Sculpting Gillian Anderson 2

This has been a full day! I've completed quite a few steps, and forgotten to blog about them prior to today. But you can still visit my in progress album if you are interested in seeing how she got to the point she's at now.
Thanks again for following along. :o) xo

Handmade Sweet Amigurumi Cuddle Flower

$40.00 USD

Only 1 available

Want different colors? +$5 and a week to make it is all I ask :o)

These little amigurumi dolls are custom made by me just for you! Why? As Sarah says, "Because they're cool and awesome!" and as Christi says "I love them because they are kinda like having a little friend with you all the time that you can just give a little squeeze so that you don't feel so all alone"

They are hand crocheted out of my own original patterns and designs. I am willing to take custom orders as well, so if you like the doll but would like different colors, please contact me with your request. (please allow 1 week extra for me to make the custom dollies)

Add them to your NEW CHIBITUDE AMIGURUMI collection (he he), or pin them on your shirt or hat, maybe put them on a little key chain or spritz them with your favorite perfume and carry them on your purse.

They are washable and filled with polyfill. (Cold water, air dry)

Made with love from me to you!

xo Maddy 

Sculpting Gillian Anderson 1

I've started Scully, and she's in the oven baking right now. If it's ok with the commissioner of this doll, I'd like to dress her in a pretty suit with a skirt. I've been watching the X-files to get a feel of the character and she had a really lovely brown suit and a pretty rose colored suit. They were so nice and tailored, and maybe I'll be able to duplicate one of those.

She's got little pointy feet because I'm going to put her in dress shoes, well not high heeled ones but flats. I'm excited to get going with her. Her face was a challenge and I don't think she looks much like her, but I think when she's all finished, dressed, painted and wigged, it'll be easy to tell who she's supposed to be.

Follow along with me while I sculpt Gillian if you're interested. I'd love to have you along :o)

xoxo

Sculpting David Duchovny 4

2011-06-21-ScullyMulder028.jpg	2011-06-21-ScullyMulder027.jpg			2011-06-21-ScullyMulder015.jpg

He's finished! All that's left is his badge, but I will wait until I'm finished with Gillian and make them both at the same time. Come see the progress photos if you like that kind of thing :o)

Sculpting David Duchovny 3

New updates on Mulder. View his photo album if you're interested to see his suit jacket and his new trench coat. Wigging comes next. :o) Thanks Friends. xoxo

Sculpting David Duchovny 2

He's been through is first bake. As you can see, when he came out of the oven he had a couple of cracks on his face. This is not a problem, because I use Kato clay, it does have a tendency to show cracks when it comes from the oven, but they close up most of the way as the clay cools. I normally don't see cracks like this when I bake over wood, so there must be something that relates to using the sculpey ultra light as an armature.

 

After the first bake of a Shimai head, I paint it and then coat it with a layer of Translucent Liquid Sculpey. I do this for a couple of reasons. Firstly to make the paint more durable. Secondly to add strength to the sculpture, and thirdly to fill any little cracks that have developed during the first bake.

Below is a picture of Mulder's face after it's been painted. You can see by the picture that the cracks have closed up partially just during the cooling time that it took for me to paint him.

He is now in the oven on his second back with his TLS skin applied. In about 10 minutes I'll be able to remove him and start to assemble his body.

xoxo

Sculpting David Duchovny

Here's my progress on my new sculpture. You can follow along either with photos, or by watching the videos. The photos are found here: http://chibitude.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=23

The videos are below :o)

 

This is a posable Kawaii Shimai (Cute Little Sisters). If you'd like to keep involved with my work, please subscribe to my channel and sign up for my mailing list at my website. http://chibitude.com

If you'd like to see progress pics on most of my newer work you can "like" my Chibitude Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chibitude/110956632275828 Not only do I post the pics, I also sent out notification when my items go for sale.

Today I made Marshmallow Heads 2

Here's how I use the Marshmallow Heads as promised yesterday :o)

Today I made Marshmallow Heads

She thought we were having marshmallows, and then
she realized it was just Sculpey Ultralight.

Hah! Did that get your attention?? LOL They look like marshmallows don't they? They felt like it too before I baked them.

What that is is a pack of Sculpey Ultralight, cut up into 16 pieces, and molded into the shape of little Kawaii Shimai skulls to use as armatures under my little dolls.

In the past, I've used a wooden bead with aluminum foil wrapped around it. I didn't like this because I didn't like trying to mold the foil into the right shape. Plus it was hard on my hands making sure I got it pressed in tight.

I've also used a larger wooden bead with a little foil, and then covered in my favorite 2 part epoxie. Although this is a really good way to do it, the heads are quite heavy and make it harder to pose the dolls. Plus, the 2 part epoxy is messy to work with. It's ok if I'm doing something that's made primarily out of it, but when I'm just having to get into that mess every time I want to make a doll, well it's annoying.

Don't know if you've ever noticed my hands but they are dry and my nails are rough. It's all the hand washing I do, from after the foil, after the epoxy, after I pet my dog, after I wipe the table, during the dishes...etc etc. I do indeed think I wash them too much, but I can't stand to have dirty hands. Paint on them? That's fine. But not dirty.

