Aiya's OOAK Garden

[Aiya]

So, this will be my thread for my OOAK dolls! (OOAK- One Of A Kind)

So, you all already saw DeVine in the Discord Chat, so, I'll just start with my current project: My first attempt at body mods. 

Right now, I am currently making Dark Woods Circus Miku, and since she has goat legs in DWC, that's why her legs are turned around. I superglued the joints, so, there's no way they're going to move at all. I can't afford apoxie sculpt atm, so, I'm stuck using air-dry clay lol. I do coat it with Glue-All afterwards, though, so it'll stay. This doll was originally a Frankie Stein doll, and I can't work with Miku having green skin, so, I painted it skin-color. 

The old Monster High dolls are the best to work with, because of the articulation. The newer MH dolls do not have articulation at all in their arms or legs. Ever After High dolls are also good for said articulation. HOWEVER. Monster High AND Ever After High dolls are now oout of production. So, all dolls now must be bought secondhand. Which, honestly? Is the best, because as you're removing the hair and factory paint, it's like finally letting whatever character it was being laid to rest, to allow a new soul to come in and have a new life in it's body. 

Really, any dolls with good arm/leg articulation is good. 

Anyways, since this Frankie Stein was one of the newer brand ones, no arm articulation. Becaause one of the arms is already molded bent, and since DWC Miku is described as 'A Deformed Diva', yeah. 

And yes, the body is positioned like that to allow the air dry clay and paint to dry. I'm sorry, Miku. Doll customizing is so weird out of context. Then again, it's quite funny to have her drying like this, and having someone come into my room, seeing the awkward doll, then leaving lol

I'm going to finish her body mods first before tackling the face/head. She will be getting a wig cap, unlike DeVine. 

I do want to try rerooting actual doll hair, but, the length of doll hair I need to get is, like, $12.50 a pop, and yarn is so cheap, and can be used in so many ways. So, while I will be trying actual doll hair in the future, my main medium for hair is going to be yarn. 

Anyways, here's how DWC Miku is right now. 

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[ShineCero]

I saw the progression of your works on Discord, so I'm glad you made a thread to further detailed your works, and even more pictures. Firstly, this is a very, very impressive ability--and I'll be honest, this is the first time I'm seeing something like this. Crazy thing happens in the art world, eh?

How expensive are Apoxie Sculpt? :thinking:

You mentioned the quality of the dolls. Are Monster High Girls Doll say much better to work on compared to say, Barbie or BRATZ dolls?

 

[Aiya]

Cheapest apoxie sculpt is 25 bucks on Amazon. 

I mainly watch Dollightful, Kyro's Workshop, HeXtian, and The Doll Fairy on youtube, and they all mainly use MH dolls, but I have seen HeXtian using BRATZ and Barbie dolls. And, since MH and EAH dolls are out of production, Dollightful has also used the She-Ra dolls and has also recommended the Wild Hearts Crew dolls as well

Video:  

I'd say that it's just preference, but I mainly see MH and EAH dolls used as bases. A lot of them just look for articulation, because of posability for photoshoots,and for funtionality for characters. Like, some use Shiba-Cuties, etc.

 

[ShineCero]

Ahh, I see! I didn't know there were so many different kind of dolls... Guess I'll let my younger sister check this thread out :thinking:

So doing the hair, you mentioned the process of re-tooling. You meant that you actually have to add the hairs entirely with glue, or it needs a tool to go through a hole on the doll's head?

 

[~ Z ~]

Huh! This looks very interesting! I kinda want to get in to this because it looks like a cool hobby you can really invest in. I like how you're making your own version of these dolls and I can't wait to see the finished result. I saw that video and it was very helpful in understanding what doll collectors look for (I always thought it was silly but I'm seeing things in a new light!) I kinda miss my old dolls but I guess occasionally getting a doll or two would be something nice to play with, especially if you can make them closer to what you envision them. Huh, maybe I can make Jaz or Cuki, heck, even Evelyn! xDD

 

[Aiya]

@Shine- Yes, there's a special rerooting tool that you can buy. I personally bought the rerooting tool set, which came with needles, but you can also purchase the tool and different sized needles separately. 


