Modification Avatar Project #2 - Resinsoul Mei Na'vi Mod

Way back over a decade ago (that makes me feel old lol), I was commissioned to turn a Resinsoul Mei into one of the Na'vi, she was Avatar Project #1. I enjoyed the project and the results were better than I hoped, though looking back at it now I can see mistakes I made. In the last few years I was contacted by someone who had seen this doll custom, collected Pullips but wanted just one BJD, for me to repeat the Na'vi mod I did before. I said I'd do it and that the results should be better than the first one as I'd learned a lot between doing that one and her contacting me.

We went ahead and I figured I'd post about her here. The doll is now complete but I haven't posted the whole working process in order anywhere and I thought it'd be nice for me to have an online journal of it. I hope maybe some of you enjoy seeing this, though I do wish I'd taken more photos as I went along.

This commission was done over a long period, life hit me hard while I worked on this. It got quite stressful and at one point I even considered giving up doing BJD aesthetics - something I am still battling with to be honest. I am thrilled with how this doll came out and am trying to use that feeling to keep moving forwards with working on dolls.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to the first project.
Avatar Project #1
(photobucket has caused some issues with images, you can see some WIP and her complete on the last page)
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Apologies for any colour changes in these photos, I was using different cameras, phones etc xD
Without any more waffling, I'll get started

Here she is, the base blank doll. Resinsoul Mei in sky blue resin.
Took a quick photo and then unstrung her to get started. She was nowhere near this blue, more muted.


The first thing I did were remove fingers and toes. I like to really commit to a final look and as the Na'vi have fewer digits those little blue fingers and toes had to go. I actually think i still have a little blue finger in my studio somewhere lol. Commission trophy? After removing the pinky finger I sanded down the side of the hand. For the toes, it could either have been the little toe or second toe, but if you watch the Na'vi they actually have a bit of a gap between toes 1 and 2, using their big toe kind of like a thumb sometimes.
I also marked out where the hole would go for the tail.


This bit, I wish I took more photos of. Here you can see my initial incisions to remove her ears. Resin surgery? xD I used a scalpel to fully remove her ears, keeping them whole. It took a while to gradually 'slice' through that resin. Then the ears were reshaped, from basic elf ears to Na'vi shape. I used apoxie to create the detailing inside the ears and the extra bit of lobe for her tunnel. Then I re-attached the ears higher up her head as that was more anatomically correct. Sorry for my lack of photos of the process!


In this group of photos we have:
1. I drilled the hole for her tail with my dremel.
2. I sculpted a base tail shape out of apoxie.
3. Ears reattached with apoxie after moving them.
4. I started blushing some bits that didn't need any mod work doing as there were a lot of stripes to get on with xD
5. I used apoxie between the toes to create a curve/bit of skin webbing?



At this point I considered attempting a strung tail instead of a magnetic one, but ultimately decided I wanted to practice doing that sort of thing before committing to it on a commission.


I added the magnet to the drilled hole and then sculpted two sections on the tail.
One being the magnet end and the other being the hairy part of the tail. The first time I did this kind of doll I tried sculpting the hair part of the tail and while it worked okay I thought I could do better. So I left it smooth with the intention of working something else out. I know the tail isn't exactly in a natural position by sculpting it separately like this but I felt better having an apoxie tail versus something done with fabric that would sit differently. The tail is something I would consider changing if I did this again.



I carried on doing the body work on parts that either didn't need modifying or that I'd finished modifying.
Here you can see the hands, where I sanded the outside edge where the pinky finger used to connect.
The buyer was completely new to BJD and wanted a full doll. So I offered her a full custom service, buying the eyes for her and making accessories. These handmade eyes are made by Candy Kittens Emporium. She is on etsy and instagram, I've had several of her eyes over the years and knew the sparkling effect they have would be perfect for capturing light for the Na'vi. Please check her out!


Just another shot of the the body work in progress!
I used a mixture of cotton buds (Q-tips) and paintbrushes to do the stripes, which needed two layers.
Then did extra blushing on the joint areas particularly hands and feet.


