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Your Web comic assignment: Venus Envy

Your Web comic assignment: Venus Envy published on 1 Comment on Your Web comic assignment: Venus Envy

Erin Lindsey writes Venus Envy, which is about Zoe, a teenaged [at least when the series starts] transgirl and her awkward, hilarious life. The strip moves quickly in snapshot vignettes, mostly lighthearted and downright silly, but occasionally very heartfelt. I’m not so keen on the art [well, I’m just at the beginning of the archive], but I do enjoy the sympathetic characters and continuous slapstick. It’s a very playful comic. Read it ’cause it’s funny!

EDIT: The art improves vastly.

The impatient person says, “Dammit!”

The impatient person says, “Dammit!” published on No Comments on The impatient person says, “Dammit!”

Those persons realizing that Sabik is too big for their tastes are now selling him. Unfortunately, his body, clothes and hefty shipping price come along with him. The price jacks from $650.00 [nude, no faceup, shipping included] direct from Soom to ~$925.00-$950.00 on the secondary market. It’s frustrating to see la poupee available but unreachable, especially since I want Sabik’s head more and more as I see more pictures of it.

Anyone want a CP NS MNF Ruth head?

Anyone want a CP NS MNF Ruth head? published on 1 Comment on Anyone want a CP NS MNF Ruth head?

I thought I wanted one, but I want Sabik’s head more. However, I already agreed to a split with someone else, so I ordered a CP MNF Ruth Special so he could have the sleeping head and the body and I could have the awake head. But now I don’t want the awake head. I ordered it today, no faceup, so it should be arriving in 2-3 weeks. Ruth isn’t available in parts, so, if you like the head, this is your chance to get it. Any interest?

Will’s lack of fashion sense in 1:3

Will’s lack of fashion sense in 1:3 published on No Comments on Will’s lack of fashion sense in 1:3

I have learned from my survey that clothes for male dolls, just like mainstream clothes for male people, tends to be boring and conservative. According to most designers, black is about as edgy as it gets.

CheeryDoll white ruffled transparent blouse, black leather vest with corset back, black leather pants $152.00

CheeryDoll collared floral orange shirt with detachable sleeves $17.00

Iplehouse weird brown floral long-sleeved button-up shirt $24.20

Iplehouse black net shirt $30.80

Iplehouse baggy black jeans $55.00

Iplehouse black baggy zippered cargo pants $57.50

Iplehouse black leather jacket, pants and hat with many belts and ties $160.00

And some stuff from DollMore, which I can’t order, but which may provide ideas:

DollMore wrap long pants

DollMore black shirt with bell sleeves

DollMore leather trench

DollMore black leather tank top

DollMore basic black tank

Other:

jessicadolls high-heeled boots in many colors, fit uncertain

Dollovely wine broomstick skirt $10.00

Dollovely aqua lace crop top $25.00

Hot pink suede lace-up pants [for 45cm dolls]

Red silk blouse [for 45cm dolls]

Dollovely three-toned pink broomstick skirt for Model Doll girls $25.00

Lycra dress [for skirt inspiration]

Simple tank top [for midriff shirt inspiration] $15.00

Fuschia peasant dress [for blouse and skirt inspiration] $65.00

 

Ideal purchases:

red, orange or pink lace crop top in the style of Dollovely aqua lace crop top

black bellbottoms in the style of Hot pink suede lace-up pants [for 45cm dolls]

silk blouse [color not important] in the style of Red silk blouse [for 45cm dolls]

black tank in the style of Simple tank top [for midriff shirt inspiration] 

Dollovely three-toned pink broomstick skirt for Model Doll girls $25.00

Will’s [complete and utter lack of] fashion sense

Will’s [complete and utter lack of] fashion sense published on 1 Comment on Will’s [complete and utter lack of] fashion sense

A quick survey of LHF reveals the following instances:

Hair
pink with bangs
brown with bangs
pink spikes
white spikes
orange spikes
red spikes

Tops
tank with vertical pastel stripes
lime green muscle shirt with lavender trim
transparent pink paisley midriff top with bell sleeves
baggy black tank
white mesh short-sleeved top
black mesh long-sleeved midriff shirt
transparent pink diamond printed midriff top with 3/4 sleeves
olive drab muscle shirt
one-strap violently pink midriff tank
white short-sleeved pinstripe button-up shirt
black T-shirt
black leather corset

Jackets
sleeveless black pleather trench
black pinstripe blazer
black leather trench
leopard print long coat

