Like roadmaps of his life...

I'm in the midst of doing some more customizations on Crow. I have a thing for pretty painted little doll hands and feet, so I gave him a realistic manicure and pedicure. Since I had him out for spraying I decided to add a few of his scars as well. Nothing too crazy, but they work well to develop his character more. He's got a curved scar across his left palm, two scars on his left wrist, and one long scar down the length of his right forearm. The palm and wrist scars are from past continuous blood offerings he made as he tried to use magic to save himself and his sister. The scar on his right arm was from a badly broken arm (broken by his father) that required surgery to fix.

I also put him in a new wig which works much better for his character than the old one. It's the tawny brown mix I originally bought for Kaleb. The wig looked horrible on Kaleb, and everyone else I put it on until Crow. Now it looks perfect, like it was made for him! :) Pictures to follow.

Silence

Some shots of Crow:

Omake:

Some crows showed up to escort us through the cemetery. Friends of his perhaps?

The moon above the trees.

Dolly Talk: Carrying Dolls

And everywhere that Mary went her MNF Seorin was sure to go.

Today on Dolly Talk we have the topic of taking dolls with you. Now when I say this I don't just mean popping them in a carrier and removing them when you're at the secluded (or sometimes not as the case may be) photo site.

The first person I really looked to when I started to collect dolls was Alysonsfriend, who is a very "out" doll owner. She takes her dolls everywhere from school to work (well it is a doll shop) to concerts. While I don't take them quite as many places, I definitely do fall into the category of someone who takes their dolls out a lot.

For me, I like to bring the dolls as many places as I can. So they come shopping, to some of my appointments, the occasional movie, and yes even class. They are size and situation appropriate of course, so for example I wouldn't bring an SD to my class and sit him on my desk. Generally I only take out dolls that can comfortably fit into my purse. This is very easy with Pullips, not as much with bjds. However as of late I've been taking Crow everywhere. My purse is large enough that he can remain tucked inside without being visible if I choose, or standing up with his face out. Right now he's currently hanging out of my purse with a big bemused smile on his face as people pass by and steal small glances at him.

Overall I think that while taking dolls out is fun, it's definitely not for every person, doll, or situation. I wouldn't take out a one-off or particularly fragile doll, nor would I drag them along to a roller coaster park for example. I don't take them to places with lots of kids, or in situations where they would distract me. So they don't come to exams or come out at doctor appointments.

Some things to keep in mind when you take dolls out:

• People will want to touch/grab/etc. your doll. Make sure you're prepared to deal with uneducated (on doll care) people wanting to/trying to do this. This especially goes for children. Watch those hands!
• Get ready for questions, and probably lots of them. I generally give out DoA's address or suggest Wikipedia for people looking for more info. Sometimes I will also give out my blog address, but that's situation dependent.
  
• You will get weird looks. Not from everyone, but be prepared for lots of wtf looks from people or rude comments.
• You might loose things, so don't take a doll with loose shoes/wig/eyes/etc.
  
• Think before you take them out! Some situations just aren't appropriate, be smart.
• Always have a back up plan in case you need to put them away, such as a large purse or doll carrier.

Those are a lot of worst case scenarios, but dolls are really fun to take out. They can start interesting conversations and even help you find other doll enthusiasts, so above all have fun!

Oh so pretty!

I decided to make a few small changes to Crow's face up today, and I realize it's been forever since I've painted a doll. His face up was done by his first owner (whose name escapes me right now), and it's a very lovely base face up, but there's just not enough character. So I added a few freckles in the tradition of Paks who had some lovely freckles. :) Now I just have to wait for him to dry and I can re-gloss his lips. I might also "pierce" his nose, but I'm not sure yet. Crow is fast becoming a mini-Paks, so we'll have to see if I need to differentiate him more or not.

Upcoming Events

In bulleted form for easier reading:

• I'm entering Alysonsfriend's contest to customize one of her I Don't Do Subtle shirts. The shirts (one for me and one for Crow) should be arriving soon and I will document that process here.
• Along with that, I will be interviewing Alysonsfriend for a spot on this blog as I think she's fantastic and a very interesting person in the doll world. :)
• I will be starting a new feature during the end of this month and throughout next month to get everyone in the Halloween spirit. These posts will feature stories of haunted dolls (historical and personal anecdotes), creepy doll experiences, and other topics. :)
  

Crow

One for sorrow, two for mirth,
Three for a wedding, four for a birth,
Five for silver, six for gold,
Seven for a secret not to be told.
Eight for heaven, nine for hell,
And ten for the devil's own sel'.

Name: Jack Corvus, "Crow"
Age: 17 (and then some)
Birthday: October 31st, 1977
Date of death: October 31, 1994
Personality: As Jack, he is strong and at times violent. He knows
how hard life can be and refuses to let it break him. Jack is his
human side that has all of his memories and spunk. As Crow he is
much quieter and very childlike. Bordering on just a bit crazy,
Crow doesn't remember his past very much, and what he does is
mangles and distorted. He is Crow to most people, and Jack to those
he is comfortable with.
Likes: Halloween, black, wings, autumn, pumpkins, soft music,
snuggling, warmth, children
Dislikes: yelling and arguing, rap music, fathers, large birds
Mini Bio: Crow spent his life cowering in fear from his abusive
father James. His mother left when he was ten, and James soon
shifted his anger over to his son. Crow (then known as Jack)
tried desperately to find a way out for himself and his younger
sister Meribell and even resorted to dabbling in witchcraft.
His father was the leader of a small satanic movement, and decided
to sacrifice Jack one day to gain power. He beat Jack and threw
him off the roof of their apartment building, but Jack didn't die.
Instead he awoke confused and without much memory of his past.
For a time he thought he was the spirit of Halloween, but was later
approached by a head Reaper with a job offer. He has since
worked for them as a reaper/psychopomp, ushering the dead over
in his own way.
Fun Fact: Crow smells like autumn, always.

Crow is revealed!