IMPL dolls Star, Model and Idol Discussion thread Part 11

Plaice is such a lovely sculpt. Thank god I can admire from afar since nobody is piping up to lay claim to his sculpt.

 

Thank you guys for the great replies!

@IngieBee not a bad idea, I have glued hair directly onto a doll's head before (actually a minimee of the faun from Pan's Labyrinth, so another horned doll XD)

@Mekkisry Aren't Jacob sheep just totally crazy?? I love their horns. I wish they had a cooler name though, Aries is still looking for a name and I'd like to g goat or sheep. I have a few ideas I tentatively like and I'm hoping one latches on as I get him more put together. Thank you for your kind excitement XD I think he probably will end up with 4 horns. I need to get me some magnets so I can advance the idea.

I laughed out loud about drunk shopping on Amazon! I'm glad to hear your feeling like giving it another go, that means you must be feeling better and I'm happy to hear it. Sending positive 'slay it' vibes your way! You can do it!

@Anita2006 She really is lovely, her faceup really goes well with her color! I wish you luck finding out exactly what color she is!

 

@chalyss: Yeah, I'm quite pleased with Mungyo! There are SO many colors in that set, and I think I'm going to have fun playing around with them. *plots* No problem! I think I probably took a chance buying those tattoos on Amazon (they could've been complete trash), but I guess I lucked out. For once! LOL.

@napoleonchan: They're amazing! I would actually love to own a Jacob Ram skull, but good Lord they're expensive. Haha, you're welcome! He really does look fantastic like that. You know, it's funny, my Nicolas is also still undecided on a name. There's one I've been mulling over the past few days. It might stick; I kind of hope it does. LOL, yeah, I really need to avoid the internet if I'm drinking. Drunk-shopping, drunk-posting... these things just seem to happen. *snort* Thank you so much! I definitely am feeling better about the situation in general, and I'm actually looking forward to playing around a bit with all these new pastels. So many colors...

 

I kinda want to say "l'm back" but I haven't actually been anywhere - I just haven't commented, mostly due to my inability to type at the same time as stuffing my face on my lunch break! Going back to the picky dolls conversation, I think it's interesting when someone else has the same sculpt as you, completely different style, which you dig, but could never imagine on your version of that exact same doll. For me it's bodies they're fussy with. Three dolls I've switched to different bodies.

Love the horns! I think it would be possible to make a wig cap to sit between them if you didn't want to glue onto the head. I would totally recommend brushed yarn - which incidentally is what has been taking up my time when I'm not eating, lol! I finished one wig then, drunk on my success, I embarked on another and now all of a sudden I have three wigs in various stages of completion. Four if you count the curly one with the shaved sides. Five if you count the other curly one I lost patience with! One needs me to find something a bit more substantial than hair spray to hold it in place - I've considered watered down glue but no way I'm risking it on the actual wig until I know I can make it not show, another needs trimming but I think that should wait a few days until I stop being ludicrously clumsy because of stupid hormones, and the third just needs a bit of styling, I think.

I also redid some faceups which aren't as neat as I'd have liked, due to the aforementioned clumsiness - every time I noticed my mistake just add I started sealing the layer. I didn't finish as I couldn't find my best watercolour pencils due to them being right there in the case with my other faceup supplies XP

But here's Erika so far in her yarn wig;

Erika's New (unfinished) Faceup by Rubydoll Chaos, on Flickr

I have some cheap pastels and they're actually pretty good for colour intensity, just a shame they're not necessarily the colours I need. When I ordered a selection the first time I picked several different brands to see which I preferred. Since none particularly stood out above the rest, the next time I ordered the shop's own brand which are chunkier sticks and slightly cheaper. The cheap watercolour pencils however I probably won't bother with again - no point if the lead breaks every time you try to sharpen them. Pun not intended but I'm going to embrace it!

 

thanks everyone for unswers i will try to get impldoll body in real skin i think so and i will try to make picture without flash :-) anyway i have time to find body for her as at the moment im waiting new head for impldoll body male :-)

 

@rubydoll That whole seeing another sculpt done up nicely and not being able to see your doll with that style is pretty much my life in god-mode all the time. I was at a recent doll meet and saw a doll that had an awesome face-up. I thought he was beautiful and eventually wandered over to his owner to ask what sculpt he was. He was an Angel Toast Crow. Not only was that the same sculpt that I bought at DollNorth 1 month previously, I actually brought him to the meet and he was sitting less than 2 feet away from me the entire time. Face-blindness for the win!

