Why I Think I Can't Keep Dolls

... So, I'm selling my Zero. I'm really upset about it. I sanded her seams, nipples, eyebrows, and did a lot of work for her posing and faceplates. I really tried to keep her. I LOVE her body scuplt and her faces are beautiful.... but she just won't stand for me. It's hit or miss - sometimes she will, sometimes she won't, and I've never had so much trouble photographing any doll (even my Supia Roda, with her weird 'uneven' legs).

Contrary to my keep/buy record, I really, really loathe selling dolls. My friend has had her two dolls ever since I introduced her to the hobby back in highschool. But me - I've had around 10+, now including the Unoa Zero. I've wondered for the 5 years I've been in the hobby about why I can't seem to bond with any of my dolls.

At least my Shiny Fairy May, Tryphosa, isn't going anywhere. Maybe it's because I see her as a precious gift? But, I had seen my DZ Shoyo in that light, as well as my SDF Ethan head. All were still sold. It's not like I don't want to bond with a doll, it's just that I can't seem to. Even my precious Kurumi left me, because of the thought that 'maybe this just isn't the right time in my life for her'. I do plan on getting her again someday, so it's not a permanent loss.

I'm getting a MNF Shushu again, small bust with #3 hands. I think she'll be turned into a Multihead, with a Miyu and maybe one other head or a modded head or something, to counteract the 'one look' syndrome ('I don't really see an 'expression' on her face. It's all just one look'... that thought has also led to the selling of dolls). I'll also be buying a TON of accessories, wigs, clothing and shoes for both Tryphosa and the Shushu. I've never had a lot of things for my dolls, preferring to make most instead, but perhaps my lack of leisure time (when employed) and lack of fabric experimentation funds just dampen my enthusiasm for free form sewing fun. Maybe the ability to fully style both will help me to get along with them better.

Maybe it's just because I can't justify spending so much on myself. Maybe it's just that I would prefer to spend the money on more 'practical' things, but I can't ever shake my beloved doll hobby. Maybe it's that I haven't found the 'right' doll for me. The Shushu, if she were in 60cm size with all available A-line options, would fulfill all of my dreams. Maybe 'my' doll hasn't been made yet? I have no idea.

I'm so tired of selling dolls. I really hate saying goodbye to them, especially since the reasons I bought them haven't changed. And it may not seem like it, but they're all special to me.

Sorry for the text-heavy, ranty post. It's just been on my mind lately. Has anyone else here had bonding issues with *every* doll they've bought? Have you known someone like this? Did you think that they should just settle with a doll and get it over with? Did you get frustrated with them? Did they seem to be upset over it, or did they seem to be okay with selling a lot?

Even if you just have a random thought on the issue, I'd love to see your opinion. :3

Clara and Marion Again

Some better photos of Clara, with her actual wig. I never thought that the Kurumi wig would look better on her.

I painted the Marion yet again... still no name, no character. I don't know what to think of her when I look at her. I think part of the reason is that I don't ever favor blonde dolls, so this is a new thing for me... she's just so... fair. @_@ Please let me know what you think when you look at her!!! I need some inspiration for her character and my brain is all wrung out. XD

Just more shots of Clara now that she's done. I've named her after the little spotted Jellyfish in Kuragehime!!! Thanks to Justice M for letting me know about the show.

I'm so glad that she's complete with her eyes now! I wish that 16mm had been available, but alas, Volks had only 18mm in stock. I hollowed out her eyewells so that she would be able to wear the 18mm. I wonder if that weakened her faceplate's eyes structurally? I guess I'll find out.. @_@
Anyway, I really like how she turned out. I think she'll be some kind of hime-styled girl, or maybe lolita? I've always wanted a Dollfie Dream, but I've never been a fan of the idea of vinyl, so this really makes me happy. Maybe she'll do some cosplay as well!??!! :3

Faceups Done, No Success to Report... :(

I've finally finished the other two faceplates' faceups. The first is a mod on the closed-eye Latea faceplate. I wanted it to be very anime-and-art-like, kind of like a resin Dollfie Dream or the bjd version of Blythe. I plan on getting animetic eyes at some point, so that she doesn't look like O_O all the time. She will have oddly colored hair, as well, to amplify the anime effect (I hope). I opened her eyes with a Cera-kanna knife and sanded the edges, then sanded off a lot of her nose.

