Questions for you! *Photostory related*

 photostory stuff, What do YOU think?  7 Responses »
Apr 222011
 

I may, or may not have mentioned previously that I had decided to push on with actually shooting & publishing the Quinlan Chronicles (even though I can’t do them justice IMO at the moment). That in mind, I started going through my scripts and trying to tweak, alter & otherwise change settings & set ups/ locales etc to enable me to do them.

Now, here’s where the questions (for you,  the reader) start:

Each episode originally made up between 5-9 scenes of various lengths.

Looking at them now I think I’d probably burn out if I tried to do one all in one go.

But… If I am only showing one scene at a time (probably 2-10 pages of images on the web) do I still refer to them as episodes?

I mean, the scenes are parts of the original episodes….is it a cheat to call them episodes?  If it is a cheat, then what should I refer to them as?

Do I differentiate by Season?

Season 1 Episode 1

Season 1 Episode 2

(or maybe?)

Season 1 Episode 1 part 1

Season 1 Episode 1 part 2

I’d like to keep it simple (for my sake, really!) but I don’t want to clutter things up either.

Although I’d originally written the scenes to kind of weave together,  since I’m working under some constraints I’ve decided to edit out some scenes (primarily those dealing with the “adults” of Quinlan until I can move and actually build the sets I need for those) to make it more do-able…

I know I must sound like I have no clue. And really, maybe, I don’t. If I did I don’t think I’d be asking for comments and ideas at this point?

For those of you who read the blog & do photostories….how do you do it?

 

 

 

Astrid & Karly’s Dorm Room Diorama *photos*

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, 1:6 scale Dolls & Action Figures, dioramas, Making Stuff, photostory stuff, Sewing in 1:6, Something to share  13 Responses »
Mar 222011
 

For the most part I’ve been kind of quiet about how making stuff for the dorm room was going. I didn’t bother much with photos & stuff.  I took a while off from the computer (more or less) and just concentrated on getting stuff done.

The main goal for me was that the different sides of the dorm room reflect the different personalities of the characters.  I think (IMO at least) that I’ve been successful in that. :)

The Desks & Dressers are via Mark and were My Valentines Day gift (no chocolate, but I can handle furniture instead!! LOL).  I gave him the details I wanted and made him paper models–and they came out really well.  All the drawers work (and the desks were designed so that the side drawers could be taken out and use the area as book shelves instead). PS Mark made the window & doors– email him if you’re interested in some (mhmodelmakingATgmail.com).

If you want more info on anything just comment (I’m sorry I’d give you a detailed, blow bly blow item list but it’s late and I’m utterly knackered!)

So here it is:  (As usual—click on the white “X” to see full sized image)

First: Looking at Karly’s side of the room: Karly is a neat girl, with a love of shabby Chic.

Karly’s Dresser and a view of her desk set up.  Her desk is the same basic model as Astrid’s except that I’ve taken out one of the drawers and used that as a bookshelf area instead.

I made her comforter (and there are matching sheets & pillowcases underneath made of blue-aqua fabric).

Karly’s tie-quilt/comforter and you can see her “jewelry board”. One of the necklaces came from Nat at Milkshake Melody & the rest are either my creations or faff from mattel.

Would you believe how long it took to pull this set together? And then once I had most of the pieces….how long to actually set it all up??!! Just say it took a while LOL (it’s less depressing that way when I knock into it and things fall)!

Can you tell that two completely different people live in this room?

Looking at Astrid’s side of the dorm room (from Karly’s)

I realized along the way that Astrid is learning to play guitar. That’s a 1/8th scale takamine guitar made by F-toys which I can get away with calling 1:6 scale (because, hehe, there are 3/4 scale & 1/2 scale ones made in real life for musicians)

View of Astrid’s dresser & desk-top stuff.

The bast/Cat statue is an old piece of Yujin, the Ankh is from the Hot Toys Wong Ka Kui figure, misc bottles are re-ment & Barbie stuff.

Here you can see a close up of her “desk junk” (not complete since I need to add some papers). Re-ment coffee cup, bratz mugs (white ones), re-ment office stuff, colored pencils I made (you’ll see more of those soon), books (I made) and 2 more wonderful little egyptian statues from Yujin.