 

@Mekkisry I just went and looked XD I saw a few with less extreme horns for less than $300 which doesn't seem too bad. (anything about doll priced seems "not too bad" to me) but whew, the ones with the bigger horns! Holy cow. A person would really have to want one bad for that price! Darn our grumpy Impl boys and their indecision on names! Aries is going to dress like a Ukrainian Cossack so I'm debating Yakiv (Ukrainian variant of Jacob) not sure if it has the right ring to it. I had originally been set on Markhor which is it's own kind of majestic goat with totally wild horns, but my husband says that's too close to Marko (the horned man from Saga.) Third choice currently is Eland, a lumpy cow, and looks nothing like my Aries will but it sounds like a name and is an ungulate. What sorts of names is your Nicolas thinking about? All in all, there are far worse activities you could be doing after drinking than shopping XD

@rubydoll Welcome back into the conversation. Thank you. I am probably going to glue it on a wig cap, just because it's more convenient if I have to wipe his faceup (which I will likely have to do. I tend to prefer my friend's work over my own and I'm going to paint him first.) I have hair all lined up already, I'm slowly combing through 2oz of long pretty sheep locks, but yarn is brilliant. Your wig came out wonderfully! It looks like such soft natural hair. I'm super impressed by your drive! you show those wigs what's what! You should totally share as you get photos of all of them. Her faceup is looking great too, I love her eyebrows, the colors you chose for 'makeup' go really well with her eye and hair color.

@Anita2006 instead of taking a gamble, if you're getting the body from Impl I've heard they match color samples, maybe you could send them the headback or a paint sample that matches her color? Also do share photos of your boy when he arrives

@Iron_Dog I bet D:
I do love seeing the same doll as mine done up totally different though, it's so cool to see all the potential a doll has that didn't even occur to me.

 

@napoleonchan - Your Aries is going to look so great!

I was looking at their springbok horns. It's really great to hear that the quality is good.

@Anita2006 - Your Azalea is really pretty. I really love her eyes!

 

@Kymera thank you. They're really nice, bear in mind they are 3D printed though, so you may have to do a bit of refining. There's little stringies on them, but otherwise, I really like them. And they are super light weight. Love the springbok horns, definitely think they're worth it!

 

(Psst use an exacto to sharpen them and use the trimmings with water for painting)

 

@fishcake I did! Or rather, a stanley knife. Maybe I should try replacing the blade cos it's probably a bit blunt by now :s

@napoleonchan thanks natural fibres can make lovely wigs - they seem quite labour intensive which kinda put me off but if I'll quite happily sit there combing out yarn...Maybe I'll give it a go at some point. I hope you'll keep us updated with yours I'll definitely post some pics when I can take some decent ones - one black wig is really awkward to photograph - would probably help if I put the poor girl's head on a body!

@Iron_Dog haha let's call it the power of a good faceup!

 

so i have body its with me and john head on but now im waiting other head as this one is not fits for my character :-)
he supose to be King Francis II of France :-) so body is here

and head wich im waiting will be this one
il_570xN.1020990881_4fmw

 

I agree, especially his chubby nose, which I think is so different yet realistic!
@chalyss , Erika is absolutely adorable! She reminds me of a children's book, but I have no idea which one! LOL
@Iron_Dog LOL, sounds like me with names ... when I get them right but I'm sure I'm wrong, and I'm struggling!
@napoleonchan I may be the most creative person here with doll names. Most of mine, which I did name, I've forgotten and have to look at my list, LOL. The rest, after I gave up, are simply their sculpt name, which I curiously remember?!?!?! So Nicolas will likely stay Nicolas, LOL.

I still have to do several wigs I bought alpaca for, but frankly, I've gotten anxious over it as my first wig didn't turn out too well

Oooh, @Anita2006 , that makes me so excited to get my doll bodies! Is that the 2nd or 3rd gen (I don't have them memorized!)

 

if im not wrong is idoll male body Impl 72cm Boy Body SGB :-) i never remember 2nd or 3rd gen :-) cant wait to get his new head and wig wich will fit my character as im really bad on boys wigs :-) he still need better clothes as well. :-)

 

It's not the power of a good face-up (although it was a lovely face-up) or being bad with names. I have acquired prosopagnosia (face-blindness) as a result of a TIA I suffered when I was 15. I'm neurologically incapable of remembering faces that I've seen after that first TIA. This includes my husband of 30 years, my adult son, my grandkids, my parents, my co-workers, my friends.... Anybody I knew from before that, I would have zero problems remembering. However, as people age, their faces subtly change so I'd still probably get it wrong *sigh*. This actually points more to me being prosopamnesia, but there's currently only 2 positively identified cases because the differences between the two conditions are small with the amnesia variety having the issue encoding faces into memory and angosia having problems perceiving faces. Neuroscience is also not advanced enough at this stage in the game to make the diagnosis between the two conditions easy. There is no treatment or cure for this.

