DeGaray Dolls

Dolls In Armour - something we want to see more of? Well, my answer has to be YES! I would like to see more dolls in armour, simply because it’s just so cool. Like these dolls Mattel have released for the upcoming release of the Wonder Woman movie in June 2017. Don’t get me wrong, I like pretty dolls, kawaii dolls, fashion and couture dolls, but it’s nice to see something that’s usually confined to the realms of action figures. I love women being represented as warriors, quite simply because it feels empowering. I think the armour can be functional and realistic or fantastical and sexy (or a mix of both, even) because ultimately, I think dolls represent aspects of our imaginations that we wish we could explore in real life. They don't have to always be 100% realistic. (And if you're me then the stranger, the better!) Aaaand I think I’m getting a little too deep here... Anyway, this is sort of the background motivation for wanting to make Ghoulia into a wa...

For Head #2 I wanted to try something a little different. So I decided to base this head on a cat-like humanoid. This is inspired by a race called the "Cathar" in the massively multiplayer online game "Star Wars - The Old Republic" (or SWTOR) which I had been playing recently. I thought they looked cool and quite fierce, and I wanted to achieve that look on this head with tiger-like stripes and colours. She's not yet finished as I have some more blushing to do and the eyes need to be properly painted.  But once I have done that some better pictures will follow! Also, I've replaced the Citadel Purity Seal I was using with Humbrol Acrylic Varnish, and I instantly loved it. The finish is more matt, the spray button much easier to press and because the can is smaller, you have much better control.  I think the consistency is less sticky too, so it's a thumbs up from me for Humbrol Acrylic Varnish! (Especially when you can...

Head sculpt #1 is complete, only 49 to go!  She's turned out reasonably well for a first proper attempt with these materials and this scale.  But onwards and upwards, after all practice makes perfect! Head #2 WIP photos will follow...

H ere are some work in progress shots of how my Fox-Girl Mod is progressing. I'm using a Liv Doll as a base to work on top of with Magic Sculp epoxy putty.  Having sanded her head thoroughly I've now sprayed her all over using Montana spray-paint in a creamy ivory colour as a base coat. I protected the eyes by carefully adhering some Blu-tac to them, making sure they were covered right into the corners, but allowing the paint as close a coverage to the edges of the eyes as possible. The spray is not adhering as well as I'd hoped to the plastic of the body, which I'm not overly surprised about, but it has fixed well on the Magic Sculp and on the softer plastic of the head, feet and hands. Since most of her body will be covered up by the outfit I'm going to make for her I'm not overly concerned about the wear of the paint on her body and joints.   It took a few coats of spray to build up thin layers, rather than one thick, goopy one. Once th...

Yikes! It's been a long ol' while since I last posted, *but* I do have a pretty good excuse: I got married to my lovely Mr. Man of 11 years in May!! It was hectic, incredible fun and the absolute best time of my life!! =D So since pockets are now a little less jangly with coinage, purchasing of BJDs is on hold for now... But that's ok because it gives me the perfect excuse to focus on other dolly projects including making custom modifications to fashion dolls and handmaking stuff, so without further ado, ta-dah-da-da-daaah: Here's my current work in progress, a Fox-face Liv Doll!   Ignore the weird pinky-grey colour, it won't stay that way once I've painted her, it just happens to be to only colour of Magic Sculp* I have at the moment. She needs more sanding and smoothing down before I can paint her. (* Magic Sculp is a two-part air-drying epoxy putty specifically for modelling. It's not dissimilar to Milliput, but I actually p...