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(way more than) 30 day tiny? - new faceplate

Jan 2, 2010

    1. She looks beautiful and sleek. Love her legs!
       
    2. She's looking really good. Best of luck for that June 1st cast. :))
       
    3. She's so graceful and lovely! I am so excited to see her come this far! I can't wait to see her wigged and painted. Congratulations on your wonderful work!
       
    4. Oh my gosh, she is so cute! Look how graceful she is... You did a fantastic job, Armeleia, hope you'll have her finished before the Dolpa.
       
    5. She would be so cute to take to Dolpa. How exciting for one of your dolls to be able to bring a little doll of her very own! :D
       
    6. I don't have a lot to pick on, you seem to be very aware of things that could do with fixing. I would make the top of the lower torso bigger and thin down the socket edges of the upper torso, so that those pieces blend together better.. at the moment they create a very sudden change of shape in the torso. You could still have the hourglass figure, but with some of the volume inside the upper torso socket transferred to the top of the lower torso. I think I'm seeing some of the same bulk around the hip sockets, but as you're reducing the butt area I might wait and see what you do there.

      The feet look so cute!!

      The forehead seems very big, and possible wider from side to side than the back of the head; on a real person the temples and face would be narrower, then widen towards the back of the head before it rounds off at the very back.

      Also, where the shoulders meet the arms, there is a.... thickness, which makes it look like there is a bit of a step from the shoulder down to the arm, you might be able to gently taper and thin that down?

      Elbows; if you angle the socket opening on the upper arm a little, you'd get more angle, maybe closer to 90.

      Does she have a separate elastic in the legs, or is she strung like EP Iris? With the hip slots facing inwards instead of forward, the way you string overall will have a big effect on the poseability of the hips.
       
    7. I'd love to hear more about this, as I'm in the process of switching Kit's hip slots around. Do you recommend separate elastic? Or... however Iris is strung?
       
    8. From memory Iris is strung with one elastic length for legs and torso, with one loop going into each leg, however where normally both loops go up to the s-hook in the neck, in Iris only one loop goes to the s-hook, the other sits in the space between the hip sockets (there is an opening for it). Sort of like the elastic is in an A-shape, almost.
       
    9. Thanks for the comments again. :)

      Pat, it's weird... in some pics, she looks a little like your Saranbileg. I am looking forward to getting her done so I can do fullsets... I think I'll be sanding the indent in like you mentioned... I marked her up yesterday. It's a little daunting.

      Jphobia, Maggs, Alewife, Morgan, Tami, Silk, Miss Pygmalion - Thanks for the encouragement! :)

      Therese - Her leg string comes down through the top of the hip socket, then goes through a hole cut in the hip piece between the legs... so the string that comes through the left hole ends up coming down the right leg and vice-versa. I don't like it, now that she's strung. I like the clean, slot-less thigh pieces... but I think I'm going to change to traditional stringing though with visible stringing slits in the front. In retrospect, I'm not sure why I went with this style... almost every doll that I've handled with this configuration has had problems with the legs pulling in.

      I'm not sure how much I can taper in the rib cage. I would really like to, and I'm definitely going to try... but I don't want the pieces to get too thin for fear of breakage. I know it looks like a huge plateau-like step between the torso pieces, but you need to keep in mind that it is actually very small because she is such a tiny doll.

      Her forehead is a bit big, i think... but she sort of needs it in order to keep wigs on. She's a freaking pinhead. From the top, her head is still oval shaped, so I think it's okay.

      As I think on it more, I don't think I'm going to modify the wrists to balls... the poseability is actually really nice. I am only going to grind in the shoulder balls a little bit... I sort of like how the longer ball makes it so that you can pose her with her arms out and she stays.

      However, I do think I need to deepen one of her hip sockets because that leg isn't sitting at the same place as the other and it's making one leg seem longer than the other.

      Definitely going to work on the torso this weekend if I have time... got a lot of other things to do this weekend though.
       
      #189 armeleia, Apr 23, 2010
      Last edited by a moderator: Apr 23, 2010
    10. Well, drat... I like the slotless style a lot, I'm sorry to hear it isn't working out for you.

      I've been trying to figure it out instead of just badgering the people who've learned things the hard way, but... well, why is stringing the legs separately a bad idea? It seems like the obvious solution, since the inwards-pulling legs are presumably caused by the upwards pull of the elastic hitting the joint ball...
       
