Props The world of a Witch, a Guardian, and an Apprentice

(I wasn't sure what prefix to put this under as it's both props and aesthetics)

I need to excitedly scream about my new project idea because it involves 3 new Resinsoul YoSDs. First a little backstory: I've been writing a story on and off for a while and have been wanting to make my characters into dolls but couldn't decide on a scale for them. That is, until I made a potential prop for an incoming doll, using my Bobobie Isabella as a model.



I suddenly fell in absolute LOVE with the proportions and immediately went to Resinsoul's website to do a little searching. I hadn't really considered their YoSD sizes much before but with the thought that I could get something slightly more customized, I came up with a few dolls that I plan on getting for my characters!

Going to get a male YoSD Winter with normal resin and human ears, Autumn with coffee resin and human ears, and a Nian in coffee resin and human ears. Autumn and Nian will both be on the female body. The fourth doll I'm still debating on if I should get them or not since the character hasn't been solidified in the story yet

Since this is a story I greatly enjoy making, I'm building a diorama for them! Most things have been planned out so far, just need to build the room boxes themselves and I'll be good to get started.



The diorama is a small, woodsy cottage. Two rooms: a front sitting area/living room and then a kitchen/work/sleeping space. This will be the Witch's home. I also have plans for another separate, much smaller room box to be set near this big one to be the home for the Apprentice (it's literally a bed and a small chest with some wall decor).


This was the original layout, but upon laying out the dimensions of the furniture, things changed.



So I still need to buy/build the furniture and the room boxes themselves but I'll need my dad's help for that and the furniture, should I order it soon, won't be here until about September because it's from Russia But the quality is amazing and completely worth it. On my end for crafting, I need to figure out how to make a wood burning stove prop and some counter space as well as some bedding and miscellaneous knickknacks.

For the dolls, I've got the three characters: Siobhan (the Witch), Cassius (the Guardian), and Alys (the Apprentice). Siobhan and Alys will be straightforward in terms of doing their faceups and everything which I plan on doing myself. Cassius, however, will be a little tricky and I'll need to borrow an airbrush for starters.



Cassius' arms have an inky blackness to them that fades into the rest of his skin. He also has claws so I'll need to get some materials to sculpt those. (Any suggestions?)

In terms of outfits, I'm going to try my hand at sewing some things. Cassius' at least since it's simple, the other two I may end up having to commission though based on my limited sewing skills...

But overall, yes, I'm very excited to start this project. I feel like I have a bigger connection to it than my last project which I ended up scrapping. I'll try to keep updates on this project as things go. Wish me luck!

 

Today I ran to Michael's and Hobby Lobby to pick up some bases for the furniture in the cottage. I need to add shelves and stain/paint still, but it feels good to have something down to start to see it come together.


https://i.imgur.com/12pV1Sp.jpg (for some reason, it won't let me share this picture)

For the stove, I bought a wooden tissue box holder and am going to modify that to make it look like an antique stove. But in order to do that, I need to use my dad's power saw (or rather, he will be the one to cut it for me )

This is it in terms of purchasing however for the next week and a half (paycheck go brrr), but I just need to buy 4 regular chairs, an end table, and a rocking chair and the furniture will all be here.

Hopefully I'll be able to get the cuts and staining done this week/next week. But while I'm waiting for the assistance with that, I'm going to work on the bedding for the two beds. I'm going to forgo mattresses since the beds are already high up and blankets and a pillow will cover them anyway.

For the dolls, I've sent an email to Sun at Resinsoul to see about getting a quote for the three dolls last night and so I'm just waiting for a reply. EDIT: Got the quote! Now it's time to save~

I'm hoping to have this all together by at least September so I can decorate it all autumn-like. Although, considering that the other furniture I need is coming from Russia, it may be a bit later than that... We'll see!

 

Thank you so much! I'm excited too! I want to keep working on it today but I just don't have the time unfortunately Tomorrow though, I plan on starting the staining process on the pieces that don't need to be cut.

That sculpt is so cute! Maybe one day you'll have the room
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Update: I've mapped out the cost of everything that I want to do/get and it looks like it'll be closer to the end of the year as it may take me a bit longer to save up the money for everything. I also need to fill the small bookcase with books and the ones I found will be quite expensive, but I love the quality of them and they're actually legible. They're from Little Things Of Interest and they're amazing, I highly recommend them.

 

Update time!

