All is Full of Love

So for a little bit of Background I've had this doll since I was 16 (I'm 33 right now) and have been meaning to tackle this for just as long but never had the confidence or the decisiveness to figure out what I wanted until this year. I decided to mod her after an OC because it felt the most fitting. Without further ado, I'll get right to it.

The BJD I have is from LUTS and is a Kid Delf Cherry, dreaming version, which is also a discontinued model. The dolls are made out of a high quality resin and no tutorials or reddit forums will prepare you for what it's like to work on this material lol This is my first and only project like this and I really chose hard mode for my first mod, BUT! I am still mostly happy with the result.

First off I made a digital mock up for the idea I wanted and gathered my materials.

The supplies I have pictured here is Pan Pastel Titanium White which would be the main base for her skin colour (don't cheap out on this, these pastels are worth it), chalk pastels for the details, titanium white Milliput for the mods, various watercolour and pastel brushes, sand paper, heavy acrylic gel medium for the scarring and acrylic gloss medium for final touches. Not pictured is the sealant spray, Mr. Super Clear Matte (highly advise using this, don't compromise), a respirator mask (REQUIRED, DON'T USE A REGULAR DUST MASK, You'll want one that filters organic vapours because you'll be using A LOT of sealant. I got mine at Home Depot for $60) regular watercolours (I have a mix of Reeves and Marie's which seemed to do fine), A rotating tool and Tamiya Epoxy putty.

The first thing I did was clean my doll best I could, let her dry and then sprayed her with a single layer of MSC. You'll want to do this because this will prevent the resin from being stained by your materials if you decide you ever want to redo it. (Windsor and Newtons brush cleaner will safely take a face up off of this grade of resin). Then I jumped into the mods using the Milliput, the self curing epoxy.

Extra note: Make sure you wait at least 15 minutes between each layer of sealant.

This was also my first time using Milliput which presented it's own challenges. It is a two part epoxy so you do have to mix it together with the hardening agent. Cut off LESS than you think you need and work in small batches (I stupidly didn't do this and ended up wasting a huge chunk), the curing takes about 3-4 hours and you have a small window before it becomes difficult to manipulate. Also wear gloves when activating and modeling!!! I ended up using a wire to give structure to the horns since the material was so unwieldy when it's fresh. The ears came easier and to be safe, I let it cure over night. The next day I was able to file down the mods with a rotating tool (you can also use a dremel, but definitely wear your respirator through this step, there will be A LOT of debris flying around and you don't want to be breathing that in. Also all your spraying and sanding should be done outside or a well ventilated area.) Once I was happy with how much I filed down for the mods, there were places that got a little uneven so I filled the gaps with Tamiya epoxy putty and sanded it down again after letting it cure over night. Tamiya works much like the Milliput but is better suited for details and repair.

Extra note: Epoxy like Milliput and Tamiya adheres very well to most surfaces and is extremely resilient. The ears actually did pop off without damaging the resin underneath but the horns stayed pretty solid. It was reassuring to me that it didn't break the original resin and was easily glued on with Aleen's Clear Tacky Glue. (I would recommend a glue like this, don't use super glue or stronger because it will damage the resin.)

Also, during this phase I did accidentally damage some of the resin around the mod so be careful when using the dremel/rotating tool. The sandpaper bit was extremely helpful with getting it down most efficiently, switch to the dremel bits for more precision.

After sanding and making sure it was to the shape I wanted I did the simpler mod, which was the base for veins and scarring on the body. It's difficult to see but you can apply it with a brush or a toothpick. After, I sprayed another layer of MSC I got started on applying what would be the main base for her skin with the titanium white Pan Pastel.

This step took the majority of my time, it took a LONG time to get it to the desirable colour and I still couldn't achieve the bright white I envisioned, but I think it still worked out. I used the spongy brushes that were recommended for the Pan Pastels and would use a soft watercolour brush to help even out each application.

After about 15 layers of pastel and sealant, I got it to a colour I could work with. It was difficult to make sure the application was even and with the many layers that I put down, eventually it was impossible to keep smooth. There is also a huge difference in texture, the original silky softness of the resin is long gone, which is something to prepare for if you're going to attempt an extensive modification like this one. Chipping is also inevitable even with all the layers of sealant, especially around joints, so don't stress about putting so much detail in those areas.

Finally, I started on details by grounding up some of the chalk pastels I had and layered them as carefully as possible. The nice thing about these pastels was that I could mix colours without worrying about contaminating my expensive pan pastel.

This step was tricky, especially with the fingertips and toes that would be the darkest. Be patient though and you can always even it out a little with using a clean pastel brush or the base for your skin colour.

Another layer of colour with the pastels and sealant and then I was ready to apply watercolours. Acrylic inks are usually recommended for this step but I used watercolours because I knew I wouldn't have a steady enough hand to get it right without multiple tries. My experience with the medium was mostly successful but a little too much water will cause the paint to bead, so just be aware of your ratios. For the brushes you use, I recommend using one with a long and thin brush rather than a tiny short one. The longer ones hold much more paint and you can still achieve fine lines, though that comes with practice.

This is the layer before adding gloss medium and installing the eyelashes. For the gloss, use it sparingly because even with the sealant, it will activate the materials underneath. It will also make your colours appear darker, so my doll looks a little more goth than I intended but c'est la vie, it still fits. keeping that in mind, you might want to scale your colours back just a touch to avoid that surprise deepening of hue. The eyelashes I used I got from the drugstore, I bought the tiniest I could find from the brand Quo and they applied pretty easy. Use the glue that it comes with and a bit of Aleene's glue and it's good to go. After everything was said and done, I did two layers of MSC and called it a day. Transference of the pastels is also unavoidable, even with the last couple layers of sealant but it will help mitigate it at the very least. These dolls aren't meant to be toys so do what you can to reduce contact with the doll. I always planned to have this doll fully dressed anyway, so I wasn't worried about that reality.

But finally we reached the end! This was definitely a difficult project and I learned a ton about the medium and the material these dolls are made of. It really makes you appreciate the artistry that goes into it. If I ever do this type of project again, I'll definitely do something simpler. Overall, this was very fulfilling and I'm happy with the result, even if with all the mistakes and challenges. It's not perfect by any stretch but it's one of a kind and perfectly suited to me!