Anyhoo, When I start my next kawaii shimai, I'll take some pictures showing how I use these little skulls.

xoxo Maddy

WIP River Song from Doctor Who 7

Well well well....I gave myself a deadline and was much more optimistic of my skills than I deserved...LOL It's 8:30 pm, I'm exhausted and hungry and still haven't finished. Before I could make the holster, I needed to make the gun and this really took me all day to do. Why??? Cuz I've never done it before and had to try and figure out how to do it. Now that it's finished, I look back and could have probably not gone through so much but anyways, it is want it is.

I went to walmart and walked through the whole store trying to find something to get me started. Searched the toy department, and found perfect guns, but 7 bucks??? And not to mention, no learning that way. But I did find this.

They're these connectors for a radio or car lights or something manly. I thought they looked like they'd be good gun parts.

So After I got home, I wired them together to create this armature.

 

Next added clay and baked it.

And here's the finished gun.

But there's a problem......It's so big, it doesn't fit like it's supposed to, in a holster worn on her thigh. But I like the gun, I like it out of proportion too, but am not sure how to place it on her.

 

Any advice?? Please help if you have an idea.

WIP River Song from Doctor Who 6

River's Jacket is finished! And I like it so much. I didn't know what I was going to use for the fur, but I found a scrunchy at Family Dollar that was made from the prettiest yarn for only $1 (for 3 of them). The purple and pink are in my pigtails, but the white one, I unraveled the yarn and sewed it to the collar of her jacket making loopies with each stitch to give it a kind of pretty lambs wool appearance. I like this very much and am sure that I will use this technique again for other items.

Next on the agenda, holster, gun and pouch waist belt. These I been dreading because I've not got a plan of action yet. But I HAVE to get them done today! My very own self imposed deadline. And I'm sticking to it!!

WIP River Song from Doctor Who 5

She's coming along so well. I'm super happy with her. Please don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm great at this stuff, but I'm doing a great job with the skills that I have. So YAY! :o) Ok, She's got her leather jacket fixed up. A bigger collar and a couple of brass studs. And her belt is ready to go too. Nice and tight around her waist.

Next is the over jacket. I'll make it from white fabric and then put fur on the collar. Not really "fur" but maybe some kind of fuzzy crochet stitch or something. Something to make it interesting. :o) More pics later.

Thanks again!!

The Galaxy Stitch

I just learned this new stitch from one of the people I subscribe to on youtube. Her name is Teresa Richardson, and she goes by Crochet Geek. Visit her channel here: http://www.youtube.com/show/crochetgeek?s=1

I love her videos and sometime just to wind down and fall asleep, I'll get out my yarn and a hook and learn something new from her. Tonight is one of those nights.

I think this stitch is very pretty! And the yarn is also wonderful. I got it at walmart. It's called Peaches N Cream. I love this yarn, it's very soft. I get it when it's on sale because it's not very inexpensive.

I'm trying to figure out what I should make out of this pretty stitch. Any suggestions???

WIP River Song from Doctor Who 4

River now has her snazzy boots. She likes them and so do I. They are not attached at the ankle so that she still is able to move her feet. The Fixit Sculpt worked great for the soles of her shoes. I mixed black paint into it, but after only reaching a gray, I liked it and decided to stop.

Well, her jacket has been started as well. It's closure is a little piece of velcro, but I don't believe that will hold. Since she'll be getting a belt it shouldn't matter. I'm still trying to decide if I want to add sleeves to the jacket she has on here, or if I want to make a white over jacket with the fur collar. I'll keep working and thinking.

WIP River Song from Doctor Who 3

Moving along nicely :o) River now has her pants and I'm working on her boots. Since I started her boots, she seems to be getting sassier and sassier. That's ok with me. Normally I like to bake the soles onto the shoes, but I did a test with the material I used, and it didn't work out well. The material didn't shrink or melt, but there's a pretty heavy small of plastic in my room now and I only had it in for about 15 minutes. That's not good. Sooooo I will make the soles another way :o) Air dry clay would be great for this. OOrrrr....Just came to me, I can use my 2 part epoxie :o) Very good!

WIP River Song from Doctor Who 2

I've painted her face, and I think she looks really pretty. Now you may be noticing that she looks a little snarly. That's because I'm want her to have that "I've gotta gun" look.

I'm going to start working on her clothing next. Not exactly sure how I'm going to tackle it because it's a little more accessorized than the previous Shimais. 

You can follow long with her process by visiting her photo album or by becoming a "fan" of my Chibitude page.

Thanks! Talk soon! xo

WIP River Song from Doctor Who

I'm starting a new doll. This is River Song from Doctor Who. She is baked and ready to be assembled and painted. If you're interested in following along, her update photos can be found here! Thanks buddies! xoxo

Chibitude Photo Album - River Song Alex Kingston Dr Who

chibitude.com

I've uploaded a couple of Videos of My Pet

Just a Test

Image by sgrace via FlickrOn the left side of my blog there is a section where someone can subscribe to my blog by receiving emails. I thought it would be neat to see how this function works, so I signed up myself. This is just a test to try out the feedburner section of my blog. According to the instructions, because I subscribed via email, I should get an email once I publish this. Let's see if this works.

