Photostories blog

I've now set up a seperate blog for photostories. All Arkadian Dreams photostories from "Lost In The Snow" onwards can be found there, and all further installments in the series will be posted there. Please add the Arkadian Dreams Stories blog to your bookmarks to continue following the story!

Face-up progress shots: CP Elf Chiwoo

The blank Cerberus Project Elf Chiwoo head that arrived this afternoon.


Basic initial blushing.


Defining eyelashes and eyebrows with watercolour pencils.


Further definition with acrylic paints.


Finished face-up, complete with eyelashes and eyes.

WIP: Silver doll rings

This is what I've been working on for the past couple of days: silver rings for 1/3 scale BJDs. They're sculpted from PMC silver (Art Clay Silver 650 Slow Dry, to be precise, which has a low enough firing temperature that you can fire it on a gas hob). I sculpted them yesterday, and after drying overnight I fired them today. I then polished them up; they are now ready for setting with 1mm gems. The top ring in the picture above has a bezel mount, whereas the lower two have prong mounts.

To give you a clearer idea of just how small these rings are, here is the 4th ring I made - which is for a slightly larger 70cm doll (I hadn't finished polishing this one when I took the photo):



Although these rings aren't quite finished, I'm quite pleased with how they've come out thus far; I think I've definitely improved in skill since I last tried my hand at ring-making for dolls. These four rings will eventually be put up for sale once finished.

Silversmithing: the art of making Pretty Shiny Things

I first got into silversmithing years ago, but had to stop when my children came along; hot liquid metals and small children do not mix. However, three years ago I came across PMC - precious metal clay; it comprises of fine particles of precious metal - typically silver, though it is also available as gold - mixed with organic binder. It is moulded and shaped much as you do with modelling clay, left to dry (whereupon you can carve, sand and further smooth into shape) and then fired at 650°C either in a kiln, using a butane torch or on a gas hob, whereupon the organic binder burns off and the metal sinters, leaving a solid metal item. In the case of silver, this item will be fine (0.999) silver, even purer than sterling and thus slower to tarnish.

It occurred to me that PMC silver might be the ideal medium to make BJD jewellery from, and so I experimented to see what I could come up with. The PMC rings are my work; the other rings are for comparison with what BJD jewellery was around and available at the time. Note that I work with facetted gems, whilst orangebabydolly uses cabochons.


From left to right: PMC silver with simulated blue topaz, Dollmore silver ring, orangebabydolly sterling silver ring with garnet, PMC silver with arificial sapphire, PMC silver with simulated amethyst.


Side view, showing the PMC silver with blue topaz ring more clearly.




Two more views of the rings, as modelled by Perseus, my Cerberus Project Breakaway 05 vampire.
Perseus stands 60cm tall, to give you some idea of scale; the rings are 1/3 scale compared to human rings.

I've been asked about whether I'd be willing to take on commissions or open an Etsy shop on the strength of these pieces, so I've now ordered 10g of PMC silver (you'd be surprised how far this stuff goes - those original 3 rings took less than 2g of PMC silver) with a view to making some saleable pieces, which will include rings set with facetted 2mm gemstones in simple 4-prong settings.

Keep watching this space. :-)

Dressmaking

Gabrielle has been playing clotheshorse for me; first there was her Christmas dress:



And now my latest creation I've been working on - "Lilac Faery":








Gabrielle's normal default eyes and hair didn't really suit the colours of this outfit, so I swapped out her green glass eyes for a pair of blue Eyeco silicone eyes, and her wine-coloured wig for this white one.

Handsewn over 2 days, the dress is inspired by the Lilac Fairy character in the ballet "Sleeping Beauty". The dress consists of a long tulle skirt overlaid with three layers of lilac crystal organza lace spangled with rhinestones; the front panel of the bodice is lavender satin and purple velvet, trimmed with white and gold cotton lace. The front ruffles are white chiffon trimmed with lilac silk ribbon, and the sleeve ruffles are lilac crystal organza.

The outfit will be completed with a pair of shimmery gold stockings, matching undies, a ribbon lace headdress, and a purple organza choker - and, if I can pull it off, purple velvet ballet pumps. I'm hopeful it will be finished in time to go on sale this weekend.

Sneak preview

A sneak preview of the finished corset for the set I'm working on for my next eBay auction. It's for MNF girls, but should also fit DZ/AOD and other similar-sized minis.

















The outfit is inspired by the Sugar Plum Fairy in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. The corset is lavender silk, with a cream cotton front panel printed with a fine gold branching leaf pattern; it is trimmed with white and gold lace, lined with ivory Thai silk, and embellished with a cream crystal organza rose.

