Wig Progress

Finally getting a wig made!  I needed a specific look that my 'wig stock'
just couldn't supply so this was a good motivation to finally try this.  I've
made wig caps in the past to practice but never got around to gluing on
wefts.  This is good as I have a drawer full of hair, lol...

Spiritdoll diy head

So several years ago I got this ‘diy’ head from Spiritdoll as a gift with a doll I ordered. I have finally figured out what to do with it! With a few tweaks here and there it will eventually be Kylo Ren/Adam Driver.👍. I’m using magic sculpt to block in some modified areas (ears, nose & browline) & then it will be on to sculpting in the eyes & mouth. {{psyched!!}}

Blocking in around the eyes right now:

In Progress...5 O'Clock Shadow Added.

Still keeping track of Steve the mime, he's almost complete and ready for the
head-back and eyes.  He's a fun project!

'Mime Steve' progress.

Getting there with the Steve heads. A bit more airbrushing detail to go and all 16 heads will be done!

"Steve" in Progress....

Getting base paint done on Steve, he'll be a mime (hysterically awesome). :)

Ventilating Lace Wigs

A while back I became interested in the idea of 'latch-hooking' a wig. At the time I didn't know there was such a technique used by professional wig makers called Ventilating which was basically the same approach but on a much smaller scale. Individual hand-tied knots of hair using various types of lace for the wig base. So began my experiement...even though I had already tried a 'latch-hook' method a few years back, it produced a result that wasn't to my liking. The fibers were too dense and it was way too bulky of a wig for my taste:



 


What I wanted was less hair lying on the head, producing a more realistic look... I have begun working more with the ventilating technique now and still have quite a few things to iron out, but I've learned alot and am certain the next go-around will produce even better results! I've been using human hair for this wig I'm finishing up:

 


Here's the hair I used in a 1 oz grouping as it came in the pkg:




More to come as I make more progress!
I'm attempting to also lighten the ends of the hair using lemon juice. Eventually I
would like to attain this effect ^___^:

How Has Vinnie Aged?

I wiped off Vincente's faceup today (I'm planning to give him a fresh new faceup, actually based off an 'old' faceup, if that makes any sense!). After he was all cleaned up I decided to take a photo of his head in comparison to the inside of his headcap (which has retained how his resin looked when I got him in Jan. of 2004). I was curious about the difference and to see how his resin has aged in the 6 years since I got him.

Of course, the inside of the headcap is a a bit brighter, but overall, he's fared better than I thought he would, considering he's been outside *many* times and was even stored near an aquarium with bright fluorescent lighting for the first 2 years I had him. Most of the yellowing is on the front of his face of course, where he's been the most exposed.

An interesting thing I noticed after wiping off all the paint, was that his lips and around his eyes (areas that had the most paint applied) resembles the same resin color as inside the headcap. It's a bit brighter than the rest of his face.

In the past I have surface-sanded his face very conservatively to treat yellowing. Today I also let him soak in 70% rubbing alcohol as well as using a magic eraser with the alcohol. It cleaned him up nicely!

A Toy Comes to 'Life'...

UPDATE on another project I've been working on...I have had this little
guy FOREVER it seems...neglected...taken apart and resting in his box since I got him July of 2007...

A Pipos Doll Curo, fullset:


I named him Mr. Nibbles, and he was to be Ava's (my Dollstown Seola) 'imaginary' friend...no one else could 'see' him as she does - which is, her favorite toy come to *life*. I thought I would paint him like a British spotted rabbit in black and white. Then I saw photos of the same markings in brown, and liked that better. So the idea sat in my brain...and poor Mr. Nibbles sat in his box...and I'd go to doll meetups and get 'scolded' gently by my friends that I haven't painted him yet. One of my friends even gave Mr. Nibbles a little carrot prop, thinking that might prod me into finally working on him. ^_^

Here he is a little while ago after I got him out of the box to take pix of some eyes for a friend:


WELL! What finally prodded me to start on him last week was an upcoming beach trip all of my 'dollie' friends take once a year - we're leaving this Thursday. What better time to get poor Mr. Nibbles onto the work table and *surprise* everyone by bringing him all painted and together! I'm allllmost done with him....just a few more little details - painted lines in crevices...and dying him with coffee (to add an 'antique' feel to him - he's supposed to be made of wood, so the dye should help that look as well as the brush strokes I need to add) and he'll be ready to string!

Teeeeeezr:


Hopefully I'll have him all done by tonight so I can post pix of him.

I found a great group on flickr that helped me with his concept...except he's the opposite...more like an 'overly loved' toy...sort of like the Velveteen rabbit...

Here's the group - "Unloved Toys"...some of it's kind of sad though...

Some Resin Comparisons...

By request here's some comparisons of pale resins by Dollshe (old and new) as well as
Spirit Doll:

Click:

Wings Update!