    11. I'm still experimenting with cross-hip tension to try to find the best way to do it. You need to have the bottom edge of the slot line up with the bottom edge of the hole in the hips, first of all. I've found with the doll I am working on now (TL3) it's better to use a separate elastic for the legs and torso, but to have the torso elastic connected to the leg elastic with a loop or hook of some kind. It shouldn't interfere with the leg tension (which would force the legs together), but just keep it tight so the legs and torso are connected. Having the legs and torso share elastic via a hole in the hip socket does not seem to work because the upwards pull causes too much interference.
       
    12. oh I'd love to have a mini Saranbileg....
       
    13. I haven't updated in while...

      I've been working on reshaping Inkling's joints... I've filled in the inside of her thigh piece near the knee a bit - the stringing channel was too big, which actually was allowing the ball of the knee joint to go up into the stringing channel, pulling the knee out of joint! YIKES! I think that problem should be fixed now. I've also cut in to the forearms to round out the elbow joint a bit. I think it'll improve the range of movement.

      In fixing her rib cage, I've ended up lengthening her torso a few millimeters. I am still deciding if I like it. The movement is much better, though, and the line from the armpit to the hip is smoother because of having built up the inside of the rib cage. I've dramatically reduced her sizable booty and slimmed the sides of her hips so the transition to the thigh piece isn't quite as chunky. I've done a bit of definition in her back and shoulderblades, as well as deepening her buttcrack and shaving down her somewhat protrusive groin. I've also tapered her forearms... but I have concerns about the thickness of the wrist with stringing.

      Structurally, I still need to move the stringing channels in the thighs. I just don't think the cross-hip stringing will work for her size and joint shapes, so the more conventional top-down stringing will probably be better. I also still need to grind down one of her shoulder balls.

      Surfacing and finishing, there's a lot still to do. I need to clean up the inside of her lower torso piece so that the core will have a good shape... and I need to work on the head fronts and back to make sure they fit together perfectly. And then there is sanding and filling the million pinhole bubbles and then priming! There is just so much work considering how small she is; I feel like a moron for being overwhelmed by a 7 inch doll!

      I've set the deadline for myself of June 1 to have her finished and ready to mold... I hope I can do it!
       
    14. A friend is in visiting this weekend and wanted to see her, so I did another test string... still a lot to do!

      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
      (Still need to fill in the airbubbles in her heels… and fix other joint issues).
      Random posing pics… with the optional faces in progress.
      [​IMG]
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      [​IMG]
       
    15. She's looking fabulous. I think the torso mod definitely works. My only crit at this point would be that her neck seems like it might be a smidge long.

      I hear you on the overwhelmed... my WIP Kit is 6", and she only seemed small until I started focusing on all the little bumps and divots that need to be smoothed out. :sweat
       
    16. How cool is that smiling face! I'm amazed by her and have to constantly remind myself she's a tiny doll. There's so much detail she can easily fool you!

      Don't know if you're going to change it, but right now her waist looks a tad too thin compared to her hips and shoulders. And her neck might indeed be a little too long. Do you have a wig you could put on to see what it looks like when she has hair?
      Overall though she fantastic. I hope you'll reach your deadline.

      PS. About her size and all the work she causes: Don't feel bad about it. All the sanding, the testing the re-shaping, it is a lot of work, no matter what size your doll is. (sometimes I hate myself for wanting to do a 60 cm doll :dead)
       
    17. *__* I love her sleeping face! She's so beautiful and tiny ;__;
       
    18. Inkling is so tiny and perfect, I've followed her progress on your blog and it was so amazing seeing her come to life. I will be watching this thread in case you ever decide to cast her for sale. If I ever do get an Inkling of my own (no pun intended) I want to name her Lewis, because your name for her mold is the same as the writing group Tolkien and C.S. Lewis had. ^_^
       
    19. Wow so posable! I love the photo of her lying on her belly!
       
    20. ZOMG Armeleia!! I'd been Ooohing over your avatar on DoA for weeks now wondering who i was.... now for the ever important question... Can we have?????? LOL.