Bottoms
silver low-riding bell-bottoms
brown low-riding curdoroy bell-bottoms
dusty rose low-riding stretch bell-bottoms
purple pleather pants with pink and gold flames
denim surfer shorts
black pleather hot pants
burgundy leather pants with white racing stripes
red, white and black camo bell-bottoms
olive drab cargo pants
wide-legged blue denim skater jeans with patches
grey nylon gym pants
pink miniskirt
tan shorts

Accessories
multiple golden bangle bracelets
black fishnet arm warmers
violently hot pink arm warmers
pink paisley sash
black leather belt
black fishnets

Shoes
black platform high-heeled Mary Janes
gold high-heeled boots
black calf-high high-heeled leather boots
red thigh-high high-heeled vinyl boots
black leather boots

Gear
plastic fuschia camera bag with shoulder strap
lavender cell phone

Other
Frank N. Furter costume

Wow, this survey makes my brain hurt. Will clearly favors red and black, although he’s very partial to shades of pink and green as well. He has a frightening affinity for midriff-baring, transparent shirts, as well as an affinity for bellbottoms, especially when paired with the midriff-baring, transparent shirts. Since he likes trench coats, wide legs and bell sleeves in general, I assume he likes clothes that move loosely and dramatically. [I can just see him as a wizard practicing his robe-swirling maneuvers.] If I had gone any further in the story, I would have had to find some loose, long, light skirts for him. Anyway, it’s absolutely impossible to miss him when he walks by, what with the brain-hurting clothes and the racket made by his high heels and his bracelets. What a fun character to make a doll of!

Sabik’s head fits on a Dollshe body!!

Sabik’s head fits on a Dollshe body!! published on 3 Comments on Sabik’s head fits on a Dollshe body!!

Someone over at DOA provided pictures of Sabik’s head on a 70cm Dollshe boy body, concluding that the results were a scary failure. I disagree. The head looks slightly too large, but that’s not a problem, for a few reasons…

First of all, a Sabik head on a Dollshe body is about 7 heads high. The ideally proportioned male body is 8 heads high, but real people show great variation, so it is possible that a male could be 7 heads high. 

Second of all, the Sabik head fits in stylistically on a Dollshe body. The Dollshe body is characterized by a lean physique, elongated rectangular forms and fine detail. Sabik’s head also has elongated rectangular forms and fine detail. While the Sabik head may be a bit too big, its stylistic harmony with the Dollshe body overcomes some of the size difference.

Finally, the largeness of Sabik’s head can be mitigated with creative costuming and posing. I’ve already had experience with a big-headed doll, Frank, a Yukinojo head on a Bella Auden body, and I’ve learned that certain angles [de-emphasizing the poofy hair] and certain outfits [balloon sleeves to add bulk to his scrawny arms] compensate well for the size difference between his head and the rest of him.  If a Sabik/Dollshe hybrid were clothed and photographed with a modicum of skill, I believe that it would look great.

All of this is, of course, a neat way of convincing myself that a Sabik head would work on Jareth’s body so I could make a Will doll. Picture below.

I’m back on to wanting Sabik…

I’m back on to wanting Sabik… published on 1 Comment on I’m back on to wanting Sabik…

That’s the 80 cm Mecha Angel by Soom. Actually, I just want his head because it would be a great 1:3 likeness of my favorite character from Love Has Fangs. No, not Anneka, but Will.

Will is a very amusing character. Anneka has a sense of style, but Will doesn’t. I always got the feeling that he never quite understood the norms of clothing and social presentation and just wore whatever he wanted. In the case of the representation below, I can just see him saying, “Oh, I like red…red’s good…and purple’s not bad either,” then just sticking all of those colors on his face. His look veers close to the stylized make-up of certain formerly elegant old ladies, not really drag-like, but definitely bright and noticeable.

Me: “You do know that you look like a mime, right?”

Will: “Is that bad?”

Here is me messing around with a modified photo of a front view of Sabik.

Sardonix’ scarf goes to good use…

Sardonix’ scarf goes to good use… published on 2 Comments on Sardonix’ scarf goes to good use…

Last night I wired Submit’s arms with pipe cleaners so that she has a greater range of motion in her wrists and elbows. After the ordeal of disassembly, she quickly fell asleep in the most convenient area: Sardonix’ scarf.

