Head-a-day Challenge. 3/2 Challenge up - Open mouth! -O-

Hope everything is OK Patl

 

Had to miss out on the pout due to work, hope to have some time for ears tomorrow. Right now it is midnight here, so I'll get some sleep first.

Comments on your pouts
BloodLath he looks like an old grumpy man.
armeleia You did what I wanted to do, pouty mouth and angry brows. Great. I do see the resemblance to your two previous girls.
logodae too dark to see, sorry
Kaye Both the nose and the mouth are quite different from the rest of your work.
corchen he looks like a mummy. Spiralears, a fun touch. I would have filled in a little under the lower lip though, it looks like he has been pouting so much that his lip is falling off soon.

It is really fun to see how you are all on a good roll here, and to see how different you sculpt. Each of you have a distinct style. I really wish we can keep this going for a while longer. This is fun.

 

#6 Ears

MSD size
Best Feature...nose
Worst Feature....The fact it was suppose to be a little girl and ended up another old man.
Help in making small female children welcome







The 1st one to post after me on the ear challenge that has not pick gets to!

 

Ooh all your sculpts are awesome, guys!
I'd like to join but I have no time at the moment...working at a daycare sucks. >.<

BloodLath: I think to make the face look more like a young girl..you should make the face rounder and the cheek bones less sticky-outy.. I think that would make it look like a young girl cause everything else looks great.

Keep up with the awesomeness, you guys.

 

hey guys --

hey Kaye --- its actually mostly good stuff --- my eldest daughter - golemgirl, and her husband just graduated from UCSanta Cruz and are preparing to move to Champagne Illinois, where her husband will enter a doctoral program in Number Theory and she will be job hunting. So we were spending some time going over their plans and seeing where we could help abit (ROAD TRIP!!! <grin> hubbie and i get to drive a moving van from the bay area to Illinois in May with their worldly goods in it....) and since my ancient computer is somewhat randomly interacting with the internet at this time - and my daughter needed a new computer too - we were out choosing models and screens and then buying them.

my hubbie is very frugal --- he is moping with a tummy ache right now cause we splurged and bought 2 nice computers, a new huge screen and a new camera and lenses for him. probably be eating mac and cheese out of a box for the next few months until he gets over it <grin!>

but that took up all yesterday and most of today (along with a few hours killing innocent weeds cause its been 70 degrees here in california) --- so i missed out on the pout!!!

but now i'm going to see if i can do an ear (evil, evil person.... i truly hate ears some days.....)

take care
patl

 

I'll have you know that I'm very slow (actually - I forgot...)
Ahem, well, I missed the first few totally, but had a go at the anime style:

Size: too small for the 53cm doll I'm making - so prolly "tiny" - the eyes are 20mm wooden beads...
What I like best: Her profile (and little shark fin nose)
What I like least: Her eyes are way too buggy - and she has noe space for a brain...
What I learnt: That I really don't like working with stiff clay - this was made from some old. crumbly sculpey that I added some really soft (and green) new clay to. It did hold the shape of the nose well though...




Fun!

 

Here's my pout....
Size: I'm not really sure - she's just a face - the eyes are 18mm if that helps
What I like best: Her eyes
What I like least: Her ears are horrible and one broke off - and the bottom lip isn't as full as I would have liked
What I learnt: Draw a picture first, Dummy!
I had exactly what I wanted in my head, and lost it part-way throygh sculpting. I shouldn't have taken the short cut of not sketching my idea first.

 

woops.... <shifty eyes> i forgot to do the pouty challenge while preparing molds for pierrot and my mom's bug.... but i've started on my ears for the ear challenge at least ^^;;;;

 

Guess who's trying to make up for lost time....
EARS!

Size: This one fits on my 53cm doll - so, SD? maybe?
What I like best: Her nose and mouth
What I like least: Her eyes are unfinished and uneven
What I learnt: to condition my clay properly - check out the moonies!
Critique: absolutely (and for the others too....)




I'm quite happy with this girl - she came together really quickly - and may end up swapping this head for the original one on my doll - I was shocked at how crooked and weird looking the fist head I made was....

 

I thought I would try something a bit different for me and do a tiny little sprite head. I've never sculpted this tiny .. YIKES!! Maybe better to leave that sort of thing to others
Anyway .. I had fun.



