Feeling lazy tonight...

... So here's some "box opening" photos of my Impldoll Xiaowei, who arrived in July.

1:12 scale BJD

During my 100th post, I posted this "sneak peek":

By the end of February, this is what he looked like:

And here he is as a physical printed model from Shapeways:

My business blog Garmonsway Design has a wee run down of my progress in getting him ready to mould and cast in resin.

Impldoll Xiaowei

My sad little fox girl.

Volpe

"So instead of calling me 'Dragon' in your tongue, you'll call me 'Dragon' in some other tongue?"

Yes, I know.

Calling a fox based doll by a word that means fox in another language is very lazy naming. 

But I don't care, I like the way it sounds.

Volpe is in my Etsy store right now.

The "Zuko" Bishie BJD

I'm not really too far along with him - the Kitsune doll had arrested my attention.

One of his knees is a bit burnt!

His knees need more work, and I think I'm going to re-work his hip joints.

I've noticed that I have a tendency to leave the arms/legs for last (or just not do them at all). Most of my unfinished dolls are waiting for limbs.

Might be that the next doll I start will have to get its arms and legs done first.

Kitsune Doll Progress

So, I've had a think about how best to approach this blogging every day business, and in order to make it as easy as possible, I have made myself a "menu" of things to post about.
I'm using a plug-in called Todoist on my Chrome browser, and have made a list of subjects.

I'm digging the to do list. I never used to see the point in them, because "Of course I'll remember!" (aaaand then I forget what I'm supposed to be remembering, but I'd remember that there was something I was supposed to be doing...). My Husband teases me about my bad memory constantly.
I'll show him!

ahem, sorry.

So, topic number three is a quick update on the Fox spirit themed doll I posted about, before I got distracted by tattoos.

I was intending to give her large pointed ears, but she refused to wear them. I tried for a vulpine look to her features, so she has a long nose and a pointed chin.

I'm really happy with her body, the torso joint is probably the most successful one I've made!

I have her proto-arms and hands on my TV tray, and am going to chip away at them tonight.

Foxes

I've been struck by a foxy bug recently - and it seems I'm seeing them everywhere I go online at the moment.

O HAI DERE!

I decided that the fact I see a fox online almost everyday without searching for them meant that I should make a fox-themed doll, so I've done some concepts for, and have started sculpting, a doll who is going to be a Kitsune - a fox spirit.

Multiple tails on the coat? What was I thinking?!?

Playing around with Kitsune and Masquerade mask forms.

"If I stand like this, no-one will notice how crappily  my feet are drawn."

Initial Sketch of doll with joints and junk.

 

But then, while researching for my doll, I came across this image of a tattoo by artist Zach Spurlock:

So freaking cool

Now, I've been contemplating getting a half-sleeve tattoo for a while now, but had been stuck on the content. I knew I wanted a traditional Irezumi style design (my father is a tattooist - and this is the style of his half-sleeves) and thought I'd get a horse (I was born in the year of the horse) or a dragon (because, Dragon).

And the idea of getting a nine-tailed fox has stuck. Every time I sit down with the intention to do some concept sketches for my tattoo, I end up drawing foxes.

urgh - those back legs!

Screw it - I'll just draw clouds or something ;D

The red pencil sketch is my favourite so far.

I'm going to nerd it up a bit - I'm an Animation Tutor as the Day Job, so the fox's tails will be enacting an animation technique called the Wave Principle. I might put an antique key in it's mouth or around it's neck (because Key poses, geddit?). 

One reason why a fox tattoo is appropriate for an animator...

And The Fox and The Hound is one of the first movies I remember seeing as a kid, so yeah. I toyed around with the idea of just getting a tattoo of Todd, but no, I'd rather get the traditional style rather than a cartoony one. 

Dragon photos

Well, he's not terribly photogenic, but he is adorable...

                                                 

And he needs a name - Leave suggestions in the comments!

And here's a grainy photo of the progress on the Bishie:

(Ignore those feet - they're really rough) The legs and hands are still 'raw' clay. I'm thinking that maybe his thighs are too muscular - but will wait until I've done his arms before deciding on them.
He'll be roughly 28cm tall - ever so slightly shorter than Barbie.

