BJD in progress: Part 1-Very Rough Draft

So I mentioned that I love ball jointed dolls and that it's my lifelong dream to create my own dolls based off the characters in the graphic novel that I'm in the process of writing.  Well, shout out to Lauren Brevner, my new "brainstorming buddy", who has inspired me to have at it again.  You should totally check out her blog, she's amazingly talented and in the process of creating an epic ball jointed doll as we speak.  Her progress has inspired me to "Just Do It!"

I started this laborious, time consuming, and at times downright daunting journey back in October when I decided to create a ball jointed doll based on the main character in my book.  I sculpted five heads out of Living Doll Sculpey and only one came close to looking similar to my main character "Israel".  I used this clay because I heard it was good for making dolls, but mainly because it comes in my complexion, Terracotta Brown.  Let's face it, when you're looking for ball jointed dolls, ethnic ones especially, are hard to come by.  In fact, there are few beautiful dolls period that represent girls of color.  Since my main character is loosely based on me, I wanted her features to be loosely based on me at her age, and I'm a proud terracotta brown!  I always grew up wishing there were more dolls that looked like me, with hair and features like mine.  Maybe I would have thought I was more beautiful back then, instead of comparing myself to the dolls that I played with who looked nothing like me.  So now, it is really important for me to expose my daughter and other little girls to more variety and diversity in the story book characters and the dolls that they grow up with.

Back to the heads, which ended up turning into eight heads, then I threw one away because she was just that ugly . . . and then there were seven.  But this one head still remained the best out of seven.  here's Israel, the chosen one, or should I say, the chosen head, in her rough stage.

Now I don't have any idea what I'm doing, I'm just feeling my way through all of this.  I'm reading books here and there and looking at tutorials but I'm clueless when it comes to bjd sculpting.  It's not really something you can learn by reading or watching, you can only learn it by doing it, experimenting, failing miserably, and pressing forward.  I'm all for experimentation, but I'd rather take a master class!  Hence the reason why I neglected her little head for months.  But that hasn't kept me from adoring all of the wonderful artists I have come across in my research, who are attempting and pushing through the pain of figuring it out.  I'm constantly looking at their photos, saying "I wish I could do that someday!"  Then came Lauren.  When I saw what she was working on, I finally buckled down and said, "I have to do this, NOW!"  All it took was a little motivation and a lot of inspiration.

I am now pleased to report that I have more than a little rough head.  I now have a rough torso, two rough arms, and two rough legs!  Holla at your boy!!!!!!!  Here are the pics of my progress.  She needs sanding, and I still need to sculpt feet, hands, and the (dun dun dun: scary music) dreaded ball joints that I have no idea whatsoever how to make.  But I'm determined to figure it out!  Enjoy the flicks and let me know what you think.  Then say a few prayers, cross your fingers and toes, send me good cyberspace vibes,

and just maybe . . .  maybe I might end up with a real working ball jointed doll . . . eventually.  

Keep hope alive!

"See ya next time, maybe then I'll have hands!"

Nesting: (verb) To create and settle into a warm and secure refuge.

Today, I'm 28 weeks pregnant with my fifth child.  It's quite . . . uncomfortable is the first word that comes to mind!  I am worn out.  Moving takes my breath away.  Everything from my chest down aches.  Every time I sneeze, cough, or laugh, I pee simultaneously (it just so happens that I have allergies and a great sense of humor).  I'm extremely tired and never seem to get enough rest.  I'm irritable and my patience is anorexic (it was already too thin).  Truthfully, there is only one thing that makes being pregnant enjoyable, and that's feeling the baby move.

It hasn't gotten to the point where the baby is pushing up against my lungs cutting off my oxygen, or jabbing a foot or elbow into my ribs yet.  The baby is not too big yet, just snug as a little bug in a rug.  When he changes position or stretches a little, I feel it and I have to admit, I love that feeling.  It's the same feeling that I was afraid I'd never feel again with my last pregnancy because I thought I'd be finished after four.  I got so sad when I thought I'd never feel that again.  And now that this is definitely the last baby, I savor each little movement.  There's not much fun involved in being pregnant, but there is so much joy in being a vessel for your unborn child.  It's amazing how the slightest movement can drown out the discomfort and make you feel nothing but love.

So my husband was trimming the shrubbery in front of our house and stumbled across this robin's nest.

 

When the kids brought it in the house to show me, I was in awe.  It was so beautifully and carefully constructed.  I'd never seen one so perfect.  It was the perfect size, shape, sturdy, and homey.  I admired the architect like you would that supermom that you occasionally get a glimpse of and compare yourself to.  My motherly instincts clicked into overdrive.  Making sure no one touched the eggs, I was angst ridden over what to do.  I could only imagine how the mother robin would feel coming back to what was a perfectly secure hiding space for her family when she left, to find out that there had been a security breach.  I couldn't move them too far, she may not find them.  And what if something else found them before she did?  I did the best that I could to tuck the nest with the four babies into the same tree, but my gut knew that my choice could never match the choice this mother had already made.  I instantly wished we had just left the jungle bushes growing erratically wild for this family's sake.

