Two Companions - Finished - see p.5

After a long hiatus, I am back to doll-making and having a try at LaDoll clay. I have sculpted these two faces to get a feeling for the new material. There's no actual concept behind them, but I think they are worth developing. So far, I am quite pleased with LaDoll and I'm looking forward to working with it some more.)

Two indistinct faces by eviexm, on Flickr

Two indistinct faces by eviexm, on Flickr

Your feedback is well appreciated. If you have any ideas and suggestions for these two, please let me know.

 

Thank you all for the comments and tips. I keep getting impatient with air drying clay, as well, that's why I'm working on several projects at once. I don't have a small oven nor a heat gun (yet) … I have tried oven-baking clay before, but it doesn't work well for me. My favourite sculpting material is actually Milliput, but it is quite a pain to sand as it get very hard.

LaDoll seems to be a bit tricky on the details. It's quite hard to shape eyelids because the material is kind of fibrous( is that the right word?) once it's dried, like soft paper. But I've heard that some artists are sculpting the whole doll with this clay, even hands and feet …

I'm currently working on the symmetry of the sculpts. They don't have to be perfect as they are meant to become more or less realistic, but it's still quite a way to go … I'll keep you updated

JetPackJumper, what is "das clay"? Is it a non-toxic soft white clay looking like ceramic when dry? Then you should be able to dry it in the oven at a low temperature.

 

It used to be called "Das Pronto" in Germany, and I have worked with it in the past. You can dry it in the oven at a reasonably low temperature. My friend has sculpted a 90 cm dragon doll with the same stuff, drying the parts in the oven, it worked very well.

I really want to try 3D printing. I haven't seen a printed object yet, and I can't quite imagine how useful it really is.

 

I just saw your dolls on Etsy! They're pretty cool and look fun to play with. Is the material similar to resin, can it be modded and painted the same way? I have to check the other threads on 3D printing. Those questions have probably all been answered before …^^

I worked on my two heads this weekend and their characters are evolving …
Update 1 by eviexm, on Flickr

This guy is already quite detailed. I'll add a little more detail, but I don't want 100% realism.
Update 1 by eviexm, on Flickr

The other one seems to turn into a mischievous, cat-like character.
Update 1 by eviexm, on Flickr

It's quite fun to just let them develop while sculpting.

 

JetPackJumper, easier to mod and paint sounds great! I really have to look into 3d printing. I do some 3d character modelling occasionally, but I am definitely not an expert.

My two heads have got ears and headsbacks now, and I am currently doing the finetuning with modelling paste. I couldn't sculpt thin eyelids with LaDoll, it kept breaking when I sanded it. Hopefully the modelling paste will help.
There still is a lot of work to do. I like doing the detailed work like sculpting ears, but the headcaps were really hard for me, and they still need a lot of sanding. Well … just like everything else …

Update 2 by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 2 by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 2 by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 2 by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 2 by eviexm, on Flickr
There are some more photos on my Flickr if you're interested

 

Thank you! At the moment I need patience rather than talent. I had sculpted quite thin eyelid which keep cracking when I sand the heads. I have applied modelling paste to give the LaDoll clay more strength. It works alright, but I also have to redo all the details. I also had to redo one of the headcaps because it was too egg-shaped and made the head look ridiculously high.

Update 3 by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 3 by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 3 by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 3 by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 3 by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 3 by eviexm, on Flickr

 

Thank you very much, Berrysdoll. I'm hoping to finish them both or at least one of them by this weekend.

Modelling paste isn't that scary … I have mixed my own paste with gesso and black acrylic paint. Gesso gets very hard and waterproof when dry. It can be applied with modelling tools or with a brush when diluted with water. I use it to smoothen the surface and to strengthen the thin areas like eyelids and nostrils.
As an alternative, I have used acrylic modelling paste that's actually used for painting. It has a nice texture, gets very hard and is easy to sand. But the stuff I have is a bit grainy, so I turned to other materials … I have also tried a mix of Ladoll, water and a bit of woodglue for modelling paste, but it's quite arduous to mix LaDoll with other materials. I'll give that a try on my next sculpt.

I had given my heads very thin eyelids to make the eyes look natural, but hey kept breaking. That's why I had to reshape them. The modelling paste also filled the tearducts and the corners of the mouth. However, I don't think that applying primer in a thinner layer will be that bad.
I don't know yet if these heads actually need primer. Gesso is quite durable and very smooth when sanded.

 

I had a feeling that all the sanding and adding more modelling paste wouldn't get me anywhere near more durability, so I decided to make a junk mold from the least advanced head and work on with a different material.
The ears broke, as I had feared.

Update 4 by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 4 by eviexm, on Flickr

The mold is made from Plaast (which I think is about the same as Blue Stuff). It gets quite hard, but is also a bit flexible. I hadn't used it for mold making yet. I had a few trials at sculpting with it, but since it cannot be sanded or drilled, it is no good for making dolls.

 

Welcome the clones!
My first try at casting with Milliput worked out quite well. The mold didn't catch all the details, but my sculpts needed work anyway. I ran out of Milliput terracotta, and I don't want to finish the head using the yellow-grey stuff (probably the most sickly looking color I've ever seen).
The small face on the right is a test cast of cold porcelain. It's my first try with that material. I made a very small amount and experimented …

Update 5 - The Clones by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 5 - The Clones by eviexm, on Flickr

Update 5 - The Clones by eviexm, on Flickr

I need to work on the eyelids and ears and then sand the heads some more.

 

No. 1 cast in resin!

I had abandoned these heads for a long while, never happy with the sculpting materials. I have resumed my work recently, and I'm glad I did. I have finished the first head and cast him in resin by myself. It's the very first time for me working with silicone and resin, and I am quite surprised how smoothly it went.

