Cedrenn's July Shoot - Reflections

With dolls that we don't photograph very often, there is always some little thing that puts us off. Some tiny detail that lets us leave them in the box to choose a different candidate. With Cedrenn, it first was the faceup - wasn't working for me, too "pure" and soft. Then the wig wasn't right - that blonde was too  prince-like, too feminine almost. He was coming along but just not there yet. Adding to the whole thing I also felt his eyes weren't really correct either, they were too bright and sparkly.

Then, I decided that change must happen.

First I re-did the faceup, this made his whole expression change.  Everything became a bit darker and gloomier, I took the colour out a bit and added more shadow. There he was, beginning to show himself!

Suddenly, before I knew it, the wig he had from Leekeworld was magically replaced by one made from human hair. The lovely J&C Entangled made this wig a while ago but hadn't found a good use for it till now. Cedrenn got to keep it after she saw how much more manliness and character it gave him. The colour was much better too, a dirtier, more natural blonde than the previous one.

Lastly, his eyes. Currently I have Lune set aside to re-do her faceup, she's undergoing some changes too ( more to come soon), and have had her eyes out of her head as well. They are also from Mako's Aster line, a greyish blue. I put them in Cedrenn and he blew me away. 

And so he was reborn!

I don't want to bore anyone with long texts here, I just think doll changes are interesting so I wanted to share Cedrenn's transformation. This shoot wouldn't have been half as successful without the sword though, I think I'd like to work with more props in the future.

Pocket's June Shoot - Reflections

Being busy is one thing, being under stress all the time is another. My experience has shown that I can deal with having a lot on my plate, but my current situation has really robbed me of all excess energy usually reserved for dolly things. I don't want to mope about, so I will get right to the topic of this post; Pocket's (first!) photo shoot.

Pocket is my fastest evolving doll by far, overtaking Anarchéa by a margin. She had all her stuff ready, minus the body. It was delightful to finally take proper pictures of her.

I used many more props in this shoot than usual. I had her hold books and flasks and set up a miniature column in the background. I found the books difficult to shove into Pocket's slim minifee arms. If I just nudged her head into a different position they'd all drop to the ground, so I had to get her into position first and then add the books. Fidgety stuff.

The thing I loved the most is how beautiful the light shows off Pocket's colours. The apple of my eye is really the wig and the dress. The alpaca wig was commissioned from J&CEntangled and the dress bought from HallowHawlk's etsy shop.

Another thing new that I tried was adding "movement" into the picture. Pocket is a very energetic and on-the-run character, so I decided I wanted to amplify that in one of the shots. The result is interesting, I shall definitely experiment more.

All in all, I am happy I managed to do a shoot this month at all. Things have been difficult but that's how life is sometimes. It is a raging river and you've just got a wooden barrel to sit in, I guess for now all I can do is keep rolling.

Anarchéa's May Shoot - Reflections

Shoot no. 2, better believe it!

Anarchéa's turn to shine, picked out another blossoming bush in our garden for this one. White petals reminded me of Kia's scruffy hair, so I went with it. One thing I enjoy about photographing MSDs is how uncomplicated it is. They're not heavy, don't require much effort to handle and they are (mostly) not as cumbersome to pose as their larger resin-kin.

The light in this shooting was fantastic, I was very happy that the sun allowed for a bit more vibrancy in the pictures and gave the close-ups a little more flare. Usually my pictures always have a cold, neutral light because I like photographing that way. But going outdoors really forces you to step out of your comfort zone and makes you accept the conditions as they are because, even if we'd all like to, there's really nothing we can do about the weather, lighting included.

I am pleased with the outcome of this shoot, granted the pictures aren't as spectacular as the last batch (self-critical me is being self-critical). But for that I think the shoot brought out a bit more variation in terms of doll poses and the aforementioned lighting situation.

All in all, another shoot, another month, another different set of pictures to enjoy. I am hoping to photograph an SD-sized doll of mine for the next round. Which one should it be?

Féonie's April Shoot - Reflections

All of the pictures from this shoot were taken in one sitting. The light outside was mildly overcast but sunny enough to give the doll's skin a glow. Because you don't want your doll to appear washed out and that can happen when the lighting surrounding it is too 'white'.

Féonie's skin tone reflects all light though, so she is brilliant to photograph almost regardless of light.

Close-ups outside are always tricky because you have to be spot on to get the focus right. Gladly, I had an assistant helping me out: holding the doll perfectly still for me until my lens could pick up the details.

My favourite pictures are the bottom two. I find them interesting because they're different from the  angles and styles I usually shoot. All in all, I'm extremely chuffed with the outcome of this shoot and I sincerely look forward to more exciting photo shoots. 

Who should I shoot this month? 

A New Photo Series: A Doll A Shoot A Month

Phew, nothing posted in a while I know. Life has thrown some interesting curves into my path, new possibilities, new horizons to reach.

As for dolls, I have had two new arrivals within the month of April. I now have seven dolls in total (eight if you count my tiny) and they're far from perfect, but I feel inspired to dedicate camera time to them. So I came up with a little challenge for myself.

Every month I photograph one doll, with a certain theme to the shoot. I also want to reveal and explore more aspects of that doll's character, and through the shoot, get to know them a little better.

This month I chose to photograph Féonie, I was inspired by our blossoming garden to take her outside and shoot her with some different flowers. I feel like her purple skin contrasted the cherry blossoms so beautifully.

These are the first in a series of photos I will be uploading over the course of the last week of April. Slowly then, you will find out more about her. And, hopefully,  so will I.

