Just a light face up for Emmanuel III today. I'll eventually do the others as well so they will match, but for now just III.  This doll is just so beautiful! Please ignore the weird eye putty thing going on there, I really need to get non-yellow putty.

Release the hounds!

Sometimes smooth joints and loose stringing conspire to make the dolls move on their own. Emmanuel seems fond of snapping into this Mr Burns pose.

I'm hoping to take more shots of Emmanuel III this afternoon/evening, but here are some of my general observations:

• He. Is. Huge. We're talking enormous. And I've had SD dolls forever, and even a few 70cm dolls. But he is somehow even larger in person than I expected.  His box is so big and my room is so tiny that I'm going to have to find another place to store it lol. But I do love his size. The best part though is that despite his size, he's super bendable.  I can easily fit him into my bag, whereas Emmanuel II couldn't bend enough to do it completely or without skewing some joints.  But III can just pop a little and he's in.
• His head is so very tiny! For such a large doll, he has such a little head!  Which actually works to my advantage since I have a few wigs that fit him (he shares with my MSD boys).  He is also currently stealing Song's eyes, until I can get him some of his own. 12mm eyes for such a large doll just seems funny to me.
• He is a really natural poser, especially for sitting/slouching/relaxing.  He definitely needs to be sueded, but even without it he can do some really awesome natural poses.  He slouches like like a pro! And he's the only one of my larger resin dolls that can sit cross legged.  
• His resin is totally different than any other I've ever worked with before. It's a little rougher, almost enough that I worry a bit about scratching him when I move his joints. But it has a nice weight to it overall. (He's also not nearly as heavy as I'd fear, granted I'm used to big Volks boys and the old Delf body.)
• I have a serious lack of larger SD clothes, which makes sense since it's been years since I've had anyone close to 70cm. However, there are some things that fit Luna's DDdy body that will work for him.  On one hand this is unfortunate because it means he doesn't have much to wear. On the other hand it's kind of adorable because he constantly looks like he's just woken up from a long weekend with a lover, and has thrown on their slightly too small clothes to get out of bed.  

The Emmanuels

A hot new boy band perhaps?  It's kind of hilarious to see Emmanuel I and II together with III because he looks like he's from a completely different world, which I expected.  He's considerably taller than both, though oddly enough he can share wigs with I.  However he and II look funny together because he's so tall and thin, but II's head is freaking gigantic next to his.  That's what you get when you mix Volks and Dollshe I suppose.  But surprisingly I love it.  I always thought the mixed aesthetics would be too much, but it's really neat to have three different versions of this one character.

A bonus of III!  He's wearing a temporary wig and temporary eyes, but they're not bad. I think I'm actually going to stick with acrylics for him and just get some in blue, and probably order some for I as well.  Green so isn't his color, but he looks good in it regardless.  

Super fast box opening! (Part I)

Giant doll box of doom has arrived!

And it's huge!  Really, really huge!  I'm 5'7" or so, and it comes up to mid-thigh on me at least.  I'm hoping to snap a picture of it measuring up before I open it.  Which probably won't be til later tonight if I want to get photos. Dolls always seem to arrive on the day I go to the shelter after work, what's up with that?

Emmanuel III will be here tomorrow. I wish it was today because Thursdays are crazy for me, but I suppose tomorrow works too. Just means I'll probably have to figure out some unique lighting for his box opening photos.

Emmanuel Visits the Blue Lady

Grail Doll: Paid For!

This has been a crazy day in my personal life for a lot of reasons, and the fact that I was able to pay for my grail doll during it all has only pushed me further into the "am I dreaming?" territory.  But no, I am not, it really happened.

I am getting Emmanuel's oldest (age-wise) version, in the shell of a Dollshe Bernard.

As I've mentioned in previous posts about grails, Bernard is a boy I've always wanted since I started the hobby.  But Dollshe boys are large, of a different aesthetic, and expensive.  Not to mention Dollshe has discontinued some, which means their availability and price can seriously fluctuate.  I had somewhat resigned myself to not getting one for those factors, unless I found one that was well priced/I had the money/all my bills were paid.  So a perfect storm was needed to make it happen.  Never going to happen right? Well...better get your umbrella!