Best bits .. the dolls left ear
Worst bit .. everything else
Things I learned ... it's almost impossible to get the ears to match!!
Critique .. go ahead

OK so .. I found some more time so I decided to play with the head a bit more to see if I could improve on it .. I kinda' like her better now .. still needs more improvement but better than before!! I think I might make her a body and make myself a little sprite




Witchylana .. love all your heads but that pouty one is extra cute.

PatL .. glad it was good stuff Tell hubby it's an investment and essential to your business (I'm good at finding excuses to spend money!!) That road trip sounds like fun.

BloodLath .. excellent Asian man I love the way you have done the eyes.

corchen .. lovely kissable lips!

 

*Mutters* I am behind again darn it...stupid cooking dinner and stuff...will sculpt during scary movie night and return to the thread with much acomplished...or will most likely eat ice cream and go to bed....

 

#5 Pouty

Jumping back on board....I know I'm behind but I'll catch up......Well, I was up to the "Pout" challenge.......so here's my pouty little baby.....I was happy with this one, I did a few things different...like looked in a mirror and built the cheeks up to make them chubby..........

Size.....SD
Best .......I like the lips
Worst..... uneven face/ears
Learned......to be patient
Critique.......Yes please.....













Oh no....I've just seen that I should have done the Anime first...I'll have to do that one next then the ears.......So I have # 4 and # 6 to do..........

xen

 

Xen .. that's a very cute pouty baby. I love how much character you can get into your faces. Can't wait to see your others!

 

Hey Armeleia!! If you put the stale apoxies components in separate plastic bags and submerge each bag in really hot water, the clay should soften again and be more workable.

Great work everybody! I am just blown away.. sorry I couldn't take part this time but I am too busy with other stuff at the moment.

 

Hi Armeleia. I think you did a great job on the deer ears and horns would be really cool!

Yes, I thought the same about the chin on my sprite but then I decided to fill out the cheeks and finish her nose before doing anything with the chin and I liked her better so haven't touched the chin .. yet!!

I finally remembered to take a pic of the Sculpy 111 .. I also included my trusty sculpting tool! It's from a manicure set and I find it great for smoothing (use the back of the spoon looking end) and I use the pointed end for detailing like around the nose or eyes or in the ears. I would be lost without it!!


PS! Not sure if I will be able to participate today .. have a very busy day ahead

 

Um, Last theme....
How about something I find a bit fustrating - Open mouths?

(Don't hate me )

 

Pouts
Everyone's heads look like how I feel, great job all. I am trying to catch up but....anyway.
Yikes! Open mouths *bangs head on desk as horrible sculpting class memory fills brain* lol.

 

Ok, so I am running a bit late here, but I did ears, so here we go, sculpted in 1,5 hours, paperclay and no tools just my hands, nails and an old pencil. he ended up a little crooked here and there.

1. SD-sized
2. Best feature is the cheek, at least it was until I smooched it when pushing the head down on the neck
3. Worst feature must be the neck, again, but coming along
4. I learned that I can sculpt even faster
5. Critique welcome? Yes, absolutely

I thought I'd stick to the Egyptian gods, so I give you Anubis., modeled on a CP type3 body

 

<sigh> i have to drop out, guys... i've missed 2 challenges and i just don't have the time to be doing heads right now (school work and trying to get molds of pierrot done so i can have resin casts of her by april as well as working on sculpting imogen...) good luck every one!

 

Pixie







1. MSD-sized
2. Best Feature: eyes
3. Worst Feature: ears
4. I learned that I need to keep sculpting, Thank you all for pushing me.
5. Critique? Yes!


Wow skumring... I am impressed with Anubus. I'd love to see the rest of the pantheon.

 

Nope, the best feature is the tongue.

Brilliant!

This thread is so addictive, I enjoy it tremendously and think you all are incredibly talented.

Keep it up if you can!
Catrina

 

I didn't want to miss todays challenge and I have such a busy day so I just did a quickie mouth in a lump of clay.



best bit .. top lip
worst bit .. it's so grubby and I did wash my hands!!
Critique .. yes please

What I learned .. I have learned from this week that I can sculpt a basic doll head fairly quickly but it's the finishing and fiddling and sanded and smoothing that takes me forever!.
Thanks everyone ... I've had heaps of fun.