You can also use either the glue both dollyhair and thedollplanet sell, Galaxy Glue for securing the plugs, the ones I watch use Fabri-Tac for securing the plugs, or if you're me and you're cheap and lazy lacking money, using Elmer's Glue-All is also good. You WANT to use Elmer's Glue-All. DO NOT USE THE WASHABLE STUFF. If you secure your doll with the washable glue, to style hair, you do what's called boil washing. AKA, pouring boiling-hot water on the doll's hair, then pouring ice cold water on the hair, dabbing it dry with a towel, then letting it fully air dry, the hair will fall out, because you used washable glue. The Glue-All has an extra strong hold, and is highly recommended for these projects. 

This is Dollightful's most recent doll, and it shows hair plugging and such: 

(I recommend watching the video at 1.5 speed. You can still comprehend what she's doing, but it's just faster xD) 

It was actually Dollightful that got me into doll customizing in the first place! She also has videos detailing materials needed for start-up, and how to make your first custom. I made a playlist with the videos, which is right here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_8kAMTXCR5IxRBVHQhsSi6hZHWIQSrvI

The best part about dollcustomizing as well? Literally anything can be used for a doll's look. Beads, stick-ons, pins, etc. It's just up to what YOU want to make!

 

[ShineCero]

Man, this is all sounds like a legit science experiment on creating a brand new life xD

Can't see to see your finished works! Based on the few images (and the completed one you did earlier), you're on the right track haha.  :thumbs:

 

[Aiya]

DWC Miku's Legs done.

You know what this is reminding me of? Mr. Tumnus from Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe xD

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[Aiya]

I realize I'm double-posting, but it's okay, right?

Now that I've got the legs done, I follow Mozekyto's step-by-step guide on how to make a wig cap. For easy access with the head, I had a pack of 4 mechanical pencils I bought. 2 of them, I removed the lead, and they became DS styluses. The one you are seeing here, I removed all the lead, and took off the end part, as it fits quite well in the head hole/neck peg hole. I can simplify the tutorial by Mozekyto in 6 pictures: 

You will need: Rubber bands, stretchy fabric (preferred white), plastic wrap, glue, brush, scissors, paper. 

Step 1: Impale the head on a stick so it won't move around you. You might feel like an enemy force from a battle while doing this. This is normal. Once the head is impaled, take a small amount of plastic wrap, and secure it tightly around the head, then secure it to the pole with a rubber band. 

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Step 2: take your stretchy fabric, and cut out a section of it. Make sure it's big enough for the head. Stretch the fabric tightly around the plastic-wrapped head, and secure it with a rubber band, just as you did with the plastic wrap. You doll is now properly suffocated. 

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Step 3: Take a small section of paper, and unscrew the cap from your glue completely. Pour out an average-size pool of glue on the paper. Remember, you can always add glue. This is the most normal step of this process, and will disappoint you. 

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Step 4: Using your brush, start brushing on the glue on the fabric. I'll show it in the last picture, but I tend to paint until the doll's eye level., and cover her ears. Don't forget the back of the head! You're going to paint on six layers of glue. I usually use a hair dryer, and after each layer, I turn it on Medium, and hold down the 'Cool' setting. We don't want melt the glue! This won't fully dry the glue, but it will dry it enough to the point where you can paint on the next layer. Even if this doll were alive, I'm certain it'd be dead at this point. If not from the suffocation, having glue painted over your eyes and ears would most likely kill you. 

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Step 5: After your sixthlayer ofglue, I still use Medium, but I let the heat run. Just a bit to partially dry it. You don't want glue all over your desk/work area, do you? This is also a normal step. This will also disappoint you. 

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Step 6: Set the impaled head aside, and let the glue dry completely. If you're doing this at night, let it dry overnight. If you're doing this during the day, it'll take several hours for the glue will finally dry. The best part? You have an impaled doll head on your desk/work area. A guarantee to freak out potential house guests!  

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[ShineCero]

You can double post in the Art Garden (it's one of the main rules when you click the section), so you're golden :thumbs:

What happened to step 3?! :wagh:

That is a lot of glue, but very informative on the step-by-step guide. I can't imagined the unholy mess when you have to clean up. It looking good so far! What is the next step after this one?