Like magic I had some extra money from a check I thought was never going to come in, therefore I didn't factor it into paying my bills.  I had already set aside this month/next month's money when it arrived.  So I browsed the MP a bit, thinking of getting another MSD doll or head for Emmanuel.  And somehow I ended up in the large doll section browsing around.  The same woman I bought Emmanuel's Volks body from had two Dollshe boys up for sale, one of which is a Bernard.  He's perfect, literally been in his box since she received him.  No face up, no nothing. He's blank and wonderful.  I dropped her a message and we chatted a bit, and she accepted my offer.  Not sure when he will be shipping, though I suppose it's possible he could ship tomorrow.  More likely some time next week though, and he should be here soon after.

I've got literally nothing for him, so I might have to get a bit creative.  I'm not sure if any eyes or wigs I have will fit him as he's so different than my other dolls.  Not to mention clothing that gigantic body of his. They're slim dolls, but so very tall (70cm I believe).  So he might be a little strangely naked for a while, but those bodies are so beautiful I don't think it will be a bad thing.

I can't even put into words how excited I am, I just can't wait for him to get here!

Grail doll?

So. I might have a chance to one of my grail dolls, one which I never thought I'd get because of size/aesthetic/availability/price/shipping/etc.  I'm not 100% positive yet, but I should know by the end of today.  I'm the kind of excited where I'm just about going out of my mind on the inside but I'm trying to stay relaxed and not be too crazy. But but but...GRAIL DOLL!

We're all just taller children.

I've often toyed with the idea of having multiple dolls of the same character.  Whether if it was different versions of the same, or perhaps at different ages/stages of life.  I love what VampireAngel_13 for example has done with all her Alexes, or yldenfrei with pretty much her (his?) whole crew.  However my attempts have largely failed to come to fruition.  I tried with Uri, but it just didn't end up working out.  The versions never ended up connecting well enough to the original, and I eventually sold the doll.  

But I've been thinking of doing this for a while with Emmanuel (Ghost), as he seems to be a character that is really alive for me.  Even more than Uri is, which is saying something.  I think in part it's because of how much work I've done on his story/character for my Nanowrimo work, but he's also just a very interesting individual.  

So I put out a bit of a feeler to see if anyone had a Shulze/Maria head, which is the msd version of School A.  No bites thus far, but I'll see what happens.  Then I had a random idea about a doll I haven't looked at in forever.  She is a Luts KDF Aru I purchased from the company a few years ago.  She was going to be the "last doll" (a la The Little Princess), but obviously that didn't happen.  I loved her dreaming face and beautiful face up, and thought I'd take her out to look at. Unfortunately when I went to my storage unit I realized a large, dirty box had been placed on top of where she was being stored.  I'd had her unstrung and wrapped up on top of a box so I could come grab her, and unfortunately her face up got damaged.  

But I grabbed the head anyway and put it on my Volks SDC body for kicks.  No color match and the proportions weren't quite right, but she did make a good boy.  On a whim I tried it on Nowell's body and...it's an amazingly good match.  Which is seriously weird.  The msd body is an old, yellowed white skin body, and the head is normal skin.  Yet somehow, it actually works.  So I wiped the face up, and put his head on the body.  Poof, mini Ghost.

I'm going to keep my WTB up for a Shulze/Maria as I wouldn't mind having a middle version on the SDC body.  But I think Aru makes a really good boy, and a perfect mini Ghost.  I did also dig out my pastels, so I might actually be able to do face ups for everyone this weekend.  Now to find my brushes...

Quick lunchtime snapshots!

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #23: Favorite Eyes

Prompt: What are your favorite type of eyes? Glass? Acrylic? Urethane?

Glass, hands down.  I've tried everything from glass, silicone, acrylic urethane, metalic, etc, and glass still wins out.  However!  I do have specific preferences for certain dolls.  In general I like to try and have my dolls in glass, and for most of that works okay.  But Uriel and Song are currently in acrylics, the former because he needs the extra light (they're Ersa Flora metallics) and the latter because I couldn't find any glass eyes of the right size I liked for him. 

The eyes to the left are my favorite, a pair of glass Volks eyes that came with my Yuki (if I remember correctly). They are just lovely!

 Ersa Flora Eyes

Mint On Card Inc

         Glib Eyes (Junky Spot)

I played around with some wigs this morning on Ghost, just seeing what he looked like in Uri's red wig.  Not my favorite, but it's got a certain draw to it.  Reminds me of a My Chemical Romance Killjoy look. :)  But I still prefer him in more natural colors

Sneaky, sneaky dolly!

I went out and bought a new, large purse for the sole purpose of sneaking Ghost in to work with me (and given it was only $7 I think I did pretty well!).  It's nothing too spectacular, but it works.  I may end up adding some pizazz to it eventually, but for now it's okay.