To me, if you ask me what anyone looks like if I'm not actively looking at them, the Lume Doll Zero is basically what I see regardless of whether I saw them for 30 minutes or 30 years.

I identify people (when I can) using non-facial identifiers such as voice, gait, mannerisms, speech idiosyncrasies, hair style/colour or anything else that would make that person stand out. Obviously with dolls, a lot of my helper clues can't come into play unless something about that sculpt itself is very unique. Like Mkhai (Miguel the Demon Hunter), Kathiel (Unidoll Ark), Ra-Sui (SD Azreal skull head), Saraf (5Star Dark), Naicree (Argonautica Little Kio), Sondo (Akhmel Nathan). I can ID some other sculpts that I don't own like DZ Carter, Ringdoll Mona, Universe Doll De'Athe skull, IOS Infernale, etc. because they are very distinctive and unique in the doll world. Everything else... if you asked me to ID a doll, even if I own the sculpt, I probably won't get it right (but I'll like it and feel like it's speaking to me... because it already has *sigh*.)

This is an invisible disability because you'd honestly never know I have this problem unless I told you. Which I do to every new person I meet that I expect to see on a regular basis. I am on the anti-social side but I try not to be rude to people and not recognizing someone you spent an hour talking to the day before tends to really piss people off if they don't know I can't help it.

 

I know, I am boring. And yes, I have some other lovely Impldoll sculpts. But I just had to post this little picture as I just finished the armor for this glorious, super elaborate doll stand:

 

@rubydoll: Welcome back! You know, it's funny, I'm kind of wanting to try my hand at making a wig (something like this). I really do love working with all sorts of fiber, and I think I could actually pull that off. Granted, finding the perfect fiber (without breaking the bank) is always a challenge, but I'm up for it. Heh. I agree, though, brushing out yarn is weirdly satisfying. I've done that for other non-doll-related things, and it's quite nice. Love the picture you posted! That wig looks so incredibly soft and lovely.

@napoleonchan: Yeah, a really epic Jacob Ram skull is way, WAY out of my budget (unfortunately). Bones are so exquisite! Oooh, I actually really like Yakiv. It's beautiful written down, and I love how it sounds spoken. Yes, I looked it up. LOL. But, I do understand the frustration of trying to find the perfect name. That's something I definitely struggle with in my writing, and it takes me ages to feel as though the name is "right". Thus far, for my Nicolas... well, I don't want to say just yet. I feel like I might jinx myself if I do (but, I think it IS going to stick; I'm weirdly excited about this.)

@Anita2006: Thanks for posting that picture! I've been seriously considering the SGB, but I still haven't totally made up my mind. I LOVE the way that body looks, though. Gorgeous.

@Ipledreamer: That horse is EPIC. Amazing job!! Also, I totally love that your guy is shirtless while "riding". Which body is he on? Is that the FGB? I'm having such a horrible time trying to decide which one I want to get!

 

@Mekkisry Oh the PITA of finding the right name. I have a variety of sites I use but sometimes they don't help and i end up making up a name. It has to not only suit the character in some way, but look appealing when written and sound good, too. Sometimes, that's a tall order.

 

I find your condition extremely interesting, @Iron_Dog even so I'm sure it's a pain in the butt But it highlights how all of us struggle with something, and awareness is such a unifying thing. Until people are aware of such conditions, they assume the worst

@Ipledreamer Oh My Gosh, is he finished? (the horse that is?) That looks AMAZING!!! How long have you worked on him now? 2 years? (not trying to depress you, just in awe at the commitment and details/time!) I just read what you wrote, 1. You are NOT boring, He is much more than a doll stand also, LOL, and what a cute guy, is that a non-scowling Nicolas? Just absolutely beautiful work, and what a beautiful day to photograph!

 

@IngieBee To further complicate matters, there are also mild prosos and severe prosos. A severe proso won't even recognize themselves in photos or sometimes even in mirrors, especially when the mirror is in an unexpected place. I'm generally mildly surprised to see myself in a mirror but its more of a... "Oh, so that's what I look like." as opposed to a, "Who the hell is that?"

 

Two years? Really? Yes, that is possible. But it may also be due to the fact that I was interrupted by winter. I found it too hard to visit our workshop when it was really freezing cold. Then no accurate work was possible, so I gave up on it.

