aneemal: Thank you very much! That made me very happy to hear, haha! And yes, ears are troublesome to sculpt and make even... but I'm glad you like Ask's!
Yo, people! Today I have finally ordered myself some resin and silicone etc. and in one - two weeks I'll clean out part of my parents' garage and start casting Ask! I am so excited! >w< Now.. back to sanding and painting Ask! |D
He is very handsome. I love seeing his evolution from a child like head to a mature looking adult male. I can't wait to see him cast in resin and on a full body.
Starting a body~ Yesterday, I got home from work, spent a few lazy minutes on a halfassed sketch and then started sculpting a body for Ask. I know people around here probably think I should've spent more time on the sketch, but I was a bit too impatient, haha... In comparison with a B&G Type 2 body. Since Ask's head is so small, I figured working on a body myself would probably be the best thing to do... But I'm going to fatten it up a bit, since the sketch is halfassed and you can see how big Ask's head is compared to his body - do not want. Anyway, photos of the progress so far; Veeeerrry basic, basically just a core right now. But I like the general shape of it so far. I'm using photos of real people as references, in case someone's worried I'm making all of this up as I go. XD
Why thank you! I personally think I'll fatten him out a bit and perhaps make him a cm longer or something, cause I think the head looks a bit too big, but whatever, I'll figure it out along the way! Thanks for liking what I've got so far, though!
I love the head, but I do think the body is definitely too small. Not so much in the torso area, but the legs look very short and the feet are itty bitty.
Hmm, you think the legs are too short? Never thought of that. But I bet they are. I'll know for sure once I start owkring on the body as a whole. And yeah, the body sketch is definitely too small, I will be changing that around as I go - making everything a little bit bigger. Thanks for the input!
Eeee, his head looks so, so, so awesome! I'm sure he'll end up being taller, his legs longer once you start sculpting. Man, I can't wait to see your finished version!!
Thank you, thank you! :'3 I can't wait to see him finished either, it feels kinda crazy right now! X''D
So.. time for some more photos on this boy! Been out of clay since last weekend, but I got my two new packages two days ago and today I finally found the time to sit down and work on this boy. c: He's still verrrrry rough, I'm trying to get the proportions right. Still a long way to go, as you all can see, since the body is still a bit too small profile-wise. Me no likey bubbleheadedness. (Is that even a word?) I must say that this process is so much fun! I NEVER thought I'd enjoy working with clay as much as I do, haha. Gotta love it.
Wiiide shoulders! Maybe a little too wide but it's a feature I admire in men. Also, I don't think he's bubble headed at all. He just needs a little more thickness in the neck to balance it out between the head and the shoulders. The inside of his headcap looks so clean! I never noticed before. Have fun!
Jphobia: Thank you! ^^ Yes, I have also come to that conclusion - with the wide shoulders, I mean. not really what I have in mind for him, but we'll see what happens! I plan on doing different versions of the same body with modifications later on anyway. c: Today I decided he was too fleshy (especially around the shoulders, yes), so I cut off his shoulders to rework them and I already think he looks much, much better. C: Photos will hopefully come either tonight or tomorrow, depending on how much work I get done with him!
So, I need some advice here, cause I can't make up my mind. I think Ask's body/torso needs to be longer and a tiny bit thicker, but I don't wish to end up with a bodybuilder, ahahaha. I would like to be slender, yet toned and manly, so no Iplehouse bulkiness for me (eventhough that's kinda hot~). My question is; do you guys think Ask's head looks too big for his torso? I think it does and now I'm a little unsure how to go about fixing it. Should I fix it while doing the joints later on? I have already lengthened the body once by simply making his neck longer, then fleshing up the shoulders to match it. Let me know what you think. Also, I manipulated one of the photos in Photoshop just to get an idea of what I have in mind. I don't know if you can even tell the difference here... X'D Also, gotta scale down that butt of his, I know. :T Such a shame.
Hehe, being the impatient girl that I am, I took matters into my own hand and I believe I made the right decision; I lengthened his torso. I haven't fattened him up yet, since I want to give him some time to start drying before I do that. NOW, I'm satisfied! X'D He just needs some more flesh on him, some modifications and yadda yadda, but other than that, I think I'm proud of this so far. It's my first try after all, and he COULD have ended up looking like.. like... I don't know. If anyone thinks he needs to get even taller, please let me know! Any advice is ALWAYS welcome!
His body looks a bit flat, he is very wide looking at him from the front but from the side he is very thin. His chest seems to be fine but his back needs a little more "meat" on it. He is looking wonderful, can hardly wait to see him finished.
Thank you! And yes, I agree, he does indeed look quite flat, but that's mostly because I haven't gotten to the fattening part yet, haha. I'll get to that soon though, so stay tuned!