BJD Addicts Written Prompts #25: Style

Prompt: What style do you like to dress your dolls in, and do they ever change styles?

Uriel: He's pretty easy going when it comes to fashion, though he does like to make a statement.  I have everything from jeans and t-shirts for Uri to some awesome goth boots and lovely black dresses.  He usually has a bit of a gothic spin on his wardrobe as a whole, whether that means throwing in some more black or just some spooky accessories/t-shirts.  His colors are red and black.

Nowell: He's a kid (10-ish) and tends to wear age-appropriate outfits.  Jeans and t-shirts, or more often than not overalls and t-shirts or sweaters.  I usually keep him to cooler colors that work with his resin as well as his face up.  His colors are blue, black, and grey.

Ghost: Ghost tends to dress for comfort and necessity, not so much fashion unless I decide to put him in something particular.  He wears jeans and t-shirts, with a sweatshirt or a sweater thrown over the top when it gets cold.  He does have a leather jacket that I will throw on him from time to time, but that's more my own preference than that of his character.  He also is supposed to have fingerless gloves and scarves to wear, along with his sweaters as he gets cold a lot.  But I have yet to find him appropriate gloves, so that's still in progress.

The others don't have as specific styles yet, as I haven't really decided what they would wear.  I have some ideas here and there, but nothing set in stone yet.  And even though these three have styles of their own, I do from time to time like to change it up.  Sometimes for costumes or conventions, other times just because.

Song has leveled up!  Or at least he's on his way there.  He still doesn't have a name alas, but he does have new better fitting eyes (just need white putty!), wigs, and some fantastic new stringing.  I am a firm believer in the fact that if all BBB/RS dolls were restrung and maybe sueded a bit, people would see a whole other side of them.  They really are well made dolls, but the perfect storm of poor stringing, terrible official photos, and ill fitting eyes/clothes (because of their petite size) really does them in.  This guy can now pose like a champ now, and I'm dying to get some good photos of him.  

Things are really stressful at work right now, and while I generally never bring my big dolls to work, I made an exception for Ghost.  He is tucked away, but it's just nice having him with me. :)

The power of sueding...(NSFW)

Busy, busy, busy!

I'm sorry for the lax updates, things have been so crazy for me lately.  Between work stuff and personal stuff, I haven't found enough time to do all the things I want. Especially take some good shots of my new guy!  But in some ways that's good because he seriously need a lot of work.

I've got some wigs coming in probably on Friday for him, from FunnyLori's Etsy shop.  Those I'm excited about because they're made to fit Songs specifically.  You can sort of maneuver wigs over those big ears of his, but it isn't the best.  I also ordered some eyes and new elastic for him from JunkySpot which might be here for this weekend.  I have no eyes that fit him correctly as his eye wells are really, really tiny.  I can get 14mm eyes in, but they don't look quite right. So I ordered some 12mm ones, which was suggested by others on the BBB/RS discussion thread on DoA.  He also really needs to be restrung and sueded which will help his posing immensely.  And maybe a little modding to his hips, but I don't want to get too crazy right off the bat.

So the "to do" list goes something like this:

• Finish removing the original face up. (I got most of it off last night, but just couldn't scrub any more. I'm going to soak it again today and go at it. I think there might be a little staining unfortunately, but we'll see what we can do.)
• Suede the heck out of him!
• Restring him once the new elastic comes in.
• Try on wigs and his eyes and see what combos we like.
• Do some character work. Who is he? What's his name (not sure if Ace will stick)? 
• Faceup!

And in the future:

• Do a little sewing and/or see which doll shops are open and have clothes that fit him.
• Get him/custom order him a flower crown from the awesome beansproutmomo.
• Start looking into jointed hands (I think it will be Dikadoll female msd hands).

A random smattering of photos...more to come!

He's here!

And he's so wonderfully grumpy and perfect! :)

Delivered!

Now to wait until I can get the package. :)

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #24: Public

Prompt: Do you bring your dolls out with you?  If so, where?

I do, as often as I can!  Sometimes I will bring them to work with me, though they generally don't make any real appearances there outside of their carrying bag/my purse.  But in prior jobs I used to sit them on the back desk, and they were great little company.  I also like to take them out to events like conventions or fairs.  Unfortunately my favorite steampunk convention has since been shut down, but I was well known for bringing one of my big dolls with me in costume.

