This project has been sometime in the making and feels like its taken FOREVER to complete.. (due to lack of hobby time, 9 month old baby's don't look after themselves! hehe) I almost gave up on it, but am glad now that I didn't as I can happily say my Tokidoki look-a-like is now complete (apart from no shoes) . Of course she is not exactly the same as the original Tokidoki doll but hey! lets be honest, who wants to create something that is exactly the same???
This gal is my first custom OOAK. Not a bad effort for a first timer!
To begin with, I didn't wipe the face off completely, I just enhanced her features and changed the lipstick colour
All the clothes are home made by yours truly. Tattoos are temporary tattoos with clear nail polish over the top to seal them.
The hair on this doll has always been in terrible condition ever since I bought her from the secondhand shop. I tried washing it several times, poured boiling water over it several times but nothing seemed to work! UNTIL I tried washing it one last time with an Avon shampoo that really did work a treat. Prior to using the Avon shampoo, I was at my wits end with the hair and decided to cut half of it of and flock the side...that way I only had half of the terrible hair to work with!! Its like there was glue inside the head and it had seeped out into the hair! I think I have read about other people experiencing issues with glue and hair also. Mattel, what are you doing to these dolls!
Before repainting the face
You can see in this photo how stiff and stringy looking the hair is.
VERY unmanageable!
Adding some flocking meant left less of that awful hair to work with!
Progress on my hobbies has been slow, very slow over the last few weeks that's because I havn't been working on them!
I started my OOAK Tokidoki lookalike about 3 weeks ago and have not been back to her since. I do however plan on getting her finished at some stage. This project has been a real trial and error kind of project.
I'm modelling my OOAK of this beauty
The doll initially wanted to use has proved to have terrible hair! After cutting and washing her hair several times it remains stiff and also sticky. I tried to tame her hair by using boiling water to set it straight, BUT, it remains stiff and sticky! what can I do about this?
I really liked the eyes on this doll, so rather than removing the factory paint, I altered them just a tad to suit my liking by enhancing the eyeliner. The lips are yet to be altered.
Before painting
After the repaint
Now comes the fun part, applying tattoos. This should be as easy as 1,2,3...WRONG! The temporary tattoos I had bought were terrible to apply and rubbed off super easy or came off while applying another tattoo. Many tattoos had been applied and "fun" was turning into "nightmare."
Tattoos that kept washing /rubbing off
I soon discovered one of the issues of failed tattoo application was my patience level! I needed to slow down and apply one at a time, let the tattoo dry and seal it before moving on to the next (sometimes I rush things due to not getting much hobby time). So, in order to seal the tattoos I use clear nail polish. This works a treat.
You may of noticed a different body has been used in the second application of tattoos. I decided due to the stiff/sticky hair on the other doll that I would flag using her and start again. Unfortunately the only doll I had left to make a OOAK was one with the painted on swimsuit...ARRR Mattel! why do they do such things. Not a fan of the painted on swimsuits as you can probably tell. Anyway, this issue will not stand in my way as the jumper/top I have sewn for this gal will cover up the swimsuit but still show off the back tattoo.
As for Miss Sticky Hair, she will not go to waste. I do plan on finishing her at some stage but for now she is "on the back burner until further notice"
OOAK... It was an abbreviation I had seen many times and always thought "what the heck does that mean?" I was soon to discover what this magnificent little abbreviation stood for and unleash a new hobby.
It was whilst searching for information on Fashionista's that I came across what I would call "A True Beauty" of a doll. The 2011 Tokidoki Barbie. I wanted, I want this doll! However, as prices for her are somewhat high, she's one I can assure you I certainly will not be adding to my collection any time soon but rather to my list of "Dream Dolls"
With the new found knowledge of OOAK aka custom dolls and my ultimate Barbie doll being on my "Dream Dolls" list, thus prompted me into creating my own Tokidoki lookalike. But where on earth do I start??? what paints do I use? how do I dye the hair? What will my painting skills be like? Can I actually do this.? With so many questions looming, the obvious starting point was of course Google...(we all know our ol' pal Google has the answers) and answers I found.
Now that I had some answers to my questions it was time to get some results. Upon planning to use acrylic paints, I stumbled across this video on YouTube which uses watercolour pencils....who would have thought! SugarCharmShop is the name this lovely lady calls her channel on YouTube, she has some very impressive tutorials, check em' out!
Now, bearing in mind that I am indeed a beginner I was not expecting my first attempt to be perfect. Using the watercolour pencils proved to be an excellent choice for me, "the beginner" as it gave me an instant colour palette with many different shades to choose from, also, the pencil is easy to rub of with water and cotton buds if an error occurs. I used Faber-Castell pencils. Overall, I was pleased with the end result (please note, its only the eyes I have been practicing painting)
Factory makeup before removal
Makeup removed
The final result
However, in saying I was pleased with the end result, I found doing the eyelashes to be somewhat difficult...one wrong lash throws the whole face out. I watched some more videos on YouTube and consulted with my dear friend Uncle Google on the matter but didn't really find anything that was of much help. I guess its a matter of reverting to the old adage "practice makes perfect."
And practice is what I have been doing.....
The second practice doll
Practicing painting eyes of different colours
After my attempts with the watercolours, I was now feeling confident to give the acrylics a go! What a huge difference these make. Much more vibrant and clear.
Watercolour on left, acrylics on right
My next step in producing a custom doll was sorting out the hair. I wanted colour in the hair and once again called upon Google to see what could be done in order to change the dolls hair colour. I knew that rerooting was an option, however, I also knew that rerooting takes some time to do and this was not the option I was looking for. The option that suited me best was found at I Am Love Dolls. This option for dying the hair uses acrylic paints. Although there are betters ways to dye the hair, I found this worked for me as it is inexpensive and simple to do.
Blue hair using acrylic paints
On the whole, I still have a long way to go before I create my lookalike Tokidoki doll. Many more hours of practice are on the cards for me! Meanwhile, I shall keep searching for tips on customizing dolls :)