Yesterday I got my dad's help and we started working on the room box. We've got the base, backwall, and far right wall cut. Just need to do the front and add the door as well as cutting out the windows on the backwall. Then I spent some time staining the wooden furniture so today I put the furniture together and spruced up some of them

Spoiler

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I also tried my hand at wood burning and it was... an attempt.

Spoiler

And! With my dad's help, I've got a solution to what to do with the walls! I'm making fake bricks using craft sticks! These are my steps:

1 - Get jumbo craft sticks, sand, and wood glue.
2 - Cut the ends off of the craft sticks, both ends.
3 - Slather on some glue onto one side of the stick using a paintbrush.
4 - Press the now gluey sticks into the sand.
5 - Spread the sand into a nice layer using a paintbrush (I used the same paintbrush I used for the glue part and it seems to work well)
6 - Set to the side and let dry
7 - Once dried, cut to desired length and glue them to the room box wall.

(for some reason, imgur won't let me upload these last two pictures so links it is)
https://i.imgur.com/g8LUNzH.jpg

As you can see, it's messy as all get out so make sure to have a nice workspace set up.

And! The wings for Cassius came in! His original form is that of a raven and he can transform between forms so I wanted to make sure he had his wings.

https://i.imgur.com/I6c34pQ.jpg

These wings are articulated and INCREDIBLE!!! I had them custom ordered from LilWingsNThings and am planning to get another black pair but a bit smaller.

Yesterday, I also started making a small quilt so I'll be working on that on and off. Hopefully I'll have it done by the time I can actually get the character it's for I'll post pictures when I'm a little further along.

Now for the rest of the evening I'm going to work on making some props, specifically tiny yarn balls made from wooden beads and embroidery thread.

 

I used the flow tip on a wood burner I bought a while ago and I used to use it to burn markings into leather. Getting the pressure right was really hard which is why it looks the way it does

And I know! The wings are amazing!

 

I actually did a little more searching and noticed the Pixiu has the hands that would work pretty well so I'm going to see if I can get just the hands cast in black resin! Cassius is going to be a mix of a few dolls But thank you! I'll have to try the sculpting at some point, maybe give one of my other dolls some elf ears.

 

I may need to try that, I've got plenty of wire of various sizes!

And now it's time for another update! I haven't been able to get back to sawing the room box itself as the saw is currently at my brother's house (he and my dad are building a table) so I've been making props for the dolls.

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Now, I can't knit or crochet so I actually used a doily to make a shawl for Siobhan. The bag I handmade completely using some leather I bought from Hobby Lobby and super glue (Gorilla Glue is the best). That one is for Alys and the next one...

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Is for Cassius. For this one, I distressed the leather by using a small grit sandpaper. It closed with velcro, as you can see but I'd like to see about making a proper buckle for it. Cassius also gets a small knife and I love how it came out.

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I also made a better crook and lantern, something a little more in scale because, yes, I'll admit it, the first one was huge.

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I'm probably going to remake the lantern at some point because I'd love for it to have working lights in it. I'm thinking of trying out a 5mm LED light and put the battery in the lantern hood.

As for what to do today, I'm thinking of doing a little painting~ Alys, the Apprentice, is an artist as well and I'd love to make a little painting or two and a tiny sketchbook. And I should probably try to make those yarn balls, it's just proving to be very annoying to get the embroidery thread to stay on the ball. I don't want to glue it to the ball because then it'd lose it's thread look and be more of a lump.

One final thing for today's update! I work at a craft store and there are yarn examples that we have that I learned we actually just throw out when we no longer carry a product. I asked my manager and as luck would have it, they'll let me have the next ones! I'm going to use those as little throw blankets and furniture coverings.

Now what's left in terms of building is:
- Build room box (door and window trims included!)
- Make and apply bricks
- Figure out what to do for flooring
- Plan out more décor
- Lay down moss for grass between the cottage and the hut
- Make a headboard for Siobhan's bed

And then anything else that I eventually come up with. I love this project and I'm so happy to share it with you all!

 

I really am! I'm trying to make some clothes right now, at least Cassius' as his is the easiest. It's only a tank top and long pants. I'm not working with a pattern so it's some trial and error using my other doll as a stand-in. I'm also working on his necklaces! I'll probably have to commission Alys and Siobhan's outfits as they're a bit more intricate than I can handle.

