Custom Monster High Doll - Ginger

Meet Ginger

Getting started.  White on eyes, brown details on ears and eyebrows.

Still deciding on her eyebrows, what kind of look I want. 

 Added blush on her cheeks, tinted her lips and blushed the inside of her ears.

Trying different tones around the eyes.  Wiped off the eyebrows.

Wiped back some of my painting and increased some of the dark tones closer to the eyes. 

Finished adding the lower lashes and started playing with eyebrows again.

Added more darks, and decided to keep these eyebrows. 

Also colored inside the nostrils and put faint lines on the lips.

Added first coat of Sakura Crystal to the eyes and lips. I will add more after it dries.

Added the eyelashes and more clear to the eyes.  Her face is done.

Her hands were the purple ones-- not what I wanted for this doll at all.

I started by using a cosmetic sponge and white acrylic paint.  It took 2 coats.  I didn't paint in between the fingers-- because I will be putting a darker color there and the purple will disappear.

First coats of color.  I used burnt sienna and white for the flesh, and black for the glove.

I added a darker color to the flesh - you can see the left side is darker than the right side.

Black and gold were added for greater detail.

Ginger is now ready for some clothes.

Next post will show her in her outfit :)



Painting Your Doll

The Physics of Doll Painting

Physics can be fun.  Really.  And interesting.  Honestly.

This is Ginger.  I am getting ready to paint her. 
Her hair is in and her face is clean.

A fellow Monster High dolly friend wrote to me about having troubles with painting her dark skinned doll.  The trouble was, when she sprayed her doll with the flat sealer, she lost color. 

What she is up against is literally how color works-  what it actually is.  What we see as color is actually light waves. Most of what we see is reflected color waves. 

Colors are frequencies.  They are either absorbed by an object or reflected.  If they are reflected, that is the color we see.  Every color wave in the spectrum may be hitting an object like say, an apple, but all we see are reds and yellows.  The apple is not actually red- it is simply absorbing all of the other color frequencies- and reflecting the reds and yellows. 

A white piece of paper is busy reflecting all of the light spectrum colors- and appears white.  While something that appears black absorbs all of the color spectrum light and appears very dark. 

When you paint something with flat color, it appears dull or soft.  It cuts down what is reflected and refracted from the object.  If you put a clear shine on an object, it appears much brighter and can even appear harsh looking.  This is why we use a flat sealer on our dolls faces. 

Our skin (typically) is not shiny - it is soft in appearance. We are cutting what is reflected and refracted by the paint we have applied when we use the flat sealer.  What escapes and bounces back to our eyes is less distinct- because the reflection has been manipulated.  It is being diffused by the sealer.  It lets out less light.

This is also why we add something glossy to the eyes.  Our eyes shine.  They are wet.  We amplify that reflection using the gloss. Gloss lets out more light.

I am not going into deep detail here- that would be a bit of a snooze for most of us.  My intention is to help you understand what you are doing when you paint and use different sealers. 

Paint is used to create an illusion- and how we manipulate the paint determines what it will look like.  If you think you have lost color after applying flat sealer- you have not.  You have cut down the ability to see that color. 



The next question is, how do we solve this problem? 

>>>Add more color.  Make it much brighter than what you are actually going for.

Try it in a place you won't see.  Sometimes I will try a color out on the head where the hair is going to be.

>>>Put white paint down first- and your color on top. 

I often use this technique for lips.

If you want to use translucent colors, and you are painting on a dark surface, you won't see much of the color you use- because the color of the object will reflect through the translucent color.  The objects color will cancel out the applied translucent color(s). 

Example: Violet may appear muddy on a brown object if you spray it with flat sealer. 

>>>Keep adding color between sprayings of the flat sealer.

Adding color in thin layers gives you greater control of how it will look. 

                       

Remember:  Leave a comment and get an entry for the October Drawing :)



The Rescue

Meet Coquette

Coquette started out life as a Monster High Abbey Bominable.  She was blue with glitter everywhere.

Then someone decided to take off the glitter.  Acetone removes the glitter, and can damage and melt the plastic of the body.  Then they decided to do some painting on her face- and I have no idea what they used...but that too left a mark.  Then, I am pretty sure they used epoxy on her back for something.  And they used a Dremel, I think, to "sand" her body in places.  Most inelegant.  Her hair looked melted- so maybe a heat gun??? 

I wish I had picked my camera up before now, but to be honest she started out as this possible rescue project sitting in her own box on the corner of a shelf.  I got her out when I had the time.  I picked away at different things for minutes at a time and returned her to her project box. 

Every doll I work on has their own box.  Everything that relates to them goes in there and stays with them until they are complete. 