New blogger dashboard

Well, I finally got upgraded to the new blogger dashboard - it took forever.
My delightful workmate was upgraded on the first day that Blogger rolled out the changes, and I have been quietly seething with jealousy.

I'm still getting used to the new layout.  I like it so far, but then again, I haven't tried anything strenuous with it yet.

No photos today, but I intend to take and post some tonight.

My boy doll is coming along slowly. I'm trying to minimize the number of times each piece is cured. so am being far more careful with each piece as I sculpt, rather than my usual slap-happy approach.
I'm in the middle of refining the legs. I'd been working in a mix of clays (because I like to use a stiffer clay), but I miscalculated the amount of clay that I needed, and I didn't have any white Du-kit left, so his legs and arms are plain ol' SuperSculpey. I intend to mould and cast him when he's done - so it doesn't matter if the prototype is different colours - but I am a little annoyed.
He's going to be double jointed - but I want the knee and elbow pieces to be as unobtrusive as possible.
BECAUSE I NEED MORE CHALLENGES.

The Dragon has been painted. I had a heck of a time with the gloss over the eyeballs. Lumpy and messy. Blergh.
But, he's OK now. Well as OK as a faux "taxidermied" head can be...
I think I'll drill into the neck so that he'll attach to a base better.
I should have done that before painting I guess. Here's hoping he doesn't shatter!


In totally unrelated news, I have an odd rash on my wrist - it itches like hell. Do. Not. Want.

My Poor Neglected Blog, Elves, Dragons, and a Bishie*

Well, I've been a bit slack with the blogging recently.
Partly due to my computer being a stupid-head and dying, and partly due to dealing with a depressive period. Which sucks - and isn't a very good excuse - but there you go.

I have been busy whilst hiding from the world though:

Two of the Elves are finished - and will be posted on Etsy along with the Floofy pink lady, as soon as I've taken decent photos.

 And the third Elf is waiting to be dressed.

I've sculpted a scarred "pirate" elf who will have a hook-hand, and also needs a costume. And a body too, while I'm at it...

The paperclay "dollhouse" BJDs have been giving me a real hard time with their fiddly little arms/hands - so I'm cheating and making them out of polyclay. (no photos - boo!)

DRAGON!
Who will be getting painted this weekend, and then I have to find a small plaque to hang him off.

I've been working on a commissioned BJD too (secret - no pics)

And dug out a very old half done full figure sculpt and am attempting to salvage it.

I've started altering a "My Scene" Barbie that I brought early last decade, that then got chewed on by a cat, and stolen by the Sprog (who told me could have the broken doll back if I wanted - generous kid). I've wiped off her face paint and chopped off the chewed-up hand - I'm debating trying a re-root, or just giving her a wig, as her hair is really ratty. Also no photos. :)

I have also started another BJD - this time a "mature tiny" - or a 1/6 scale doll.
For a change, it's a he. *A bishōnen or "pretty boy".

At the Sprog's request - I've made a "Zuko" head for him, but this won't be his "official" head if I get him to the point of saleabilty. Fanart is fun - but it's a bit iffy to make it for sale due to copyright issues.

So, that's what I've been up to in the - gosh - 66 days since my last blog post...

Well over a year ago I started on this doll:

I got quite far - but didn't blog about her because she was frustrating me. And she ended up in my UFO* box. 

I was shifting stuff around just prior to the weekend, came across her, and decided that I could cope with working on this doll again.

The head is newly sculpted (over the long weekend) - and has a face-plate. (Meaning that the face can be removed/replaced without having to detach the head.)

She needs one arm and one leg to be jointed, and one elbow joint & both knees to be sculpted. And hands and feet.

I did make her some before she went into the box, but can't find them.
Meh - I'll just have to make more (I quite like sculpting hands!).

She can sit unsupported (and she's strung very loosely), so hopefully it won't be too much of a challenge to get her to stand.

It's nice to have something that doesn't require me to be careful and clean as a kind of "stress relief" while working on the OOAK's.

* UFO = Un-Finished Objects

OOAK Kitty

The paperclay kitty is done.

She has 11 joints (not jointed at wrists or ankles), and stands unassisted. 

I have to decide on a name and "story" for her, then she'll be going on Etsy.