I'm going to add some pictures too and see what happens.

Chibitude Update!

Ann of Green Gables 2 I wanted to send a quick note to all my mailing list subscribers to let you know what I've been up to. In the past I never did custom orders because it would stress me so that I'd have panic attacks. But now, I'm over my attacks and am having a wonderful time working on custom orders. If you are interested in a custom Kawaii Shimai, you can contact me any time and tell me your ideas. Here's a picture of the last custom order that I completed. She was so much fun to make! I really like sculpting children. If you'd like to see her progress photos you can by visiting her photo album. If you haven't been to the website for awhile, please feel welcome to look around. There are a lot of changes to the site, a video section, and also links to my facebook, twitter, myspace etc pages. Have a great Evening!! If you would like to be removed from this mailing list, or have been sent this message on error, please send a blank email to maddy@chibitude.com with unsubscribe in the subject line. You've received this email from: Maddy Nupp McDonald 1011 Berkley Rd Auburndale, FL 33823 copyright 2011 chibitude

Blog Post

I've Started a New Doll   Here's the little one I'm working on today. I'll paint her eyes tonight and then I think that will be it for today. Gives me a reason to wake up in the morning :o) Chibitude Photo Album - Anne of Green Gables 2

Collectors and Artists Group!

Come and join our new Facebook group created for both artists AND collectors.  Here we can communicate with one another, sharing our ideas, and desires for art. Let's help one another out during this rough time we're having with our economy. Let's work together so that we can make the things that people want the most. Artists, feel free to promote your work at our group....no matter where you sell!! Ask collectors what they're looking for. Take polls! Collectors, make your wishes known to the artists about what kind of things you like, and are looking for. Take the opportunity to get to know your favorite collectors and artists. And everyone, just have fun!! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_133448630066989

xoxo Maddy I hope you like the new chibi and look forward to sharing move with you very soon!! Would you like to join my mailing list? If you forward this to 10 people you will meet the love of your life and a wish will be granted! Just teasing...Please forward to anyone that you think might be interested! :o) If you would like to be removed from this mailing list, or have been sent this message on error, please send a blank email to maddy@chibitude.com with unsubscribe in the subject line. You've received this email from: Maddy Nupp McDonald 1011 Berkley Rd Auburndale, FL 33823 copyright 2011 chibitude

WIP Agent Scully Updates

I'm finally moving along with my Scully doll. I got into a pickle when I was trying to make removable shoes for her. I wanted to be able to make her pants removable and needed to have her shoes removable for this to work. But alas, this was not in the cards. These dolls are too small and I'm too inexperienced in making removable clothes for this to work.

So I sculpted her cute little shoes, and had to construct her pants over her legs. But the results are cute and she looks tailored. I'll be starting her blouse next and then a nice black jacket.

You can see all of her progress pictures here.
http://chibitude.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=18

Nice website!

I spent a couple of hours this morning at this website. The author is very informative and willing to share what she's learned. I thought maybe some of my blog readers might be able to get some enjoyment from her page as well :o)
http://www.making-doll-clothes.com

Melting Temperatures of Household Items

Remember Phoebe's brother on Friends? His hobby was melting stuff, and his interests were in watching stuff melt. He he he....Funny stuff. I wish I really knew him though because I'm constantly finding myself trying to figure out the temperature that many common items melt as so I know whether I can use it with my polymer clay or not.

I thought I'd start this post, and return to it often and add any information I find as I find it. That way I can share the info with anyone who needs it.

shrink art......................................................275-325
nylon...............................................................510
polyester...........................................................490
hot glue (low temp).................................................250
hot glue (high temp)................................................380
friendly plastic....................................................200

The temperatures that I have verified are highlighted.

Tool work today

Not much going on yet today. I am starting a new Shimai, but needed to get some things finished with my little tools first. Here's a pic.

 

I needed to make a strong handle for my eyebrow comb. I use this when I wig the dolls, and I am breaking them all the time. I've gone through 3 of them just in the past two months, so I figured I'd better get this taken care of before it was time to wig the new Shimaii.

Under that are just my brushes. I got these nail brushes from a website called Suntek or something like that. They came from china, great price. But the nibs like to fall off the handles. So That's all I did here, was use the Fix-it sculpt to make sure that didn't happen anymore.

The bottom tool is built on a toothpick. I'm going to use that for the eyes on my new Shimaii. All these tools should be ready to use in about 30 minutes. They've been sitting a couple of hours.

 

Just wanted to show a closeup of the bottom end of the eyebrow brush. It's got the soft brush which works for putting on powders. I carved dragon scales into the end as well, hoping that maybe I can use it to texture a chibi or two.

That's it for now. More updates as I get things done :o) 

xoxo