Character Development: Anarchéa (Part II)

Anarchéa just might be the fastest developing doll out of all my BJD's up till now.

Since my last post on her I've been fortunate enough to acquire an almost complete look for her. Including a special wig.

I wanted a specific style for the wig, something I knew could be achieved best with natural fibres. Having made a couple of wigs myself, my perception of getting a certain look right has definitely heightened. So I commissioned J&C Entangled (flickr here: link) to make me a wig out of white suri alpaca that I provided. The style was to be short, scruffy and a little boyish.

I can only say: she nailed it!

As for the outfit, Kia lives in a cold climate, so I had something long in mind. The dress was made out of soft, lightweight jersey fabric and lined with lace trim for that special added detail. Thanks Mom! :D

So far, I think she looks incredible! The arm warmers are a neat extra to make it look a bit less cold. Just her bare shoulders need to be covered up. I hope to take to the sewing machine myself this time. Maybe a little poncho and a matching beanie? We'll see. As for now, I'm head-over-heels-happy!

Can't wait until she gets her Mako Eyes!

To be continued...

Character Development: Anarchéa (Minifee Karsh)

This post is going to be a little log on the development of my latest BJD's character.

Anarchéa (Ann-Ar-Kee-Ah) was someone I didn't originally plan on bringing into doll form, just because I was so torn as to what sculpt she could be. I was primarily thinking she'd be either an Eliya or a girl Karsh. Eventually when I had the funds to get a minifee, Karsh was there on the marketplace and at a really great price so I thought, it must be fate.

She's on the a-line minifee body with the small bust and the model legs. Which is not what I originally wanted but found out is actually perfect for her. Since Anarchéa belongs to a tribe of people that live where it is very cold and the conditions are rough, she has more of an athletic build in contrast to some of my other girls. Because she deals with climbing snowy slopes and collecting thick, heavy logs of firewood every day she should have more of a boyish posture. The model legs accentuate this as they're  straight and the minifee's stance is a bit more towards the masculine side on them.

So much for body rambling.
Anarchéa's personality is like her environment; quiet, eerie, seemingly harsh and always looming. I imagine her to be suspicious, not immediately warming up to strangers. But once she opens up she reveals a great deal of kindness and honest loyalty to whoever lucky enough to call themselves her friend. And there is definitely spunk, lots of it.
You know what they say, still waters are usually deep.

As for plans on the look of the doll, her faceup is the only thing done right now. I have two pairs of eyes on order for her. Yes, two. One pair from Mako, and another pair I found on etsy for a good price, just regular glass eyes but with a low dome which is a must for me.

I will commission a wig for her, I have a certain style I want and I'm pretty sure the person I have in mind will be able to capture it. Clothes are still in the air, I know she needs something warm so I'll have to see if I can find the time to make her something.

I hope you enjoyed this little post on Anarchéa (or just "Kia" if you like), I might do another one to show the progress or make other separate ones for my other characters.

Commissions will open January 17th

Grand opening of my faceup shop/commission services, Shiny Pawprint Aesthetics.

Six slots available. All information is on the blog.

New Year's BJD Resolution and Plans for 2015

The New Year is upon us and like every year we find ourselves contemplating plans and goals.
For me, 2014 was a busy and exciting doll year in which I accomplished a lot. Especially in the field of faceups did I truly excel and start to find my own unique style.

Same goes for photography, I took so many pictures last year and the quality of the images just improved with every shoot. Yup, much was done.

Now that 2014 is wrapped up I feel ready and prepared for what is to come in 2015, and I've laid out a game-plan so I don't get lost and forget what I actually wanted to achieve.




BJD Game-Plan for 2015:

1) Continue to improve my faceup skills in every way. Become more proficient with the airbrush, draw even finer lines, take the doll beyond the limitations of the sculpt. And take better pictures of the heads in the process.

2) Take photos in more extravagant locations, try to go outside more often even with my SD-sized dolls (now that's going to be a tough one!). Get a doll stand and take some awesome outdoor pictures.

3) Sew. I've already acquired a basic skill set, now I just have to focus it on doll clothing. Producing patterns, creating outfits. All my dolls should have a decent wardrobe!

4) Develop my characters' storyline further, take it out of the 'planning' phase and into the 'writing' phase.

5) Two new dolls this year. Which ones is to be determined.

Finally, my New Year's resolution: keep calm. Stay cool, take it easy.

I spent so much mental effort in 2014 with just planning. Pure planning, theoretical, hypothetical. It was all very draining and psychologically exhausting. I don't want to do that in 2015. I want to spare myself the hours and rather use them elsewhere more wisely. Plus, if you plan too much there is no more room for spontaneous decisions, which could just turn out to be the best you've ever made.

So no more sitting in front of the computer and racking my brains with what I could do. Rather let the plan of action come to me.

I hope you all had a great fresh start
and may all your new ideas spring into fruition this coming year.

The Twelve Days Of Christmas - Dec. 25th

That concludes this Christmas series, it was super fun to do and a very good challenge to see if I could upload a picture a day for twelve days straight. I definitely think I could pull off this as like a "Doll-A-Day-A-Month" thing, but that's a completely different level and not on the agenda any time soon.

This set-up took me (and my boyfriend) about an hour and-a-half to complete, with getting all the props in order and having the dolls sit as if they could have just naturally gathered right there. It was challenging to say the least but tons of fun all in all. I included only the best pictures that really show off the best angles here, the conditions to shoot were tough overall so many pictures hit the trash in the process.
I do hope you enjoyed this series, I know I did.


On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
A big family to share the love.