 

Please comment! :)

*edit: I’ve added the diorama page to the main website with some further details about the roomset. You can find it here:  http://www.corsetkitten.com/dioramas/

Dorm Rooms & Detritus

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, dioramas, Making Stuff, photostory stuff  8 Responses »
Mar 062011
 

Today I’m talking about the Dorm Room dioramas. I’m pretty sure everyone thinks that all my diorama related stuff has fallen by the wayside what with my health, sewing, painting, sculpting, doll-making & other projects that are all on the go.

But not so!

The Dorm Room base-set is done.
I’ve got 2 beds, some curtains, & some very kick ass “Ikea-esque” furniture that was my gift for Valentines.  So really, you’d think I was done–ready to go–and start shooting some short (and probably pointless) photostories in them….

Yea, except I’ve got to fill them up with the small details. You know, the personal effects & decor that the particular students would have.  Did I mention that there are a lot of students??

To make the task a bit easier on my self I’ve chosen the 6 students (3 Dorm rooms) I’m most likely to do photostories in first.  They are:

  1. Astrid & Karly’s room
  2. Nik & Merrit’s room
  3. Shayna & PK’s room

And even though it’s not a dorm room, I’m going to include the Student Lounge since that needs further detailing too.

Anyway, back to the “To Do” list:

I’ve been playing around trying to get a better feel for some of my characters. Yes I know something about all of them, but sometimes the small pieces are still unknown/undiscovered.

For example:

Take Karly:

I knew that Karly was a pretty nice person and that she likes pretty things & loves clothes. And she likes turquoise.  But beyond that—not much else. She’s a lesbian, her best friend is Eff, and that was about it.  So I had no idea how to decorate her side of the room. What colors to use, what theme, etc…no clue.

I ran across a link to a site called Polyvore.  It’s a nifty fashion related site where basically they have a fashion editor (It makes me think of a high tech version of Colorforms!) and I had some fun playing with it.  In the process of picking out a few of Karly’s wardrobe choices I realized that she likes Shabby Chic & “romantic victorian” stuff.  So that’s great! :) I then had to start shuffling through my re-ment box to see what I can find & make for her. (Still not sure if Karly will ever get a Friday Monologue or if we’ll only ever see her in photostories).

Astrid was a different story.

I liked Astrid from the get go (even if I am not overly fond of her name) but trying to work out her exact interests & preferences proved more difficult. I made some headway with it when I started working on the script for her Friday Monologue.  I’ve figured out that she’s not exactly a slob but she’s prone to be messy and not all that fussed with things looking neat (which will probably drive Karly nuts). She’s kind of artistic, and she’s a creature of moods. She likes dark colors punctuated with spots of brights.  Yea, it doesn’t seem like a lot to go on, does it? LOL!

So between these two I need to cobble together a cohesive & working set.

I made Astrid a comforter for her bed, and that was it. Karly didn’t even have that much (though she did, as of today, get a headboard). Wow, lots of stuff to come up with and to make, right? Yep.

I’m stewing over some ideas & things I plan on trying later this week. I’ll update as I manage to take pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hot Toys True Type: Body Mod pt. 1

 1:6 scale Dolls & Action Figures, Customs & Re-stylings, photostory stuff, tutorials  8 Responses »
Dec 122010
 

Yes it is true…Nothing is safe anymore! I cut up Fashion Royalty Dolls, Volks Dollfies and now I’m chopping up Hot Toys action figures!

Why am I chopping up my Hot Toys Action figures? Well, mostly because they’re too short for my FR girls.  My Fashion Royalty girls need to have some male counterparts but frankly the thought of dropping 100 bucks on a doll that has even less articulation than the FR girls really made my gut twist.  So instead I decided to experiment and see if I could modify a Hot Toys action figure (I’m using one of the True Type bodies) to fit the need.

Anyway here’s the brave guy (headless) going under the knife! (or more accurately, the Saw)

Of course, after doing one leg you have to do the other, right?

I had to put markings on the insides of each leg piece to make sure I put the correct bits back together.

To give a little bit of stability (and to help my general crookedness) I inserted some small wooden dowel pieces.

Upon further consideration I thought that adding s abit of wire would help me hold it together a bit while I was going to add milliput & test for height.

Initially I was only going to saw into his thighs and add a bit there but the addition to the height wasn’t enough that way.  So I decided to cut into his lower leg/ calf area and add a bit there.

I considered different options  about stuff to fill the gaps — automotive filler (which is hard wearing), epoxy etc. I decided to use Milliput since in my experience it really does take a beating & it would probably work best. (I know a lot of people swear by Aves Apoxie sculpt but I can’t afford the $$$ for the amount I’d need (plus intl’ shipping!!).