Bloodlath .. love you cheeky Pixie

 

Well, here's todays challenge.....all rolled into one! #4 Anime eyes #6 Ears #7 Open mouth........I tried my best.........









I've never tried to make a Pixie head before...this was fun.....

Best bit......I like the mouth....
Worst bit......Ears....I'm really no good at ears....
What I learned........I like using the flesh Sculpey now!
Critique.......Yes please.....

This has been so much fun....I hope we can do this again......

I will be back later to leave comments for everyone.....have to get the dinner ready now......

xen

 

playing catch up! couldn't figure out how to do 5 - pouty, 6 - ears and 7 - open mouth all together, but did combine 6 ears and 7 open mouth...

I was reading the clarification of the rules that was posted last week, about the need for an artist's sculpt to fit the asian bjd aesthetic to be able to offer it for sale on the board. Between that and Armeleia's comments about her heads and whether or not they fit the aestheic, and it made me realize I still don't have a good take on what actually fits the esthetic .... so I was wondering (I know that people say you will know it when you see it, but I'm not sure that i really do) if folk might comment a bit on what makes a sculpt fit or not fit.

I'm thinking this one doesn't, but I was wondering if folks might use it to describe what is needed to make it fit -- ie, eyes bigger, etc etc --- I tend to just sculpt whatever catches my attention at that moment, but was thinking that would be a good challenge for myself too, to see if I could sculpt heads that fit the criteria -

or actually - it would be better to do that with a normal human face -- so maybe i'll ask another time.

but anyway - here is my oni, open mouthed and snarky...









size : sd size
materials : grey supersculpy with puppenfimo teeth

best part : snarky expression

worst part : he's pretty bumpy!

lesson learned : hated him until after several hours and i suddenly got the mouth sort of working (the teeth are a little too small) and he started to come together. so learned to be patient

bloodlath : your heads just keep getting better and better - so glad you kept squishing - hope you continue --- love the pixie!

withchylana : Woot! love our green anime head! one of my dogs has that head - no space for brains there either! and then awesome pout and really nice head form on the ear head... beautiful sculpting!

ah Kaye.... I love your tiny sprite with her wide, wide eyes.... there is a manga i'm fond of, niea_7 - and she reminds me of that - beautiful...

xen : beautiful pout face... lovely, lovely eyes...

armeleia : love your deer maiden - she is going to be so awesome....

skumring : Anubis is one of my faves too - lovely head, especially that pic from behind showing the definition of his jaw - beautiful.

 

*sighs* I tried. Despite the cold I got. And I did have a beautiful MSD head... and then she cracked in two >.< I'm gonna give it another go tonight, only on new theme and not old one.

 

Oh my Patl... that's particularly fabulous!

Armeleia -- I love your large eared creature especially, too. Your heads, to my eye, have a kind of evocative classical feel...
(Armeleia, I did sculpt the critter in my avatar -- thanks for the kind comment! I'm most eager to join in this wonderfully conceived challenge, but got to climb out of a few life-catastrophes first!)

Love that Horus an Anubis!

And love oh so many things here, truly...
(but must go hide in my room now... I'm a house-guest at present, alas!)

Forest
http://www.forestrogers.com

 

Well Guys ... IS that our Week? Now what? Are we going to see which head we need to keep going on? And post that progress? It's kinda sad here at the end... I have wnjoyed my week of sculpting and I have learned so much, but have so many new questions.

As Patl asked "about the need for an artist's sculpt to fit the asian bjd aesthetic to be able to offer it for sale on the board. Between that and Armeleia's comments about her heads and whether or not they fit the aestheic, and it made me realize I still don't have a good take on what actually fits the esthetic .... so I was wondering (I know that people say you will know it when you see it, but I'm not sure that i really do) if folk might comment a bit on what makes a sculpt fit or not fit."

What make a sculpt fit the aestheic? I am not really sure I know, so in that I am not sure how to improve.

 

hey armeleia ----

excellent discussion of what the abjd aesthetic is - the points you make about facial expression as opposed to fashion doll facial expression, and body detail make it very graspable for me.

Bloodlath - i'd be interested in the discussion thread if you choose to do it...

armeleia- i like your line up of steps for the next week --- i've already squashed one head, but could do the others.... and i've started refining another one, but could pull the new clay off and start fresh... I would love to see the ways that each of us face that process.