Regarding Raphael: yes, he is one of the marvelous Nicolases. And not scoulding? That would really great. But no, he is extremely bossy. He was quite pleased with the hack through our garden on Alegria. Of course he said it was only due to his training. He even showed a Levade, which I did not manage to photograph. But now he urges me to continue with his matching outfit.
However, I want to wait until something special, really off-topic arrives here. I bought myself a Gothic knight action-figure from Brown Arts, which, at least on the pictures, shows a pretty accurate depiction of such an armour. And this little figure looks fabulous in it (IMO, for men beside obligation for evening wear, there should also be introduced one for dress armour. Guys look so fantastic in Gothic armour - of course you need to be really fit physically for this kind of outfit). So yes, I will do my very best.

And he is on the very first Idol FGB body. The one with the hip joint. This is one of the very rare hip joints which works really well. It can only move in three directions - left and right, and he can slouch forward. But not bent back, which is blocked by a resin block. I really like it, and I do not think it disturby the sculpt very much. If you do not want this joint, simply order the SGB Idol body (second generation). And if this one is not beefy enough (I really think he is big enough normally) and really need a Chris Hemsworth or Arnold Schwarzenegger (which I needed) you can also get the Idol TGB body.

 

That's really good to know about the FGB because that's the one I got for my Nicolas It's really a wonderful accomplishment, your horse armor. I know you did a lot of research on that one Congratulations, now you get to do the human armor, LOL

Well, I think disabilities make us more interesting and I doubt we'd have your beautiful unique dolls here if it weren't for that quirky issue with your lovely brain, @Iron_Dog. Which, BTW, I for one would love to see more pictures

And hopefully I haven't asked this before, but I probably have, does anyone have the male star body? I got one for my Dylan and I wonder how you like it? Thanks

 

@Iron_Dog: It really is a struggle. That's it exactly; the name absolutely has to look and sound right, for me. Also, I probably shouldn't admit this, but I even have issues picking names for video game characters. LOL, that sounds so silly, but if I get to customize who I'm playing, and I'm spending hundreds of hours with them... well, yeah, the name is important. Or maybe I'm just that anal. *snort* (On a side note... the thing you mentioned about people having that condition, and not being able to recognize themselves? That genuinely kind of freaks me out. I've never even heard of something like that!)

@Ipledreamer: Thanks for the info on the bodies! I'm leaning heavily towards SGB, purely because I think it's beautiful. I don't need for this guy to pose amazingly, so I suppose the hip joint isn't exactly needed in my case. Still, I am deciding...

.....

On the topic of Nicolas... I absolutely know who mine is, now. I was playing around with his faceup earlier, working out colors and such. I'm not sure if I'll manage to do something I like well enough to keep (in which case, I'll send him off), but I have a really clear picture in my head for how I want him to look. It's going to be... dark.

 

@ mekkisry: Well, you really have to decide that for yourself. I know the SGB only from pictures, and I think it works exactly like the FGB, with the exception of not getting that little movement in the hips. But as the chest joint also works quite well, it may not be that necessary. If it were not for the money, I would love to try out a SGB. But I know and love the FGB, so I just stick with it.

 

Mkhai needs more pics. I also need to get my lazy butt moving on making him something to wear. I thought I might be able to squeeze him into an HZ outfit I bought that didn't fit the doll I intended it for but the shoulder bones absolutely would NOT fit through the arm holes *sigh*. Don't you hate it when you buy an outfit, it's even better looking in person, and it fits nobody who'd wear that style? I've got another boy to try it on *fingers crossed* but if it doesn't fit him, I honestly have no idea what to do with it.

@Mekkisry I totally get the name thing. I'm creating a new character for an old school D&D game I'll be playing and instead of thinking of what stats I'll need or what spells to take to be of best use to the party, I'm waffling over names *rolls eyes at self*. I thought I was weird initially to be picky over how a name looked when spelled, but apparently quite a few authors have this quirk.

And I'm very glad that I can recognize myself in a mirror and photos. I don't... mind being a bit surprised at my own image but I think it would be hideous to actually scare yourself by looking in a mirror and not knowing who was staring back at you. I belong to a FB group for prosos and there's a few members who are that severe.

 

I also need to focus on photography and getting my characters down. I need to paint Lydia and the boy's faceups as well... hummmmm should do that now, instead of sitting at my desk... LOL

 

Sorry, @Iron_Dog, I meant that even for someone with no problems with faces a faceup can make a sculpt unrecognisable. The doll profiles on here - sometimes I'll think I recognize a sculpt only to find it's a different one, other times I'm surprised by a familiar sculpt. I find Irises easy to spot but I suspect that's because she's the most popular of the sculpts I own and am therefore most familiar with, and I did "spot" her a couple of times only to find out it was the same doll.