I got the magnets glued to the doll and to the wings successfully, yaaaay!
Here's a couple pix
(click thumbnail to view fullsize):


(The epoxy on the doll was from an earlier idea that *failed*. So I might as well just sand that off).

After the magnets set (the glue had to set for 24 hours), I attempted to attach the wings to the doll and....SUCCESS! It was so much better than I'd hoped. The magnets hold brilliantly and the wings don't even *try* to fall off. The only minor issue is the magnet on the wings likes to try and rotate left or right depending on how I have the wings posed, but I'm getting a couple more magnets in the mail that I might try attaching in between that would prevent that. But it's not really that bad at all, so I may just leave it alone.

The armature I used is from Armaverse, The armature I used is from the individual Phase 3 parts, and I'm really happy overall with how it works. It's so smooth and easy to move, yet holds a pose great. It's much better than using wire and I know that it will last. Here's several shots I took today of Uriel in his different wing poses.

Wings folded. This will more than likely be the most common pose.
(I'm posting clickable thumbs cos there's a lot of pix!)
click


Wings forward


From the back, lowered - then raised


Fully extended


More pix extended and raised
(I was digging how the wings created a prism effect as the light shown through them!)




Closeups of the armature, lowered and raised



So all that's left to do really is create the cover to go over the armature. It'll act as a sort of 'cape', but will then velcro down. I'm still working on exactly how I'll do it. It will have smaller feathers cut out of a lighter plastic sewn onto it so it will blend in.
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UPDATE: For information on how I created custom 'dumb-bell' parts long enough for the wings
armature, see here.

New Section: Workshop

I want to start a 'workshop' section where I talk about my doll customizing. ^^

So I'll start out here with the wings I'm working on (still) for my
Dollshe Van "angel", Uriel. They are now attached to armatures used for animation. instead of wire. I tried using 10 awg wire, but the wire broke from too much bending. By using armatures they're stronger and bend so much better.

Work in Progress...






Armatures for wings:


The 2nd photo is the armature piece that will house the receiving magnet (which is glued to the doll's back). I 'nixed the idea of arm loopholes to hold on the wings as they were hindering the doll's joint movement in the shoulder. The wings were too heavy and the loopholes were being pulled inside the doll's body.

By simply attaching the wings magnetically, they can be attached through clothing and can be removed at will for posing and then re-attaching. Also, this will be more convenient for traveling with the doll by not having the wings tied on in any way. I believe the strength of the magnets will be more than enough to go through several layers of clothing.
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UPDATE!
Magnets are all attached (they glued wonderfully!). My test was successful and the wings stay on great! Now to finalize the wings by covering the armature with more feathers. Pix to come of the wings attached to the body...

Home-made Armature "Dumb-bells"

Since Armaverse doesn't sell elongated "dumb-bells" individually yet, beyond the largest size shown here, (which is about 3.5" long) I made my own for the tips of the wings I made for my "Angel" character, Uriel.

First, you'll need these supplies...
(click photos for links of where to order these parts online).

A. Swivel Ball Links for RCL (remote control airplanes etc). You can also find these at your local Hobbytown or hobby shop. You only want the brass ball and you can cut that out of the link housing easily enough with a pair of cutters. The size ball links you want are 2-56. The brass balls are 3/16" in diameter, perfect for fitting inside the Armaverse adjustment plates. It also has a hole already drilled that you can easily 'tap' into. (more on this below).

Click:



B. Aluminum Wire Medium Stiff, 10 gauge
Click:


C. Mini tap set
Click:




D. Tap Wrench
Click:



E. Threading Die (3-48)
Click:



F. Die Stock
Click:



G. Cold Weld - you can buy at your local hardware/dpt. store



Once you have the brass balls cut out of the links, you tap (or cut threads in the hole) using your 3-48 tap. With the brass ball held by a pair of needle-nose pliars, and holding the tap perpendicular to the hole, start tapping into the hole slowly (basically it winds it's way down the hole like a screw). As it begins to tap into the hole (you'll feel the resistance as it cuts into the brass) you want to 'reverse' 1/4 turn or so as this cleans the tap of debris as you go. Continue tapping into the hole, backing out, tapping in etc. until the tap goes through to the other side. You now have threaded the hole! (Don't worry if your pliars leave marks on the brass ball, it will still swivel just fine in the armature plate).

Click:


Cut the aluminum wire to the length you want, file the end flat and smooth, and with your DIE (3-48) start spinning it around the end of the wire until it starts winding it's way down. It's the same idea here as with the tap. Spin it down the wire a bit, then reverse to clean the threads, go forward etc. until your die has screwed itself down the length of your wire tip as far as needed (about as far down as it takes for the brass ball to screw onto the tip of the wire). Mix up some Cold Weld and apply a little to the threads on the wire and screw your newly tapped ball onto the wire. Apply more Cold Weld around the base of the ball for reinforcement and let set.

Click each:


Now you're ready to add a ball to the other "end" of your custom dumb-bell and it's ready to use!