Do not do this to your doll, part II — close-ups of Zephque

Do not do this to your doll, part II — close-ups of Zephque published on 1 Comment on Do not do this to your doll, part II — close-ups of Zephque

We continue with the illustriously bad example of customizations on my first BJD, Zephque. These pictures come from his for sale posts in November, 2005. Read and weep. 

Do NOT use a combination of Prismacolor and charcoal pencil to redo the eyebrows.

Do NOT paint lips in a single thick layer of a single color.

Do NOT try to take your doll’s eyes out unless you know what are doing. The first time I tried to fiddle with Zephque’s eyes, I cut myself on the stems. Then I broke one of the eyes, which I eventually scraped out, in pieces, along with some eye putty. I stuck a clear marble in the socket, and that eye never caught light again.

Other things to avoid:

Do NOT make your doll a cross-dresser unless there’s a really good reason for it. “I like bishie fag boys”  is not a good reason. “My character’s a sort of executive transvestite who’s seriously confused about his gender presentation because his mom wanted him to be a girl” is more acceptable…marginally.

Do NOT make your doll a vampire or something supernatural and/or undead unless there’s a really good reason for it. “Vampirism is so sexy and so, like, deep” is not a good reason. “This is my story character in resin form who explores the symbolic connections between vampirism and psychological deviance” is okay…maybe.

Do NOT give your doll a name involving apostrophes, unorthodox use of capitalization and/or gratuitous diphthongs. “Because it’s cool” is not a good reason because it’s NEVER COOL to call your doll something like Zephque d’Amaranth. Try something like Sardonix Sanguinarius instead.

I think Sardonix needs a NO BISHIES T-shirt, like the NO SMOKING sign, BISHIES with a line through it.

Diatribe aside, I retain much fondness for Zephque. He helped to catalyze my interest in BJDs, photostories, Love Has Fangs, photography in general. I also feel some affection for the character, who was simultaneously melodramatic and brittle, sensitive and repressed. He always seemed rather afraid of himself, of admitting what he truly desired; thus he paralleled my own uncertainty at that time. Now that I have more confidence, my dolls manifest more ebullient attitudes, but I certainly don’t want to dismiss Zephque because one has to be fragile and overprotective before one flourishes in flaming fabulosity [if that’s not a word, I made it up].

Don’t do this to your doll — “for sale” pictures of Zephque

Don’t do this to your doll — “for sale” pictures of Zephque published on 1 Comment on Don’t do this to your doll — “for sale” pictures of Zephque

Back in May, 2004, I got my first BJD, a Custom House Gene, for the ungodly sum of $675.00.

I named him Zephque d’Amaranth and enjoyed him immensely. He sparked my first photostory, an interaction between my 1:6 alter ego and him that eventually developed into Love Has Fangs. 

Anyway, after playing with him for a while, I liked him less than I did originally. I also saw many more BJDs debuting that were more attractive in weight, poseability, sculpt and price. So I sold him in November, 2005. Below are some of the “for sale” photos that I took to illustrate my post on DOA. You’ll get to see how NOT to take pictures and how NOT to modify your doll…

Do NOT pierce ears with a hot needle, as this may cause cracking and staining in the resin.

Do NOT tattoo your doll with a mixture of colored pencils, water-based markers and ballpoint pens and then seal it with matte paint varnish.
    

Do NOT try moving temporary tattoos on your doll before they are dry, as this will cause the design to peel off. On second thought, don’t put huge temp tattoos on your doll…it just looks tacky.

 

And, for the sweet bleeding love of Christ on a Pogo Stick up a tree without a paddle, DO NOT seal the tattoo with thick layers of varnish that you apply with a dirty paintbrush.

Stay tuned…scary faceup details in the next entry.

Small =/= cheap

Small =/= cheap published on 1 Comment on Small =/= cheap

Many children’s toys, especially mass-produced stuffed animals and dolls, are relatively inexpensive.

For example. a 5″ high plush bear, floppy and stuffed with beans, costs under $10.00. A simple fashion doll, like Ballerina Barbie, goes for $5.00-$8.00. More to the point, outfits for playline dolls tend to be relatively inexpensive. Slutz Bratz clothing packs top out at about $10.00, as do those for Barbie. Only Hearts Club, a preppy line of preteen girl dolls, sells outfits for a slightly higher price, around $15.00. 

With these general parameters in mind, you can see why I assume that clothes for Submit should be easy to find and cheap. While she is not a children’s toy, she is close enough in size to many mass-produced dolls [e.g., Slutz and OHC] to wear their clothes. Therefore, I should be able to find her good, cheap clothes, right?