Ignorance had ruled this girl's world since she left her original box in some home in northern Nevada. She arrived on my porch via the USPS with Monster High amputees and other Monster High doll parts. 

 I didn't take photos, because, honestly, I thought she might end up in the experiment box.  That is the box dolls and doll pieces go when I cannot rescue them.  They become my testing ground for new paints, new glues and other ideas.  That way, if I try a new product and it does not work, I have not ruined a new doll.

 

Coquette hung in there.  When she finally spoke to me, I started working on her an hour at a time instead of 10 minutes.  Her face is almost finished, and her body is as good as she will get. 

Coquette is on her way to becoming... a  friend of the famous Anne Dieu-Le-Veut .

This week when I have time I will be making a new boot pattern, and a tri-cornered hat- for my little privateer.

I will post photos as I move along with her.  This is not a tutorial- just me sharing the progress of a doll that almost went the way of the waste bin.

Related Tutorials (click on colored bars and go there):

Removing Hair and Painting with white spray paint

http://monstercrush.blogspot.com/2012/06/custom-monster-high-doll-tutorial.html

Making a Wig and Rooting with Mohair

http://monstercrush.blogspot.com/2012/06/custom-monster-high-tutorial-hair-and.html

Custom Painting the face, Part 1 and Part 2:

http://monstercrush.blogspot.com/2012/06/custom-painting-monster-high-dolls.html

http://monstercrush.blogspot.com/2012/06/custom-monster-high-doll-face-painting.html

Remember to leave a comment and get an entry for the September Drawing :)  Cheers, PB♥  

Modding Part 5

Finishing Draken

If she looks a tad unhappy, she is.  Draken is not big on having fittings.  Usually I fit clothing to Cleo- she is my resident 'model on call' for fittings.  But Draken has some "special" attributes that require I fit directly to her.  Her horns and tail must be taken into account.  This is a dry run- I never cut the actual material until I am sure what I am making will fit properly.  This cape is hand and machine basted.  Once I am done fussing with it, I will rip the seams and use it for a pattern. The yellow fleece cost 1.00 for almost 2 yards in the remnants bin.

I also purchased some light brown fleece when I bought the yellow. I want her to look like she is wearing a fur cape.  One that is well worn.  Using Tulip fabric spray paint and my fingers I change the color and look of the brown fleece.  At the top is the brown with black, bottom is the original color.  Behind both is the yellow that I practiced on.

I rarely fail to make a mess when I paint- which is what you see on the label.

It is important to remember scale when one is working with fabrics and dolls.  A long fake fur cape would look too big and cumbersome.   This fleece looks more like buffalo or a sheep type of fur once it is painted.  This needs to look like something she killed and then made her own.

After Draken is finished with all of her fittings, I will apply her hair.  She will remain a little spitting and hissing baldy until I am done with her garments.  Right now she is clawing her way through my goodie drawer looking for weapons.  As if her fangs and nails aren't enough!  Pretty sure she wants a staff as well.  I will go twig hunting soon if she continues on this path...

Skirt made of batik in layers of shredded single pieces. 

Vest style top made of white felt with faux white fur and vintage embroidered ribbon.



Cape has soft suede ties at the throat. 
I would have fussed more with the hood, but both of us were
feeling pretty impatient- best not push things.  I will fuss after she has hair.



I lined her boots with the same material as the cape. 

Everything fits.  It has been a long day for both of us.  Tomorrow, she gets hair and then an outdoor photo shoot.

Next Post will have her finished and will include some better photos of her garments and her wearing them.

Remember: Write a comment on this post and get an entry for the September Drawing.

Modding - Part 3 - Tail and Paint

Draken's Tail & Body

Tail is finished, time for a fitting.  I decide where I want the tail to be, and make a mark with pencil on her back.

Now I need to make a hole for the tail wire.  The wire is for stability and to add resistance that is not dependent on the magic sculpt.  I am using a stencil cutter with a fine tip.  It gets hot enough to make a hole while not damaging the rest of the plastic.  How many crafts have I tried over the years?  Lots.  This stencil cutter is no good at all for cutting stencils- but- I have used it to repair dolls and on many other projects.

Hole is made.

I test it with the wire.  The wire is a little too long so I clip it shorter with wire cutters.

I've mixed my magic sculpt and divided into to balls. 

One is flattened over the hole.

I stick the tail wire in, find the hole and push.  Then I start shaping the clay over the tail end.  I smooth it with water and my fingers.  I add to it with the other clay I have mixed and waiting.

Now she sits for 4 hours to harden.