You know I didn't think his head looked too big for his body before, but I agree it does look even better now, so good on that! (no need to even ask our opinions lol xP) Other than that the torso is too thin up top, but you've already mentioned it'll be beefed up, so that's all good too. You're making great progess!
crowtree: Thanks! And, yes, he'll get a bit more beefed up, no worries! ^^ I've always considered myself a slow worker, but consider I have had three or four days to actually sit down for around 3 - 4 hours and work on this thing, I've gotten pretty far, haven't I? Or maybe I'm imagining things.. XD But I hear all these stories of people taking over a year to finish their bodies and stuff.. Then again, I haven't gotten to the jointing part, yet. >_>;
Fattening him up turned out a bit more troublesome than I thought, cause the lengthening of the upper torso completely changed his proportions. Also, I've been busy with Real Life. *sighs* But oh well, here are a few new photos of the body; Really, don't mind the way his back looks right now, I'm aware he looks completely off. XD I'm planning on making his chest a wee bit slimmer, as well as make his butt a little less... square. I'm not sure on the latter though.
Hehe, no worries. I can't remember the last time I mentioned it, so perhaps it's time to mention it again; I'm using the airdrying paperclay called DAS. Some people really hate it, but I think it's allright to work with (I don't have much to compare it to anyways).
That's actually what I ended up buying because the art store I went to didn't have LaDoll in stock, so far I like it, but like you I don't have anything else to compare it to. What tools are you using to carve and sculpt it?
Hehe, I'm using an old french manicure set... XD It works really well! For carving, I use a simple hobby knife. ^^ So, nothing fancy!
That's the right kinda shape! Hes looking great so far, even in his rough state. Are you thinking of a torso joint ATM? Or will he be in one piece?
Jphobia: Aaah, thank you so muuuch! ;w; ...omg, one piece? NO. Definitely not. XD; It's beautiful, sure, but no. I'm thinking three pieces; one joint under the ribs, one just below the waist/at the start of the hips.
Zomfg - He's Got Legs!? ANOTHER update! Finally things are going forward. |D I have mainly carved and reshaped a lot of his torso. I personally think I fattened him up a bit too much, and since I hadn't had that kind of muscular body in mind for Ask, I had to slim him down a little bit. I have also reshaped his butt and hips. I'm not sure what to do about his back right now, so that's put on hold until I find a reference photo of a sexy back that I like. :p Still VERY afraid his head might be too big....... I realized I had modelled his hipbones in a weird way, so I changed them and now I'm liking his hips a LOT more than before. Still haven't started on his belly muscles though, but stay tuned~ Also, yes, that is part of his internal core sticking out. |D His butt is completely out of shap, please ignore that for now. |D ....OMG? HE'S GOT LEGS!? Yes, he's got a pair of legs - not done, but on their way. He's starting to come together quite nicely, which has me bouncing in happiness everytime I look at him, HAHA. Anyway, any thoughts?
The shapes looking very nice, you've got alot of the dips, curves and lines that took me so long to figure out, and only after much study. Great work! You might be surprised once his arms are in place that the proportions may sort themselves out. From your previous pics I really don't think his head is too small, but can you take a pic from the front, maybe with his headcap too? That'd be a better indicator.
Thank you! Well, I did have to stare at sexy naked men for a while in order to get things right.. ooooh, the agony.. |D *shot* Yes, I think you're right, the missing shoulders confuse me, I think. I'll see if I can take some photos of it later today.
Why thank you! *bows' His core is made of aluminium foil wrapped up in some kind of tape. I think I'll try to avoid that next time, but it works, it's the same thing I've done for the heads I've created before this. ^^
Just a quick update! Work is standing pretty still right now, as I'm dealing with other stuff happening. My grandfather passed away on the 17th of April, so my life has been sort of upside down for some time. Not that that has stopped me from working, but still. I'm currently dealing with all the necessary things for starting my own company, but I'm really hoping to have at least Ask's head casted by the end of next week. I just need to stop fiddling with him and get it over with (I'm such a perfectionist, it's not even funny..) Yeah. That's it for now, I think.
Finally I have something decent to updated about... Haha. I fattened Ask out some more, cause I still wasn't happy with the way his proportions looked. Also - arms, legs, hands and feet! All looking like lumps of clay right now, but I'll get there, I promise. Today I also fixed the poor boy's head cap magnets and I'm pleased with the result. ^^
Haha, those feet look funny ATM. The body looks like it's the right shape now. Feels like he'll turn out great so far. I've been getting urges to make a man doll ;.; must resist! Also, sorry to hear about your grandad and I hope things with your company go well ^^
Haha, they're absolutely hideous! xD And yes, the body looks much, much better now. Hahaha, naw, why resist? Mandolls are good for the soul~ Thank you.
The body looks great, I like it! the head looks good on it too So sorry to hear about your grampa though It's tough...
Devastated. Yes, that's how I'm feeling right now; devastated. Why? Because I just realized that I will never be able to open up my own BJD company and live off of it. Why? Because I live in Sweden, which makes everything I need in order to produce dolls three times more expensive than if I had lived in Asia, where the biggest BJD companies are located. Really. I just wantched my biggest dream fly out the window and get crushed by the wind. To make my dream come true, I would have to raise the prices of my dolls from ca 3000 SEK (475 USD) to at the very least 4200 SEK (ca 697 USD). NOBODY would EVER want to buy my dolls blank at that price. Thank you, USD, for screwing me over big time. I feel like jumping off a cliff or something.