The Marion faceplate didn't turn at all how I'd hoped. The expression is too bleh, the palette too plain, but that's how she'll have to be for a while. I posted so much of the Latea faceplate last time that I didn't want to post her here - she still has the same faceup, so nothing new anyway.

I wish I had the money and the time to invest in an air brush, although with my poor faceup skills it might be a waste anyway. I've redone these faces a billion times and I can't seem to get it right.

I finally got them faceupped, sorry, no tutorial...I don't think I'm good enough to give advice yet lol. I was really frustrated, I think I actually got worse at doing eyebrows and lower lashes. I'm really considering sending them away for a commissioned artist to do, I'm just so frustrated with the way they turned out. I got many more worthwhile pictures out of the Latea faceplate than Marion, even though I feel more connected with the Marion's personality. Still no names... Any suggestions welcome? I'm thinking that they could both be characters from my in-progress book project....

I love the Zero default wig! It's so soft. The only problem is that it has a TON of flyaways....

Assembling the Zero - NSFW, NAKED DOLL

(All of my lovely faceplates, the eyes, and the wig... )

So, in case you didn't get the memo, this post is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. It contains nekkid dolls and their nekkid parts.

Now that that's over with, allow me to explain. I recently obtained an Unoa Zero by 'trading' my Kurumi (selling, buying). I was really terrified of putting her together, but to be honest, it was a LOT easier than I thought it was going to be. I took pictures of the process and it's really just like stringing any other doll. The only part that takes explanation is the slots and the small part for the knee capsule joint, and that's only because I was being dumb. The arms were assembled for me, by the previous owner, but the strings were too loose and I ended up redoing those (sans picture-taking). The included directions were spot-on, that I could see!

And without further ado... :

Just took some pictures of the parts that I had out.

I started out with eyeing the slots in the capsule joints... hmmm...

By carefully studying the picture in the instructions, I got to this point. I didn't thread the wire through the hole in the small slot piece, I threaded it through the capsule joint itself.

Both wire ends go up through the leg...

... and are twisted together securely using little needle-nosed pliers.

Basically, after that, it's just like stringing a normal doll. This is me using a retarded red twistie-tie to push elastic through instead of some smarter tool....

Fold the elastic until it has four even loops, like a four-leafed-clover... then, make sure to somehow secure them at the midpoint. I used another twistie-tie. Then, thread the ends to the bottom of the leg and hook the foot around the end of the two loops. Bottom half completed!

Here she is standing: as you can see, her knees don't quite fit into the tops of her shins.... :(

After threading the loops through the arms in the same manner as the legs, the top half of the torso is completed. All that is left to do is hook the bottom of the last piece of elastic around this huge hook in her abdomen, and then thread it up through the torso and the neck to secure her headback/headplate.

She's all together now! As you can see, she can stand, but not without some magical trickery... her bottom just wants to throw off her balance due to the lack of strings connecting her legs/torso like on other dolls.

I have already sanded her nipples off. I hate it when doll nipples poke through clothing, so I figured I'd head off the bra-buying problem at the pass....

Her lovely sleeping Latea face. I used it because it looks so tranquil, even without a faceup.

Overall, I like the Unoa Zero body's shape and sculpting aesthetic, but the balance is all off for me. People hail Araki as a genius, but I have seen Fairyland do better with their engineering. He is no doubt talented, and I absolutely adore my Zero! However, the quality is lacking for the price he demands. The knees have the characteristic Zero chipping, the resin is uneven around her arm joints, and the bottom-heavy construction makes it hard to really take advantage of her wonderful capsule joints when she's standing up. The resin also looks very plastic-y compared to my Bluefairy SF May, and my Switch Hahwa head. Also, color-wise, she is paler than my Switch head, which is supposed to be a good match for Volks Pureskin. I know that she's not easy to hybrid due to her neck, but for anyone looking to consider, I do not think it would be a good idea to pair her with a volks head without some light blushing.

I hope this helped anyone that was curious about the Unoa Zero's assembly and construction! I'm going to do her faceup in around a week, so I'll try to post some photos of that, although I think I'll just end up rushing through it so that she feels 'completely here'.

Goodbye, Kurumi

I'm sending my beloved Kurumi away. The Unoa Zero's body and faceplates suit my dolly needs more at the moment. But Kurumi will always be a dream doll for me, and I'll get her again when I have more money in the future! I miss her already, looking at all of these pictures of her. T_T