So anyway that’s pretty much part one done.  I’ll update soon with part 2.

1:6 Student Lounge Diorama (in progress w/photos)

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, dioramas, Making Stuff, photostory stuff, Something to share  3 Responses »
Nov 202010
 

Ok, I’ve been quiet the last week or so. I know. I’m still fighting this cold. But despite my total lack of energy, constant headache & coughing I was determined to work on something!! Those of you who are regular readers may recall an occasional comment about needing a student lounge/hang out area in the university dorms.  It’s the place were a lot of stuff happens without me needing to cobble together a classroom for it.

My plan on this varied (originally it was a huge room but it’s now been swapped). and it’s almost complete. It needs some further details & props but it’s definitely 2/3 of the way done as far as I’m concerned.

Points to bear in mind:

  • The Student Lounge shares the same base  & walls as the Small Living Room set (aka the Friday Monologue room) & the Kitchen set & the Student Dorm Bedroom Set.
  • The curtains need to be re-done & hung correctly.
  • I need to paint the coffee table.
  • I painted some uber-ugly paintings for the back wall (the wall behind the sofa) which I’ll hang the next time I take pics.
  • I have decided I am going to remove the chain cords from the hanging lamps.  I was going for a certain look but they simply look too distracting.
  • I’m proud of the tiny cork board I made. And yes, it’s real cork. It’s very small & very fine so it will look correct in scale for close up shots.

Ok soooo… Here are a few pics (I promise I’ll take more of them when I get back and can actually update the website/ Dioramas section).  These are just showing the roomset from a couple different angles–since I was trying to figure out how I wanted to do the room’s layout.

View from the front (window wall removed)

View from the back wall (removed)

Partial view from side wall (I was too beat to remove the walls at this point

Anyway I expect I’ll be back to finishing it up next sunday. Then after that it’s back to fireplace building & livingrooms & cafe making!

I have the awesome-est friends! *yay*

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, 1:6 scale Dolls & Action Figures, photostory stuff, QC: character info, Something to share  6 Responses »
Nov 022010
 

You know, sometimes I feel like I live at the edge of the known world…an outpost where I’m socially isolated. My family is an ocean away, and well, all my friends live in other countries!! So….when I get something in the mail (from a friend) I get a bit choked up, a little sad and a lot happy! It makes me remember that I’m not forgotten even if I am miles away! :mrgreen:

Today, I got a truly wonderful gift in the mail today from my good friend Will (you can find his blog here). This was a belated birthday present. Maaaaan, did I totally make out like a bandit this year, or what??!!

He’s known for a while that I have a serious shortage of men-folk in my cast & has been instrumental in finding some guys in the past—and wow, talk about a lovely birthday present! I got some guys to add to my new photostory cast!And some other spiffy stuff too!

First, lemme share the guys who came with bodies!! (yay for bodies!!) :-)

First up is Sam (newly re-named Christopher Arden, actor on the costume drama Wrenwood Hall)

Next is our friendly detective & a member of the Quinlan PD: (who came completely dressed & packing heat!)

and also, mr. skinny Hot Toys action figure guy: (Don’t ask me what’s up with his pose, ok?)

And remember I mentioned other stuff?

I’m particularly happy about getting the evil-looking Wesker head! He might be a professor or maybe an actor on the costume drama. Not sure…except that I know he’s a demon who has a secret (and nasty) agenda!! Any comments on if he should be an actor….or something else?

Will was also cool enough to send me some spare hands, a TTL girl head (who might end up being another cougar), an Ice head so that down the line I can do an alternative version of Paloma, a shoulder holster for Cass to wear, some funky shoes from Hot Toys Cha cha asai, a skull-thingy, some goggles that will be awesome for my next steampunk custom, and some small glass beads that he thought looked like ice!

Now I’ll tell you, that’s just one hell of a present! :D

And you know, I’d be just as happy if my friends just sent me lame birthday cards & letters. It’s just really, really nice to know I’m on someone’s mind, sometimes.

1:6 apartment diorama: more progress!

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, dioramas, fashion royalty, Making Stuff, photostory stuff, Something to share  11 Responses »
Oct 292010
 

Did I mention that this month has been crackin’ busy? I don’t seem to be able to catch my breath between the weekly sewing challenges & working on the fireplace and the apartment diorama and trying to develop some characters for the new photostory!

Anyway I wanted to share an update on how the roomset  for my Fashion Royalty girls Giselle, & yet to be named Kyori is coming along!