I think it would be great to get another head challenge started by the folk who came late to this one - I need to start bodies and such for a couple of heads floating around, so can't devote all my sculpting time to more heads, but i would love to be able to drop into a challenge and be inspired....

this has been a great experience armeleia... thank you so much for proposing it !!!

(ps --- the teeth are fimo --- made a bunch of tiny teeth and baked them, then made an upper and lower gum out of pink sculpy and set the teeth in them - baked them together ----- set them both in the head and formed the lips. so you can't see them, but he has lower teeth too..... i need to redo them larger - these were a little too small but i ran out of time to fix them)

 

Armeleia: I'M IN on the week 2 project. I am not the greatest at critiques, to many years at the elementary art warm and fluffy level, have been planning on working on a couple of mine anyway.

Patl...I'll get that discussion of what the abjd aesthetic is up and going. I've been mainly a lurker, so this should be interesting.

This has been such a great thing. I hope there starts another head a day challenge for those that missed out. I too think I may only pop in once in a while. I'd like to go deeper with what I've already done.

 

Xen ... even though you don't like the ears I think they are great .. love the big eyes too. Love the expression .. she looks like she is in the middle of saying something

PatL ... you blow me away with your talent .. I think you are one of the most talented artists I have seen. Absolutely love this head.
Can I ask you if you have baked your sculpts you have shown here? They look like unbaked clay but I can't figure how you do that and keep it all together while you sculpt!!? When I try to do something like that I end up squashing one part of the face while I'm working on another part so I have to bake each part as I get it done .. would be so much easier if I didn't have to do that!! I am seriously thinking of going back to sculpting in porcelain clay like I used to do when I made my porcelain dolls.


I too would love to see a discussion on what the abjd aesthetic is too .. I have no real idea myself .. I just do what I feel and hope it fits the cryteria (spelling??)

As for the ongoing challenge .. I have already squished the eye and mouth I did and I have started to refine and make a body for my little sprite. I would love to continue to follow the thread and see what everyone does but I don't think I will be able to participate further .. have to get a new mold made for my Pepper head so I can start casting her this week.

It's been a fun week and great to see the talent we have here. Thanks everyone.

kaye

 

Phew, had a good interview today and decided to go home and do the last sculpt afterwards, even though I missed out on most of them.

It's nothing spectacular and compared to how far you guys have come with your sculpts this week it seems like just a lump of clay, but hey, it was fun doing






There are so many sculpts I didn't get to comment on due to busy-ness, but I loved seeing the ears, pouts and anime challenges.

Skumring > your anthros are spectacular. WHereas most people do cute when doing anthros (which definitely works well ) I love seeing you do sculpts with a whole different mood. They seem more like awe-inspiring ancients gods than cute little pets. Very nice work.

Kaye > what a cute pixie - I love those sad, down-turned eyes and the little mouth. The ears are very elegant and elfin.

Witchylana > I really liked the sculpts you came up with in what seemed like the speed of lightning. The anime head was spot on and the others are very soft and expressive.

Armeleia > That horned sculpt is my favorite of the ones you've done. It looks like a good mix of asian style and your own, more "mature" style of sculpting. Don't know if the mouth is lopsided or if it's intentional, but I like the expression it gives of a crooked and sly smile. I actually like the very strong lines of the eye lids, even though you don't like them yourself.

FOr the open mouths:
Bloodlath > that is darn cute. I like how you made all the features fit really well togehter. THe eyes appear to be smiling in a teasing manner to go with the tongue sticking out. The tip of the nose seems like it could be blended in better with the rest of the nose. Mouth is wonderful

Kaye > loved seeing the closeup of your mouth sculpt. I like the structure and plump lower lip and it is a great help and reference to see so much detail (I'm always struggling with the mouth of my sculpts...well, everything really)

xen > It has been a pleasure to see your sculpts for all the challenges - they're so full of character and expression. I love the intricate ears and puzzled expression of this pixie. I'm a big fan of the cheeks that are both long and chubby at the same time, especially in pic number 3. Also love the shape of the upper lip.

