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BJD Version 2

Mar 4, 2013

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    1. Hello everyone!

      As stated in previous posts, I started on V2. So far - so good!
      I also decided to take a bit of a whole-first-separate-later approach to see where that goes. There's nothing wrong with trial and error :)
      I'm still relatively new to the BJD sculpting process, so taking the skills I know sculpting regularly and applying it with engineering is really exciting.

      Yesterday I realized that my biggest problem while sculpting and providing WIP photos is that 1: I'm usually alone while sculpting. And 2: I sculpt really fast.
      Before I know it, I'll have legs etc. done and I didn't even get to take pictures of the steps I took/how I lay the clay.

      The pictures below are my best attempts at keeping you updated! :D Enjoy!

      [​IMG]

      I created a wire armature - mainly for height purposes. The doll is about 7" tall - a nice and more manageable size than 13" (The first doll I made) if you ask me.

      [​IMG]

      I bulked out key points of the anatomy with some foil, given that I don't want to dedicate clay for anticipated thick areas like thighs, calves, torso.. I'll probably end up doing that anyway but for now! I'll take preventative measures.

      [​IMG]

      Pardon the mess, and the crap lighting lol. I used the cup to stabilize the doll as I started laying on the clay...and to drink juice. Yum! Before I knew it, I put the clay down for both of the legs (OOPS!) so I had to stop and take a picture. After taking this picture, I actually finished the legs for the most part and started on the torso - pictures to come!!

      One thing I realize is that I can't keep sculpting despite the fact that I want to. My hands get SUPER hot (I'm sure I'm not alone here) and the clay becomes more maleable than I'd like. BTW, I'm using Super Sculpey. Perfect time to take pics and read more tutorials!

      Feel free to let me know what you think!
      I'm having so much fun lol!

      ~E
       
      #1 Elvynne, Mar 4, 2013
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    2. Will you be removing the armature later?
      How are you going to test-string the doll (the engineering part of the process)?
      Are you planning on molding the doll and casting it in another material?

      (^_^)
       
      #2 kwmelvin, Mar 4, 2013
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    3. Yep, I plan on removing the armature later! :D

      While sculpting, I was thinking, "How in the world am I going to string this?" - so at this point, I'm really not sure. I think my main goal here was to get the sensation of an anatomically correct body correct before I faceted it into logical parts. I know that an issue on the first version was not being able to get the right feel of what I was looking for due to not having the connection with the rest of the body as I sculpted. I'm not sure if that makes sense lol! But a definite issue of the second version, if I continue this way, is how to open it up for stringing.

      I had a few ideas; I'll try them out once I get to baking :)
      The foil made it extremely easy to maneuver the wire on the inside (that was almost undesirable while sculpting!), so there are definitely options available.

      I do plan on molding and casting eventually - but not now.

      Thanks for such great questions though! Really helped me think about the next steps, definitely.
       
      #3 Elvynne, Mar 4, 2013
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    4. One other thing to consider: It can be an OOAK doll.
      You do not have to take this doll any further than sculpting and baking it in polymer clay.
      Then you can make another doll with the same proportions, but with joints.
      Making maquettes is a time-honored sculpture tradition.

      (^_^)
       
      #4 kwmelvin, Mar 5, 2013
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    5. Aha, sorry for my inactivity!

      Back in March, I actually went out to California (For NJ, that's a faraway trip!) for an anatomy course at Anatomytools.com
      The instructor was Andrew Cawrse, and our guest instructor was Mark Newman.

      I have to say, this experience was PRICELESS. Sure, the investment was significant...but the information I took away from it was definitely worth its weight in gold.

      Essentially, the course was a 5-day crash course on anatomy and figurative sculpture. My purpose for being there was to, of course, learn the body better. From energy, range of motion, muscle placement - the works...I soaked it up.

      Of course, after coming back from such a riveting experience, I started up on my doll yet again. I figured it'd be a good idea to start over... so I did!

      Pictures soon to follow :D
      In the meantime, feel free to ask about my progress!!


      I'm glad to be back :)
       
      #5 Elvynne, Apr 30, 2013
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    6. Looking forward to seeing what you've done to your sculpt.
       
      #6 Cloudedmind, May 9, 2013
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    7. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress too! I love how the legs look so far. I also have a hard time taking progress pictures, I just get too focused on my sculpting LOL, so Im totally sympathetic.
       
      #7 Bubble Gum Goth, May 29, 2013
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    8. Alas, after being consumed by work (this happens so much) I'm here with an update. I have good news...mostly

      Once I came back from my sculpture course, I had to try my hand again!
      I decided to put the previously shown sculpture aside and start over.

      (pardon the mess, we're packing our things and getting ready for a move in July)

      [​IMG]

      I tried out Super Sculpey yet again, to see how this will work and how it will hold up for this level of progress. So far, I stared off with Primitive shapes, and applied some muscles. Already, I've noticed a significant improvement to my sculpture. Winning!

      [​IMG]

      Here's a closeup of that arm.

      [​IMG]

      At this point I really flew through the sculpture, applying muscles for the torso, arms, and neck. At this point I realized, "I should take pictures!" lol

      [​IMG]

      I've added some more definition of the body. As you can see, I started working on that other arm and slimmed out the other leg to get ready for some muscle application.

      Sculpture continued, and so did a significant amount of planning.

      [​IMG]

      [​IMG]

      It still looks very masculine at this point, but I've been smoothing down and shaving away clay to remedy that.

      [​IMG]

      Here's a back shot.