      Absolutely amazing work - she's adorable. Allthough I do agree with Twigling on the facial proportions - seeing as she's a doll meant for a doll, it would be irrelevant to me - I adore her as she is.... though clothing would be hillariously fun to make (not)
       
    21. Thanks again for comments on Inkling. :)

      Re: her neck - in person, the length "works," so I'm going to leave it. I think there may be some distortion in the pics... not sure, though. If I decide I don't like it in the end, I'll just grind it down on the casts. ;)

      Re: her waist, I do think she's too thin in the waist for a human, but when I put on a bit of putty to see how it would look filled out a bit, I didn't really like it. Her whole figure is a bit exaggerated (she still has a big butt, even after serious reduction), so I think the small waist balances the big butt and hooters.

      Re: sales, I am intending to sell her, but only if the quality ends up being suitable. After I do my final molds and get a good cast, I'll be able to give a real answer. My guess is that she'll be for sale in small numbers, sold as I cast her rather than special ordered. I'd like to do full sets with all of the faceplates for around $200-220/each. It'll depend though.

      She's on to her third test stringing, this time with a less powerful elastic. Between the elastic change and the joint work I've done, I think she's getting much closer. I changed the stringing style of her legs and cut into the tops of the thighs to make the pieces fit the inside of the hip sockets more. She looks kind of gross now since I've been doing the modifications with the neutral colored Apoxie Sculpt.

      She can now stand unassisted… and she can sit rather prettily. She has kicky legs, though, like an old Delf girl. I need to add a bit more putty to a couple areas and that should start to mitigate that, but otherwise I think she’s almost ready to start surfacing. So excited.

      [​IMG]

      [​IMG]

      [​IMG]

      [​IMG]

      Still to do, aside from surface prep.... I need to fill in some of her string slots. I cut some of them too long, so the string is like "YAY! PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE!" and pulls the pieces all out of joint. This is happening at her knees and elbows most.

      I also want to do one more faceplate. So far she has her default, smile, sleeping, and pout. I think I want to do a yelling plate.
       
    22. Nice! Love that hand-on-hip pose. And... pout face? I can't tell if she's maybe wearing it in some of these shots... tiny lips are tiny. ;) Would love to see some faceplate closeups at some point.
       
    23. I love her sleeping face. its so cuteXD
       
    24. Oh Gosh Armelia.... I think I'm in love!!!!!
       
    25. Adorable! The positions in which lea is it put are the best.
      Are you going to do to sell?
       
    26. I've been sitting here all morning & early afternoon reading through
      your thread & all I have to say is I'm in LOVE with Inkling!!!!!
      I look forward to seeing the rest of your progress, especially your
      fifth faceplate :-)
       
    27. Hi, I'm also interested in the drying time, and if there ways of prolonging or speeding up the drying time...Mel.
       
    28. She's stunning, Armeleia! You're giving me courage to make a wee tiny too! I want to make an anthro goat, maybe 3-4 inches. I do have a doll body to finish first, though.
       
    29. You have done a reallly really nice job! Her poses are very sweet! I bet she feels nice in your hands too. There is just something pleasant about holding a tiny posable doll!
       
    30. she looks wonderful! I love the way she sits, and the poseability of her waist joint. can't wait to see several of her with all her face plates!
       
    31. I'm with Pat.... she's just beautiful the way she is!!
       
    32. ooooh I really really really want one *3*

      I think she's just a cutie, and the optionnal faceplates hiiiiiiii *faints*
       
    33. She poses beautifully. She's just so dang cute! :)
       
    34. Okay, I think that the jointing is as good as it’s going to get… I am out of energy. Her knees no longer snap or curl up, so she stands much better. Her elbows still aren't great, but that doesn't bother me as much. Here on out, it’s all surfacing and making things look a little nicer, like tidying up the stringing slots and making the faceplates fit flush.


      So here are the pics. :)



      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
      (This is my new favorite pic of her)
      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
      (Honesty compells me to admit that she has a little bit of sticky tack under her front foot to steady her.)
      [​IMG]
      (Pouty face!)


      I’ll start tallying up what I need to produce her… I need:

      1. Silicone (leaning toward a plat-sil)
      2. Task 3
      3. Compressor
      4. Nylon rod for cores
      5. Magnets for her head
      6. Dyes!
      I’m pretty excited. But the week or so of sanding ahead is not appealing. Blegh.


      Oh, and she currently has no sculpted bellybutton. It was in the wrong place, so I filled it in… and haven’t re-carved it.
       
    35. LOL - honesty compells me to admit..... (I do that too hehehe)

      Love the pouty face... I can see how I'd paint her already Armelia.... really I simply must own this darling little creation!!