@Ipledreamer wow. I just... That's freaking magnificent. That's not a doll stand, that's a steed! I couldn't make a box out of metal. Look at the hinges. So cool.

@Mekkisry that's a similar technique to what I've been using except I glue the yarn into wefts before gluing it on which isn't necessarily necessary but it just makes it easier to keep it neat. I have got some liquid latex but I haven't tried it as a wig cap for any of them. I watched a load of Mozekyto's tutorials - she does Monster High but it's the same basic principle. Obviously you must have some spare yarn lying about so you could always make a practise one before experimenting with expensive natural fibres.

@IngieBee I've got Dylan on the Star body! It was actually my least favourite body for a while but I think a large part of that was that I got it for Martin and it never quite suited him. Now it belongs to Dylan I like it a lot more. Could do with swivel joints in the arms and he likes to snap his feet together in a way that restringing and re-restringing doesn't help but I actually love his bubble butt XD I should take more photos of him but currently he's stuck with a bag over his head with an unfinished wig plonked on top,shedding flocking everywhere. There are pics of the body on my Flickr tho

I tried taking a photo of one of my unfinished wigs. I think it needs a white background or something. I swear it photographs fuzzier than it looks IRL too. I wanted a formal up-do style.

Sereniel's Work in Progress Wig by Rubydoll Chaos, on Flickr

I can see me making a load of wigs. My car failed its MOT so money is going to be tight for a while. It's confusing me that I seem to be the only one who doesn't think my 18 year old car is worth repairing. I've traveled in quieter airplanes. I'd like to say it's served me well for the ten years I've had it but after it threw a wheel a few years back I've found driving incredibly stressful. But on the other hand it's been mostly reliable and I might not be so lucky with my next car. Especially as they'll see me coming a mile off. I'll leave the car dealership with a donkey and think I got a great deal.

 

@rubydoll No worries. I agree that a talented face-up artist can take 2 of the same sculpts and paint them differently and they'll look like completely different sculpts (or at least that's what people swear to me *grins*).

There's someone local in my group who uses liquid latex to make brushed yarn wigs and she does amazing work. I had her do 2 for my Batchix Clever Littles, but they didn't fit. Not her fault though. She didn't have their heads to work off of and they have teeny-tiny heads. Like a size 3 wig is a touch big on them. I'll probably try and see if I can cut them down to size. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

 

@Ipledreamer: Yeah, I think I might actually go with the SGB. It's definitely the one I keep going back to, and looking at. Such lovely sculpting on those muscles!

@Iron_Dog: LOL, yep. That's totally me when I'm creating a character. When I used to play MMOs and such, I was always rather astounded by the amount of people who'd name their characters something ridiculous, with a bunch of numbers tacked on the end. Like, "FluffyMuffin5290" or some such. That's a character, dammit, not a screen name!! It drove me a bit nuts. Oh, I definitely agree. It would be truly horrifying to look in a mirror and not know the person staring back.

@rubydoll: I've not really worked with liquid latex at all, but I imagine it's fun to play around with. I'll probably pick some up and fiddle around with wig-making. For sure, I have enough yarn to likely last me for years (LOL), so I can definitely experiment with something cheap before I decide to invest in anything else. Also, WOW, that up-do wig is gorgeous!! You absolutely have some talent, there. I want to see more!

.......

Ahhhh, I'm so excited right now!! The faceup artist I commissioned recently just sent me photos of my lovely boy (he's off-topic for this thread; I'm sneaking in a link anyway). Oh dear Lord, I wish I could do eyebrows & lower lashes like that. He looks beautiful, I can't wait to see him in person!!

 

That's a really beautiful wig @rubydoll ! Well, I did a face up today. My Dylan. He still has no eyelashes, no eyes and no body, but isn't he cute? Even with a blah faceup, he's adorable IMO

IMG_20180710_182604587_HDR by ingiebee, on Flickr

 

The freckles are adorable. I like the colour you used for his lips, too.

 

Is this a better angle?
IMG_20180710_184509832 by ingiebee, on Flickr

Thank you Iron_Dog I can't wait for my bodies to come but it hasn't been long enough

 

@IngieBee: What a cutie! Love the freckles, and those strong eyebrows really suit him. Lovely work!

 

@IngieBee, That isn't blah! It looks very good! I love it!

 

Thanks guys I seriously want that body NOW! LOL But actually, um... I need clothes for him as well, eeek!

 

@rubydoll, wow!! What a GREAT wig!! That is beautiful work! How did you do those amazing tight banana curl tendrils?

