Coppelia [She is finished! 12/26/06 Photos (nudity and the completed outfit!) Pg5)]

So I decided I really wanted a Ball jointed doll, but I'm a real freak when it comes to customizing, and always have to take it a bit too far... SooOOoo I decided it might be fun to make my own!

I read they were cast out of polyurethane resin, and I have some experience with that, so who knows?

I hope it'll come out ok, I think it'll just be a case of putting the time in to get something good out.

I started last night and have the beginnings of a face happening..



Sure she looks a bit freaky now. I need to smooth her out as best i can, work on the eyes a bit more and get a little more definition in the mouth etc. But the head is underway!

She's going to be a mini, I'm trying to make her a standard BJD size so that other companies eyes, wigs and shoes etc will fit her. I think that's going to be one of the hardest things, keeping the modeling within such confined dimensions.

I'll keep on updating as she grows!

(I hope I don't start rushing towards the end and mess it all up)

 

That was what I thought when I looked at her this morning, I filled them in and re-did them this afternoon.

 

The face is finished, needs some evening out, and some of the lines could do with some softening, but here she is!







She needs a head cap, a lot of sanding, but i think she's doing ok.

I moved her eyes a bit further apart (don't want her looking like Bush!) gave some ears, some eyelids and opened her mouth a bit.

There's a couple of things that are screaming at me for some change, but that's easy to fix!

This piece will be cut in half behind the ears for casting in 2 pieces.

 

Actually I changed her again since this photo the mouth was bugging me so she is now on mouth number 6! Also changed the eyelids and finally like em.

I'm trying to think of any tips, but don't know what to say. I guess make sure the eyes are half way up the face and no higher, and don't be afraid to cut cut cut!!

Once I have the neck joint I can mold her to fit it and give the sanding she needs so bad.

 

Started roughing out the torso today...


It's got a long way to go, but no point making it look nice till the waist joint is working.

 

Thanks so much you guys ^___^ I finished up her first set of hands, and one arm over the weekend, hopefuly I'll get some shots with the arms and the now finished torso this week *crosses fingers*

 

I'd not seen those dolls before, but she does look a little similar? I think maybe the mouth is what does it.

I don't know if I'll be selling any casts, a lot of it will depend on how well she poses when she's finished.

I might try selling one or two to make back some of the money that's going into making her, I don't think I'll be starting up a full doll business, but you never know!

 

Well the body is coming along these days, just trying to get all the joints working, then going to flesh her out and give her a nice more curvy figure, the girl needs thighs damn it!

Here she is so far!

 

Thanks you guys! Most people at home seem to think my girl is just plain creepy.

Diefbaby I hope her legs look a little less Tim Burton with a bit of meat on them, but I think some nice long super model legs might be quite attractive? (can you guess which doll maker has really short legs?)

That said she's pretty tall now for a girl bang on 45cm! I guess she'll have to date SD sized boys

 

I've been working on my little doll for a little over a month now and she's coming on pretty well! Haven't had much time to work on her lately, but this weekend I managed to get stuck in.



I've pretty much finished sculpting the body now, just need to tidy up the ankles since one is half an inch shorter than the other. After than sanding, sanding and more sanding. I hope that after the next 2 weeks or so she should be smooth enough to start the molds.

I think the sanding will be the scariest bit of all. Yesterday whilst grinding out the eye wells my heart was beating so fast, really didn't want to kill the face I worked so hard to make. Still now her eyes sit in there looking bright and happy!


The legs aren't actually as wonky as the photos make her look, the knees are even, just the ankles that need help.



I hope to have her finished before I go to England next month, I already have the Rolls Royce of carriers designed in my head to take her on the trip!

 

Thanks again you guys, the support is much appreciated ^__^

I began sanding and priming yesterday, it's moving a bit faster than I expected it would, but I'm guessing there'll be some nasty pit falls along the way.

Still almost at the mold making stage!

 

I was trying to make a super cute doll, that was still a grown up, she's going to model for a Gothic Lolita clothing line and figured that could be the perfect look?

The joints were easy, I bought 2 bags of different sized wooden beads, and dremeled out the slots in them to make joints, after that just worked them into the sculpey body parts, they've worked out pretty good. In fact i just swapped out my hand made shoulders for some more beads the other day!

 

I'm kinda scared about this, I love the handmade one so much, because she's actually been made by hand and not reproduced, but I don't know if she'll survive the mold making process.

I really hope she'll come out ok and survive the drilling to become a doll in her own right in the end *crosses fingers*

 

I tried sculpting them in the beginning, but getting the balls perfectly uniform was super hard, in the end I sanded away all the hand made balls to replace them with the beads.

You can see the hand made joints further up the page

 

You could probably do it with a small saw and a clamp?

That being said the Dremel Mini Mite is only about $30. I used that one because it's relatively slow, so I could take my time.

It's been great all round for evening up pieces and grinding out the eye wells, you could probably even find one even cheaper 2nd hand?

 

Thanks! I have to admit, down to the sanding phase now, and I keep running out of patience, this part is so boring!

 

I've pretty much decided I want to sell the casts when she's ready and after I finished a second head to have 2 dolls on offer.

The hope is to have one doll personality to fit both of my 2 clothing Labels, this one will be the sweet Lolita doll to go with Candy Violet, the other one will be a sassy Decora type.

Right now it'll all come down to how hard it is to cast em as to how re-produceable they'll be.

But if it does take off, it would be nice to offer a line of doll sized versions of my people sized designs to go with them?

Still like I say I guess, it's all hopes and nothing concrete yet.

 

Aww thank you! It really would be a dream come true to be able to sell them like that, I guess a little research and who knows!

 

Actually it's both! Coppelia was a ballet loosely based on Hoffman's tale The Sandman which was also part of an opera.

This is a brief synopsis of the story I found on the English national Ballet website

I thought it was the most perfect name for a Gothic Lolita doll, Since it is classical, dark, and mischievous.

I looked up Coppleias Casket today, that was based on the ballet too.

 

Thanks so much fireflytranc and rinabell! I should have some new photos soon. Today I'm re-doing the hands since I lost the one really good one and sanding off feet. Than that's it!! Time to mold!

I was actually looking at the first post the other day fairy@changelingchildren and was like "damn, barely recognized you there coppelia" I think she's grown up in to quite a pretty girl I just wish I'd got off my bum and bought the beads first go around, all that cutting and re molding!! ARGH! I don't think I've seen Tallula yet, do you have a thread with her in?

Lady Anima she's just made of good old fashioned Super Sculpey and wooden beads! She now has added Gesso primer, but that's it so far.

 

I heard the song at last the other day! It's not as goth as i was expecting, but I think it could fit her pretty well I'm going to see about netfixing Noir now just because of it

Thanks Becca! I just hope I can finish her up to her full potential!