      [​IMG]

      And another back shot.

      After I've gotten this far, I decided that it would be best to work on a few pieces at a time. I took down the arms and the head and worked on toning down the body. Then, came baking.

      I've made a few more adjustments on the incisions to make the breaking down process much easier, but it backfired.

      [​IMG]

      When I went to separate the pieces, the hips pretty much shattered apart. At the moment, I was quite mortified after seeing months of work crumble into pieces. The same went for the torso - and parts of the legs. It was at this moment that I made the decision to only use Super Sculpey for Figurative Sculpture. Maybe I'll try again with it later, but not now.

      Next steps: I've invested in some Chavant NSP Medium clay, a harder clay compared to the figure I worked on in California. This would give me significant room for trial and error. I've already worked with Apoxy Sculpt with Version 1, and wanted more room to work instead of within the 2-3 hour timeframe. I do like Apoxy Sculpt, but not while troubleshooting. :)

      In conclusion, even though this figure fell apart and didn't go exactly as planned, I've learned a lot from it!
      Stay tuned - The (self-imposed) deadline to finish this baby has tightened significantly due to the mishaps...but I'm ready to accept this challenge!
       
      #8 Elvynne, May 30, 2013
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    9. Oh, that is quite heartbreaking - it was progressing so well! But your positive attitude is very admirable, and together with your talent that's sure to be at winning combination! :)) If you find you prefer polymer clays, you might want to try fimo Puppen too. It's relatively cheap and not brittle at all as it would seem super sculpey is. Even after baking, the pieces retain some elasticity (not sure that's the best word), so when you cut through it, there is very little resistance, but at the same time it's very resilient - you can drop it all over the place and it won't break or shatter. Just thought I'd mention it - I'm using it for my doll. Good luck with your next attempt!!
       
      #9 aneemal, May 30, 2013
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    10. Oh I'm so sorry. Your work is amazing. I use super sculpey and boil it instead of baking it. I have found baking makes the clay too brittle. boiling makes it so I can still shave and cut with and xacto knife. But your piece is much bigger than my little things I make. Keep at it! You are so talented!
       
      #10 Bubble Gum Goth, May 31, 2013
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    11. @ Aneemal - I'll definitely look into fimo Puppen - I've heard good things about it from a friend of mine too...And especially since I'm at the point of trying out different clays to find my favorite, all the better!! Thank you so much :)

      @BBG - I'll try boiling it next time, awesome suggestion. How long do you boil it for? Perhaps that'd help with iterations and such when it comes to troubleshooting the joints. (It won't hurt, considering I have quite the chunk of Super Sculpey still hanging around lol) :D Thank you!!!! <3
       
      #11 Elvynne, May 31, 2013
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    12. Depending on the thickness, I don't boil it that long. My frogs hands over wire I only boiled for about 5-7 minutes and his abdomen maybe 10 minutes. I've never tried really thick items. I test it too, letting it dry and then see if I like the consistency. I don't want it too hard, just hard enough that I can carve without it breaking. Good luck!
       
      #12 Bubble Gum Goth, May 31, 2013
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    13. its such a shame to see it break like that, it was really quite beautifull. i look forward to seeing your next attempt :]
      also, my recent project failed too u_u but i guess thats what i get for useing basic air dry clay, while wonderfull to sculpt in it was so brittile when dry it shattered repeatedly, and as i needed it for my art exam, i had no choice but to stick it back together... i also had to glue the joints in place, as they shattered if i tried to drill them, and the coating to hold the brokem pieces together kept peeling off... by the end it looked quite grotesque, and as my project has focused on the macabre alot, i sculpted a real rat skull into the head, it looks hideous n_n;
       
      #13 smiley alien, Jun 1, 2013
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    14. looks really very good!!!great work!
       
      #14 bebidolls, Jun 4, 2013
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    15. Two things:

      1. I realized I broke my images that were in this thread - I'll put them back sometime this week. I removed the files from my website's image folder - and well. I forgot they were being linked. My apologies for those who are just tuning in!!
      2. MORE PROGRESS

      In the midst of switching jobs, resettling my finances - they're still not settled.. who am I kidding lol?? I have more for you!

      As I continue, I think I might have benefitted being a little more true to my sketch, but that's what v3 is for! I might also go back to Apoxy clay. Sculpt is... a bit on the sticky side and doesn't work like I want it to. So far I feel like I make the most progress with Apoxy Clay. Perhaps I may try a harder version of Chavant... or even switch over to CX5.

      But enough of my materials rant, here are the pics! (sorry for bad quality in some of them!)

      https://www.dropbox.com/s/ub8b6sjnpzoowed/2013-11-29 00.14.05.jpg

      https://www.dropbox.com/s/h3aypdz1gny3j2s/2013-11-29 00.14.37.jpg

      https://www.dropbox.com/s/v8eei8dnkkqo8yb/2013-11-29 00.14.53.jpg

      (joints inspired by CeriseDolls - and also while screwing around with elastics and the range of motion I want out of the doll's hips, this shape made the most sense.)

      https://www.dropbox.com/s/v8eei8dnkkqo8yb/2013-11-29 00.14.53.jpg

      https://www.dropbox.com/s/9ssvdv0a4yhs5ua/2014-01-14 07.44.57.jpg

      https://www.dropbox.com/s/zuatudcx7tpffpd/2014-01-14 07.44.19.jpg - Kinda crappy closeup of the face lol

      Let me know if you can see them - more to come soon!~
       
      #15 Elvynne, Jan 14, 2014
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