Here's my first ever resin cast along with his ancestors.
My own first resin cast by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr
Developing this head was quite a long process, I had to make three versions of the sculpt, before being able to cast him. The first sculpt (made with LaDoll) broke in my test mold, so I used Milliput for No. 2. But his forehead was too high for my taste, so I resculpted him again …

Never mind the dirt on my boy's face, it's just some specks of plastilline.
My own first resin cast by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr

How do you like him?
There are more photos on my Filckr.

 

Thank you, ninive! I think it's a tiny bubble on his left eye, not a chip. I checked the mold, it looks okay. He has quite a few imperfections …
The other head is almost finished and I'd love to cast it as well, but I've run out of silicone and don't have the money to buy some atm. Resin is such a great material, it looks and feels so good.

I have given my head a quick faceup, will post pictures later …

 

@ninive Where are you buying your silicone? I have bought mine at http://siliconesandmore.de in Holland. They have very reasonable prices and have a great customer service (as far as I can say, it was my first order there). They have answered all of my noob questions within a few hours …^^
My resin is very white, but not paper white, rather milk white. It has a lovely quality and seems very durable.

Aw, thanks … I have sculpted a few heads before this one, even before I had my own BJD. It's true, I am working very fast once I am into a project, but I am always struggling with materials. Sculpting with LaDoll is nice, but I hate to wait for it to dry and sanding is a catastrophe, it's so dusty. I'm having a try at sculpting wax atm. If it is working out for me, I will have a go at a body …

Keep the faith - your own projects will develop over time. Being an artist is wearisome and frustrating at times. Stick with your vision.


Now for an update: A photo of my boy (with a quick faceup) out in the rain. He's on a Demon Garden 60cm body here.
First resin BJD head by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr

 

Well, saving shipping costs helps a lot. ^^ I was trying to get materials at my local art materials supplier which usually has quite decent prices, but silicone and resin cost about twice as much there than at siliconesandmore.

The head is still very white. I think it is the light in that photo. It was getting dark and rainy when I took the picture.

 

Head No. 2 - Junk Day

With my first head finished I came back to finishing No. 2. I cast my LaDoll mold in wax and made a few adjustments to cast it in resin. there was an accident with my silicone mold, however. The head disengaged and floated in the liquid silicone. I tried to save the mold (kind of gooey experience), but I think it was in vain: The resin head I cast came out kind of distorted.

Maybe you can see it in this picture: The original head is less narrow and more symmetric.

Junk mold vs. wax original by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr

Junk mold by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr

Junk mold by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr

Back to mold making then … *sigh*

 

Thanks, varebanos. It was probably my own fault, rushing to finish the mold … I am actually quite fond of silicone, still. The head doesn't look bad, maybe it will become an alternative version of the original. I think it looks a bit like Echnaton …

 

greymalkin, I actually put on gesso to make the thin parts of my sculpt more durable (and because I had such a lot of it that was slowly drying) I wouldn't actually recommend using gesso if you have a "real" primer like Mr. Surfacer at hand. I experiment a lot and not everything I come up with is actually a solution … XD My gesso is made by "Guardi".
Try to smooth your sculpt as much as possible before you put on primer, it will save you sanding time. I've stopped using LaDoll, and I haven't actually found out what works best.

 

I had to make a new mold for head No. 2, but was running out of silicone. So here's some guerilla mold making: I coated the head with thickened silicone and sculpted a support mold around it.

Guerilla mold making by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr

It worked. Junk mold No. 2 is ready for sanding and priming.

Junk Mold No.2 by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr

 

Thank you! I hope to have this one cast by a company, if it looks as good as I imagined …

 

Finally back working on my dolls … Jeez, I had so much trouble optimizing and priming this head. The primer kept clogging my airbrush and I spent quite some time cleaning. The head itself needed a lot of adjusting and sanding, but now I'm getting there.
I don't dare casting atm, humidity is up to 100% …:pout

W.I.P. 1/3 head "Nandi" by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr#
W.I.P. 1/3 head "Nandi" by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr
W.I.P. 1/3 head "Nandi" by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr

 

Thanks a lot for your suppport, Glyndon. I hope my style is ever developing … The silicone mold for this head is curing atm. I can't wait to cast this head. If it looks as good as I hope, I might even consider having a batch cast by a company. On the other hand, I really enjoy the casting process myself, and I'd like to experiment with resin tints …

 

Thank you! I'm glad the hours I spent priming this head were worth it … I had to remake the mold, there was a flaw around the eyes, but now it is fine. However, my resin supply has gone bad. I had wanted to use it up earlier, but I I git packed with work and just didn't have the time.
I'm not totally happy with the headcap yet. There's a small gap between the head and the cap, and I don't know how perfectionist I want to be …

 

Finished for now

Gremlin and Nandi by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr

To give this project a worthy conclusion, I took pictures of my two companions together. I tried coloring the resin for Nandi - it's not easy to add the right amount of color. (My photo is edited, the head is actually pinker than the body.)

 

Thank you, TheStripyCat, thank you, Glyndon!

I can't believe I started these two almost two years ago …

 

Weeeeeeell, I didn't expect to update this thread again, BUT … I have decided to have Nandi cast in resin by a professional company (Haru casting)! It's my first time parting with a prototype and I'm quite anxious …

Here's the last picture I snapped before sending her to Korea today.

Nandi - coming soon by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr

 

Thank you, GlossReality and Lilith! It was really hard to let her go, but I'm very sure that Haru will take good care of her.

 

And here they are!

They are here! Nandi, Nandi, Nandi … by Evie ex Machina, on Flickr