The magic sculpt has hardened.  The fabric didn't reach all the way after I started sewing.  I could simply attach another piece of fabric, but I kind of like the way this looks, so I am going to go with it for now and see if I can keep the feel of the exposed poly batting.  We shall see.

Beginning painting of the tail.  I am using the violet first.  Green, blue and then violet and black will follow.

I am also beginning the sponge painting of her body.

When you use a cosmetic sponge to paint your doll, remember to not use too much paint.  It needs to go on in thin layers.  I cut my sponges too- make some with smaller surface areas to fit inside curves and such.  Draken will have 2 coats of violet and then a coat of spray sealer before her serious painting begins.  I am using the same method on her head.

This is a short post, but there will be a follow up post as soon as I can manage.

Meet Duvet

The latest addition to our little family of critters.





Custom Painting Monster High Dolls

Face Painting a Monster High Doll

Part One

 

The first step is to wrap up the hair of your doll in plastic wrap.  This will protect the hair from paint and also keep the hair out of your paint.  Some people paint the face first, and then do the hair.  For myself, this always wound up in a disaster- where I would somehow spoil the face paint.  To avoid such future tear inducing events, I decided : root the hair first. 
You can do this in whatever order you like.  This is how I do it.

Blushing and Tinting

I use 2 different brushes for this- and that is all they are used for.  One is a flat and one is a round.  Both are synthetic and will stand up to the abuse of the emery board.

I use an old emery board and chalk pastels for my blushing and tinting.  They give a nice soft appearance.
Rub the pastels on the emery board to break them down to a fine powder.
 Pastels take practice.  Start slowly with your colors- especially strong colors like red.  I mix my red with the peach before I apply it.  Mixing takes place on the emery board.

Once you have some color on your flat brush tip, ponce the area you want colored.  Do not 'paint' with this brush, ponce it straight on. Stop to blow off the excess from time to time to see if the color you want you are getting.

Next, I tint around the eyes.  For Candy, I am doing a very simple tint job- because I know how I want her to look.  Using the round brush, I dip it in the blues- first the light, then the dark- and again, I ponce on the pastel.  I do this until I am satisfied with how it looks.

This is a very subtle look. 
>>>If you want your look to be bolder, you would ponce with a piece of cosmetic sponge and paint for the desired effect.

This head has been painted a white with automotive interior fabric and vinyl spray paint.  I do not want her face looking too bright.  I want it to look like a powdered lady from the 1500's with my own spin. 

The head was glossy from the spray paint.  After I have completed the blushing and tinting I spray the face with a flat sealer.  You can use Mr.Super Clear flat, and I would recommend it for eveything else- but in this case, I used Krylon flat sealer meant for art pieces.  I knew it would work with this paint -- otherwise, Mr.Super Clear Flat.  See how soft the face looks above.

Now I am going to start on the eyes and lips and eyebrows.  I use Liquitex Slow-Dri medium.  It causes the paint to puddle evenly, and dries slowly enough to correct mistakes.

Okay, that is a messy looking palette to be sure.  I use ceramic plates from the 99 cent store.  They make the best palettes for acrylics -- in my opinion.  This one needs a soak- but do read the tips section at the end of this post before you clean your palette (should you decide to adopt this method).  The brush is a 10/0 short liner brush.  It is not new, but is in good condition because I take very good care of it. 
On the palette you can see a small bit of blue and some medium next to it.  I will mix these 1/1.

I want her eyes to be blue, and have started with a blue that will be somewhere in the middle of the lightest blue I will use, and the darkest blue.  I have decided on somewhat side glancing eyes.

Before you paint the eyes, look at your own eyes, look at the eyes of people in magazines.  What do you like about them?  What don't you like about them?  Think about what kind of eye you want for your creation.  Think about the expression too.

First pass at the lips and eyebrows.  I gave the lips a wash of rose red color- the red was mixed way down to a tint with the medium- the eyebrows are the same color.  One eyebrow is slightly up from the other- her expression is starting to be put in place.

After her eyes and lips dried, I went back in and painted her eyebrows and lips a bit darker.  I also added pink in the corners of the eyes and on the underside.  I am not trying to make these perfect- our faces are not perfection.  Also, there will be other paint going over the top of what is there.

I also added color to her eyes.  I dabbed in a dark ultramarine blue on top of the medium blue.  I put it in like a tint- using very little color --  repainting on top of that until I got the desired effect.

Next is the first coat of Sakura Crystal.  I buy mine on ebay from moorezmore.  A little goes a long way.

Sakura crystal will give her eyes depth.  If I mess up around the edges, I go back in and clean that up with a clean brush and water.  I have one brush I use just for the Sakura.  It is always clean and ready.

