Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Anatomy of a Remake

People ask me where I come up with my ideas for my doll make-overs.
Usually, it's about the same as when I create my miniatures; I get a picture in my mind and it just comes down into my hands.

With doll repaints, it's a bit different.
I have so many ideas floating around in my head I have to jot down ideas on scrap paper first, then draw the doll out with the ideas.
Inspiration also plays a big role in the dolls I create.
Other artist's work, art works, watching Project Runway, sci-fi shows, comic books and the list goes on.

For example, the theme for the 2013 IFDC this year is "Horror High" and the category I chose to compete in is "King of the Prom."
Now think about it; the only "King" in Las Vegas of course is Elvis who has been done to death (pardon the bad pun) in dollyville and would be expected.
I never liked what was "expected," nor artists who create what is expected, i.e. the overkill of "OOAK" Madonna dolls, Edward from Twilight dolls or Angelina Jolie dolls I see on EPay.
One of a kind? Hardly.

So I went the opposite direction and thought of a famous woman-loving monster. 
First came to mind- Jack the Ripper...but...
too gory, not particularly handsome and not as well known.

Then I was watching "Teen Wolf" and #WHAM#, it hit me.
So I Googled "wolf man" images and there were tons.
Some classic, some older wolf and some newer.
I wanted a classic look, but more appealing.
So I decided on a mix of Michael Landon from "I Was A Teenage Werewolf" and the old classic "The Wolf Man."

Of course I wanted to twist him a bit and give him long hair and maybe a few other tidbits.

Since most Wolf-men are classicly dark, I chose a AA Fashion Royalty Remi doll.
He does look a bit like Landon?

Then I had to draw out all the ideas floating around in my head;
Fast and bad drawing, but you get the idea.

I didn't want him to be too hairy. Too hairy would cover up a lot of features of the doll and make him look more "action figure-ish."
So I re-rooted Remi with Katsilk Noire and Grey Mist, giving him a rather elongated widow's peak hairline.
I try to keep a picture of my idea behind what I'm doing. I tend to stray off my original path, so this helps.
Sometimes straying is a good thing, while other times it leads to a doll looking like Cher. 
Don't ask.

My next task was the ears. Wolf Men do not have ears like Remi, so I had to enhance them.
I turned to my Magic-Sculpt resin rather than my regular polymer clay. Magic-Sculpt is a two-parter; One part resin, one part hardener.
It has to be in equal 1:1 portions when mixing or it won't firm up and it firms up to a sandable consistency in 3 hours.


The pros: no need to bake it, thus ruining the doll hair and head.
The cons: it's sticky, it smells awful and it's not easy to shape smaller items.




After mixing, I place the almost formed ears on Remi;
Then I shape them, let them harden overnight, sand, wipe with damp rag and paint them matching the skin tone.
I had promised an eye tutorial, so since I am in that area;
You start by filling in the whites. I use a white and gray mix.
If you look at pictures of eyes, most have a gray hue to them.
Then get your best black paint for the outer rim of the iris. At this point you can choose to have side-glancing eyes, sleepy eyes, sexy eyes or shocked eyes.
It all depends on where you place the inner circles. I chose just regular, if not somewhat menacing/surprised eyes.

Don't worry about them not being perfect. The iris will cover any imperfections.
Next I chose to go with a mix of mustard yellow and a dot of orange done in layers, meaing watered down colors (not too watery!) done in ascending drying layers for the iris.
I always make sure to paint outwards from the center of the eye.
It gives it that sunburst effect you see in many irises.




Then I add pupils using the least sharp end of a toothpick dipped in my black paint and stabbed a few times on paper to take off excess paint.
Don't set the pupils directly in the center unless you want a "I just sat on a nail" look.
Now, if you make a mess, don't worry.
You can always take a Q-tip (pointy type) and some acetone and wipe the mess away!
I had to (see the left eye tragedy below left and my finished  remake below that.

You can add a semi-circle of a lighter mix around the iris to give it a sheen and add a little darker mix around the pupil as well.
All eyes are different so don't be afraid to experiment!

I will leave you for now with Creepy Doll of the Month!
                                    My Mom told me not to open chip bags with my teeth

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