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Repent of the purple shadows! [aka hair and eyes for Frank]

Repent of the purple shadows! [aka hair and eyes for Frank] published on 1 Comment on Repent of the purple shadows! [aka hair and eyes for Frank]

EDIT: Picture now visible. Global Dolls “Candy” wig, dark brown, WRONG STYLE [= horrid ringlets], size 9-10: $8.65. Global Dolls “Carolina” wig, dark brown, RIGHT STYLE [= mohair curls], size 9-10: $25.90 [!! — blame it on the mohair]. Kemper glass eyes, brown, Karl brand, 16mm: $14.18. Finally giving Frank his eyes and hair: priceless. There are things money can’t buy. If it’s purchasable and doll-related, though, go to Audrey’s Dolls for a wide variety of supplies at deep discount.

Frank borrowed Jareth’s body for some quick photos this evening. Continue reading Repent of the purple shadows! [aka hair and eyes for Frank]

Frank’s face-up progress

Frank’s face-up progress published on 1 Comment on Frank’s face-up progress

In yet another stage of Frank’s face-up, I painted over his eyebrows with black acrylic paint. I also tipped his eyelashes with the same color to make them more visible. [Thank you for the tip, Armeleia!] Finally, I shaved the pointy tip off Frank’s nose with my Xacto knife. See the strip of progress photos below the cut. Continue reading Frank’s face-up progress

Jareth’s fan art, part I

Jareth’s fan art, part I published on 3 Comments on Jareth’s fan art, part I

As I know from my overflowing collection of Laby fan art, people enjoy drawing pictures of Jareth. Over the years, I've collected many beautiful likenesses of Jareth from the movie, and, now that I have a Jareth doll of my own, people have been drawing him.Continue reading Jareth’s fan art, part I

Spiky hair for Jareth / the magic of photo editing

Spiky hair for Jareth / the magic of photo editing published on 2 Comments on Spiky hair for Jareth / the magic of photo editing

Jareth now has a spiky blond wig in an attempt to replicate the Goblin King’s tacky freak-out hair in the movie. He shows it off, teaching everyone a lesson about photo editing in the process. Continue reading Spiky hair for Jareth / the magic of photo editing

BJD en francais, n’est-ce pas??

BJD en francais, n’est-ce pas?? published on 2 Comments on BJD en francais, n’est-ce pas??

Check it out: Materiel Celeste. It’s a forum for French-speaking BJD lovers and collectors of other imported dolls [like Pinky St., Pullip and Blythe]. It’s like DOA, but plus petit, plus lent et plus intime…et plus poli…ils n’ont pas rit a mon francais abominable!

Jareth in a labyrinth

Jareth in a labyrinth published on 1 Comment on Jareth in a labyrinth

Last Saturday [2/18], I went down the street to an informal little synagogue called Havurat Shalom. It has a great playground out in back, as well as a circular labyrinth, laid out in bricks like a patio. Jareth stood in the center [because that’s where he belongs] and tried to look imposing in a very Goblin-King-like outfit made by Gayle on DOA. Thanks, Gayle. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was looking introspective and knock-kneed, rather than imposing. Continue reading Jareth in a labyrinth

Fight against the grape Popsicle!

Fight against the grape Popsicle! published on 3 Comments on Fight against the grape Popsicle!

I removed much of the grape Popsicle shading around Frank’s nose and mouth. I still like the purple between his eyes, so I left that for now. Also I’ve applied the blush much more evenly than before. Picture below. Continue reading Fight against the grape Popsicle!

Words that should exist

Words that should exist published on No Comments on Words that should exist

Subscendent: Of or pertaining to a state that’s shallower, less insightful and less alert than usual. The opposite of transcendent. Its appropriateness is best illustrated by the Calvin & Hobbes cartoon where Calvin describes the brain death that comes when he watches TV for too long. The punchline: “Yeah, I achieve a lower consciousness.” Exactly — it’s a subscendent experience.

Transcension: The act of transcending. Needed because transcendence refers to a static state rather than the struggle to achieve that elusive state. That struggle is transcension.

I’m also thinking that this language needs subscend and superscend, but I’m still working out what they mean. Stay tuned for more sub-, super- and trans- words!

Frank’s final eyes and lips

Frank’s final eyes and lips published on 6 Comments on Frank’s final eyes and lips

Lips glossed with satin gloss, eye make-up with matte gloss. Human eyelashes [Manic Panic, Purple Rain Dance] cut down to size and added. I’m really proud of my work. The finished product looks much smirkier and more animated than my mask-like conceptual drawing. I attribute this less to any talent that I may have and more to the high-quality canvas [Volks resin] and tools [Prismacolors] at my disposal. Pic below. Continue reading Frank’s final eyes and lips

Eye-shadow attack!!

Eye-shadow attack!! published on No Comments on Eye-shadow attack!!