Well, it clearly depends on where I purchase. Thanks to trial and error on doll boards such as DOA and ZOZ [that’s Zone of Zen, my newest membership, a smaller, more close-knit group], I know what playline doll clothes fit Submit. Thus, just now, I purchased about $60 of OHC outfits for her [hard to find stuff without pastels and pink, goddammit].

But, if I go to the Elfdoll site itself, I find astronomically different prices for Hana Angel and Devil clothes. Apparently the site isn’t cooperating, but, for example, it was selling a red long-sleeved shirt and denim overalls for $33.00. For comparable pricing, see Cheerydoll USA, where a set of beanie, long-sleeved shirt and denim overalls runs $60.00. Wait a minute…that’s not comparable; that’s almost double Elfdoll’s similar offering!! I accept that Cheerydoll provides high quality and that small-scale sewing requires finer work than 1:1 sewing, but what justifies such a disparity in pricing? Personally, I’d knock the Elfdoll price down by $10.00 and the Cheerydoll price down by $30.00. Then the prices would be more in range with the clothes for similar 8″ collector’s dolls, like Kish Riley [pants for which can cost $26.00 alone — a big shock to someone looking for a simple pair of overalls, goddammit].

As you can tell from the frequent swearing, I’m having difficulty producing an appropriate wardrobe for Submit. I’ve scrounged among my 1:6 clothes, which gives her enough to tide her over until her OHC stuff arrives.

Speaking of scrounging through 1:6 stuff, I still need to offload a lot of 1:6 furniture and some clothes because I’m much less active in 1:6 now. Plus the extra stuff is taking up valuable storage space.

Submit’s here!

Submit’s here! published on 1 Comment on Submit’s here!

Submit, my Elfdoll Hana, arrived today. When I inspected her, I clarified a few things. As much as I enjoy modding dolls, Submit is too attractive and well-made and generally endearing to change. Therefore she no longer has a conjoined sister. She is just a singular little demon with a different disposition than originally planned. Instead of peein in ur sodaz, she prefers to ride her bike and play Scrabble. She likes practical wear for outdoor games and does not like dresses, skirts and frills. She has an intellectual, introverted bent, probably because she is not evil at all, even though demons are expected to be at the very least mischievous. She is probably a mini dyke in the making. 😀 She will be an interesting counterpoint to the explosive, sarcastic, impulsive Sardonix. Pictures eventually…

Wonderfully gory made-over porcelain dolls

Wonderfully gory made-over porcelain dolls published on 1 Comment on Wonderfully gory made-over porcelain dolls

The dolls on this site would eat the scads of sensitive vampires and angsty zombies over at DOA for lunch. Sardonix would probably make friends with them… I like them very much. They look much more appropriate to me than the procelain dolls that they were originally. Thanks to Bastet2329, I will direct my hostile urges toward stereotypical undead characters into creative endeavors…

Scarf 2, Sardonix 0

Scarf 2, Sardonix 0 published on 1 Comment on Scarf 2, Sardonix 0

I made another scarf this weekend, blue, for Jennifer. Compared to rainbow scarf #1, blue scarf #2 features stupendously even gauge and small, accurate stitches. If Jennifer were a real person, it would keep her warm. Naturally, Sardonix coveted it… This story was supposed to document my improving crochet skills, but Jennifer and Sardonix are hogging the camera.




A beautiful elf girl doll

A beautiful elf girl doll published on 1 Comment on A beautiful elf girl doll

UniDoll’s Limited UH-14 strongly attracts me. Her heavy eyelids and thoughtful, pouty lips give her a plush, romantic look enhanced by her creamy complexion. She’s been reminding me of an earlier doll, but I only put my finger on the resemblance just now. UH-14 looks like Soom Kyrie. Check out comparison pictures below.

I don’t have a problem with the resemblance at all. It’s nice to know that, if I really wanted a doll like UH-17, I could easily [and cheaply] get one similar by purchasing and modding a Kyrie.

Here’s Kyrie:

Here’s UH-14:

i’m in ur fridge peein in ur sodaz

i’m in ur fridge peein in ur sodaz published on No Comments on i’m in ur fridge peein in ur sodaz

Choo cha!! I just won an Ebay auction for Elfdoll’s Devil Hana. I’m bringing home the single doll and turning it into the dicephalus conjoined twins that I mentioned previously. They are called Delenda and Submit.