I did not sleep that night at all.  I kept agonizing over those four eggs as if they were my four children, who slept soundly in their beds.  My mind was thinking all sorts of things about my fears of my own nest not being big enough, clean enough, sturdy enough, homey enough, safe enough.  When the sun approached and the birds started chirping outside my window, I was still awake, wondering if the sounds of the constant tweets were the mother and father arguing over the fate of their children.  When my kids got home from school they came to me immediately to sadly report that three of the eggs were now broken revealing tiny bird fetuses and one egg was missing.

I was so sad.  I don't know what happened.  I don't know if the mother rejected them because they had been moved, or if some unknown predator had helped itself.  Regardless, in a matter of hours her family was torn apart.

Now I'm left feeling overwhelmed, unprepared, and too drained to do anything about it.  I hope the "nesting instinct"  that's supposed to arrive by the last trimester triumphs against these odds.  I've got five eggs to worry about now.  I have to keep reminding myself that if God provides for the birds, He certainly will provide for me and my growing family.  Now, if I could just get up the energy to rustle up some twigs...

Destiny's Designs: Persistence Pays Off

Destiny:  AHEM!

Me:  Just where do you think you're going all dressed up?

Destiny:  Shopping.

Me:  And how are you gonna get there?

Destiny:  You could give me the keys . . .

Me:  Yeah right!

Destiny:  Or I could just wait until you get dressed.

Me:  That sounds like a better plan!

Destiny:  I can shop online while I wait.

(It takes me an hour to get dressed)

Me:  You ready?

Destiny! What did you do to your hair?

Destiny:  I wanted Rihanna ringlets . . .

Destiny:  So I googled it.

Me:  Rihanna ringlets?!  What did you do?!

Destiny:  What?  We have the same red hair!

Me:  Let me see that laptop!

Me: Hmmm. She is kind of fly.

Destiny: I know!  Can you help me take my curlers out?

Me: You mean straws . . .

(several minutes later)

Me: Wow!

Destiny: Let me see!

Destiny: Oh yeah! Rihanna ain't got nothing on this!

Destiny: Let me jazz it up a little.

Me: (shaking my head) I'll be waiting in the car.

Destiny: I'm ready for my close up! 

Me:  Finally.

Me: Who are you calling?

Destiny: Gotta call Savi . . . (her best friend Savannah)

Destiny: Hey girl! Yes! It came out perfect!

Destiny: Okay Savi, gotta call you back.  Let's go Mom!

Me: You look fabulous! Where to?

Destiny: Thanks! Let's go to the fabric store!

(To Be Continued)

Nadia the Navigator: The Little Bored Beauty

Nadia: SIGH!

Me: What's wrong Nadia?

Nadia: I'm bored.

Me: Well, you look beautiful bored!

Nadia: Thanks Mom.(with a hint of sarcasm)

Me: It's beautiful outside.

Nadia: Can we go out? Please!

Me: You changed your clothes!

Nadia: These are my play clothes, can we go outside, please? Please!

Me: That was fast! Okay, let's go.

Nadia: I think we should move these in the sun.

Nadia:  Look at that!  I love the color purple.

Nadia:  They smell good too!

Nadia:  That breeze feels good.

Nadia:  Look!  A wild strawberry!

Nadia:  The view is great from up here.

Nadia:  Will you build me a tree house?

Me: LOL! Not today!

(To Be Continued)

Ball Jointed Dolls: The Dollhouse

The best hobby in the world is collecting ball jointed dolls. At least in my world. I love them. I've been drawn to dolls since childhood, but these dolls are the coolest form of artistic expression that I've experienced thus far. My favorite doll artists are:
Marina Bychkova
Kaye Wiggs
and I've recently stumbled across Dorote

That rounds out my top three favorite doll artists. These women have inspired me to dive into this art form with both feet.

I currently own two of Kaye Wiggs' YOSD dolls. Meet Nadia Tillie and Destiny Millie:

You'll see more of these little dream girls soon!

I salivate over Marina's enchanted dolls frequently. And I admit that I'm tirelessly stalking Dorote's blog to see what she's gonna come up with next! I long for the day when I will be able to afford all the dolls that have stolen my heart! Until then, I'm taking a stab at designing my own. These precious little beings have real personality and are a joy to photograph. I believe that just like fairies . . . they live! Shhhhhh, it's a secret.