Goodbye Xavier, hello Gabrielle!

The fun thing about the one-touch system used by Luts and Fairyland is that you can swap heads.

Like this:


In the process I found that Luspira makes a very effective little werewolf boy (pay no heed to the gold lame trousers; they're for a commission) - and Xavier makes a very cute little girl! So Luspira has now become Lupin (still tempted by the thought of calling him Lucien, though that's the "real" name of 's Hound, Corpselight...), and Xavier has become Gabrielle - and much happier they both seem to be as a result!

Anyway, having a pretty little girl to sew for (and three hours with no internet last night!) inspired me to complete this little outfit up for her - corset is dusky pink raw Thai silk, lined with pink satin and topstitched in silver. Skirt is actually a tutu, with underpants of burgundy cotton jersey and ruffles of burgundy organza, with a top layer of organza trimmed with dark rose satin ribbon.

Her over-the-knee socks were also handstitched by me, and I made the necklace too. Shoes are from Luts. :-)













When the weather isn't quite so humid, I'll be redoing her face-up to give her a softer, more feminine look. :-)

Faux Fer

Inspired by the Dollhert Fer design but to my own pattern. Myrddin very kindly agreed to model for me. :-)















Mostly testing how well the design works; this prototype is handstitched from cotton jersey, but next I'm planning a version in burgundy silk with gold-trimmed organza ruffles, and another in black velvet with silver-trimmed black organza ruffles. It zips up the back with a very small zip fastener. The prototype is designed specifically for the CP boy body, but it would be simple enough to make versions to fit a girl body. It would also be very easy to scale down the pattern for 45cm dolls too.

The strips forming the ruffles are 2" wide, and if laid end-to-end would measure about 25m!

Who guards whom?

Luspira and her guardian, Satin.
Or should that be the other way around?

Satin: BW CP Nanuri 07

So, it was time for Satin - Luspira's blind guardian - to get his mods and face-up today, in addintion to Galhaia's new face-up!

Eyes opened a little wider using Dremel and fine sandpaper.

Basic yebrow shape blocked in with Inscribe pastel using a sponge applicator; basic lip blushing added with a round filbert brush. You can see his little fangs very clearly here. :-)

Eyebrows shaped using watercolour pencil; liplines added in pale pink watercolour pencil. Light blushing round eyes, nose and on lips using Inscribe chalk pastels.

Lower eyelashes and eyeliner defined with watercolour pencil; further blushing round eyes and on lips with I Kan Dee iridescent chalk pastels.

White watercolour pencil gives further definition to eyebrows and is used to add lighter liplines.

The fangs are picked out with white acrylic paint, and Windsor & Newton Iridescent Medium applied to top eyelids before a coat of gloss varnish is applied to eyelids and lips.

Light brown eyelashes complete the face-up.

So here he is complete, with 16mm glass "blind" olive eyes and a Monique wig in platinum blonde - that won't be his default wig and eys however, as I have a Monique joJo wig in Strawberry Blonde and Auburn on the way, and eventually he will have 17mm Masterpiece Eclipses. I will be ordering his Fantasy Doll body in a couple of weeks' time.

A few changes

If you've reached this blog via the "arkadiandreams LJ" button on the Arkadian Dreams website, you might be wondering what's going on.

The arkadiandreams LJ is still online; it hasn't been deleted. However following recent developments with regards to LJ and SixApart (including, but not limited to, the flagging journals issue and the sale of LJ), I decided that I'd prefer to have the arkadiandreams journal more directly under my control - so from now on news and events from Arkadian Dreams (including photoshoots etc) will be posted primarily here on the Arkadian Dreams blog and mirrored over on the LJ.

The other change you might have noticed on the site is the appearance of Google ads. I've endeavoured to make these as unobtrusive as possible however, so I hope they won't prove too annoying to regular visitors. :-)

In other news, the Juri B head is still available for sale, and I've just started customising a BW CP Nanuri 07 head to be Kynaston "Satin" Dane, Luspira's guardian - and a figure from Eric's mysterious past!

Also up for a new face-up is Galhaia, my Juri 05 girl. Expect progress pics of both Galhaia and Satin soon!

At last!

So, the Luts parcel finally arrived today; I think we must have been the last address on the delivery guy's round!

Well worth the wait though - Luspira finally has her body; my little werewolf girl is complete!











Xavier's not entirely sure what to make of her....


Two Minifee Shiwoos together surely spells trouble...!
















Yes, she really is standing on one leg.