Submit, the annoying, rambunctious, sadistic one, has brown bobbed hair. Her name comes from one of my ancestors. It’s clearly supposed to contrast with her character. Delenda, the reserved, thoughtful one, has dreadlocked pink hair. Her name comes from the gerundive of necessity in Latin, demonstrated in the sentence “Carthago delenda est,” which means “Carthage must be destroyed!” Delenda and Submit do not get along in terms of character, but they do love to ride their bike together. I think they are small demon-like creatures from the same realm as Sardonix [who is a succubus, in case you didn’t know].

This post gets its title from one of the Hana Devil’s faceplates, which is a big squinty smirk. It’s an “I just peed in your soda!” expression if I’ve ever seen one.

Sardonix to emo dollies: “Bitch, please!”

Sardonix to emo dollies: “Bitch, please!” published on 2 Comments on Sardonix to emo dollies: “Bitch, please!”

This photostory is Sardonix’ reaction to the infestation of unoriginal characters on DOA. Now that I’ve gotten this out of my system, we return to our regularly scheduled weirdness…



Sardonix lives up to her name.

Sardonix lives up to her name. published on 2 Comments on Sardonix lives up to her name.

She is not impressed with the scarf that I made. Neither am I, for that matter. You haven’t seen it yet, but my stitches have become much more even, my tension more consistent and the results much neater. I still favor the rainbow yarn, though. HAHAAAHAH.

The final word on Den of Demons

The final word on Den of Demons published on No Comments on The final word on Den of Demons

This is what I said in a post to

  about the Den of Demons: 

 

My experience with DOD is that the most of the members like to rip on anything that is unusual and imperfectly done. For example, my Jareth, modded Hound, was deformed according to my specifications by Armeleia, but he has been pooped on at DOD because he’s so unusual. My Frank, a Yukinojo on a Model Doll Girl body, has been pooped on for a bold, schematic make-up [done by me in a manner obviously different from the super-smooth and realistic look favored by many persons for their BJDs’ faceups]. Admittedly, a small vocal minority of DODers also say that my dolls’ looks are strong, original and aesthetically interesting, but DOD leaves the overall impression of closed minds.

All of this is to say that you should not compare your results to their opinions. Compare your results to your previous efforts, Timmian to Bastian, for example — worlds of difference, more subtlety and finer detail on Timmian! Compare your results to informed persons…to anything but the poopings of bitter persons with too much time and too few brains.

I do find DOD salutary in sporadic doses because its venom balances out the unremitting sweetness, light and veiled animosity of DOA. Other than that, I do not find it useful.

 

Doll bases for Hana conjoined twins

Doll bases for Hana conjoined twins published on No Comments on Doll bases for Hana conjoined twins

Dolls to hack up for a set of Elfdoll Hana conjoined twins:

Kish Riley: 8″, jointed at neck. Torso is narrow, neck kinda short.

Tonner Tiny Kitty: 10″, multi-jointed. Torso very curvy, neck a bit longer than Riley’s.

Tonner Marley: 12″, multi-jointed. Torso less curvy, neck a bit longer than Riley’s.

Tonner Ellowyne: 12″, multi-jointed. Same body as Tiny Kitty?

Ginny: 8″, jointed at neck. Torso wide, neck kinda short.

Lying, cheating, contaminated doll plagiarists

Lying, cheating, contaminated doll plagiarists published on 1 Comment on Lying, cheating, contaminated doll plagiarists

If I determine, through my own judgment, that a BJD company has committed plagiarism of another company’s designs, I can never support that company in any way again. Here is my list of permanently contaminated companies and why I can never touch them:

I can’t touch Bobobie because they knocked off MythDoll Wujee.

I can’t touch DollZone because they knocked off Volks Yukinojo.

I can’t touch LaiDoll because they knocked off Luts White Riche and Black Riche outfits.

I can’t touch DollMore because they knocked off Dollshe Hound. Of all the companies that I can’t touch, the inclusion of DollMore on the list saddens me the most. Before they got stupid, sloppy and illegal, they made solid, attractive, well-articulated dolls and a variety of affordable, stylish clothing. I really like my modded DollMore Bella Auden body [for Frank — incidentally uncontaminated because she was produced and purchased BEFORE DollMore’s slide into lying, cheating and contamination]. As recent blog entries attest, I also really like DollMore clothes, but I can’t buy them any more because some sneaky idiot thought it would be a brilliant idea to use a copy of Dollshe Hound molds to make the DollMore Model Doll boys. How lazy, stupid and criminal can you get?