      Oh and if you do use plat-sil can you do a detailed review on it? My supplier is now carrying it but only in larger volumes so if its a good as people say I'd like to try it out!!!
       
    36. What an amazing and expressive little poser! She's got loads of personality. :)
      I love all her little faceplates, especially the pouty one, lol. I've always loved the idea of multiple faceplates with different expressions.
       
    37. I love seeing the progress shots. Her poses are so fluid and natural. My head instantly captioned that giggle faceplate picture with "LULZ".
       
    38. Great photos and poses and expressions! I just love her! Thank you for posting her progression here. Watching her gradually come to life is such fun. I find myself wanting her not only because she is such a marvelous little doll, but because watching her creation in this way makes me feel a special connection to her. (Weird, I know, but I love the process of art as much as the product.) Did you say how many you will make?
       
    39. Whitewings > If I do use the platsil, I'll definitely review the process. My understanding is that it's fairly similar to using tinsil, but you have to be a bit more careful about contaminants. I am leaning toward Smooth-on Dragon Skin. It's supposedly got a good library life....

      Tami > It depends on how hard it ends up being to cast her... :sweat My guess is that the most I'd personally cast, without outsourcing, would be 30ish. I'm making a test run of four (I sold a preorder) so I can afford to buy materials, after that I'll figure it out. I really want to try casting her in this color.

      I reworked the pouting face because it wasn't doing it for me. I like it now, I think it's actually my favorite.
      [​IMG]

      And all of her faces together:
      [​IMG]

      I really want to make more faces. More and more and more.... it's so fun! :D

      So far I've been mostly working on smoothing her thighs and lower torso. They're the most affected by airbubbles... so it's taking forever. I think that I've ALMOST finished the work on the thighs, though. That's a nice thing. :) But I feel a bit overwhelmed by what I'm trying to accomplish by Tuesday (all parts ready to mold). :dead
       
    40. Aww Gawd... I seriously have to have one LOL..... widdle bubbles and all!!!
      I love the pout face too..... I think she'd live in that permanently here!!!

      I've tried Dragon Skin - I was able to get a trial pack from Hirondelle Stodios that I used to buy from a few months ago - its almost exactly the same at the SilTrans I'm currently using - GREAT tear strength so its perfect for glove-style moulds... My only complaint was the cost of the freight :|
       
    41. the sleeping face is my fave and i personally think her lips are wonderful
       
    42. Lovely doll! Love all the different faces, too!
       
    43. Pouting face is my fav' too. Good job ^^
       
    44. Love the faceplate set... just adorable. Looking forward to seeing her in resin!
       
    45. Can't decide which faceplate I like best, they look great together!!
       
    46. Whitewings, did you have any problems with the Dragon Skin? I'm still waffling and need to order materials this week.

      I'm deeply immersed in sanding and priming... and absolutely miserable. I haaaaaaaaaate this part! I have her torso and thighs done now, I think... I just blasted them with primer and I'm waiting for them to dry for a final check. I'm a good portion of the way through her calves and feet, so I hope to get them mostly finished tonight. I think they'll just need a little more filling, but they're otherwise good. The arms are still... well, pretty rough.

      I did another test string of just her torso and legs, and she is well-balanced and stands nicely. I think she's going okay! I am really hoping to be ready to start claying in by Tuesday night... but it's anyone's guess. Especially since I started a fifth faceplate. It needs a lot more work, but I am amused by it so far. I want to make more....

      A few Silent Hill-like pics of Inkling in shoes. She'll wear Blythe or 27cm Dollfie shoes, so even though she's not easy to fit for other things, shoes will be okay. :)

      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]

      I actually took the last two to show how I'd altered the top of the lower torso piece to lock when she arches back or bends over.
       
    47. And how, preytell, did you manage to make her NOT look like the hunchback of NotreDame when she's bending forwards? I always seem to end up with a hump on my dolls ~ I guess it's because I make such a pronounced arch.....
       
    48. aaah Yes.. but Twig your girls look delicious arched back ward :love


      Armelia - would she fit Kelly clothes?? Albeit slightly short in the mid-drift but the newer Kelly dolls are a good 3cm taller than their predecessors....
       
