Ordering from a Japanese Shopping Service [Noppin]

People often use shopping services to buy from sites like Taobao, a Chinese shopping site similar to Ebay. A shopping service is simply a company which will order what you want to buy from a website or shop oversees that doesn't ship internationally, and for a percentage fee will ship it to you. I wanted a limited edition Rikka Takanashi Azone doll which was only sold on TBS Shop, a Japanese site, so I needed to find a Japanese shopping service to order it. I could find lots of information on services which enable you to buy from China (mainly for Taobao) but I couldn't find much on Japanese ones. I'm hoping to share some useful information for anyone in my situation in the future ^^

She isn't available on the TBS shop any more, but you may be able to find one on Ebay

Garden Photoshoot

I'm afraid my blog is gonna turn into a solely BJD blog haha~ I'll have some different kinds of posts soon, but I took my Hujoo Action Girl, who I've named Rika, out in the sunny garden today for a little photoshoot!

Here are some of my favourite photos I took of her:

 Love this one! ^

You can see more photos on my Flickr or in Rika's photo album!

First BJD Faceup

If you saw my previous post, you'll know I have a new ball jointed doll! She needed a face so as soon as my sealant finally arrived I couldn't wait to get started on her! A quick rundown of my supplies:

 Face mask and respirator from ebay (the spray sealant is pretty toxic) and cotton gloves also from ebay (I use them while spraying, I would use them when touching the doll while doing the faceup but the fingers in them are too long and I can't get the grip I want ;o;)

 Mr Super Clear (MSC) matt spray sealant from ebay. This is pretty much what all faceup artists use. It also took nearly 2 months to get to me D: There are alternatives but this is highly recommended.

 Pastels and watercolour pencils. It doesn't really matter on the brand, just make sure they're oil free and pretty high quality. Any oils will damage the doll and high quality will give them a high pigment and colour better. Not pictured is acrylic paints (I only used black for eyeliner) erasers and pencil sharpener, and an array of brushes.

 I started with the blank head after spraying with MSC 2 times and letting it to dry between coats. This will give the pastels and pencils something to 'grip' onto.

 I started on the lips first. I was nervous and tentative to start with, but I realised you can easily remove mistakes with an eraser. I liked using a putty eraser since it moulded itself to the shape of her face as I erased.

 I also shaded the inside of her ears.

 I think I spent the most time on the lips as I kept not liking what I'd done and re-doing it. I think I'm happy with the result though.

 I started adding a little eyeshadow with pink and a little light brown pastels.

 I used pastels to draw the line for the eyebrows and watercolour pencils to do the little eyebrow hairs. I also used pencils for the lines on the eyelid. You can see I added more blush and eyeshadow.

 A side view shows her ears are a little darker too.

 I drew lines on her lips with a pink watercolour pencil and also small dots in her nostrils.

 The eyeliner was pretty nerve-racking, I was using a tiny brush with black acrylic paint and I felt so shakey! I found that a cotton bud dipped in water could remove mistakes pretty easily, and because I'd used MSC to seal in the previous layers, the pastels didn't rub off with it.

 I used a brown watercolour pencil to add eyelashes to the bottom of the eyes.

 Minor adjustments before sealing for a final time...

 Then adding eyelashes (small ones for human use) using white PVA glue that dries clear.

 A side view shows these better.

I also added some gloss to her lips (I just used the stuff I use on clay charms) and then I could put her head back on, eyes back in and wig on her head!

Not bad for my first try I think! I'll be uploading a progress video of her faceup on my Youtube soon, so look out for it! This girl still needs a name, I'm not sure but I'm thinking Niko would be cute :3

New BJD - Hujoo Action Girl Dana

I received my first big BJD the other day! This is the Hujoo Action Girl Dana from The Junky Spot (you can also buy from Angelesque if you're based in the UK)

Normally BJDs are made from resin, but this one is made from ABS plastic meaning she is cheaper, more durable and I think, lighter. She is also adorable ;o;

More photos under the cut!

New Boy in Town - Taeyang Natsume!

I finally got a boyfriend for my Pullip doll!

This is Taeyang Natsume, which I bought from PullipStyle along with a Make It Own Pullip kit, which I plan to make my own custom doll with (blog posts and video will come for it!)

Making My Polymer Clay Doll

I've been interested in BJDs (ball jointed dolls) for a while now, but have yet to buy one as they are really expensive (my Pullip doesn't count, I'm talking about dolls like these) I've been doing research on how to make my own BJD from clay, and because they look fairly complicated, I decided to start with a simplified version.

 I started by drawing out some designs, as I knew it would be hard to sculpt a figure without a reference. As I drew I looked at other pictures of dolls online for a guide.
This is the final design I went with for my doll.

 I bought a load of beige Super Sculpey from ebay as I needed a lot of skin colour for my dolls. I didn't use a lot for my first one, but if I want to make a bigger BJD I'll need a lot xD

 I didn't take many progress shots or filmed me making her, because I didn't know how she would turn out, or if she would be any good at all. After I managed a good looking head and torso, I was excited to continue. I forgot to do her ears however, although they will be covered by her hair.

 The hands were one of the hardest parts of making her, and at one point I made two left hands by accident! They still don't look perfect and feel kind of fragile, but I like them.

 The feet were also really hard to make. I used a needle tool to define the toes.

 You can see here the set up for her body. For the joints, instead of being ball jointed, I added gold eyepins to each joint, and after baking, opened up the eyepins to attach them together.

 And this is how she turned out! Since she's not ball jointed or strung up with elastic like BJDs, she moves more like a rag doll, and can't hold a pose or sit down or anything. But I still like how she turned out.

 I found that Monster High skirts fit her well, but I can't get the tops to go over her hands. I'll have to try my hand at making her some clothes. I also need to give her a face and hair, but I'll do that in time.

I hope you enjoyed this post, I'll be sure to do others when I give her a faceup, or any updates with making dolls!

My First Pullip Doll (photo heavy)

So recently The Hollycopter from Youtube became obsessed with Pullip dolls, and I think the love for the dolls has rubbed off on many people! (including me) So naturally I bought one too!

I bought Bloody Red Hood from Groove Store (you can also buy from PullipStyle) and a set of 3 outfits that were only available as a set from Groove.

Edit: I forgot to mention how quickly this was shipped to me! I ordered on January 1st and it arrived on January 6th, which coming from the US to the UK is super quick!

Isn't she gorgeous? Read more for more photos and information about her~