I’ll update the list if I judge any other BJD companies idiots to have plagiarized.

Recommended media: A Way With Words and Quirks & Quarks

Recommended media: A Way With Words and Quirks & Quarks published on 1 Comment on Recommended media: A Way With Words and Quirks & Quarks

I like A Way With Words, hosted by one of my favorite etymologists, Martha Barnette, along with slang dictionary author Grant Barrett. For about 45 minutes every week, the two answer callers’ questions about grammar, punctuation and slang. They also host listener quizzes about slang and solve language puzzles themselves. I rev up my inner word geek with A Way With Words every Monday morning since the shows originally air on Sundays. 

Additionally, the LoreMistress of Rampant Bicycles mentioned CBC’s weekly science program, Quirks & Quarks, to me last week. Since then, I have been slowly moving through the archives. With a robust catalog of shows going back years, Q&Q is a round-up of experts speaking on current scientific topics of interest and answering your questions. So far I’ve learned about growing new bladders for persons with spina bifida, the names dolphins give to themselves, the challenges of sampling ice at the North Pole, how to find planets around distant stars, etc. With a new downloadable hour every week, Q&Q will introduce you to many fascinating bits of information and make you feel smart.

Both A Way With Words and Q&Q have entered my regular rotation of programs I listen to at work. Add them to your bookmarks and increase your brains!

Dicephalus conjoined twin BJDs

Dicephalus conjoined twin BJDs published on No Comments on Dicephalus conjoined twin BJDs

So I’m casually thinking about making a pair of dicephalus conjoined twin BJDs that are like my favorite pair of conjoined twins, Abby and Britty Hensel. Below is a list of possibilities for making my set of doll twins. I really don’t care if you’re not interested. I’m just writing this down so that my ideas will not bother me while I’m trying to work, sleep, crochet, write, walk home or otherwise function in a sane manner.

Elfdoll Tiny Hana base. This was my original idea because I love the expressive neutral, frowning, sleeping and smiling Hana faces. However, I would need to create another back-of-head for one of the twins because the Hanas don’t come with 4 separate heads, but 1 back-of-head and 4 faceplates. Also, Elfdoll does not sell the bodies separately, so I’d either have to do a lot of original modding to the single body or buy two or transfer the heads to other tiny BJD bodies… Either way, it’s an expensive option, since the Hanas cost $350 per without s/h. Two of them would mean a $700 pair of twins without s/h. It’s also the most complicated option, since the single-piece Elfdoll tiny torso does not offer as simple a mod as a two-piece would.

Orientdoll Joong base. This was my second idea; I thought I would continue with the 8″ BJD size [like Elfdoll Hana], but purchase the twins from a company that sells parts. Joong heads run $65 unpainted [x 2 = $130], and bodies run $115 [x 2 = $220], so, at $350 without s/h, I’d have all the parts needed for the twins. On the good side, Orientdoll Joongs are affordable. On the bad side, I don’t really like the 8″ BJDs, now that I think about it, and the OD 8″ sculpts don’t thrill me.

Orientdoll Dae base. This is a variation of my second idea since I like the 45cm OD sculpts much better. Unpainted Dae heads are $93 [x 2 = $186] and bodies $152 [x2 = $304], so, at $490 without s/h, they wouldn’t be that bad. They’re affordable, but the one-piece torsos would be a needlessly complex mod.

Soom Uyoo base. This is the cheapest version I’ve come up with, since I could get 1 body and 2 heads [“Uyoo & R. Uyoo Replacement”] for $268 unpainted without s/h. Uyoo’s close resemblance to an Obitsu or plastic fashion doll means that I wouldn’t need to get a second body. I could just use some plastic doll parts to create the second half-torso + neck, which I would attach to the whole doll with Aves Apoxie Sculpt, then paint to match. So all parts would be cheap, as would clothes, since I have many 1:6 clothes. Uyoo’s two-part torso would make the mod easy. Plus the two heads, one open-eyed, one closed-eyed, would fit my requirement for easily differentiated, but similar, characters. But…still…I resist doing the conjoined twins in Uyoo size. I might as well just make them with vinyl action figures, like BBI’s Perfect Body figs or something. A set of dicephalus conjoined twins made of Uyoos would be affordable, but also too much like modding I’ve already done. I feel the need to hack into BJDs aggressively on a larger scale….