@IngieBee WONDERFUL face up! He looks so glowy and alive! handsome!!

I have a question on an Impldoll hybrid, ya'll. Which body suits Derrick's head better? Don't worry about the resin color difference. This is a 5Star Doll Super Star body versus a Sugarable Genie body (the one in the middle):

 

I like the 5star body better. That may be based on the proportions of the bodies themselves.

 

I just wanted to say how lovely your Iris is. She's not a flashy sculpt but she is one of the sweetest.

 

@Iron_Dog hmm.... The tutorial did cut the wig cap then glee it back together to make the part so it's possible with some careful darting you could make a wig smaller. Or if they don't look too big when they're on - as in they look okay but won't stay put, maybe you could try making a wig cap as a sort of liner?

@Mekkisry *joins you under the table to enthuse about OT doll* he's looking great I like the understated lips too. I still feel like I need to colour right up to the lines XP And lower lashes are an enviable skill. I can't even do watercolour pencil ones yet. Practise makes perfect. Or possibly just more grey hairs! Definitely give yarn wigging a go if you can - they're pretty forgiving, less stabby than sewing which means I can also watch TV while I work, and knowing you can just glue in another weft if you cut it too short makes cutting it less stressful than taking scissors to an expensive wig you waited for weeks to arrive.

Oh @IngieBee that's not blah at all! He's so adorable with freckles! I'm looking at my Dylan now and he's glaring back as though to say don't even think about it! Your lower lashes remind me of the one set of lashes I ever painted that I was happy with XD Have you got some eyes for him? For me a faceup doesn't really become alive until the eyes are in.

@chalyss for the tight curls I wrapped a bit of a weft around a brush them ran my hair straighteners over it. Which sort of melted the paint a bit. So then I tried using a knitting needle which worked great except I forgot the needle would get hot too so I nearly got my fingers burned. I have some heat resisting gloves downstairs with my hair wand so I left them there and proceeded to almost burn my fingers doing the other curl too XD The more I see it the more I think I like the 5 Star body...

@fishcake aw, thank you I'm getting really impatient waiting for her body. There's an outfit I want to order for her but I need to try her in my other Dollheart stuff to make sure it will fit first!

 

@rubydoll The wigs are waaaay too big. I have nothing to lose by attempting to reduce them in size so I figured why not. If they get destroyed in the attempt... *shrugs* they didn't fit and because they're so small to start with, I could re-sell them or swap them over to another doll.

 

I don't feel like I gushed sufficiently over @rubydoll's wig, so I am going to gush a bit more and add, I have never been able to work with curls, especially making them part of an up-do. So I really think that wig is amazing!

@chalyss thank you so much for the complement. I know I used suggestions mostly from this thread, an from other places in the type of brush, watercolor from tubes, color choices (you said to put some blue in there) and I am happy to report that the brushes and paint gave me a good flow which allowed me to have so much more control, but I still lack the technique and placement/direction. My strokes are not flowing, but at least the tools and materials no longer feel like a hindrance. I just need to practice .Thank you again!

@rubydoll, I am still waiting on an eye order. It supposedly went to the airline on June 28, but then there were no more updates. I don't know if it's normal for packages to take a long time from that point?

@chalyss, almost forgot, I like the 5star body best as well, and I think it is due to the neck. It's a little too long for him on the Sugarable body, or the definition makes it seem longer. Otherwise they are both nice and he is such an awesome head!!! The faceup is superb!

 

@chalyss: As others have said, I think I prefer the 5Star body, too. The proportions are better; makes him look more natural? If that makes sense. Also, the little star over his manly bits made me giggle pretty hard.

@rubydoll: That artist is amazing! I'm SO pleased with how he turned out. *squeals* He's on his way back to me. Of course, now I get to be ten different kinds of paranoid, waiting for his head to arrive safely home. I may have been obsessively stalking the tracking number, when I originally sent him off. Poor fellow, getting continuously jostled about in the mail! Oh gosh, yes, binge-watching stuff while crafting is a huge thing for me. I can happily crochet and watch movies at the same time, and it's quite enjoyable. I definitely want to give wig-making a shot. As for taking scissors to a wig... have you tried a razor? Honestly, I LOVE using my razor. It's fun, and quite forgiving compared to scissors. I don't care at all for the blunt, straight-across look of scissor cuts, and I've been having all sorts of fun with the ash blonde Paris wig I mentioned previously in this thread. It's looking quite nice.

........

So... does anyone else find it enormously satisfying to blush pieces to match other pieces? I had two pairs of jointed hands that desperately needed 'matching', and I am SO pleased with how they turned out (shameless link). They're not perfect, but I really am happy with how they look against the rest of the arm/body. Hooray, I didn't completely suck at something! ROFL.

