Danika gets a face

Well, since we are moving in the next few weeks, I went ahead and jumped on getting Danika a faceup. When all the real-life hustle and bustle begins, who knows when I'll have time for her. I do still want to give her a body blush, but at least she looks presentable now. She'll have an auburn wig and blue eyes (hence why her wig in no way matches her faceup).








More photos can be found in her Flickr album. Just click the 'Dolls' tab on the nav-bar for a link there.

Dollzone Freddy Arrival

My Dollzone Freddy 1 on DZ female body arrived Monday ;)

So... box opening - nuff said.

My daughter, the BJD Inspector. She always gets first dibs on handling.

I've named her Danika.

Denahli - MNF Chloe gets a face

I got some free time last week, so I gave the Minifee my husband gave me for Christmas a faceup. Meet Denahli. I'm thinking a wild black wig is in order.

Volks Wig Review

I recently purchased a Volks bob-style wig in size 9-10. On the top of the box, it says "ITEM W-55N COL 33T". I'm assuming those are the style and color codes. Anyway, the color is superb - a platinum (almost white) blonde.



Touching the wig, it feels very soft and smooth and has great movement to it. Not at all stiff or plastic-y. There were some flyaways, but nothing major.



The part looks very good from the top... very natural and no cap showing between the two sides.



Now, I did notice the wig cap shows through when viewing from the side. The hairs can be rearranged to cover I suppose.



The cap is also visible from the front unless the bangs are smoothed just right. I'm not sure if it's just because this wig is such a light color or if Volks just isn't sewing in enough fibers to fill out these spaces, but with a retail value of $36, I'd expect better quality. I'm not disappointed since I didn't pay full price on this one, but bought it new off of someone else.



So, in my opinion, though the style and color are adorable, and the fibers are soft and bouncy, I wouldn't pay full retail for this wig.

Faceup Supply List

These are the supplies I've had the most luck with. Keep in mind, there are many different options out there, so don't feel like you're only limited to the brands listed here.

A word of caution: Do NOT use anything with oil in it. Oil pastels and the majority of human makeup are big no-nos. These products can cause staining or even deterioration of the resin over time. Sealants also do not set over oil based products.

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Sealant

Sealant is needed to 1) protect the resin from staining 2) provide a tooth for products to stick and 3) seal and protect work. Most sealants take about 15-30 minutes to dry completely, sometimes less. All brands are toxic if inhaled, so be sure to protect yourself with a respirator each and every time you spray and NEVER spray in a poorly venitlated area.


Mr Super Clear Flat and Testors Dullcoat (I soak my cans in warm water before use and it dissolves the paper labels)

The following brands have been tested and are safe for BJDs: Mr. Super Clear Flat, ZM Finishing Powder Spray, Citadel Matte Purity Seal, Testors Dullcoat, and Model Masters. The easiest to find in the United States being Testors. I think some people have also found Citadel Purity Seal and Model Masters in their local hobby stores as well. The others will need to be ordered online if you're in The States.

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Faceup Remover

A lot of people swear by rubbing alcohol or brush cleaner for faceup removal, but I've always just used 100% acetone. It's quick, easy, and cheap to buy. This stuff will take off just about anything. Just be careful, and test it somewhere on your doll beforehand, because there have been reports of adverse reactions to some resins. I've yet to have a problem using it though. Due to the strength of this remover, DO NOT soak any part of your doll. Do a quick wipedown, allowing the acetone to evaporate and not pool, and then wash off with soap and water.


100% Acetone

If you're looking for a remover for plastic doll repaint projects, you may want to go with a less strong product. I have used acetone on Monster High and didn't have an issue on the vinyl head, but it melts the plastic bodies. Use with caution on any surface, and always test first.

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Brushes

There are no specific set of rules about what brushes to buy. Different people have different preferences on size, shapes, brands, etc. Just go poke around your hobby store and get a feel for the different brushes. You're mainly going to want a teeny brush for small details like eyelash/brow hairs, a medium size round brush for pastel blushing, a smaller round (or even an angled) brush for blushing around nose/eyes/ears/etc., and a big fluffy brush to dust away stray pastels and keep your work clean.