1:6 scale apartment

You can see where my fireplace is going to go (once I finish cladding it in stone).

I know that looking at it like that it might be kind of hard to imagine it…. So fast forward two weeks and this is what it currently looks like:

(I have more progress to show on the fireplace but I haven’t got an upto date pic so that will wait until over the weekend)

You can see the french doors in process along with the windows. Still need to work out the handles for the doors as well as the locks/latches for the windows.

This week coming:

  • need to cut the flooring
  • finish the fireplace
    • cut & attach stonework
    • paint stones & grout
  • paint the living-room walls (and decide on what color the accent (fireplace) wall should be.

Anyway that’s the update for now! Feel free to comment! :)

Playscale props for free: Really!

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, Blythe, Customs & Re-stylings, dioramas, Etsy-related, fashion royalty, photostory stuff, Something to share  2 Responses »
Oct 272010
 

Yep. I said Free! Now, before you all start thinking my blog’s been taken over by one of those crappy marketing bugs lemme ‘splain!

I’m a member and a general lurker of the Doll Divas board. I’ve hung out there a lot the last 5 years and although I don’t post a lot I generally take part in the contests & games that they schedule a few times a year. I like winning treats & prizes –who doesn’t?

On Saturday the 30th of October the Doll Divas board is having what they call a Monster Mash.

You don’t have to be a regular board member to join in (although i guess it would be nice if you were or well, at least visit it occasionally! Like my blog! LOL)

This year I’ve donated some goodies from my Etsy Shop  to add to the fun.  Couple of books, some pillows–the little things that do help dioramas & roomsets feel a little more complete. :)

Here are the previews (LOL)

I thought it would be good to give back and spread some of the prop-love. And yea, if you win something (or even if you don’t!) feel free to check out my etsy shop…

Hope to see you there having fun! :)

.

More photostory related stuff! Who are these new Fashion Royalty dolls?

 1:6 scale Dolls & Action Figures, Eh, what?, fashion royalty, Making Stuff, photostory stuff, QC: character info  6 Responses »
Oct 162010
 

I hear you! ;)   You’re saying: “Huh, what? Last time I visited the blog you were talking about making a fireplace in 1/6 (sixthscale)!”

I still am!

But If you know anything about me it’s that I’m usually working on a few projects concurrently. It helps me to avoid burning out & getting sick of a project.  So yes, the fireplace is still in the works (going to give my fingers a few days to heal before I go back to plastic cutting). Which is good because it gives me a chance to talk about another project that I have going.

In case you’ve missed my more recent posts, I’ve lately had an influx of Fashion Royalty dolls into my collection.  Not a bad thing (even if I do think that their articulation does leave a lot to be desired).

I can hear you collectors out there — “What! Why are you going backwards?? Why go back to collecting those dolls? Hot Toys makes female figures now! Buy those!!”

Oh, the Humanity! :wink: (does anyhone else remember Heathers? LOL)

Seriously though.  I fell in love with a few of the facemolds the Fashion Royalty line came out with. I finally gave in and bought some of them. I also thought that if Amber from SITC could use them in photostories (without getting purple with frustration) then I could take a page out of her book and be able to integrate them into mine too.   If collecting Blythe’s has taught me anything–it’s that FR articulation isn’t as bad as it could be! And wires or strings from above are a good thing!

So, you probably want to know who’s who and what’s what?

You know that apartment set up I’m currently working on? That’s for the 2 main girls to live in and otherwise generally “entertain”.  Ideally I want to be able to randomly intermix these new girls and my existing cast & I think in this situation it can really work.   Of course the girls are glamorous & model-like–they’re “tv stars”.  I don’t necessarily see them mixing with the students (unless they run into them in the cafe), but they certainly could deal with some of the “adults” and that leaves me to wonder if they have anything to do with the more arcane aspects of Quinlan. Hmmm. Food for thought!

Anyway the “stars” of the show are Giselle & Kyori (yet to be renamed).  Of  course Giselle gets to keep her original name. I don’t think there’s another name out there that would fit her as well.  Kyori—well she’ll be getting re-named but I’m waiting before pinning a name on her until she gets here. Once  I can photograph her I should be able to get a better handle on her personality.  I do think she’s the calm one compared to Giselle who I see as temperamental & quick to mouth off in one way or another.

Anyway talking about the dolls & cast membership here’s who I have:

Giselle:

Private Goddess Natalia (role TBD) My original idea was that she’d be a therapist in Paloma’s practice but I just don’t know if she looks the part (out of that dress).