I colour matched her tail and then...
Right, here we go. her face.
Again, I wish I'd taken more photos of the process.
I initially carved her original nose flatter, then using apoxie I reshaped her brow and widened/lengthened her nose. This was all then sanded smooth, I reshaped the nose as I went along to have that cat like angle at the bottom and nice curve when shes in profile. You can see the little bit of apoxie detail in here ears also.
Despite all the big mods on this kind of project I find the face the most stressful part, making sure she looks Na'vi like enough but only having the initial sculpt to work with in the first place.
To colour match I used paintbrushes, sponges and acrylic in layers.
I do not have an airbrush so its not perfect but I do what I can.



I finished up the tail, blushing the stripes on and doing the spots.
I then used a mixtures of brushed acrylic yarn cut into sections and glue, layering them up to create the hair end of the tail. I'm pleased with how this came out compared to my sculpted attempt on the first doll.
The cord is elasticated, so that the customer could remove and replace as she wanted (from the magnet end).


I did her face up, which was mostly just black lashes and eyeliner on top of the blush work.
Once she was all blushed, striped and spotted I sueded her. Luckily I had a faux suede fabric that matched the resin very closely. Because of the way RS are sculpted the sueding won't make her entirely resistant to rubbing, but its better than nothing at all. Plus it helps her pose a bit.
You can see her finished feet here too and how I added a bit of purple blush for depth.
I should add, I drilled through the apoxie to create her ear tunnel, then used a couple of rivets for the jewellery.



I didn't get many photos of me making her extras. I was so stressed about getting this project finished at this point I just kind of ploughed on with it. I made a feathered necklace, some bracelets, an armband, a loin cloth type skirt and a basic top so she was covered up. It was the first bit of pattern making I'd done in years so it wasn't perfect by a long shot. The customer was happy so that was all that mattered.
I got some pictures of the arm band up close because I was quite proud of it. I dyed cord to match the beads and then made it so that it had a sliding knot. Enabling the customer to loosen it, put it over the dolls hand and tighten it again. As she was new to BJD I didn't want to send her something she'd have to remove a hand to put on. This was fiddly as HECK.

 

and then..I strung her!!



The other thing she needed was a wig. This was another stress inducing problem. I looked for small braids but due to lockdown and being in the UK it was impossible to find something at a reasonable cost that would work. So we agreed on a yarn I found. Not perfect as it wasn't braids, but still looked okay.
I took a pre made elasticated head cap and restructured it, making it shallower so that the wig would sit right above her ears. Then I hand stitched a strand of yarn at a time on to the wig, which took a while. I dabbed a bit of glue on the ends to stop the yarn from unravelling and put beads on a lot of the 'braids' like Neytiri's hair. For the long piece (neural connection link for Tsaheylu) I brushed out yarn and braided it before stitching that in too. Lastly for good measure I added a red feather. I also took a Luts silicone headcap and cut it so that sat over her ears correctly too. She needed the silicone cap as the wig cap was shallower than an ordinary BJD wig so would slip more easily.



Then she was done. And I cried. Literally
From both the stress and the relief of having it done.
To be clear, projects like this can be a bit stressful BUT I enjoy them.
The issue was dealing with a lot of life events while doing this project that was too much for me.
(finances, my health, work, house repairs, vet bills, family loss, you name it!)
Luckily my customer was super patient and understanding.

Here she is, all complete.


Here are some extra photos, just for good measure.






If you made it this far and actually read everything, thank you. You deserve a gold star or something lol.
If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
I hope you enjoy seeing my process, even if I could have done with taking some more photos along the way.
If I do this project AGAIN (which it looks like I will be) I'll be sure to take more photos and update the thread as I am working on the doll rather than dumping the whole journal at the end. Oops.
For now I am just trying to maintain some kind of momentum doing commissions and am hoping the negativity in my head doesn't get the better of me