in fact

 

Eee, thanks!!

I'm actually just looking at some inexpensive taxidermy eyes for the moment, because I'm not sure what size she'll look best in . . . I'm going to get the resin master cast and then put some eyes in and see how they look, to figure out what eye size will look best and whether the eyeholes in the head need modifying.

I appreciate the offer, and I may take you up on it when I'm closer to final!!

-- A :>

 

Thanks, Derilaan!! I will!

-- Andi

 

Have a look at p. 1 of the post - just posted resin photos!!

-- Andi :>

 

Thanks, guys!! *bouncing*

Ears are getting cast today!!

-- Andi

 

Thank you all again ^-^

The master-version ears are cast as of today -- no photos yet, but she's coming along!!

-- Andi