Bobobie 43cm base. These are pretty cheap too. The girl bodies would be $108 each and the heads $50 each, for a total of $316 before s/h. But I don’t like the Bobobie sculpts and, more importantly, they are lying, cheating, ripping-off plagiarists [of MythDoll’s 60cm Wujee, among other things], and I cannot support them by buying anything from them. I considered them only for price and then only fleetingly.

DollZone 43cm base. These are also cheap. Full dolls are only $199, not sure how much parts are, so the twins would be $398 before s/h. Too bad their sculpts are all squashed and squinty, and, more importantly, they are lying, cheating, ripping-off plagiarists [of Volks’ SD16 Yukinojo, among other things], and I cannot support them, etc.

Latidoll Blue [43cm] base. At $280 for an unpainted full girl, that would make my twins $560 before s/h. The body is one of the most poseable and beautiful in the scale, and the double torso joint makes for easy modding, but I don’t like the sculpts much…

Narindoll [45cm] base.
Narins have the best heads for this… They have the possibility of open mouths and eyes open or closed at different levels for great differentiation. But they are the most expensive. 2 unpainted Narins are $900 before s/h!! I wouldn’t want to touch dolls that cost that much!

My ideal dicephalus conjoined twins would be Elfdoll tiny Hana devils, but that’s out of my price range [$700, no thank you] and involves too much aggressive modding.

Therefore my second choice would be two Narin heads, a sleeping optional Narae [fully closed eyes + open mouth] and Butterfly Narae [fully open eyes + closed mouth] at $150 each, for a total of $300 before s/h. And then they would have a <$200 body [where?] with an extra neck created from a Gene or a Tyler doll attached with Aves Apoxie Sculpt, bwah hah hah hah! [This is my genius idea to avoid getting another expensive resin body.]

While I’m thinking out loud for alternative twins, perhaps I could do OD Il head and OD Cheong head [total = $186 without s/h] on an OD girl body [$152] = $338 before s/h + Gene torso contributions + Aves Apoxie Sculpt [with a lot of hacking to mod the one-piece OD torso].

I could make an affordable alternative to Narin twins using an OD base, even though OD has a one-piece torso. I’d just have to slice the OD torso under the boobs and mod only the top part, then smooth a lot of Aves Apoxie between the two neck stems and between the wide upper torso and the skinnier abdomen. But it could work.

I am learning how to crochet.

I am learning how to crochet. published on No Comments on I am learning how to crochet.

Eventually, I will pervert one, some or all of the following patterns:

Mouse: http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27075

Tiny teddy bear: http://www.mielkesfarm.com/teddy_pat.htm

Tiny sitting bear: http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1694

Nauseatingly cute little seals: http://www.critters2crochet.com/inde…ealpattern.htm

7″ bear: http://home.wideopenwest.com/~sag55/angelbear.html

Snail: http://www.fortheloveofyarn.com/Issues/Spring06/patterns/spring06_snail.shtml

Rabbit: http://ballostringdesigns.com/free/bunny.html

And a bunch of links to crocheting patterns here: http://www.myhq.com/public/c/r/crochetpoet/

Hell Queen + Kala = happy Sardonix!

Hell Queen + Kala = happy Sardonix! published on 1 Comment on Hell Queen + Kala = happy Sardonix!

Today I got DollHeart’s Kala outfit in the mail. I combined pieces from each set to make Sardonix an appropriately regal and slightly menacing emsemble. Choker, skirt and severely awesome shoes are from the Kala outfit, while the bodice and the peignoir are from the Hell Queen outfit. The Devil card is from my miniature Rider-Waite set, while the Death card is from the New Palladini Tarot by David Palladini. Pictures below.

http://www.oddpla.net/blog/dolls/sardonix/hellqueen/IMG_0006.JPG

http://www.oddpla.net/blog/dolls/sardonix/hellqueen/IMG_0024.JPG

http://www.oddpla.net/blog/dolls/sardonix/hellqueen/IMG_0029.JPG

http://www.oddpla.net/blog/dolls/sardonix/hellqueen/IMG_0064.JPG

http://www.oddpla.net/blog/dolls/sardonix/hellqueen/IMG_0074.JPG

Origami slippers!

Origami slippers! published on No Comments on Origami slippers!

After much swearing at incoherent directions, I have successfully completed a pair of slippers made from real, live origami paper. Sardonix models below. Note: If you ever want to do origami, I highly recommend drafting the patterns with scrap paper until you know what you’re doing. Only then should you start with the true origami paper…

http://www.oddpla.net/blog/dolls/sardonix/slippers/001.JPG

Sardonix will upgrade.

