Dollieh Sanctuary

These dolls are so dang addictive, and it's so much fun to turn them into something different.

This is my second custom, Lena the flapper ghost. Lena was an aspiring dancer in the 1920's who worked in a bar. Her life was cut short when she was caught in the cross fire of a mob shoot-out. Unable to rest because of the tragic nature of her death, she wanders the bar.




This is my snow queen custom.




My version of the Corpse Bride.




And my gorgon. I did a full body blushing and painted her wig black.

Corpse Bride and Lena are my favorites. Nice outfits.

I love the flapper ghost!

The outfits seem to be really good work! Also I like the color shemes of the dolls.

You could do more practise with face ups, but with dolls that small painting the face is not the easiest task. ^^ Keep going!

Thanks everyone! The flapper's eyelashes are actually supposed to be kind of thick and weird since she's dead. I do have some issues with white paint clumping and I have trouble finding small brushes. But I'm going to keep working on my skills because I have a lot of fun making these.

CrazyYoungCatLady, hello there!!! I must say I LOVE your flapper ghost custom. Do you make the outfits yourself? The Snow Queen's outfit is gorgeous, though for her faceup, I hope you don't mind a critique or two? I would put a bit of white paint in her eyes to mimic light hitting them. I understand they're supposed to be what I call "void eyes" with no pupil or iris, but they would still reflect light in them, and I think it would give her a spark of life.

As for your Corpse Bride custom, awesome job again, but for future reference where modification may be needed (her eyes go way outside the pre-determined outlines for the MH base and it's rather noticeable, as long as you pay attention to the vinyl thickness beneath, you can sand away some of that definition. Here's a tutorial that explains how to sand and shape vinyl doll faces:
http://parabox.jp/eng_new/custom/custom2.html (Obviously this is an extremely small modification for both heads, but the person who originally gave me the link showed me just what a little creativity could do in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9487)

As for the paint issues...do you mind me asking what types of paint you're using? If it's craft store acrylics, that might be the reason for caking. I recommend using ZM Acrylics (you can buy two sets on the Volks USA website) or another high quality grade acrylic like Testors model paint, or Liquitex acrylics (most of these will need thinned out to a nice silky consistency in order to get that smooth look, the ZM Acrylics come with a thinner and the other brands have their own paint thinners). You should also note that faceups are usually "built up", as in do one part, spray some Mr. Super Clear to seal your work, and keep going.

For small brushes, you can't beat Junkyspot. They sell some of the smallest detail brushes I have ever seen.

I hope that helps some, and I hope to see many more amazing customs from you!! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!!

-MC

I do make all the outfits myself. They're hard to sew sometimes because they're really small. Thanks for the advice.

The outfits are absolutely beautiful! And your characters are breathtaking. I love Lena and your gorgon! Your full body paint is impeccable. Did you have any trouble when it came to painting joints? I'm currently struggling with them.

I also make MH customs, so I understand the struggles with paint. If you don't mind, I can offer some advice. Firstly, when using paint, I thin it with water and paint in layers. I usually seal the head between layers as well using liquitex matte sealant (non-toxic, so big plus!). Also, have you ever tried using soft pastels or watercolor pencils? The pastels are nice for blushing, just apply them in layers. And the water color are pencils are nice for control and are easy to remove if you mess up. Once again, just use layers.

I use Reeves chalk pastels and acrylic paints. For the water color pencils I use Derwent. They are a little pricey, but quality is key when it comes to face-ups.

I hope I didn't tell you anything you already know. Your work is beautiful and I look forward to seeing more. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. I'm obsessed with customizing!

I think part of the problem is that I'm using the cheap craft acrylics. I have tried colored pencils, but the sealant I use does not give the surface of the head enough texture for the pencils to work. Thanks for all the compliments and advice!

Oh, and on the gorgon- I used chalk pastels to do the body blushing so I didn't have any issues with the joints. I have yet to paint a doll, but I'm planning on doing so if I can't find the right color body to use with the harpy add-on kit. I want to make a hagraven from the Elder Scrolls instead of a harpy.

When I use colored pencils I just clean the head with some soap and water and I have enough grip. Interesting that yours don't work.

I look forward to seeing this gagraven and high five for the Elder Scrolls!