I do like to take dolls out for photos as well, which sometimes involves taking them into public spaces.  There are a few graveyards for example that I like bringing my dolls to, and I've taken Uri to Salem, Ma before as well.  When I was in school I used to bring dolls with me to take photos on lunch, but I also had one doll in particular (Nowell) that I would bring to class.  I even did a presentation with him for one of my psych classes, which was very well received.

Tomorrow is the day!

What a crazy, busy weekend...I didn't get to accomplish any of the doll-related stuff I was hoping to work on. But, Ace comes in tomorrow, so at least I will definitely have some shots of him to share!  He's coming unstrung so I might have to wait until the evening, but I will take some box opening shots.  Can't wait!

Ace has been paid off!

Ace (still a tentative name) is now paid off and may be on his way to me this weekend, I'm so psyched!  I also took advantage of FunnyLori's wig sale (go now and get some if you haven't!), which she even extended for me a little just so I wouldn't miss it.  Have I mentioned that she's awesome?  Well she is. I purchased another of her surprise bags, specially fitted for Songs and Minifees, so that will be on its way as well.  I have yet to buy any eyes as I'm really not sure what color I want for him, or what size.  I definitely have some 14 and 16mm at home (Songs take 14mm generally), but 12mm gives them a more realistic look.  So I'm waiting until he gets here to try some things on him to decide.

I'm going to dig out my MSD-sized clothes this weekend to see what fits and what doesn't, and maybe make an order for some new pieces.  I'm still exploring his style as well, which I'm sure will change a little when I actually have him here.

Yay for dolly arrivals, and new photos to come!

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #21: Skin Tone

Prompt: DO you own dolls with different skin tones (white, tan, etc...)?

I own dolls in NS and WS thus far, and I would love to own a tan doll.  In particular I like Resinsoul's dark tan and light tan (coffee), and I think when I eventually get Daemon he will be in their light tan.

As for color preference, I like to stay within the human skin color spectrum.  I have seen some fantastic dolls in different colors, but I'm not sure if they would be for me.  There's a great green RS Song on DoA for example, but I always feel like I'd be unsure of what to do with a doll of another color.  Would I find them clashing with things?  Would it be too unrealistic for me?

My first doll was WS (RS Ju), and even that was a little odd for me.  I think a large part of that had to do with my inexperience.  I didn't know how to photograph her or really how I wanted her to look or dress, and I was not a fan of the stock RS/BBB face up. And unfortunately because I was too new to really do any mods or painting, I ended up selling her fairly quickly.  After that I stuck with NS until I got Nowell (Volks WS F-17) in a trade.  He was particularly yellowed, but I definitely warmed up to WS when I knew I could paint it and do what I wanted with it.  The incoming doll I have is WS as well, and I'm excited to see what I can do with him!

Not doll, but art!

My best friend and her boyfriend visited in February, and he is a fantastic photographer.  He took a ton of photos while they were here, and just posted them to FB.

You can find him and more of his work at juddweiss.com (careful, NSFW photo shoots!).  

Ace Outfit 1

I've been working on character design bits for the new doll (tentatively named Ace for now), and part of that has been using Polyvore to create style sets for him.  I'll be posting them periodically on here, and potentially some for my other dolls as well.  This is one of the outfits I created for him, basing it off of the pair of MSD pinstripe pants I already have, and an outfit worn by the lead singer of the Jane Austen Argument.  I'm hoping to recreate some of the things I have in these sets for the doll. :)

Ace Outfit 1 by babyberzerker featuring stackable bangles

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #19: Playtime

Prompt: How do you play with your BJDs?

• Photography- I like to take my dolls out (or in for that matter) for photos. Sometimes this is long and involved, sometimes it's just a quick shot here or there.
• Sewing- I love to make patterns and clothes, and I try to sew for them when I have the time and ability.
• Painting/sculpting/modding- Doing aesthetic work on my dolls has always helped the bonding process, and allows me to experiment with new forms of art.
• Writing- While it doesn't always involve the doll directly, I do write about them a lot.  Often I will pose the doll nearby so I can glance over for inspiration.
• Take them with me!- This may not be playing per say, but I do love to take dolls with me to work or on trips. That usually leads in to photography as well. 

BJD Addicts Written Prompt #18: BJD Tattoos

None of my current dolls have tattoos, and I don't think they will at any point.  Mostly because I don't like the upkeep of tattoos, and I really like to play with my dolls (which can damage or remove the tattoos).  However my first big boy Daemon did have tattoos.  I don't have a good shot of them unfortunately, or the ones on his second body, but they were actually pretty cool.  Here are some old (ooooold) shots of him.