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Pastels

Chalk (or soft) pastels is what you want to look for here, not oil. Some good brands I'd recommend are Rembrandt and Faber Castell. Just try to look for "Artist Grade" quality. Cheaper pastels have less pigment and more filler and normally don't smooth on as well.


Faber Castell and other various brands

A few more recommended tools (shown in the right compartment of the tray) are : tweezers, blade (Exacto knives work well, but the one shown is a simple box cutter) - used for shaving pastels if you'd rather not use sandpaper, and kneaded eraser - useful for shaping pastel work such as eyebrows.

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Watercolor Pencils

Please be aware that there is a huge difference between watercolor pencils and regular color pencils. Regular color pencils will not stick to resin very well and will create a waxy look. My favorite brands of pencils are Prismacolor and Derwent. Please be aware that if you decide to use these, go ahead and invest in a good quality sharpener. The cores are very delicate and break easily if the blades are not sharp enough.

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Paints

The most commonly used kind of paint for BJDs is acrylic paint. Now, pretty much any sort of acrylic paint will be safe for resin, but you're going to get what you pay for. Cheap craft grade paint will not work as well as artist grade paint. You can MAKE it work in a pinch, but it won't be fun. My favorite brand is Liquitex.


Liquitex Basics 24 count acrylic paint set

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Paint Thinner / Retarder

While acrylic paint WILL work right out of the tube, it'll go on much smoother with some sort of thinner or retarder. The kind I use is Liquitex Professional Slow-Dri Fluid Retarder. It keeps my paint from drying out too quickly and keeps my paint nice and fluid.

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Gloss

Gloss makes areas like lips and eyes dynamic and pop. It makes your work looked well finished. There are different options as far as how glossy you want things to get (high gloss, medium gloss), but I've actually found that with the Liquitex Basics Gloss Varnish, you can dilute with water to achieve the level of luster you're looking for. More water added = dull sheen (think eyebrows) / straight out of the bottle = high sheen.

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Glue

I'm just going to give a quick little recommendation for glues that work well to hold eyelashes on. Elmer's White Glue is pretty good, but I've noticed it leaves a sort of residue and the hold isn't fantastic. Aleene's Tacky Glue is my favorite. It dries clear and flexible and the hold is much better. If you get the Turbo kind, it dries faster and you're not stuck there holding lashes in place for 5 minutes.

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Misc Supplies

Paper towels, Q-tips, Magic Erasers, and even toothpicks are helpful to have in arms reach. Also sandpaper for grinding pastels onto, a cup or water, and a little palette or plate for mixing paints.

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If you're starting out and want a quick, easy solution, Volks carries a faceup starter kit for $65. It appears to come with all the basics.

Please excuse my mess!

I realize that I've just flooded the blog with random pages of my website, and I apologize if I've bogged anyone's scrolling down ^^;

I'm in the process of moving my entire website over to the Blogger system. This will make updating so much quicker and easier for me, plus allow for visitor feedback/comments/questions on each page.

Thanks for your patience while I get everything sorted and linked back up properly. If you happen across any broken links, please let me know!

Information, Tips, Tricks, and Reviews

Please be aware that this section contains information I've learned over the years in the hobby. There is no one right way to do anything, but these are just things that have worked for me.

Basic Maintenance

Stringing information and tips
Improving posability
Cleaning and basic stain removal/prevention
Wigs
Fixing scratches, cracks, broken parts

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General Information
All about eyes
Yellowing
Should I keep the box and stuff?

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Customization

Faceup/body blush supply list
Toe/finger separation
Finger bending (hair dryer method)
Seam line removal
Piercings
Matting shiny resin
Tattoo cheat

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Community
Creating avatars and sig banners
Sharing photos
Buying / Selling Advice

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Reviews
Resinsoul doll review
Volks wig review