On Frank’s eyelids: Prismacolor Violet [PC932] on Frank’s eyelids, blended with Prismacolor Mulberry [PC995]. Above the lids: a stripe of Mulberry above the lids, with a layer of Violet above it. Between the eyes and the brows: a light layer of Violet, partly stripped with decapant universel, blended with Mulberry. Picture below. Continue reading Eye-shadow attack!!

Frank on Jareth’s body!

Frank on Jareth’s body! published on 5 Comments on Frank on Jareth’s body!

Since I’m undecided about what type of body to get for Frank, I decided to stick him on Jareth’s body, even though it’s the wrong sex, just to see how the fit was. With the addition of a rather flattened old wig of Zephque’s and a top hat, he actually looked pretty groovy. I wanted to invite him up to the lab to see what was on the slab.

The head fits on the body, though Yukinojo’s broad features were clearly built for a wider neck. Haund’s neck seems very slender by comparison. Furthermore, the Yukinojo resin has more undertones of orange and brown than the normal Haund body, which is very, very, very pale. Additionally, since Yukinojo’s neck socket is very deep, the poseability of the head on the Haund body is limited. It turns from side to side, but cannot look up and down much.

I’m not sure whether to go with an Iplehouse Soo Ri body for Frank, which would be appropriately meaty, but not tall enough, or another Haund body, which would be appropriately flexible, but not meaty enough… Anyway, see Frank voguing below. Continue reading Frank on Jareth’s body!

De/Refacing a Volks LE

De/Refacing a Volks LE published on 4 Comments on De/Refacing a Volks LE

I worked on Frank last night. For those of you curious about my creative process, I’m afraid it’s much more haphazard and much less visionary than you would hope. Motivated by a combination of extreme impatience and only slightly-above-average artistic talent, I cannot precisely replicate the exciting ideas teeming in my brain. Therefore I strive to reproduce the spirit of a likeness, the essence of the character because all its particular details cannot fully translate between my synapses and my hands.

In practice, this means I was drawing last night directly on the resin without having treated it first. The scribbling above represents Prismacolor Dark Brown Fonce [PC947] for eye-liner and eyebrows, Tuscan Red [PC 937] for the lip liner and some red chalk pastel to fill in the lips. You can’t see it, but I used a little red pastel on the insides of the eyes and a mixture of brown and black pastel in the creases of the mouth. Read the rest of the story below. Continue reading De/Refacing a Volks LE

Frank without paint and my plans for him

Frank without paint and my plans for him published on 2 Comments on Frank without paint and my plans for him

Yukinojo looks so much better without that smeary, hazy default faceup. After removing the paint, I admired the sculpt for some time. For my earlier griping about the unexciting nature of Volks sculpts, I must say that Yukinojo has won me over. The glowy quality and smoothness of Volks resin appeals to me in general, and the sheer amount of detail in Yukinojo’s sculpt pleases me. He strikes a balance between realism and stylization that I haven’t seen in other BJD sculpts.

Naturally I will DESTROY the delicate craftsmanship of the hallowed Volks LE by giving it a faceup with Prismacolor and pastels in a style worthy of circus make-up, bwah hah hah! See below the cut for more paintless pictures of Yukinojo, as well as a mock-up of Frank’s faceup. Continue reading Frank without paint and my plans for him

Plan B Toys unveils resin Labyrinth statues at Toy Fair.

Plan B Toys unveils resin Labyrinth statues at Toy Fair. published on 9 Comments on Plan B Toys unveils resin Labyrinth statues at Toy Fair.

Look at what I just dug up on figures.com! Plan B Toys [Web site here, but has nothing to do with their Laby line] is showing off its upcoming Laby collectibles at this year’s Toy Fair in New York City. Continue reading Plan B Toys unveils resin Labyrinth statues at Toy Fair.

Ranting about themes in Labyrinth

Ranting about themes in Labyrinth published on 1 Comment on Ranting about themes in Labyrinth

Jill and I spent over two hours on the phone on Saturday discussing Labyrinth. We noticed the following:

1. There’s a lot of water in the film. Jill pointed out that Sarah runs across a bridge over a stream when she is first seen in the park. Then she gets all wet as the rainstorm chases her home. Water appears again in the Bog of Eternal Stench [and another bridge as well]. Jill even argued that the ballroom bubble is made out of water, but I think that’s pushing it. We didn’t reach any conclusions about the significance of water, but Jill definitely thinks that the bridge in the park prefigures the bridge over the Bog of Stench, in another example of the real world affecting Sarah’s dream world. See below the cut for a laundry list of interesting themes and Jill’s and my speculation thereon. Continue reading Ranting about themes in Labyrinth