Patl > wow, he's a perfect little Puck.The sheep-ish ears fit him very well. I like the teeth - they really create the snarkiness you mention Also I like the mix between "older" and "younger" features. I think the brow and forehead look quite mature, whereas the wide set eyes, the nose and round cheeks look more young and innocent. Creates an interesting look for this kind of character ( or maybe I'm just reading all kinds of things into the sculpt that you didn't intend - anyway it could be interesting to experiment with mentioned mix).

 

Comments on your sculpts
BloodLath He looks like a very happy asian guy. Some reference pictures for the ears would be good for you I think, right now the nooks and crannies are not in the right places. The pixie with the tongue sticking out is just so cool, I must agree that the tounge is the best feature, however did you come up with that?
Witchylana Big eyes: That was one fun little sprite, she really made me smile. Pout: I love her little chin, and very nice proportions on her too. Ears: You might want to have a look at some reference pictures of ears too, to get them just right.
Kaye A very sweet sprite. Nice open mouth too.
xen That pouty kid look like a kid I had in the studio the other day. So realistic. And your pixie was cool too, all in one go, well done.
armeleia I would love to see more of that deer girl, she caught my fancy.
patl That oni just blew me away. I really would like to see this as a finished head.
zidora Strange, but fun lower lip. Nice chubby cheeks.

Thank you for your comments on my heads zidora. Though I would definitely not call then anthropomorphic, but rather zoomorphic, as they are depictions of gods given animalistic traits rather than animals given human traits.
zoomorphic
1. Having the shape, form, or likeness of an animal.
The zoomorphic Hindu god Ganesha has the head of an elephant. The common representation of the Holy Spirit as a dove in Christianity is another example of zoomorphism, and so is the Egyptian pantheon.
anthropomorphic
1. Having the form of a man
2. (of inanimate objects, animals, or other non-human entities) given humanattributes


This has been such a fun week, although I have only had the time to participate twice I have gotten really inspired. I would love to participate in this some more, or to refine one of my heads in the coming week. I really hope to have some time to make more of the Egyptian gods. It has been an eyeopener to me that I am able to make a rough base-sculpt this fast. Thank you Armeleia for getting this challenge started.

 

I'm in for Week 2... even though I'm still working on my last two sculpts. They should be ready for the lineup sometime this evening. It's been a lot of fun so far -- thanks for getting (and keeping!) the ball rolling, Armeleia.

 

I'm in too, I really needed the boost to get in gear of having a challenge to get anything done, so last week was great for me...not so much the housekeeping, but let's be honest it's far more fun to sculpt and look and everyone's great pictures than to vacuum and dust. I am still finishing up pout, ears and open mouth as I have squished several attempts...satisfying in its own way I suppose.

 

Hey Guys.....Firstly I would like to say thanks so much for all the lovely comments on the heads that I made... and for all your encouragement and friendliness......It has really helped me see sculpting in a different light! I have never attended sculpting classes or anything like that so all the advise you have given I am taking on board......I have had lots of fun...looking forward to doing the next challenge.....
_______________________________________________

Corchen......Great pouty lips and I love the closed eyes...wonderful work....

Bloodlath......Lovely ears, and wonderful smiling face..I love the lips...
The Pixie is wonderful, so cheeky with the little tongue poking out! I simply love it.....well done......

Witchylana.......Wow....I love the Anime head with those big eyes and the eyelashes look wonderful. I love this little green guy.
Your Pouty face is awesome, such a soft expression, lovely mouth and eyes.
The ears are beautiful, just perfect.That whole face is beautiful.

Kaye.........Awww a wee Sprite...I love it...The ears are wonderful, I just adore this little guy.......
Those lips are just soooo sweet and the little teeth make me sqeee......Wish I could do lips like this.......

Armeleia...........Loved your deer inspired head. The ears are lovely and I really like the mouth........

Skumring..........You have blown me away again with your work! Anubis is so cool...you are a wonderful sculptor......Love it......

Patl......Wow......Awesome!...You amaze me, so much character in this happy face........well done.....

Zidora......So cute! I love the brow line and that pouty bottom lip......