Sardonix will upgrade. published on No Comments on Sardonix will upgrade.

The unofficial neck mod that Angel Toast did is not working out well. The added thickness of the neck reduces Sardonix’ mobility. Therefore, I am buying another Thaasa torso directly from the maker, who has also developed a neck adapter especially for new Cerebrus Project heads, of which Sardonix is one. Then I will restring Sardonix with her new torso and neck adapter, and she will be even more annoying poseable than she is now!

It will be kind of expensive [$100+] to upgrade Sardonix, but I will finance her changes with the successful sale of my 1:6 BJDs [an Elfdoll Tiny Jin dal Re and a Limwha For You, sold just this weekend] and my federal and state tax refunds!

Sardonix “helps” with the laundry.

Sardonix “helps” with the laundry. published on 2 Comments on Sardonix “helps” with the laundry.

In the ultimate test of character, last week, Jennifer proved herself hard-working and helpful when she did the laundry for me. In this week’s ultimate character test, Sardonix scored…uh, slightly deviant results. See below for details.

http://www.oddpla.net/blog/dolls/sardonix/laundry/001.JPG
http://www.oddpla.net/blog/dolls/sardonix/laundry/002.JPG
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Origami shoes for dolls?

Origami shoes for dolls? published on No Comments on Origami shoes for dolls?

I could probably make these, right? I mean, I can fold paper. HGTV has a link to origami shoes. Presumably these are for lazy asses like me who can’t sew…

EDIT: Another link, possibly clearer, since HGTV’s model baffles me: http://www.geocities.com/Rachel_Katz/folding/hh_shoe.htm

EDIT: Animated instructions with pictures for making zori: http://www.fudebakudo.com/en/zori.html

Eddie Izzard: “Oh look — space monkeys are attacking!”

Eddie Izzard: “Oh look — space monkeys are attacking!” published on 2 Comments on Eddie Izzard: “Oh look — space monkeys are attacking!”

So we raided Youtube last night and watched a bunch of clips of Eddie Izzard’s various shows. I think the man is highly amusing because he has a great talent for mime, mimicry and making faces, and everyone knows that I can’t resist someone who makes good faces. He has a face as mobile as Tim Curry’s, only his mouth isn’t so big.

Another reason I like him is his combination of confidence and silliness. If you ever see him in anything from the late 1990s and on [not the early stuff with the horrible, horrible shirts], he stands with great ease in front of an audience, very casual and loose.  He’s even funny when he loses his train of thought and says, “Uhhhhhhh…yeah…anyway…where was I? Oh yes, breasts and airplanes…” He weaves his digressions and mistakes into his routines with admirable panache. I really enjoy his playfulness. 

I also really like the fact that his humor is mainly observational absurdity. Rather than insulting people or making negative, sarcastic comments about the weather, pollution, etc., he’s much more likely to talk about pears [“Either they’re hard enough to use for a hammer, or they’re ripe for about a half an hour”] or Jesus telling God to stop doing his James Mason impression. The older I get, the more I appreciate good-spirited humor in this vein.

Eddie Izzard reminds me a lot of Hugh Laurie. Both are British actors with well-developed skills in slapstick and face-making. They also have great senses of comic timing. [Of course, Hugh Laurie’s current manifestation in House makes him like an evil Eddie Izzard…] I wonder if the two would have chemistry as a performing couple? They could just stand on stage, making faces, and I would fall over laughing.

I’m gonna have to rent Dressed to Kill.

Facial shots of Mecha Angel

Facial shots of Mecha Angel published on 1 Comment on Facial shots of Mecha Angel

So Soom’s Mecha Angel’s name is Sabik, and he’s 80 cm tall, which puts him at 2.5 feet or 1.5 heads taller than Jareth and Frank. I do not want his body at all, but I really like his head. The combination of long cheeks, narrow eyes and a full mouth gives him a more mature look than other male dolls with similar features, like Dollshe Haund and Iplehouse Lion. To me he seems to have the facial frame of Haund [cheekbones, jawline], balanced with the features of Lion [large eyes, sensuous lips].

I really, really, really like the head, though he doesn’t look like any character that I want to make a doll of. Thus I have no excuse or strong motivation to get him beyond liking his head. Damn. I just don’t have extra room for a 2.5-foot doll to casually hang out in. Close-ups below.

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