The Sakura crystal has dried, so I put in the pupils.  I tend to prefer larger pupils- you might like smaller ones.  The nice thing about the crystal- if you paint on it- and see it is not what you want- you can remove the paint easily and start over.  It provides a very slick surface. I like to puddle the pupils- there is a lot of paint there.  Once it is dry, another coat of the crystal will be applied. 
I will continue to layer the eyes with color and crystal until I am happy with the results.
If for some reason things go very wrong for you- you can remove this with the acetone and swabs.

Building the Sakura Crystal up in layers along with the paint gives the eye a lot of depth.   They appear to be more like real eyes because they have that shine.

When you paint faces, remember that there are many things that combine to make a face look a particular way.  Look at the photos below and notice the eyes, the eyebrows and the look.  What expression do you see?

Over the years eyebrows have been shaped by the fashion of the day- and usually by whatever stars or celebrities were popular- thus making their "look" popular.  Spend some time looking at magazines like Marie Claire and Vogue.  Those are my 2 guilty pleasures if I have to give up everything else.  If someone asks me what I want for my birthday- I will ask for an extension on my subscription to one of them.  If you enjoy fashion, they are great to have around.
Whatever inspires you and feeds you is important.  Maybe you have a favorite shop you like to visit, or you are a Project Runway fan.  Do. Go. And do some more.

I have started to darken the outer edge of each iris with dark blue mixed with black and painting medium.

Beginning the eyelids.  I start with a small lid, and decide how large to make it as I add more width, a bit at a time.

The eyelids are now the size and shape I want.  I have painted them with a mid-range color.  I will add darks and lights to them later.

The next color I start to add is burnt sienna.  Under the eyes, and around the lids, with a trace bit on the lids.  It is a warm color that adds the right amount of contrast.  I have also added that color as a soft tint on top of the pink eyebrows.  It makes them more 'there', while retaining the 'pinkiness' I want. Every little stroke is put on to draw out the face I see in my mind.  If I am very lucky, she will emerge.

Candy's body has been blushed and sealed.  It was time to return her head to her body.

She will be set aside for a day.  I do this so that I will see her with fresh eyes on the following day.  If she needs anything big changed, or just something small, I will be more likely to see it.

So far, she has gone from this:

To This:

Part Two will follow in a few days.

*Don't forget, we are having our June Drawing for Monster High jeans from Dolly Dolly Fashions! 

 Read the June 2012 Drawing Post for the Rules.

TIPS:

1. Be clean- make sure your hands are clean and your workspace is clean.  Long hair?  Put it up.

2. Never let the paint on your brush go more than halfway up the bristles.  Rinse your brush often.  If the paint gets into the ferrule of the brush, it is not past redemption...but it is pretty much messed up.
Mix small amounts of colors in plastic bottle caps using a flat toothpick or an old small brush.  Do not use your good brushes to mix up paint.

3. Clean your brushes well and you will have them for a long time. Use soap and water for acrylics.  Using only water will not get them clean enough.  Paint will build up over time in little places.

Clean your ceramic plate by soaking it in water in the sink.  Put a paper towel over the drain before you do this.  As you rinse off the soaked plate, the bits and pieces that come off could be hard on your plumbing- the paper towel catches those pieces and you can pitch it in the trash- no plumber needed.

4. If your brushes get messed up, soak them in 100% Rubbing Alcohol for a few hours, then swish them around in the alcohol. Wash with soap and water.  This works with acrylics and oil paints.  I use a glass jar and plastic wrap.

5. Plan. 

This sounds simple- but it will save you time and those moments you wish had not happened. 

If you are painting your doll- get everything out.  Paint, brushes, paper towels, and anything else you think you may need.  Do you use tissues to wipe away extra paint? Have a few on your table already. 

6. Make sure you have enough time- never rush anything.  If you rush, you will make a mistake- then you will spend time undoing that mistake and re-doing what you hurried to finish in the first place.

7. Let it dry. (paint, glue, sealer) Don't mess.  Walk away.  Sounds easy- but its not.  If you are a person who has to be busy- have something else handy you can do while waiting. Do not touch it.

8.  A little humbleness goes a long way.

If someone tells you there is only one way to do something- it is okay to think otherwise.  After you have tried it their way- try it your way.  You may discover a better way- for you.  Often one thing is not better than another- it is only that it is easier for that person to do it this way, and for this person to do it that way.  Judging and snootiness will land one in the mud.  Every time.

9. Rarely is anything ever truly ruined.  Almost every mistake you make while working on something can be fixed- one way or another.  I saw a tattoo artist once that fixed bad tattoos.  He tattooed over the old tattoos- and what he created was beautiful beyond words.  He had vision.

10. Honor your vision.