Tricks of the Trade Eugenia (local gallery owner)

Flight Pattern Kyori (name TBD. Actress in costume drama. Co-Stars w/ Giselle)

And this week I got an absolute steal on feebay uk and got Fire Within Jordan for uber cheap (I mean cheap enough that I felt bad for the seller that I was the only one who bid!).  And she came from here in the UK so I didn’t get killed on the shipping–I got her in less than 2 days! Talk about instant gratification! YAY! :D

Fire Within Jordan (name TBD. Head costume designer for the costume drama. Teaches 2 classes a semester at the University re: fashion/costume design & history).

  • She’s slated for a complete re-paint since I don’t much care for her default face & pink-pink lipstick & eyeshadow.  I’m interested to see how she’ll turn out afterward.

I’m thinking I might try to repaint her this week coming if time & projects permit. I also need to get hopping on my sewing challenge & just get busy drafting some new patterns for the Fashion Royalty bodies. I’m really tired of searching for slacks & skirts to fit them… best way to cure that is to make some quickly!

The next project I’m also working on right now is with a Hot Toys True type guy body.  I’m willing to put up with the reduced articulation on the FR girls…but not the FR guys. So I’m looking into doing a mod with the true type body to make it a better match for the girls.  I’ll update as soon as I’m closer to finished! :D

Anyway that’s what’s going on here today!

Making the fireplace in 1:6 scale… Update!

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, Customs & Re-stylings, dioramas, Making Stuff, photostory stuff  5 Responses »
Oct 152010
 

This is just a quick update for anyone who’s actually following along with my efforts in making the fireplace! Not a whole lot to show…but I’m getting there.

Here’s what I spent the last day or two doing:

Saw, saw,saw…and saw some more!

And after cutting out all 50+ pieces (I’m not even ready to begin thinking about how many I have to do for the rest of it) I decided to work on the inside of the fireplace.

They’ve been given the first coating & wash of paint to help make the mortar look ok.

and here they are with another darker coating: (initially I was going to make the bricks red…now I dont know if I should leave them grey since the mortar for the rest of the fireplace will be grey too.)

Other than that not a whole lot to show so far. Ok, well I did manage to stab and slice my index finger pretty badly today (can we say ouch!) but hopefully it will mend soon.

Making the fireplace in 1:6 scale… Live & Learn!

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, dioramas, Making Stuff, photostory stuff  6 Responses »
Oct 062010
 

As I mentioned in the previous post I wanted to make a fireplace for the new living room set.  Bear in mind that I haven’t made one before and that I’m making it up as I go along. LOL

The fireplace itself is made in 3 different sections (it was just easier for me that way, plus I wanted to make it removable so I can take it with me when I go) Anyway, I’m going to post some of my preliminary photos here (they aren’t much to look at since I still need to add the “stone”.

I did the usual “research” which involved remembering the fireplaces in previous places I lived & of course, searching the web for interior design pics so I could pinpoint the kind of fireplace I wanted to make. I had a kind of vague idea in mind before I started but then I found a couple I really did like the look of (well, with a few small changes)

These were the main inspiration photos:

I liked the field stone look of them, and the arched opening to the fireplace.  I wasn’t thrilled with the mantles on either of them so I’ve taken some liberty there too. And ok, on the “hearth” as well.

This is what I’ve come up with so far (yes, I have to now cut out all the “stone” for this which is probably going to take me the rest of the week & part of the weekend!)Forgive the crappy photos but I just didn’t feel like dragging out the real camera.

At least right now–even at bare-bones– it resembles a fireplace. I’m pretty sure that once everything is all cut out (oh little fret-saw! I wish you were magic!) and put in place, painted & weathered it’ll look ok.

I’m not happy that I ended up making the opening a bit too high *shrug* but then maybe it’s a quirk of whoever had it put in the building to begin with? *sigh*

I’ve already scribed in the firebricks for the inside of the fireplace too. So those will get painted and weathered. I’ll also need to make some fire dogs/andirons for inside & I’m now starting to consider making a fire screen as well….I swear–one thing really does lead to another!

I’m off to the movies in a little bit for a dose of retro-geekery (yes, Back to the Future!)

What, another 1:6 diorama / roomset?!

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, dioramas, Making Stuff, photostory stuff, Something to share  1 Response »
Oct 052010
 

Yep!

