Discussion August 2: How have you grown this year, DoA?

This year, well was really my first year in the hobby. I learned I couldn't just have one, or even just have my OC dolls as more have popped up to create their own characters. I wound up with 4 OC dolls and 4 dolls who made up their own, with 2 heads that just turned up this year.

My photography skills has improved - or so I like to think. And I learned I can be very creative and rather good at faceups considering before dolls I was no artist. My sewing skills are still atrocious however.

I've learned how to restring, how to hot-glue suede.

And! I've made a lot of friends IRL due to the local meet ups.

 

This year I:

- Finally took the big step, and redid some of my doll's makeup! I exceeded my expectations, and did a pretty good job, not perfect but I feel it's only a matter of time. I can purchase future dolls blank now!
- Purchased a Zaoll Luv, a doll that I have been stalking for the last two years.
- I have come to a happy content place in my collection. Still a couple more dolls I want but I don't feel like there is any hurry.
- Improved my sewing skills drastically. I feel a lot more confident in myself this year. Made some awesome dresses that I didn't think I would be able to make last year.
- Restrung my first doll this year. I'm a pro now!

I really feel very confident in the hobby now, I'm not scared to paint them and take them apart anymore. It was a very big year of growth in the hobby for me.

 

This last year:
-I started my own doll clothing line, which went really good here in Sweden.
-I bought a Kid delf Ani and a BID Naias.
-I got tired of my Resinsoul Dan and decided to change her mold but keep the character. I went crazy trying to find the new her and is still looking.
-And I recently spontaneously just bought a floating head even though I cant afford it at the moment.
-I also did my first face-up and have done about five since then.
-My skills in about everything (sewing, photographing and all that jazz) has approved a lot!
-Went to a couple of big doll meetings, but I found out I prefer the small ones with the closest of my doll friends.
-Which brings me to the most awsome thing; I met some really really nice people not far from me that I think I can say (at least to myself) that I love. They are awsome!
I love you guys! I love this hobby! This is what I live for, thank you DoA and all you great doll owners out there!

 

This year I...

...finally bit the bullet and got my first DSLR, and am (slowly) learning how to use it!
...accepted that while most of my oldest dolls (2003-2004) were the best options available to represent their characters back when I got them, new dolls have come out since then that are better suited to what I want for those characters. Thus, I've begun getting new, more realistic dolls to represent those same characters. It has been an invigorating re-visioning of the oldest section of my doll collection!
...met a wonderful man, fell in love, and am in the process of changing jobs and moving to a different part of the state to live with him and apply to an MA program at a university near our new home. Bonus: He totally "gets" the dolls, and supports my collection.
...learned how to do basic resin casting. Next step: Pressure pots!

 

Let's see...
I learned how to [hand] sew better. (but still break every sewing machine within reach xD)
I tried my hand at face-ups.
I did my first re-stringing.
And I became a little less of a lurker!

 

I'd say this year...
~I've been more brave to do customization on my dolls. I am practicing faceups/blushing, I can restring all my dolls and I'm going to try modding soon.
~I am also trying to take the best photos, improving my skills with the camera I do have.
~I finally got all my floating heads bodies, and will only buy heads and bodies together from now on.
~I'm also trying to be less of a lurker, even though I still don't always have a lot to say :L

 

I now know there's anniversary contest, I just realized I could have joined the contests last year but totally did not pay attention to the fact that there even was a contest. hmm in the past year my doll family as grown from 2 to 4 and my photography skills have way improved and I've made amazing new friends that I love just as much as my IRL friends.

 

I have more dolls! I have start to have now also MSDs and of corse more tinys. I am so in love with FairyLand´s MiniFees and pukipukis. I also got a new camera so I can take more and more beatifull pictures of my dolls, thanks to all thouse wonderfull pictures I have seen here and have gave me ispirations. I am learning makeing dresses and every try makes me do the things better than before.

And because I am into tinys I also got a house for them, so I am building a dollhouse for them even that I all ready have two of them. But I can´t help it...

 

I actually made it to a meet this year!!!! BIG achievement for me LOL plus "coming out" with my sculpting and umm..... learned not to dead bad computer people even if they DID deserve it

 

Hi Truffles! Hi Farinelli! You are both growing more and more adorable.

This past year had me graduate school with honours (4.0 GPA ftw!).
It also had me working two jobs which did nothing for my social (and therefore doll) life, so I've actually not done much of anything in the doll community.
I did, however, acquire more dolls.. 5 more teenies. !@#%$ but they do multiply faster than cockroaches. My tiny population has pretty much doubled and now stands at 12. And I thought I'd only ever want SD sized dolls.. Ha!
EDIT: Oh, and I hand sewed my first t-shirt. It looks like crap but since I've never hand sewn before, I'm calling it a good thing.

I hear you on that. I finally got a camera for Xmas last year after searching for pretty much almost two years. It took me that long to really realise that, as much as I'd love to learn and use a DSLR, I really don't want to have to carry around all the equipment. I can use a hybrid and get, not quite the same results, but similar. I'm happier now that I have the new camera and have let go of the DSLR thing. XD

Happy Anniversary DoA! It's been a fun 7 years (although I've been around since the Yahoo Group days.. remember them too. ).
LM

 

.This summer in July marked the anniversary of my first year as a doll owner! Woot!
.I have gained three dolls since my first one and am waiting on three more to come to me soon hopefully.
.Recently I started learning how to do my own faceups so i will not forever be dependent on the default from the doll company.
. I decided that since I needed an elective anyway I should take a photography class so I can take decent pictures of my little family
.I learned that I must be willing to spend more money to get shoes for dolls than I am willing to pay for my own shoes >_<
.I started going to doll meets in my area and met a lot of great people!

