BugMemory

Hello! I haven't started sewing mine yet, but they actually sent me two kits by mistake, and I don't seem to have a QR code in either of them. I looked through the foam bags and the fabric bags for both.

Slightly updated the art on this! I changed the border.

I just ordered these to do a special print on textured paper, where I will hand draw some gold accents on it with a fine-tipped gold paint pen. They'll be numbered and signed and I'm doing 25 of them! I will have them at Resin Rose in August. If I have left over ones, I'll offer them online.

Pose testing le sphinx

I don't have "in stock" dolls. I can't afford that. TH-BJD is almost $50 per bottle and it takes several bottles for me to print a doll. I want to be really transparent with people because I don't like the sort of mystique people seem to have around artists. Making dolls is money- and time-intensive

In order for me to make a few dolls, I need to float that money, and I need to sell other dolls to fund that. So like, for the five dolls I made for NYC con, I sold four of them so I could cover (SOME OF) my travel expenses and the cost of making dolls to have at my booth there. People seemed to think that I just live in a house surrounded by dolls I generated (I kinda do tbh but I mean, of "in stock" dolls I am intending to sell at some point), which is nottttt the case and probably never will be the case except for VERY small handfuls of them for cons.

Because I print my dolls, I'm doing everything. I'm not complaining. I'm not overwhelmed. I do what I can within my means and capabilities. I see artists complain about being burnt out and stuff and I suspect it's because they don't properly plan/budget/have self-care? idk. I'm not burnt out. I just don't have like, the capacity that a larger company has because I don't have employees. I'm not a casting company. I print shit. I sculpt a doll for literally a year as I print other dolls. I have to clean and sand everything and do all the packaging and marketing shit myself so basically my time gets divided between several disciplines rather than me having an employee doing each different thing.

I think in the future I'm gonna be more clear with people and say I'm not going to re-release a doll, because after making like four different sculpts, I legit have no interest in going back to a previous sculpt, printing more of them, re-releasing them, or (when applicable) having more cast. So, I don't want to give people false hope by saying I will do something in the future. It sounds kinda lame like I'm trying to instill fomo by being like "this will be the only release! idk if I'll do this again!" but um. I lose interest like CRAZY because to me, the project is "finished" once I make a few, and my brain just like, moves on.

Hey all, jsut wanted to share a lil update about what I'm doing right now, so, read on for like an actual blog entry about this

I'm like, touching grass. I'm wanting to get back more into traditional drawing in my sketchbook, just to draw for the fun of it or draw observational things. I've been doing that a few times per week and it's been great so far. Not necessarily gonna share everything I draw, because it's kinda just for myself and for practice, and I don't want to be in the habit of feeling like I have to share everything.

But also I'm doing doll stuff. My printers are going every day and I'm printing big werewolf parts! This next one is a cream pink Violet, who is the Violet closest to being paid off. I finally fixed Printer 2 with a combination of a new motor and larger lift distance (Printer 1 never needed that, and I'm just gonna have to accept that 2 just is pickier despite being identical in model and younger in age and usage hours by a year)

After NYC con, I ordered a huge vibratory tumbler from Eastwood to hopefully help me with post-processing. It came with the green plastic pyramid media (pictured), which I tried on some of my larger misprinted parts. It has worked well so far, but I needed more media to cover the large parts. (I ordered two different ones to mix; one just arrived yesterday and they sent me the wrong kind, but I should be able to use the second one I get by itself and start testing it and sanding smaller pieces until I get more of the correct kind)

Unlike my sandblaster, this seems very promising. I ordered a ceramic media instead of plastic, for a few reasons, but will use the plastic if I haaave to. I'm very much looking forward to using this, though, and it could possibly be the game changing thing that greatly helps me with my job.