I’m not sure if I mentioned it elsewhere on the blog in passing but I’ve started working on a new roomset.  I know, you folks are wondering why I’m bothering.  Suffice to say that it’s a break from the other stuff.  Sometimes when I feel pressured to get something done (the cafe) I’d rather just switch gears completely and come back to it after.  It helps to keep me from burning out so I go with it. The same applies to my dolls & figures too, if you were wondering.  :wink:

Anyway, for the curious among you, it’s going to be a living-room.

It’s being made on my largest roomset base (this is the one that the cafe and Yseult’s living room uses).  I had wanted it to be on the medium sized base but D’oh! I realized too late that I let Mark burn that base in our wood stove last month! *ah well, you know that’s how hindsight works, right???*

I started planning it last week.  The only thing I knew for certain then was that:

  1. it was to be an apartment for my 2 actresses (Giselle & Charlotte (the tentative new name for  Kyori))
  2. and that I wanted a fireplace in it.
  3. I wanted the roomset to open into the kitchen & have 2 doors leading into the girls’ bedrooms. (the bathroom is off a hallway from the kitchen along with the 3rd room which is currently unoccupied–but probably will be soon!)

Lately I’ve been feeling sort of bored with just plain walls and I thought it would be a good architectural feature. (My experiment with wallpaper on the diorama walls was ok, but it just doesn’t put up w/ the wear and tear of moving around in my confined spaces) And I haven’t made one before so that’d be good.  Get some new skills & stuff you know? I’m starting by making 3 boxes to be the main body, the chimney breast and the inside of the fireplace (so it has real depth). Then I’m going to cut out with a fret saw all the stonework & stuff. It’s going to be a bitch, but quite possibly by the time I finish it (I’m aiming for Friday or Saturday) mark might have the windows & doors done and I can paint the roomset on Sunday & start using it!

(Plus he’s kind of motivated to make them since it means I’ll finally show people the bed & night tables he made me for x-mas last year (and that I got June of this year LOL!)

Anyway here’s how the floor-plan looks:

and for those curious about the rest of the apartment (and the rooms that exist or need to be built:

Since my birthday is this week, and since Mark “got” me Electra who since decided she is his cat….I felt kind of shortchanged on the birthday-present kind of thing.

I talked Mark into making the windows & doors (I’m reusing the archway from the kitchen so that’s just a hole cut in the MDF).  However he (not me!!) came up with the bright idea of using French Doors for the main bedroom because the room was looking sort of crap with just plain doors.  He also stated it would be a good test run to making them since he needs to work out how the doors will interlace (to close /open).

AFAIAC It’s all cake to me since it’s way better than I’d ever have the patience to do! *and hey, I’m not going to look a Gift-from Mark in the mouth either!*

So there you go. He’s making windows & doors–I’m making a fireplace, I’ll be doing the next sewing challenge this week too, and next week I’ll start making the furniture for the roomset (and after that the furniture for Charlotte/Kyori’s room) (although I still might name her Vonda instead of Charlotte. Gotta decide yet for certain!) :mrgreen:

Quinlan Students: Class photo for now!

 1:6 scale Dolls & Action Figures, photostory stuff, QC: character info, Something to share  10 Responses »
Aug 262010
 

I’ve been making some good headway on making the remaining students I needed for the chronicles. (I need a few more but they won’t show up until later I’m not going to fuss with them for now. )

So–here are the students for now! The top 2 rows are 2nd years & the bottom 2 are 1st year students.

  1. Morgan Renfield (3rd year & RA)
  2. Olivia Aston-Lang
  3. Zach (Zachary) Bracco
  4. Terry (Terence) Waterstone III
  5. Jillian Carmichael
  6. Alisha Grant
  7. Mallory Watson
  8. Nik (Niklos) Andrastos
  9. Stella Vanderhoff (3rd year & RA)
  10. Shayna Demarco
  11. Oscar Volante
  12. Portia Thorne
  13. Felicity Pierce
  14. Claudia Carsten-Kane
  15. Abbey Strassen
  16. Seth Melborne
  17. Tara Lynhurst (3rd year)
  18. Alex (Alexandra) Ryles
  19. Karly Stuttgart
  20. Claire
  21. Dana Grafton
  22. PK (Pansy) Kirkham
  23. Brooke Blackwood
  24. Merrit Daniels
  25. Jeremy Millais
  26. Raven Kohle
  27. Eff (Effrosini) Andrastos
  28. Rupert Kane
  29. Lori Vanderhoff
  30. Devin Thayer
  31. Calvin Blackwood

Female Student Roommate Assignments
Alex Mallory

Brooke

Abbey

Lori

Jillian

Eff

Claudia

Raven

Felicity

Karly

Olivia

Dana

Shayna

PK

Portia

Claire

Alisha

Male Student Roommate Assignments

Merrit

Nik

Jeremy

Terry

Rupert

Seth

Devin

Zach

Calvin

Oscar

Raven 2.0, Zach & The un-named Girl!

