…but her eyes came today.  They’re so tiny… and the pupil is off-center on one. -_-;

I still like the width of her eyes but as I look at the face, her nose seems short now.  It might not when the lips are painted, though, since they come up further than they seem to in pics.  At any rate, I think I’ll leave it on this one and just make another faceplate from one of the junk casts.  I think this plate could work in a couple of skintones… dark tan might look nice.

Some people sculpt things that look like them.  I can see a bit of patl in all of her sculpts, I can see a bit of Therese in hers.  I don’t see any of myself in my sculpts (which all look the same lately *sigh*) aside from their having very defined eyelids.

Primed the head and torso…

Torso looks pretty decent, head still needs more work around the nose and eyelids.  I’m not sure if I will work on it much more before junk casting, though, as I’m afraid of damaging it or crushing it.  It’s pretty sturdy material, but it is in very, very thin sections.

I hope to be adding more and more primed pieces to the pile over the course of the week.  Buuuuut this week I am also working on the faceup tutorial video, so I am not expecting much work time.

Slinky Neko Borry.  So cute. <3

I haven’t chosen her name yet, but am leaning toward something very sweet like Caramel, Marzipan, Creme Brulee…. something like that.

Better pics soon.

I primed Inkling’s faceplate this morning… and for a few seconds, it was all even-textured and shiny and one-color… and IT WAS SO CUTE. <3

(Of course, when the primer dried, it revealed many things that need to be sanded out and bulked up for symmetry.  But for that little moment, I felt really squeeful about her.)

I worked on her faceplate a bit today with sanding and adding more tiny bits of apoxie… and then I added more apoxie to the inside of her upper torso so that it would sit more snugly on the lower torso.  It also allows me to sand more to get a nicer line, rather than having that chunky disconnect where the two pieces meet.  I took the opportunity to make the upper piece sit higher on the lower so her arms would be in better proportion to her torso length.

A few people on The Joint is that her eyes are too wide-set.  I intentionally made her eyes wide-set because I hate close-set eyes…. her eyes are very close to being one eye-width apart, as on a human.  However, she has big eyes, so it does result in eyes that are rather far apart.  I didn’t realize that others would view it as a flaw.  It’s interesting feedback, but it’s a stylistic choice rather than an error in this case so I don’t think I’ll change it.  (Rather, in the future I’ll make other faceplates that have more appealing proportions).

I feel energized again on her… which is nice, since I’d already started to move on to my next project in my mind.  That’s bad, isn’t it?  The finishing is just not the fun part…. though it is sort of therapeutic.  The last few nights, I have been working on faceup commissions from 7-9:30, then crashing on the couch with my yogurt container of pieces, an Xacto, a tub of apoxie, some sandpaper, and my trusty towel to catch the dust and shavings.

Progress is slow because I’m so nitpicky, but she’s getting there.  I hope to have her pieces ready to clay in by Valentine’s Day.   <3  I’ve decided that I’m not going to order silicone and resin until her pieces are primed… that way I will have a few days before the supplies show up.  This will motivate me not to rush through claying in my pieces… which will result in more thoughtful mold-making.

Still debating what silicone I’m using.  I am now leaning toward Moldmax XLS II.  The viscosity is higher than I’d like in an ideal world, but the lack of shrinkage is very appealing (.001 inch/inch).  My other contender is Moldmax 15T, which is less viscous and is also transparent… which means I could brush a thin coat of silicone on to the pieces, then use a pin to pull bubbles away from the surface of the pieces before filling the mold the rest of the way….

Today was unusually nice.  I really needed it after how the rest of early 2010 has gone!

• Had Lucky Charms for breakfast.  Always a good start.
• Coated Inkling’s faceplate with primer and was surprised by how freaking cute it is (though it needs a lot more sanding. Yikes.)
• Went to the post office and picked up packages… including the Most Unexpected and Awesome Gift Ever.
• Went to the mall for errands and got some new earrings for lower piercings.
• Played with awesome gift.  Will post about that tomorrow, hopefully.
• Dropped the dog off for her grooming appointment and went to the antique shop.
• Petted and played with the antique shop owner’s pomerian, then was offered a hefty discount on purchases if we’d bring Truff over to see him after her groom.
• Got three new vintage rhinestone chokers (I collect them) and a watch fob from the 1870’s (for Mandy) for a total of $40.
• Watched the poms play a bit.  Truff was a coward.
• Got a haircut.  I failed at growing out my hair, as it is now short and punky again.  I’ve realized that short hair is just more “me,” and having long hair has become symptomatic of having low confidence.  I feel like I’ve dropped a lot of emotional baggage along with the hair and I feel ready to reclaim my life.  It’s stupid, but it’s true.  I feel like myself again.
• Got some cute headbands and some fabulous tea from Teavana.  I need to order from Lupicia, but today is not the day.
• Had leftover pizza for dinner.  Yum!

And now I am off to go finish some faceups!

Look, she has a ear and some nips! XD

Little face got some work, particularly around the mouth.  Right side of the face needed a lot more – more plush in the cheek/jaw, more lip, more eyelid.  I think the balance is a lot better.  It’s amazing how SMALL the pieces of clay were that I was adding.

Ugh, working on the vB4 upgrade… I HATE the default skin for vB4.  It’s like My First Forum or something.  WTF.

Monthly splitting headache was last night… I feel better today, so I can go on with my life.

I started the day with shockingly nice news. :)  I have either used up all of my “yay” in one shot, or this is on track to be an unusually nice Tuesday.

January was a very dramatic month in the dollyworld, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t affect my drive to sculpt.   I definitely had a few days where I didn’t even dump her little pieces out of the yogurt container to look at them.  I am very far behind where I wanted to be by the end of the month…

Sometimes I don’t why I stay with a hobby that can make me so angry or upset.

Anyway.

I’ve started working on her surfaces with some sandpaper and gentle shaving.  I am working on evening out left and right and making things fit better.  I filled in her hip sockets a bit (which is why they look mushy)… that means that I’ll be able to shave down the sides of her hips a bit more for a better line as well.  I’ve got a lot done on the surface and balance of her thighs.  And one forearm.  I worked for a bit on her little hands too…. and I sanded her head so that the faceplate and headback are about flush.

I added a bit to her left (viewer’s right) breast to try to even out the shape… I think after I fix the outside of that breast, they’ll be even.  The calves and upper arms still look like crap, but I’ll get to them as well.

I am still waiting on Mr. Almighty Clips to arrive…. they’ll REALLY help with priming.
(I love the Gunze Sanyo “Mr.” products.  Mr. Almighty Clips is my new favorite name.  Before it was Mr. Just One Push and Mr. Empty Bottle.)

I saw a Roxydoll Lucy this weekend… and I think she’s similar in size.  However, Inkling is much bulkier and more mature.  But the height is similar.  I’d sort of like to get a Lucy head and do a hybrid because Lucy’s face is adorable.