 

@Mekkisry , those look perfect to me!I have several pair to put on and to match, you give me confidence!

 

Wow. I can't tell which are the blushed to match pair.

 

@Iron_Dog well nothing ventured nothing gained! Good luck if you do attempt to adjust them!

@IngieBee haha, did my description of nearly singed fingers prompt further compliment? Curls are indeed a nightmare! I've had packages take ages to update. I think it's when they get a backlog or it doesn't get scanned at a certain stage. The price of postage sometimes my package ought to be sent with its own armed escort, complete with progress pics!

@Mekkisry is there a special BJD community term for that particular anxiety you feel while something is being shipped? The blend of excitement and terror! Yes! I love cutting hair with a razor! I'm not actually great with scissors - like you say, they're too blunt and straight across which is fine if that's what you're going for and you have the skill to pull it off but for a more natural look the razor is almost like carving it into shape. That is perfect blushing to match!

 

Yah, take care of your precious fingers, @rubydoll! Captured in glass said if it doesn't arrive soon, they will remake them and send EMS. There might be issues due to our little trade war between the US and China. I just hope we're not going to suddenly get charged duties!

Anyway, I told them I can wait a little longer

 

@IngieBee: Thank you so much! Oooh, fun! You can definitely do it! I had the original hands sitting right next to me when I did those, and kept placing them next to the jointed hands for color comparison. That worked out quite well!

@Iron_Dog: Both pairs are blushed to match, actually (my phrasing up there was a bit crap, sorry about that!). I'm surprised I got them that close. The pair on the left was SUPER pale in comparison to that body, and I ended up doing quite a few layers. It might still be slightly off, but I think if I'd taken the color any darker, it would've started to look weird and unnatural.

@rubydoll: LOL, there should be a term for that! It just feels so strange to think that one of my precious boys is in the hands of the postal system, completely out of my control. I was totally fine when he was with the artist, since I knew he was safe. But now, that he's in transit again... <~ Yeah, that's a pretty good representation of my face, currently. *snort* Right?! Using a razor is so much fun! I quite enjoy it. I guess the only thing that sucks, is the blades going dull fairly quickly. I had to buy them off Amazon recently, because the local beauty supply store was completely sold out of the particular ones I needed. My luck. LOL. Thank you so much! I really am quite pleased with how the blushing on those hands turned out. I wish doing faceups was that easy!

 

not to be creepy, but have you tried using a straight razor? I have several (I collect weird things, okay) and not only do they hold an edge like nobody's business, they're pretty easy to resharpen with a strop

 

@Girrl: No worries, I don't find that creepy at all! I haven't used a straight razor, but I'd love to. I suppose it's laziness on my part, that I've not searched for one and purchased it. I should, honestly. Also, I totally get collecting "weird" things. I'm all about that! I adore interesting insects, bones, etc. I actually have a full-size model skeleton standing in one corner of my bedroom (NOT a Halloween prop; it's one you'd see on display, like in a classroom).

 

Ah, creepy, when my eldest was a little girl, we could already tell she was a little Wednesday Addams. A couple of years ago, she found her calling when she took a forensics class and visited the city morgue. Gushing with excitement, she had to tell me all the details, and I mean ALL the details! Mind you, this is Los Angeles, they are overflowing in bodies. And she wouldn't stop! Yuck! I know she is teasing and torturing me because I am her mother, but dang it, she's terrible! I don't know why she tortures me like that, though I did store some of my dolls in her room when she was a kid and they creeped her out, so I guess it's pay back time for her, LOL

 

@IngieBee there's still hope they'll turn up yet. Quite often I find emailing to say where's my package means it turns up later that day XP her, next time I'm working with hot tools I won't be lazy, I'll go fetch my gloves!

@Mekkisry yeah with the artist your property is going to be respected but when it's just a box like the dozens of other boxes it's easy to imagine the greatest care not being taken. But I've only ever had two packages to me get lost over like 20 years and despite some mangled boxes no damage. These logical thoughts do not stop me fretting tho XD

@Girrl I like the idea of a straight razor. .. Part of me doesn't trust me with one but it can't be much more dangerous than the razor blade I snipped in half then taped to a comb!

Creepy is relative. I have a full sized plastic skull on my shelf - no room for a full skeleton! I have two dolls with no eyes in, another with a plastic bag over his head and one head on a naked armless torso. My friend keeps snakes, lizards that sort of thing - I don't mind them but the live insects the lizard gets fed... Nope. Just the thought of them getting everywhere makes me itch!

