Project : Magic Tome

A couple of months back I attended a mini overseas doll event at a neighboring country, there I collected a number of books (or you can call them "Magic Tomes") that a local crafter made and it really opened my mind to doing other props besides the weaponry related stuff.

After returning from the event, I went on to do some research online on actual bookmaking methods and came up with the following project.

Here we have from left to right, the original commissioned work, the first prototype followed by an improved version. Somehow I am still unable to recreate the feel that the original carry.

This is how the book look on the inside. Right now it is still full of blank pages as I have not thought out what "content" I want the book to have. Mind you, the original has pages of occult-ish drawings and I hope to achieve that level in my next few tries.

The book is thread-bounded and can withstand a good amount of handling without breaking apart. I must say thread binding a book by hand has a certain charm to it.

Last but not least, the sizing. Here we have my girl Shia, a MSD, holding it.

Overall it has been a really enjoyable project and it has been a while that I managed to finish a prop in a few days and with minimum material.

Thank you for reading !

Commission : Straight-bladed katana (Dolfie Dream)

My first commission for a Volks Dolfie Dream (DD), this project had been a series of new discoveries for me. I need to thank my client who had been really patient with me and allowing me to work my magic with the prop.

The usual work methods aside, the paint job for this project is possibly the hardest I have encountered to date. Many a times I need to seek guidance with my mentors in order to complete it. As I have mentioned in my previous post, my airbrush had been damaged and sent in for repairs. The damage was worse after assessment, a bent pin and a cracked nozzle with overall blockage in the airbrush due to my bad maintenance. It is a miracle it managed to work thru all these and get the job done.

Let us get on with the gallery before I move on to explaining the method involved in doing this project.

The katana in its entirety, it stands at roughly 47cm. Yes, the blade is taller than Shia and still holds enough strength and weight balance for posing.

Here is another shot of it from a different angle.

The clear red blade which I am particularly proud of and the biggest challenge to this project. In order to achieve this degree of finish, the surface underwent sanding up to grade 2000 sandpaper before finishing off with polishing compound. Due to my workmanship, the surface is still not up to mark and flaws can still be seen. This is the main problem I faced when applying chrome as it is very unforgiving to mistakes. The entire paint process consists of applying chrome, clear red, UV gloss and wax in that order. The surface is then polished again to give it a shine.
 

The grip and binding, customized with color requirement and bind with a traditional pattern, is done with a new method that will be stronger and better in form for SD/DD sized dolls to hold.

Thank you for viewing !
Comments and feedback are welcome !

Paintjob : Horns / Random shots : Devilish sisters

Just some time back, I bought some resin unicorn horns off a local seller in my area. When they arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find them smaller than imagined. Breaking out my airbrush, I coloured them and "converted" them into a pair of horns for my smallest girl, Shika.

This is how the horns looked like before they were painted.

 

Above are 2 pictures of the painted horns. I painted the pair of smaller ones completely black and did some light reddish shading on the longer one. Turned out it's not that obvious in photos.

Sadly by the time the painting was complete, my airbrush needle was discovered to be damaged when I was cleaning it and now need repairs. A most unfortunate turn of events.

Meanwhile, enjoy this series of random shots which I named "The devilish sisters".

On an unrelated note, this is how Shia's wig looks like now from the back.

I tied up her wig into a ponytail which technically damaged the wig as the fiber is now fixed into a permanent styling.

I welcome feedback and comments and thank you once again for viewing !

A little update (on life)

A friend was asking me where I have disappeared to and left the blog to fallow for a good 3 months.

Life, I would say. In between the last random shots update till now, I have been busy with life. Big changes. I had moved and settled into my new home. Took on some commission work. Learning a musical instrument. And the list goes on.

All in all, I'm still glad that even though the blog is not actively updated there are still people who check back once in a while.

The past few months had been really eventful, things happened that challenges and affirms some of the things that I knew all along.

Propmaking, to me, is a hobby and a creative process first and foremost. I take pride in crafting every single piece of prop that I make, may it be for commission or otherwise. This takes time, often a lot more than imagined as I seek to make every piece unique to its owner and the best it can be. What you hold in your hands is the result of endless experimentation and refinement over years of crafting.

That brings me to the most common remarks I encountered when receiving commissions, which can be roughly broken down into 2 categories which I named, "Why is it so expensive ?" and "Why do you need so much time to do ?"

Firstly, I am selling a service and not a product. I am sure that there are always better propmakers than me out there who charges a "reasonable" price. Sadly, I am not one of those. I believe in my quality of work and I am not willing to cheapen my services for it.

Secondly, propmaking is a creative process. Many a times I have tried to craft against my artist instincts and ended up with an item that I'm totally unsatisfied with. I will not let a customer have something which I deem is not to the best of my abilities. If it is bad, I will redo it. If need be, as many times as I need to at my own expenses.

That being said, I really appreciates those who have commissioned me and having faith in me to take my time to craft their prop.

Random shots : A demonic fight

A random shoot that was born out of Sunday boredom, I was trying to achieve a fight scene of Shia vs a bigger opponent and her standing over its corpse. That is probably too difficult for my level now so I try to do the next thing. The aftermath of a fight with a defeated demon limp sliced off.

The entire scene was created with a portion from Shia's arsenal of swords and a cosplay prop that was on loan from a friend.

The fight scene, probably not the best combination of colours. I'll probably need to get a black background for this kind of scene.
 

2 closeup shots, trying out the side glance angle kind of shots. Doesn't look like I managed to do it very well, haha.

I probably will redo this shoot with more preparation, props and a proper background.
Thank you for viewing !

Random shots : A different kind of feel

Here I am back again with another random shots post for Shia, my MSD girl, with her starter weapon the buster sword. The prop is almost 3 years old but it never fails to amaze me with the effects it can still continue to project.

I have to apologise for the lack of updates over the past few months. The Japanese N3 exam that happened last year end and renovations for my new home has taken up a big chunk of my attention and time.

Please enjoy the following 2 shots !

I particularly like how the way the light bounces off the blade edge giving it a soft glowing effect.

A usual close-up shot, trying out for a different angle but doesn't seem to be able to capture what I had in mind...

Thank you for viewing !

Random shots : Hatsune Miku Lat type A (Cosplay)

This series of random shots is done specially for the upcoming Hatsune Miku : Mikupa Sapporo at GV and Mikupa Singapore at AFA. Here it is, showcasing Shia as Hatsune Miku Lat type A in her winter costume ! The red scarf was crocheted by me and I must say, the process has been very fun ! I'm looking forward to doing more such projects in the future.

Please enjoy the following set of photos !

Thank you for viewing !