All the best,

xen

 

hey Kaye - wow, what a kind thing to say, thank you! and to everyone who gave such nice comments. I look forward with clenching stomach to this week's critiques!!! but i know that other folk see things that are invisible to me - so it will be a good exercise.

the oni, the sad face and the boring dude face are all posted in unbaked clay --- i have the same problem as you do with it - thats part of why there are so many fingerprints on the blamed things. usually the grey extra firm sculpy is exactly that - extra firm, and holds its shape better - but these last boxes i got are soft and soggy and a pain to use.

i've been thinking about switching over to waxes, where they are hard when cold, but mallable when warmed up --- years ago i used some and loved them, but i kind of took a hiatus from sculpting for a decade or so, and lost all my waxes --- so now i'm searching for the right one. so far the two i've tried just haven't worked for me - too hard for me to soften. need to go pick up another used crockpot at Goodwill and try keeping them warm in that...

you amaze me with how fluid your faces look when you take the time to bake them in between each feature --- makes sense to do that, but i don't know if i could do it... i have a very short attention span, and drift off to other stuff if i can't be immediately making progress .... i really respect folk who can set things down to bake and then come back to them.

 

I know the week's over, but here's my "ears":




Best: Profile, although the ears / horns / top of head all needs reworking.
Worst: Horns. General concept is fine, but the curves need tweaking... and they need to be about twice as long.

It's also not really suited to being a BJD... it needs a sort of draconic feline body. Definitely going on my future projects list, though.

Edit: I should add that although this is an old concept, I was inspired to revive it by seeing the fabulous "demi-humans" folks have been posting to this thread -- Anubis, various horned folk, etc. Sorry I haven't had time to comment as much as I'd like, but it's definitely been inspiring to see everyone's work.

 

You guys have all inspired me! So much awesomeness!!

I've gone out and bought myself some sculpey - if anything good comes of it, you'll surely hear about it!

 

I agree you guys have seriously inspired me and I have jumped in just to add my little attempt. I decided to try and run with a MSD sized dragon head. It is my first attempt with a head as I decided that I cant make human heads worth a darn..LOL
right side

Left Side

Frontal

hand held for scale


I have added the open mouth (as I thought it would be an interesting feature for a dragon head) but not to far open as to make it a weak point in the doll head. The eyes I do not have shelled out yet and the back of the head is uneven atm.. but the super sculpty is to soft and I have decided to halt for the evening. The ears and horns I do not have on as of yet.. they are going to be done separately and well later.

Feel free to comment.. Id appreciate suggestions and assistance.

 

PsychaDurmont Nice dragon. I would like to see a tounge and teeth in his mouth. Seeing him from the front i think he would benefit from having his eye ridge lifted a little bit, right now he seems a little flat on the top of the skull. I love the eyeshape in itself though. I would also suggest you look up some reference pictures on reptiles, it may come in handy when you continue sculpting him.

By the way, have you taken a look at the continuation og the Head a day challenge? We are over here in this thread now: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2954194#post2954194

 

hey PsychaDurmont --- I like the dragon head! and you do much better than i do in keeping your sculpt even on both sides. I agree with skumring about loving to see a tongue and teeth though -- are you still working on him?


just for fun - made a mold to do a junk cast of nurf to try to clean up --- and when i was working on her, i found some sleep eyes i bought for no good reason, and couldn't resist trying them in her...

 

Paaaaat....that is the cutest thing ever!! I really hope you continue with a couple of the heads you've made...... and make some bodies!! I love Nurf and the head with the horns and teeth!!!

p.s Will you adopt me??

 

<grin>

actually got them from Noni Cely at NIADA last year, she was selling them at the flea market.... i've been searching for more now, cause i really like how they look in her.

thanks guys - nurf appreciates your kind words. Dianna, how can i adopt you when I was gonna ask you to adopt me? hmmmmm - recursive family.... could work!

 

Thanks Pati. Sku. The dragon head unfortunately met with a fridge accident, and well is no more . I do plan on an attempt to recreate the dragon later.

but atm I have gone ahead and taken up the task of doing an MSD girl elf head. still way far from being complete but she is by far much better than I expected her to be at this point.

http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj168/PsychaDurmont/Elf%20Head%20project/

Ive seen the other thread but Im so far behind you guys.... Im still working in softness, no baking done yet. Plan on doing a small amount of bake just to get the basics more solidified then i can attempt to fix the errors I know I will see tomorrow (since my eyes are very tired tonight).

 

D'awww.... sleepy Nurf!

Too bad about the dragon... hope to see v2 at some point.