Hello Hello~! And what-the-fudge is a BJD?

Wow. It's taken me this long to create a blog?! Bah.

So, hello everyone(anyone...?) and welcome to my new blog-slash-creations-slash-show'n'tell site!

While navigating pretty much anywhere on here, you'll see my Instagram page on the front page, 2 pics always loaded for you to check out. They won't always be about dolls or doll clothing (I'm a sucker for cookies too) but the majority are things I make or am fiddling with to make for dolls!

Bit of back story here~~~

I've honestly been interested in BJD's for the last 12 years or so, when I first saw an absolutely gorgeous fashion doll by some creator while randomly looking at photos on google.

I know, kind of weird right? But she was gorgeous! Her sculpt didn't have that weirdly plastic-shiny look that a lot of dolls made commercially have and her eyes looked like EYES! Real human ones and not soulless, creepy wells of doom that you can find in old Victorian era dolls. Her hair was long and a beautiful mix of browns and coppers, and was in neat waves rather than ringlets, and her outfit was somewhat...well, adult. Low-cut corset, Victorian era (I believe it was more Edwardian?) skirts and train, elegant gloves and purse, all done in maroon and black colors. The sight of that doll sparked my curiosity....

But I didn't DO anything with it. I was at a point in life where I was just....depressed. It took quite a while before I had any interest in the "softer" and "gentler" doll hobby. And you'll know why I put those in quotations before the end of this.

I used to HATE dolls. There, I admit it!

Granted, I played with Barbies and stuff when I was a kid, but she was never just a 'girly doll'. Heck no, MY Barbies were always fairies, mermaids, centaurs, warrior women! I never thought I'd find dolls like those. Ever. Boy was I wrong! I also had a stint where I was into Victorian style porcelain dolls. Until I ended up with one I swear was haunted by something not-so-nice.

Up until about 5 years ago, I didn't do anything with my interests besides fawn over the random images I'd come across online of pretty dolls that didn't really....well, look like dolls. Secretly of course, I was hesitant to say out loud that I loved these dolls because I was supposed to be a grown-up right? Ta heck with that now, I know several 'grown-ups' who have much worse hobbies.

I got into crafts. I got into art, artwork, drawing, painting, beading, weaving, sewing(more, I've been sewing nearly 20 years off and on), singing, sculpting, you name it. I didn't really have a specific FOCUS though.

You know what I mean? I was looking for something to do, that could challenge me, challenge my ideas and imagination. Something I could do that was more unique than common, more diverse than just one thing, day after day. Something that could let me -just maybe- grow? But still seems challenging enough to hold my attention, and isn't something completely unsafe to practice of course.

Then, around 6 years ago, I went and started getting more into bjds. Ball jointed dolls. I had no idea where to even start. Or any money to DO anything hobby-related. So, up until last year, I basically just browsed common websites. And Pinterest. A TON of Pinterest.

Now, let me just say this: I don't work on dolls other than BJDs -Ball Jointed Dolls- anymore. I used to like working on Monster High and Ever After High dolls, but to be honest I found their body styles to be way too unrealistic, even if I was aiming to make a werewolf or mermaid character. I am entirely working only on ball jointed dolls.

But what ARE BJDs, really?

They are amazing resin creations by very gifted sculptors/artists that have moving 'ball' joints at the neck, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles and often the fingers. With the exception of the fingers (more often than not, these are wired for practicality and 'staying' ability), the doll is strung with elastic internally. This means the limbs and 'joints' are held in place by S-shaped hooks that generally attach in the head part of the doll.

My personal doll created by ResinSoul.com! Her name is Amara.

As you can see from the image above, they don't have to be entirely human either, it all depends on the sculpt! Amara (what I named this one) is a 27cm tall Bei (sculpt name) who is literally 27cm tall without a wig or shoes on. Her faceup (makeup and eyebrows, lips, cheek color, etc. Anything to do with the facial artistry) was done by me when she arrived last November of 2017, and I have changed it up a little since then. Her ears are prominent in this image, and it's obvious that she's bald, without any blushing(body color) but here she is anyways. I took this image back in December, when I had first made a small skirt I was proud of for dolls her size.

I've discovered in my years of interest, that BJD's can come in a million different styles, shapes, sizes and even colors. Some are even pitch black, or bright purple, it's amazing to see what is out there!

To get an idea, here are a few of my own personal favorites (ie. a few I would give all the monies too in order to own. If I had any.)

Pardon if the images are a little wonky. On the left is a gorgeous Centaur, middle is a fairy, and on the right is a dragonet! Just some of the many bizarre and amazing dolls out there.

By the way, all of these dolls are ones that I absolutely adore but happen to be sold out completely! I can't even find them in second hand places online. That happens a lot with the bjd hobby, certain dolls (called sculpts) are made and then advertised in a certain number (say 50 dolls only world wide) in order to keep costs at a decent level and to give a bit of hype to the release. I'll explain some of that later on in future posts.

There are also dolls that aren't limited edition, such as FairyLand. This company has a ton of dolls of various styles and sizes, and even species! Centaurs, mermaids, griffins, you name it! This company is one of the most expensive out there, or so I've found so far in my explorations. A doll in fullset (everything from the doll to the makeup to elaborate outfits and wigs, shoes, weapons, etc.) can cost upwards of $1000.00USD for example.

For the beginner doll owner, I'd suggest ResinSoul, they sell adorable dolls that are a variety of sizes, from 27cm to a whopping 70cm! My Bei doll is one of the smallest, and she doesn't have a lot of anatomical features to her body, but that's fine since she's covered in clothing a good amount of the time. Some dolls are....really, really detailed.

Anyways, check out the awesome website at www.resinsoul.com and feel free to contact the admin there, called Sun! It might take them a bit to get back to you but they generally respond within about 2-4 days!

I think for my next blog post I might talk about the terminology of dolls, or the different companies and dealers!