 

I LOVE my straight razors for crafting - they cut leather and heavy vinyl like warm butter, not to mention hair cutting and shaving.
I've got 3 at the moment, 2 with ivory handles and 1 with a horn handle. They make my husband nervous. He hates when I leave them out (2 have cases, called "coffins," and 1 doesn't - that's the one that usually gets left out, tbh) I've also got 2 butterfly knives, a switchblade (bought by my dad in the 60's in Italy!) and a 13-inch triangular assassins' knife. I like sharp things, I guess.
@Mekkisry and @rubydoll - you should both totally try using straight razors - really amazing and worth the investment
@IngieBee - did she mention the smell? It's like the refrigerated meat section dialed up to 15, and hoo-boy does it linger in your clothes. At least that's what it's like in the Santa Clara and Alameda county morgues (yes, I'm terrible )

 

@IngieBee: LOL, your daughter sounds like me when I was a kid! I was completely fascinated/drawn to anything that most other people considered "gross" or "weird". Still am, to be honest. I'm not squeamish at all (never have been); I just find most things interesting. I don't think my poor Mom knew quite how to handle that, especially considering that my elder sister would run terrified and screaming at the sight of a Butterfly. She still does it! ROFL. I shouldn't laugh, but it genuinely is kind of ridiculous. I don't think I've ever known anyone else who was scared of something so completely harmless.

@rubydoll: Exactly, yeah. The postal system really doesn't take much care with packages, and I've certainly had my share of mangled boxes arrive to my home. Thankfully, the contents are generally safe, but it's kind of disheartening to think of how much they don't care. I suppose they just can't, with the amount of mail that moves through the system on a daily basis.

@Girrl: I think straight razors are kind of beautiful, to be honest. I also quite like sharp things, and I will admit to having a pretty little knife on my person, whenever I go out. It's disguised; it doesn't look anything like a knife until you open it up. I've gotten it through various forms of security (and not even really intentionally), which I find mildly hilarious. Granted, I have ZERO intention of using it for anything other than to protect myself, if it really came down to that. Hopefully, it never will.

..........

I've been working on my Nicolas, again. All things considered, I'm not unhappy. But, I think I can definitely do better. I'll likely wipe what I've done and start over, but I'm okay with that. He really is fun to work on, and I've been trying something new with the eyebrows/lower lashes. I think I really like it. So far.

 

Now you guys got me wanting a straight razor, LOL I've always loved knives, and my youngest has the same fascination. It's like how most girls feel about jewels, knives can be beautiful works of art, and dang, some of those razors are super cool!

 

Another who likes knives here. I too have one on me pretty much at all times. it is small (the blade is 3") but wicked sharp and handles most regular things (opening boxes, cutting string/ fruit) just fine. My brother loved knives. I have no idea how many we've found but I'd conservatively say between 30-40. He had some very nice zombie killers, too, that would more properly be called machetes than knives.

 

I wonder what it is about knives?! For me, the blade is shiny, and handles are beautiful woods or gems or bone, etc... My Uncle had a friend who made them, and they were really fancy shapes and such lovely handles. That's when I got hooked. My daughter, though, she fell in love on her own, as I never did collect any knives (too busy with dolls, LOL)

 

I can't say that I collect knives. I like the way they look and, as with the dolls, the weirder they are, the more attracted to them I am. There's a knife I'd love to get. It's tiny as far as blades go (only 1.5" & a hawkbill design) but when folded, it looks like a fancy pendant and unless you knew what you're looking at, you'd never guess that it was actually a blade. You can't casually open it either, which is good considering that it's hanging around your neck and that would be bad. The same company also makes a folding blade that is a 5th pocket carry, meaning the total size of the knife when folded is about the diameter of a pocket watch. The blade is just 3/4" long and also a hawkbill design.

 

Blade lover here too! I leeerrrrrrv me some edged weapons! Get me a knife/sword catalog and it's like I'm drooling over porn... but much happier looking at blades! No idea why, but blades are exciting stuff!

 

My nephew (who's nearly the same age as me) is trying to convince me to go axe throwing with him. I am being convinced... slowly. Not sure how well I'd do as one wrist is not so great for movement due to a combo of breaks that were never set and severe arthritis and the other is my off-hand which is also handicapped by mild weakness from one of my TIA's. But it sounds like hella fun and a useful skill to have during the zombie apocalypse.

 

Do it! At least try it! Sounds like a blast!

OH and I have a new girl, Illydra! She is sooooo amazingly pretty and I did not do the face up! (She came with it to me.) She is on a Starwoman muscle body: