So are you tired of the shiny body look?

Don’t like your figures in pictures showing so clearly where your lights were positioned?

Do you want a matte and slightly more human look to the skin? Have you got an hour or so to spare? If so then read on!

Seriously. there isn’t much to it and I think there’s a grand total of about 3 or 4 pics…

But first…a bit of background on why I did this!

For a while I have been wondering if it was worth the effort of sanding the cy girl 2.0 body down to remove the shine and make it matte. Those bodies are really wonderful as far as pose-ability go. However they are very shiny and they do have that some-what weird looking crotch area. (I won’t mention detailing that at the moment.

I’m very meh about sanding bodies. I gave it up when I got rid of my Volks Super Dollfies years ago. The order of the day with those dolls was spending hours (and days) sanding down joints, seams, and making aesthetic changes with the aid of sandpaper. The thought of having to go through all that again for a cy girl didn’t fill me with much joy.

However… As Mark so rightly pointed out–most people walking around aren’t shiny. (ok some of us with poor complexions probably do!) the absolute plus side to doing it is that the figure is small in comparison and won’t take nearly as long!

You will need the following items:

• 1 figure (that you want to de-shine)

• a couple pieces of 400 grit wet-dry sandpaper. (easier to use this wet, it keeps the dust level down, and keeps the figure cleaner)

• water (I use an old tea bowl because of the wide mouth–but anything that will hold water will do–just don’t drink it!)

• paper towels or a soft absorbent cloth–to wipe up excess water/spills/drops. Occasionally you can also wipe down the body too.

• be safe: use a mask or respirator whenever you do any kind of sanding. If the stuff gets in the lungs it can be nasty!

The How-To part:

Get your workspace ready: if you’re working on your computer desk–like I am–you’ll want to put down some stuff to keep things from getting too messy. (I like to use greaseproof paper (or baking parchment) since it is cheap and disposable–and puts up nicely with repeated soakings and spills without bleeding through to my cutting mat below.)

• I generally take a sheet of 400 grit wet-dry sandpaper and cut it into smaller pieces so that it is easier to work with. (think about 2.5×2 inches).

• fill the tea bowl with warm water.

• Put some music on or a video. It’s repetitive work so it is good to have something.

• Wet the sandpaper and pick a place to start. I like to start on the lower leg-shin area. gently sand using small circular motions .

• Repeat, Repeat, Repeat. Remember to periodically rinse and when necessary-replace the piece of sandpaper with a new one.

• Move on to other parts of the body as you complete each area.

• When you are finished take the figure and rinse it off throughly in running water to remove any sand/grit & plastic remnants.

Before and After pic:

Now, it’s up to you– you can blush & detail the body. You can seal it. It’s up to you! (but the shine is gone!)