    49. I'm glad you're not just planning on doing a limited run and that's it. I really want to get a cast of your Inkling but don't know when I'll be able to so please keep casting her! ^_^
       
    50. Ack - forgot to answer you sorry Armeleia - no-problems at all with the Dragon-Skin - I was able to increase the % of catalyst without it becoming sticky - I didnt continue using it as the product I replaced it with is manufactured in Australia so I wasn't paying a higher price for international freight....

      Just as a side note though if you want to use a mold release I'd highly recommend one from http://www.fusefx.ca/ called Royal Jel-E I just received mine from interstate and I've never used its equal - the first application is time consuming but as far as making two-part pours and having perfect replication of the inside of the mold its amazing!! I always used Vaseline or either Jwax or Stoners release to stop my silicone from sticking to itself in two+ part molds but this is the only one that leaves no reside at all.... and absolutely no indentations either... phenomenal!!
       
    51. Thanks for the information! I've been using the smooth-on mold release, and it's been working pretty well... just need to let it dry after application and it's spiffing awesome. :) I'll probably keep using that, bu when I run out I'll try that one.

      I need to order silicone like whoa.

      I finished priming and finishing both Inkling's masters and the practice piece.
      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]

      I'm going to start claying tomorrow, but I realized I'm short on clay so I need to pick some more up this weekend. I think I'll just use plain old chavant clay since it's sulfur-free. Also need to actually buy my compressor! It's the other puzzle piece that's missing!

      I'm going to be casting about 8 dolls from my own molds... then I'll be further cleaning up one of the casts and sending it for production. I'll cast special colors myself, but there will be an edition of pro-cast dolls in normal skin later in the summer, I hope. :)

      Oh, and this is the 5th faceplate - the winking/skeptical face. This is an old pic from before I primed it.
      [​IMG]
       
    52. Oh gawd.... trade you my compressor for a full set???? LOLs
       
    53. I'd say that's a good trade. :XD
       
    54. Just stopping in to say that I am still working on her and I'm finally almost done. I just finished claying in her pieces, so she's pretty much ready to go. I just need to stick the halves of the PVC shells back together, then get everything secured. :)

      The end is in sight!

      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]

      YAY.

      I had some issues with my pressure pot too... but thankfully firefly is local and she was able to help me. :) There was one piece needed on the top of the pot to make it work! I'll post a picture of my pressure setup next time in my Wonder Basement.
       
    55. Brilliant!!! HWat I wouldnt give to be able to fit my little 40cm into PVC pipe - I loved how you and Twigling use it!!! Pure Genius!!!!! So this is very exciting too... we'll be havin dollies soon!!!!!
       
    56. The cool thing is that once you've poured both halves of the mold, you can set the seams in the outer shell at a 90 degree angle to the seams in the silicone. Personally I would not bother with the claying though, just set the pieces on rods on a baseboard and pour silicone, then cut the mold open to extract. Could be because I am lazy, or just not meticulous enough with the claying to get nice neat seams.

      Can't quite see, but I assume you have nylon or teflon rods going through the hollow pieces such as the arms or legs?

      Whitewings, PVC pipe comes in many sizes, so if my 60cm girl and armeleia's 26cm girl can go in pipes, I'm sure yours can too.
       
      #236 twigling, Jul 21, 2010
      Last edited by a moderator: Jul 21, 2010
    57. o wowzer so exciting when it gets to this stage
      *squee*
      look forward to the first pouring!
       
    58. 8D She's already near finished. >u< This is so exciting. So many tiny pieces!
       
    59. Whitewings, I'm sure you could find PVC in the sizes you need. I'm also casting an action figure as a test piece... and I even found PVC that was a good diameter for that. Home Depot sells 2 foot lengths of some comon sizes, you might test those out. I used a hacksaw to cut it down and cut it in half vertically. It was a pain in the ass, but I like the results so far. Though this may be the LEGO fiasco all over again; who knows?

      Twigs, I did the junk molds for the calves and thighs on rods in plastic cups.... It was way faster, but I didn't really like it. This was I was also able to add my vents more easily. There are nylon rods in the legs. I ordered a tephlon rod in a slight larger diameter too but didn't end up using it. Drop me a note if you want some of the nylon still. It's 1/8th inch diameter and I have probably three feet I'm not using.

      Tonight I'm pouring silicone for my test piece. Wish me luck!
       
    60. Good luck! its wonderful to see you at the casting point, am trying to watch carefully for tips on that stage.