 1:6 scale Dolls & Action Figures, Customs & Re-stylings, photostory stuff  6 Responses »
Aug 222010
 

Of course I couldn’t leave well enough alone!

This is what I did today:

Raven:

I decided to wipe Raven’s face & tried to repaint her today.  I’m much happier with the new resultant Raven, and although (IMO) she looks more wide eyed (and less angsty) I think she’ll do for a younger student & trying to rebel younger sister.

Following on Raven’s heels is Zach.

He was something of an experiment & I’m not sure how I feel about him. I don’t paint male dolls very well & it shows. (don’t mind the stray flocking in the pics)

And then there’s this girl……

(She needs a name)

Do you think she is a 1st or 2nd year student???

She was a pre-rooted obitsu head &  is on a volks eb-a body. I feel she’s got some spark to her (although I also think she looks slightly cross-eyed). Even with the eye issue I didn’t want to wipe her because I do like the vibe I’m getting.

So there you have it–some more of my students for the photostories.

Quinlan Chronicles — characters?

 1:6 scale Dolls & Action Figures, Blythe, photostory stuff, QC: character info  2 Responses »
Aug 132010
 

This weekend (provided I can find quiet time) I’d like to work on doing a couple of new dolls for my cast. I’ve had an idea for a new student and want to work on her before the inspiration goes stale. I’d started another new character a month or two ago, a Mistress and i really do need to get around to painting her as well. Of course I need some practice before I do…..
I also need to finish up my Natasha Moore Blythe/Emily custom. She’s going to be a character in the Quinlan Chronicles also and I would like her done sooner rather than later.

Speaking of my dolls & the Quinlan Chronicles cast—-This week is going to be a “clean up” week. Sorting everyone out again & really deciding who and what I need.

With some luck, once I make some space & have moving around room I’ll get to shooting the first couple installments of the first episode of the chronicles.

Cafe update:the counters! *photos *

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, Customs & Re-stylings, dioramas, Eh, what?, Making Stuff, photostory stuff, Something to share  13 Responses »
Jun 142010
 

I bet y’all thought I’d stopped working on the cafe, didn’t you??!! :silly:

Well you’re wrong! Hehe! I’ve been slowly (very) working on the bits and pieces that go on in the inside. You know things like shop fixtures & whatnot. So while the walls are still unpainted (except for the white basecoat to seal the MDF) it is still moving forward.

Here are some pics!

Obviously there’s still a lot to be done before these pieces can be considered “done”. I’ve got to paint them with wood grain, pick out some detailing & some other tweaking…. but I thought folks might want to see them “in process” instead of just when they were finished…?

I’m still debating on painting or papering the top & inside of the re-ment counter. I’ll figure it out eventually though I’m thinking I might go with antique gold or brass look for it since that’s a partial theme in the cafe.

I still need to add a hinged flap/to the counter so that I can keep students & other customers from randomly walking behind the counter.

Some of what was done so far:

  • all of the pieces were raised up between  (depended on the piece of furniture.  I wanted the counters to be higher (maybe because I’m short so all counters are naturally higher to me–but doll furniture never seems to be tall enough)
  • All pieces were cleaned (w/soap & water).
  • The barbie counter sides were cut off (they over hung) and the additional pieces were glued on for more detailing.
  • They were all primed & then given a base coat of brown paint.

For those of you who might be curious the counters started life as a barbie counter & a re-ment bakery store counter. The back counters were a sink & a stove from pedigree sindy. I really gotta say the pedigree furniture sure does make for good stock bases for stuff!!!

If anyone’s actually interested in the step-by-step stuff post and or write and let me know. I don’t want to bore people with more details than I have to!

Dorm room & quilt in 1:6 *photos at end*

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, 1:6 scale Dolls & Action Figures, Customs & Re-stylings, Making Stuff, photostory stuff, Sewing in 1:6, Something to share  13 Responses »
May 282010
 

So I mentioned I was taking a brief intermission from working on the Cafe.  I’m planning on getting back to that on Monday so don’t fear! :biggrin:   Anyway I wanted to give you an glimpse of what I’m doing now: I’m working on the Dorm Room diorama/ roomset.  What? What am I talking about? LOL!   Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut…..

