Dioramas by Amber Park

Posted on the doll boards today were photos by Amber Park of some of her amazing diorama creations.

Click here to see the entire set of images. You will not be disappointed!

Randall Craig's IFDC Fashion Collection

Earlier this evening, Christina Goodison aka Shuga-Shug posted this delightful picture of her Poppy dolls wearing the fashions Randall Craig designed for IFDC 2011. She is selling an additional set of NRFB fashions on eBay.

See more of Shuga-Shug's photographs.

Everything Changes or Needs To

Our house went live on MLS earlier today. I'm numb. It's such a leap into the unknown to sell a house. I have to admit that dolls are not in the forefront of my mind right now but I am still here. The sum of my doll play in the last few days has been admiring those that still populate my showcases. I miss letting the world go and sitting down with a doll to redress her.
In order to remind myself of my pre-orders I created a chart on one piece of paper which has a little picture of the impending doll and how much I paid for it. I still have 8 on the way.  In addition, the exclusive Comicon Ghoulia is joining the tribe courtesy of Christina. EEK.
So...if I feel deprived I just have to look at my chart. Unfortunately I have no time to feel deprived right now. Less time to shop - although I managed to squeeze in a few separates from OOAK designers. LOL.

I never got around to giving a little review of two new dolls Integrity Toys surprised everyone with last week, "Follow the Line" Kesenia and "Current Pursuits" Vanessa.

"Follow the Line" Kesenia

Click on the images to see how they've been Photoshopped. Sadly, no amount of Photoshopping can change the true appearance of this doll's mouth. A snap-on face plate to change her looks would have been helpful. I haven't made a secret of my opinion of Kesenia's sculpt. It's too bad because the rest of the doll looks very nice. I'm not sure if the outfit is black but it's a nice pant suit.

Vanessa (aka Fauxnessa by many devotees) is absolutely a doll I do not need. I could almost not believe it myself. I am a Vanessa lover and have all of them - some multiples as well. I ordered "Dress Code" Vanessa in spite of the cold reception she received.  I ordered the W Club Vanessa, too, mainly because I think the fashion is beautiful.  But when I saw Current Pursuits, the spell was broken. She looks like so many other recently released IT dolls.

"Current Pursuits" Vanessa

She's pretty. The outfit is cute but how many shorts with little jackets or trench coats and white shirts does one  need? I understand themed lines but there's very little variety here.

The shorts (or in the case of the DG, mini skirts), little jacket, blouse trend crosses all of IT's lines this year.  It has yet to show up on the Monogram dolls but I wouldn't be surprised.

Imogen: London Mist

I'm lucky to be the shipping buddy to a European collector that allows me to debox her goodies and photograph them before shipping. It benefits both of us as I repack her stuff lighter by eliminating unnecessary packaging and I get to play with dolls that I didn't order.

This doll is one of the many new sculpts that Integrity Toys introduced recently. There are several new faces now that look similar and I have to look up who is who. She has a Nu-Face body.  Imogen has a serene look and a sculpt that I'd love to see repainted by Chewin or a similarly talented repainter.

London Fog's double breasted trench coats are well known and Imogen is wearing a double breasted coat belted in pink. It's a cute garment but why can't the hooks be sewn on so they are invisible? I normally Photoshop these defects out of my images for publication but in this case, here is what it looks like. The coat fits well so it's not the fabric pulling that is causing this.

Her hair is chopped short in a shaggy fashion. Some may like this but I would have preferred a more careful styling with a razor.

Black rhinestone stud earrings. Yawn.

Under the coat she is wearing tights and a lacey top. Yawn. The boots are cute with a tiny zipper at the back and three straps with silver buckles going around the boot.

In the picture just above this line, the lower hook is pulling because I have her standing with legs wide apart. She is actually balanced on her own!

The retail price of Imogen London Mist was $110.

Too Close For Comfort?

We've seen over and over again how doll designers use runway fashions for inspiration. We've also seen some outright copies. This one is the latter.

Wunderkind Spring 2011 RTW

Go Home, IFDC Convention Souvenir Doll

Wunderkind's Spring 2011 RTW show took place on October 6, 2010 in Paris. That's a 10 month time span to have a doll ready for an early July, 2011 convention. It almost took that long for me to get a replacement head for a doll! Snark, snark.


Have a look at the entire Wunderkind show.  It's wonderful.  I'd like a few more of these fashions for my dolls! Not this one, however.