I'm also wondering if I should start a layaway with Resinsoul or just save up and pay in full. Not this paycheck, but the one after that is going to be pretty nice so I'd start it then by paying off half. I just don't want to have to wait to fully save and then wait for them to be shipped out. Bah, I'll have to think about it.

Also, it's funny, I've talked my family's ears off about this project and my brother says that I'm nesting But they think it's cool how I'm being so creative about this so that makes me really happy.

 

I think I saw some people say it's about 2-3 months. I might do a three part layaway as I've got some good hours scheduled these next two weeks.

But anyway, here's another update!

I made Cassius' outfit! It was a little trial and error because I wasn't using a pattern but I think it came out nice! It's actually supposed to look a little frayed as he lives in the forest and he doesn't take care of his clothes. But I've set it up with both fray check glue and some stitches around it. I love how you can't even tell since the thread is black. I even added elastic to the pants, something I've never tried before (elastic has been intimidating to me for a while )

Spoiler: Cassius' outfit

Spoiler: Feathered cloak

The feather cloak will be for only special occasions as it's just a little cumbersome. In the story, the cloak is made from his own fallen feathers as his original form is a raven and he was given the ability to shift into a human-like form by the witch. I was originally thinking of having the cloak turn into his wings but I think it'll just be a regular cloak because seeing it in real life makes the whole design look a little silly

I've also updated my order from Resinsoul. For Cassius I was originally going to air brush his arms and hands but then I realized that was dumb and that I should just get his hands in black resin and air brush just the forearms.

For the next step in my process, I'm going to see if I can drag my dad over to continue working on building the room box in the next few days. I picked up burlap to mimic dirt so I can have a little garden between the hut but I still need to get the sheets of moss. I'm also slowly working on the quilt, it's just a little bit of a pain so I took a break.

Anywho, that's the update for today!

 

Thank you! I'm working on the next outfit right now, the one for Alys.

Spoiler: Alys' Outfit

I still have to make her dress, the one my doll is wearing right now is her own. The part I'm dreading is the sleeves as I have no idea how to do them

And you're absolutely right! Resinsoul is totally underrated but I love them to bits

 

Oh dear. I'm having a dilemma. As it currently says in my signature, I'm waiting for a Myou Vierduodis and now I'm wondering if I should instead make all my characters from Myou's 1/6 mature line. For Cassius, I'd have Rod, Siobhan would be Bettina, and Alys would be Gina.

Spoiler: Head comparison

It doesn't help that Myou is currently having a sale and that they'd only be $40 more than getting the Resinsoul dolls... The thing is, they're supposed to be adults and I'm starting to feel like the style of Resinsoul makes them a little more chibi-ish. I mean, I love Resinsoul dolls a lot but I'm starting to wonder if this would be the better option. I'd just have to dye Cassius' hands and make the claws.

Which heads would you go with? And I've had a Myou doll before and I loved the way she posed, granted it was a 1/4 scale doll but I'm assuming that they're not terribly different. Really, the only thing that's keeping me away from the Myou dolls is that I don't like their default faceups.

 

It does make sense and I actually have the comparisons of the ones I'd want in my previous post Also, my Myou came in yesterday and I was hoping that it'd be a clear answer when he arrived but I'm still conflicted. His head is really small so doing his faceup was a little difficult but I think with practice I could make it better. And if it comes down to it, I can always send their heads out to get worked on. Maybe I'll have a better idea of it once my diorama is more set up.

 

Hahaha it's okay. The more I play with my new doll the more I like his body. I think I may just go with the Myou I'll try to do their faces myself (I've redone my new boy's like... 6 times already because something was constantly off) but if it's just too much for me to do, I'll save up again and send them off. But I'm feeling pretty confident that I can make it how I'd like.

Update: I've taken a small break from my project to work on a diorama for my new boy. It's much smaller (it's in a fake book). But the next step in my big diorama is to wait for another day off that coincides with my dad's schedule to get the rest of the boards for the room box cut. Additionally, now that I've decided I'm going to go with Myou, I need to make sure to make the order in the next few weeks so that I can get that sale price.

I'll also have to remake Cassius' outfit since it'll be a different body but that shouldn't be bad, I got pretty good at making his shirt n' whatnot. For Alys and Siobhan, I'm going to need to wait to actually get them to make their outfits as I don't have anything comparable.

But we're still going!

 

I agree with the chibi look but I think I like the better posability more in the Myou.