Don't give up too quickly! Maybe you still have options. Some possibilities just off the top of my head: * Perhaps your government has grants to help small businesses which could help. Maybe you could get some/all money back for the materials as a tax rebate. * Perhaps you could outsource your casting, and focus entirely on sculpting (there are many Asian companies that are branching out into casting for people - there's one mentioned on here - DollShe). * Perhaps you could focus on complete sets, rather than blank dolls. People are often willing to pay more for a OOAK artist doll than they would be willing to pay for just any doll. If you can't sew/paint yourself, maybe you could team up with someone to make outfits/painting faceups. * Use different materials. Maybe you could cast in porcelain or plaster rather than resin, or specialise in OOAK clay dolls. * You could move to another country. Obviously a HUGE step, but if casting dolls is really your dream job, maybe you should think about what steps you'd have to take to make this a reality. * Check whether prices are more feasible if you can buy in bulk. If you're serious about making this a business, you could possibly take out a loan to get started, and buy your materials in bulk. * Consider every way to cut costs possible (without sacrificing the quality you want). Thicker stringing channels and larger hollows allows you to use less resin; carefully made moulds allow you to use less silicone (and cutting off excess silicone from box moulds allows you to reuse it and have less waste). Using expensive resin for the outside of the parts, and cheaper resin for the insides (around the stringing channels) could allow you to lower costs even more. If it's your dream, there will always be a way to make it work. Don't give up hope. Just keep working and see where the process takes you!
Wow.. thank you so, so much, sharnsofshade! I really, truly appreciate your words, tips and ideas! *big hug* I have had some time to think and, yes, I have realized that I would regret it if I gave up when I've come this far. So, I'll keep on struggling and try to find new ways of getting the materials that I need. It will take me some more time, but it might be possible in the end! Thank you so, so much for your words. They mean much to me, trust me.
do not give up! keep going. there are always ways to make things work. is importing anything from within the EU any cheaper? anyhow, there will be some way to do this
Thank you, Maggs, I appreciate the peptalk. And yes, i do think it would be cheaper - if I could buy it in bulks. But that either means I'll have to save up for a few months or get a loan sometime soon. I'll do some more calculations on this tomorrow. Thank you, guys!
Allright, so... I just tried using some Mr Surfacer on my boy and it ended up ruining his eyelids completely because of bubbles and shit. I must've done something wrong....... *sighs* Now, it's backtracking, trying desperately to get the shape of his eyelids back (the mr surfacer paint clung to the gesso beneath it and when I tried sanding it off...... yeah. NICE.) I was hoping on starting on the silicone molds tomorrow, but we'll see how this ends.... u____u *annoyed*
A question for you; is it impossible to get good resin copies of a head that hasn't been sprayed with Mr Surfacer? If I can, I'd like to avoid using Mr Surfacer ever again, because it has ruined Ask's eyelids and part of his mouth as well.... KJBALKJBDALKBDLKA. *RAGE*
Maybe you can remove the Mr Surfacer with nail polish remover? I think if its acrylic based maybe it can remove it.
As long as the head isn't porous, you should be able to get a good cast without much trouble (I hardly ever coated anything I did when working in sculpey). If you already sealed it with gesso, you shouldn't need to seal it again, but if you're worried about it not being completely super shiny smooth, I'd recommend something like Krylon crystal clear, which can go on pretty thin, not something thick like Mr. Surfacer. Sorry to hear about the damage though, hopefully it's not too bad?
Stinker: Thanks for the tip, but I don't think I'd dare use nail polish on him, i think that would end up taking all the paint off, as the gesso beneath Mr Surfacer is also acrylic based. x_x DeaDLiKe: Allright, then I am never ever using Mr Surfacer again, damn, it's scary to use! x_x;; And no, I think I managed to save most of his eyelides, but now they look very, very uneven... ;___;
So, first part of the silicone mold for the head has been poured. Unfortunately, the thing I decided to pour the silicone into turned out to be a tiny bit too small and the amount of silicone mixed up a tiiiny bit too little, so, uh, emergency experimentation à la my father? Haha, he put those screw-thingies (lost the word for them) in there and it helped, so we'll see what happens. It's the first time ever, so it doesn't need to "look good". But, oh my goodness, I was so nervous doing all of this. xD;; In a few hours, I'll go down there and pour the next half. We'll see how this goes..... Wish me luck? X'D;;
You can control the amount of silicone rubber you use by making your own mold box instead of using a ready-made box. Thin, flexible cardboard is strong enough for small doll parts. The important thing is to seal it properly so that the rubber will not leak while it is setting up. Cardboard mold boxes can be sealed with packing tape, or a hot glue gun. You are lucky to have a father who understands displacement. Using the screwdriver handles is very clever. He deserves a big hug for helping you like that.
kwmelvin: Haha, yes, I shall give him that big hug for sure! And I started out with making a moldbox myself, since that's what I've seen people use the most, but then I realized this little box would be perfect - well, I thought it was, haha! It was just the height that could've been.. higher. But I think we managed to fix that, so no worries. But, yes, next time I'll be making my own moldbox for sure!