Jareth’s new corset

Jareth’s new corset published on 4 Comments on Jareth’s new corset

So Moggie’s Toyshop made a custom corset for Jareth. The lacing solved the problem of his stupid hip joint popping out; it also took about 15 minutes to do up, so, whether he likes it or not, he’s staying in the corset. Fortunately, though, as you can see, he’s pretty comfortable. I think he was even falling asleep toward the end of the shoot. See below the cut for more. Continue reading Jareth’s new corset

Working on Frank…

Working on Frank… published on 9 Comments on Working on Frank…

Because Frank’s head [SD 16 Yukinojo] came on Saturday, I’ve been thinking about him recently. I wiped his paint last night [hideous under-the-lip blushing!] and drafted a face-up on a print-out of the unpainted head. Then I harvested bits and pieces from various photos to create a mock-up of Frank on an Afghan body.

Boy…did he look pathetic. Afghan’s body has the right height and flexibility, but she’s so scrawny. She looks like a 12-year-old girl that hit her growth spurt before puberty. She’s painfully thin. As I looked at the mock-up, I realized that I couldn’t use her as a base.

My latest idea for Frank’s body is the Iplehouse long-legged masc body, shown here in tan skin. Great things about the Iplehouse body include: a) idealized, muscular physique; b) double-jointed elbows and knees; c) neat handsculpts; d) cheaper compared to getting a whole Afghan; e) no microcephalic Afghan head to get rid of!

The only cons are a) it’s a masc body and b) it’s shorter than Haund. Some creative shirt-stuffing should take care of a), and platform boots should take care of b). I should make Frank wear all the platforms and Jareth wear all the flats.

I wish that the new Dollfie Dream body with the porn star hooters was scaled up to Afghan’s height. No, better yet, I wish one of the doll companies would make a body like that of a female comic-book character: tall, muscular and well-endowed, with exaggerated curves. But Haund will never have a sex change and lift weights, so…sigh…

Oh yeah…and if anyone wonders what kind of doll I’m trying to make here with all this different parts, I refer you to the concept of the [anatomically impossible and endlessly fascinating] mythological hermaphrodite.

Jareth confronts the cuteness at the Burlington doll club meeting.

Jareth confronts the cuteness at the Burlington doll club meeting. published on 8 Comments on Jareth confronts the cuteness at the Burlington doll club meeting.

Fun at yesterday’s Burlington doll club meeting, in which my little Goblin King proves his complete lack of social graces and Marcus [Doll More Ujee, owned by Jamie, aka DrNero on DOA] proves his utter cuteness and artistic talents. Check it out below the cut. Continue reading Jareth confronts the cuteness at the Burlington doll club meeting.

Jareth is bossing me around…

Jareth is bossing me around… published on 7 Comments on Jareth is bossing me around…

Today he tried to get me to fear him, love him, etc. Jareth is, first and foremost, a character in my head inspired by Jareth the Goblin King from Labyrinth. He comes out of my head in doll form to make smart remarks, steal my books, visit cemeteries and libraries and parks and other cool places with me, etc. Of course, he does the same things when he’s inside my head, but, when he’s in doll form, I get to take pictures of him doing it. Watch Jareth attempt to intimidate me, despite the fact that he’s two feet high. Continue reading Jareth is bossing me around…

Jareth and his balls

Jareth and his balls published on 9 Comments on Jareth and his balls

Finally, about two and a half months since ordering, Jareth arrived at my house. Thanks to the following for their help with the Jareth Project: Dollshe for the body sculpt, Luts for the procuring and shipping, Armeleia for facial mods, faceup and endless IM chats, MissMerrythe3rd for an affordable and sexy handmade outfit for Jareth, Batchix for the gloves, Posh Dolls for the current pair of boots and Ajumapama for the imminent pair, Daniel Maher Stained Glass for the dichroic glass earrings, all you Laby and BJD freaks for following the saga and, of course, David Bowie and Labyrinth for starting this whole thing in the first place. I’m ecstatic to finally have a BJD to photo again; plus I’m so pleased with the results of my long-distance collaborations with everyone. See Jareth and his balls [well, more like his singular ball] below the cut. Continue reading Jareth and his balls

My favorite cemeteries have been transcribed.

My favorite cemeteries have been transcribed. published on No Comments on My favorite cemeteries have been transcribed.

Ever since I read Doing Cemetery Research, I’ve been digging a little more into the subject of graves. On a whim, I decided to look up information about three of my favorite cemeteries: Essex Common Burial Ground and Mountain View Cemetery, both in Essex, VT, and Addoms Hagar Burial Ground, in Plattsburgh, NY. Surprisingly enough, all three of them have been transcribed, the Essex ones by James Cutler, a local genealogist, the Plattsburgh one by the Church of Latter-Day Saints [huh?!]. Continue reading My favorite cemeteries have been transcribed.