What if I could do the “Dorm Room” on the Small Living Room base (aka the Friday Monologue room) ? I’d use  the wall with the door in it (after all it’s a dorm so who cares too much about that?) So I decided what the hell?  I’ve got the walls handy (I just need to give them a couple coats of paint & some skirting boards) toss the beds in and a barbie desk (and wardrobes) and there it is! Ready to go!

The great thing about this is that if I’m careful & tweak things just right–I might actually be able to start proper episodes & photostories for the Quinlan Chronicles.

  • I’ll have the local cafe
  • A student Dorm room
  • Maybe a student Lounge if I  decide to use the Small Living Room set as that (and I don’t see why I couldnt??)

Then really–at least as far as the student stuff goes—I’ve got just about everything I need! (Ok not everything but a lot!) and I can use the same base & part of the walls from August’s Living Room set for a student classroom if I decide I need to do some of those shots in the psys!

Ok so anyway, I was taking a break right???

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigght! :cool:

I saw a thing called a ticker tape quilt. There’s an awesome tutorial that made me feel it was doable: SewMamaSew . So  I wanted to try to make one.  I’m not all that good at quilting (up to now I’d never even completed a quilt) so seeing one that made me feel like “hey, I can probably do that!” was nifty. So I got to work on it–after all if I was going to make a dorm room (for multiple people) different bed treatments would be needed etc.

This is how it sort of started out:

I was lucky that the rolls of scraps I’d gotten last time at the fabric shop had a LOT of small prints. It helped make the quilt seem a little more in scale than it would otherwise have done.

After  all the sewing (and sorry they’re small but they’re still pain in the ass things to sew) I washed it roughly a couple of times in very hot water. I wanted to get the patch pieces to fray (I wasn’t sure if they would since I’d prewashed everything before hand) and I wanted the base of the quilt (white) to have that kind of rumpled/used look that they get.  (I’m not sure how well you can see that in the pics)

I know, not a lot to look at and not really a palette that I would have chosen… Which led me to wonder which of the students it would be meant for?

Yeah. Looks like Eff has claimed it!

Anyway that’s what I was working on the last two days.  Overall I’m happy with it and I learned as I went along which is good. I doubt I’ll ever be a “quilter” since it’s so fussy & nit picky (and part of the reason I liked this kind of quilt was that it seemed to be less-so than usual).

Comments?

The Un-Named Cafe – Update#4 *pics*

 1:6 Props & Miscellany, Customs & Re-stylings, dioramas, Making Stuff, photostory stuff, Something to share, tutorials  5 Responses »
May 232010
 

Making good headway with the cafe project! :biggrin:

Here are some pics to look at! (I’ll try to explain what I’m trying to get across in them) :wink:

This is the back & side of the cafe (before being primed for painting). You should always prime MDF since otherwise it pretty much sucks in coat after coat of paint… ugh.

This is the front of the cafe.

I’m working on what style doorknob/latch I want.And I need to make the mailbox/slot insert. I’m thinking something like worn brass or aged bronze for it and the door handle.

It’s also had the inside walls primed, the front’s been painted with a sand textured paint (it might end up becoming another color but that’s just for now). Some scribed in bricking was added for detail (though it might end up being lost when I make the awnings for the front.

DO you think there needs to be an awning over the door as well as the window? Or just the window/table seating area?

Here’s a shot through the window—you can see the lovely round (smaller) tops that Mark made for my barbie table bases!

Since they started out looking like this:

I think they’re much more in keeping with the cafe feel & size now. (after all they need to pack customers in, don’t they!??!) :wink:

This is the front of the cafe with makeshift sidewalk bases in place. These are previous diorama roomset bases that didn’t end up getting used… (yes they’re small–they were for things like bathrooms & storage closets LOL) so they’re getting used for this.  I’d have liked them to be a bit narrower but eh, I got what I got and that’s what I got! I plan on actually extending them a bit lengthwise so that I have more play with angles I use to shoot.

This is pretty much the whole set (for now) the main diorama roomset, the spacing out front of it for seating & some scenery stuff, and the off side area where the archway is (which could turn into another room down the line if I really needed it to)

Annnnd…there you have it. The current state of the Un-named Cafe Roomset/diorama!

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