 

I have grown a lot in terms of making new friends!

But, I have also learned how to do mods using epoxy (I never used it before) as well as work my sculpting skills in the medium. I also did my first heavy facial mod using both subtractive and additive forms.

 

-I bought my first BJD,
-I joined DoA!
-I made some clothing for them.
-Then I bought my second third and fourth BJDs.
-I participated in swaps

 

While I'd made my account here a year ago, it took until earlier this year to finally start becoming active. It helped that I also had the motivation and funds to finally get my first doll. And now that I've started with him and his personality has developed, it's led to all sorts of new and fun creativity. While I won't be able to afford a second doll for quite some time, there are plenty of ideas now in the works.
My thanks to DoA for all of the new friends and inspirations.

 

This year marked my 5th year in the hobby (doing photography mostly and jewelry) overall and the 1st year and a half as a owner. Icarus, Tsuna, and soon Ed (his is in November), all celebrated there one year dollie anniversary with me this year. It marked my second year as a DOA member.

--Since last August, I went from Icarus, my first boy in January of 2010 to now having FOUR...with the LUTS Maska Elf, which I named Tiashe being my most recent acquisition.

--Tiashe proved my patience and excitement as my first direct company mold purchase. Icarus, Tsuna and Edward Elric where all bought second hand thorough the Marketplace here.
It was an amazing experience, even though I think as "Arrival Day" got closer, my coworkers where both excited with me, and a few where... 'oh god just shutup already... we know he's coming....'

--I made my first attempt at stringing a doll. Ed's body. That was fun...later had him restrung by Resin Melody at ACEN, who ended up replacing the string he came with since it was getting old. Learned a little on stringing from the people of Resin Melody as well.

--Styled my first wig for a doll, taking a wig I bought from Leekeworld and cutting and styling it to Ed's trademark haircut.

--Progressed on learning a little more on blushing and doing tattoo work on my dolls. Icarus and Tsuna both have extensive back tattoo work. As I have learned more, I slowly improve. Project right now is to redo blushing on Icarus, and do a blushing on Tsuna. And then to redo all the original tattoo work with Liquitex acrylics.

--Undertaking an endeavor that I think will be worth the effort when finished. Constructing dollfie sized automail... out of actual metal, not epoxy or clay or resin. Edwards automail will be made using actual craft sheet aluminum in .005mm thickness. I am also learning with it the resizing of patterns and am taking to heart several patters that have been used by cosplayers (whom have done close to accurate Ed automail) to alter them down to 60cm dollfie scale. Being I am aiming for as close to accurate to Ed's as possible, I have enlisted some help from friends of mine who are Edward Elric cosplayers, as well as some of my fellow Risembool Rangers.

--Is going to learn a bit about a scarring method that using tinting of glues and epoxy to create raised scarring effect which will be used to do Ed's scar work along his right shoulder and rib area.

--Is beginning first forays into learning to eventually do my own faceups. Being as I will be having Ed done this weekend by a fellow doll buddy and fellow DOA'er, I will probably watch them closely and ask lots of questions. After all I do want to be able to do my own eventually.

--Another project I have begun if to learn how to scale patterns and create ones for dollfies, and begin to try and learn to sew clothes for them or other items I might want for them. I am also picking up on learning to construct wings, as the goal is for Icarus to have a pair of Steampunk inspired clockwork blade wings eventually.

 

This is a great question!

This year I made heaps of new friends, and gained a collection of seven dolls, with quite a few more in the 'wants/needs' basket!
I've managed to learn how to sew MNF sized denim, as well as actually make a pattern for jeans, something I hadn't managed until now!
I've learnt some nifty photography tricks, and for my 21st birthday I got my dream doll, who I have been wanting since I started the hobby (which, granted, wasn't all that long ago, but I feel like I have been waiting for her forever!)
I've learnt a LOT of patience, something else I hadn't managed until now!
I've found that, even more than I already believed, inanimate objects can have moods, and can kick you/pinch you/hit you when they feel like it, and that is never going to change, not with my girls anyway.
And I've learnt that sometimes a new faceup and eyes really can make the difference between just a doll and a little person you keep on a shelf!

 

Lets see... over the last year, I ended up unemployed for the longest I have ever been and discovered i'm terrible at it. LOL. More faceups, more modification and a begrudging treaty with my air brush. I got two new cats, and lost one old ferret... Decided I'm finally moving back home to Washington. Got a new job... made new friends! Learned kinda how to write some Japanese... discovered I'm only dyslexic in english... weird eh?

Discovered I will always have a dslr... and I will always turn off every bell and whistle to make it one step above an old slr... auto focus and I don't agree. Got so many new littlefees.... said good bye to some I never thought i would to go to better homes.

Finally redid milks face.

Most of all... just learned so much... hope the next year is even better.

 

This year I...

I actually got two dolls And I might be getting two more! :P

And that is probably the most important thing apart from Graduating that happened!