Notes to self re customizing Jareth

Notes to self re customizing Jareth published on No Comments on Notes to self re customizing Jareth

Heat first finger[s] of left hand with hair dryer??? Then bend???

For red flush on hands, either dilute reddish acrylic or shave red pastel and apply in cracks. Cover with matte varnish. Okay if it globs or drips, since it’s supposed to be sweat.

For fingernails, sand them down extremely short. Create hollows at tops of nails. Either paint red [he was biting them and drew blood] or darker color for shadow created by any existing nail. English Lace acrylic for cuticles [if any]? Hit nails with glossy varnish.

Buy lots of small-link chains from the hardware store. Attach to corset a la skirt???

Sueding may not necessarily involve disassembly!!

Jareth as the alternative parent

Jareth as the alternative parent published on 2 Comments on Jareth as the alternative parent

Ever since I spent about six hours on screencaps last weekend, I’ve been ruminating about L. Like Mirror Mask, its framing story involves an unhappy family. I asked myself how Sarah’s unhappy family affects her journey through the Labyrinth. Possible answer: It makes Jareth a parental substitute.

Note: Poor Jareth is doing double, triple, even quadruple duty in this movie. Rock star, fashion icon, pin-up boy, Byronic hero, antagonist, DAD?!!?! L is a freakin’ thematic goulash. Hmmmm, you could probably make an argument for Jareth as floating signifier, but that might mess up the entire pretense of the Realm… Anyway, click below for more. Continue reading Jareth as the alternative parent

Jareth comes out: final photos!

Jareth comes out: final photos! published on 6 Comments on Jareth comes out: final photos!

Looky looky — final photos! I’ll just quote my drooling to Armeleia: “I’m very pleased with the way that he turned out. You executed the James Marsters cheekbones perfectly, as well as the David Bowie nose. I think the mouth resembles Bowie’s as well, especially in profile. He also seems to balance between stereotypically masculine and stereotypically feminine pretty well.

“I especially like the rough, blurry nature of the pastels; they make his eyes seem even more shadowed. He looks tired, vulnerable and thoughtful. He looks like a vampire that’s been punched in both eyes. He looks like a skeleton with skin. He looks pale and smirky and bony and, in short, very much like Jareth.”

Pictures below the cut! Continue reading Jareth comes out: final photos!

Telecustomizing: how Jareth was done

Telecustomizing: how Jareth was done published on 1 Comment on Telecustomizing: how Jareth was done

Armeleia and I have created a new way of collaborating: telecustomizing! From 9:30 PM on February 5th to 1:30 AM on February 6th, we logged into Yahoo chat to do Jareth’s faceup together. Every 15 to 30 minutes, Armeleia pinged me to update me. [Yahoo chat has a BUZZ!!! feature that sounds like a doorbell and makes the whole window jounce.] I got pictures after his base coat, his eyelashes/liner, his eyebrows, his lips and the shading. [Pics at various stages below the cut now.] Continue reading Telecustomizing: how Jareth was done

Labyrinth: two movies for the price of one

Labyrinth: two movies for the price of one published on No Comments on Labyrinth: two movies for the price of one

I spent about six hours last night and this morning taking screencaps from every part of Labyrinth. Along the way, I noticed something very irritating: Labyrinth repeats itself constantly. This isn’t about thematic consistency. No, this is more mundane. The film recycles on a simple level [e.g., with repetition of dialog] and on a greater, structural level. It’s like getting two movies for the price of one, only they’re the same movie. Continue reading Labyrinth: two movies for the price of one

Jareth’s improved profile

Jareth’s improved profile published on 4 Comments on Jareth’s improved profile

Thanks to Armeleia’s hack ‘n’ slash last night, Jareth’s nose is now much more proportional to his face. It also has more of a Bowie-like profile to it. I was looking for something straighter, but she gave him a bit of the bow shape that David Bowie has. Good thing I don’t mind. He still looks serenely devious.

I see you shiver with antici…

I see you shiver with antici… published on No Comments on I see you shiver with antici…

PATION!!!

La tete de la poupee de Frank arrived at Rinkya today, so I requested EMS shipment. It should go out next Thursday. Curses. I will have no BJD or BJD parts to show off at the Burlington doll meet on February 11th. My first [and last — canceling Rinkya account after Frank arrives safely] experience with a deputy auction service has been fast, smooth and painless so far, but apparently not fast enough for the deepest part of myself that craves instant gratification.

I can’t wait for Jareth to arrive. No, seriously, I have great trouble waiting. My internal monolog runs around in my head, going, “IwantmydollIwantmydollIwantmydoll…” Though I go to work, do my other hobbies [yes, I do have those], prepare for said doll’s arrival and otherwise try to alleviate my obsessive impatience, it will not go away. It’s not that I’m particularly worried about the doll’s mods or that it’s taking too long; it’s just that I don’t have it yet and I want it.

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