JAMIEshow St. Tropez Collection Launched by Angelic Dreamz

The brand new JAMIEshow St. Tropez Collection debuted at IFDC this weekend by George Gonzalez of Angelic Dreamz.  It consists of five female dolls including a new sculpt named Grace. The dolls are dressed in bathing suits and Grace is clad is a very sexy fashion. Also included in this collection are (amazing) rooted wig caps, summery outfits, sunglasses, shoes, bathing trunks for the boys and outrageous lounge furniture.

Future posts will cover much of these items in detail with photos.  Stay tuned!

Fabulous Furniture From Plaza Mildendo

Recently, another collector posted images of her new wood 1/6 scale armoire that she ordered from Plaza Mildendo. If I weren't busy packing away my dolls, I'd have one by now.  Look at this amazing piece of furniture for only $110. plus shipping.

 All images in this post are from Plaza Mildendo's website.

This company is located in Mexico and sells furniture in several different scales including 1/6 and 1/4. Their prices are excellent for this quality and style. They are open to customization as well.

An ornate upholstered chair in 1/4 scale - $130.

Dining Set with 4 Chairs 1/4 Scale - $160.

They are also selling jewelry, clothes and accessories. Have a look.

A Photoshoot: Misaki, Poppy, Monogram

I recently acquired a maimed Pure Evil Misaki doll for a good price. I'm a sucker for curly blonde hair. She lived for a while with her broken off forearm taped to the rest of her arm during which time I hunted down a matching body. Now while I wait for her original outfit to show up, she is trying out an Azone fashion entitled Ruban de fe`ee.  There's no evil here.

 

The Bergdorf Goodman Fashion Night Out doll has finally given up her suit for a more summer friendly ensemble. This doll is a delight to photograph. Her eyes are gorgeous.

Monogram Magnificent was all too happy to grab Bergdorf's suit. I've taken her braid-wrapped bun down and just kept the pony tail. More work will have to be done...but you can't see any of that anyway so why am I telling you?
The hat is by my friend Cisca from The Netherlands.

Using Fill Flash and Mattel's Gustave Klimt Barbie Doll

I love the Klimt doll! She's very pretty, the clothing is removable, her hair is cute and her arms and wrists are articulated. Unfortunately from the waist down she has no articulation and instead they opted to give us the "pose." Also, I practically slit my wrists getting her out of her box and removing all the sharp shards of clear vinyl holding her down and stuck in her head. The best price outside of using a BC.Com coupon that I could find was at shoprockcandy.com for $34.95. Of course I had to pay New York state tax but by comparison, it was the lowest price for me after the shipping ($5.95) and tax ($3.58) was added.

This doll deserves some real studio time but I took some point & shoot pics of her outside yesterday. It was a bright, sunny day as you can see. I put her on a portion of my deck railing where there is bright shade. 

Compare these identical pictures.

Flash turned off

Flash turned on

They're identical in that I did not move the doll. All I did was turn the flash on. Using flash when your background is very bright is an important technique to pick out details. Most people use an evaluative exposure setting to determine how light or dark their photo will be. I'm not going to get into that technical discussion but no matter what your exposure setting, the use of fill flash will brighten your subject, bring out the details and make it stand out against a bright background. Do not be afraid of the flash!

Wedding Frenzy Part III

Here are more wedding themed doll photographs.

Will you be watching the Royal Wedding? I'll see you there.

Ann/FL

Charles Colber

Shasha

Stratos Bacalis

This was a winter window display inside the Tonner Store. That's a life-sized mannequin who was dressed by the Tonner staff.

Mannequin's face seen in this shot.

Vin Trapani

Wilco

Unfortunately I do not have a larger version of the following image. I took this picture so long ago, I was still using film!  I had just retired from shooting weddings and decided to set up my equipment and lighting as if I were shooting real people. Sadly, I have no idea what happened to the rest of the pictures. I would definitely do this picture over focusing more light on Ken's face and blocking the highlights on his white jacket.

Fear and Mixing a Poodle With Another Dog Will Get You a Mutt

I have received a swell of support not only on yesterday's post but on Facebook and to my personal email address. I have been called fearless and open in these messages but let me tell you the truth, I am full of fear and for the most part, there's good reason. I walk through the fear when the perceived consequences don't seem so bad. It's a very interesting experience to have said that a doll is ugly and then to be attacked personally. Today I was accused of "voicing an adverse opinion on almost every doll that's produced and taking it to such a gross and personal level." My statement was taken personally by others and was being grandstanded on the board. I stayed away from the W Board for months. I forgot why until now.
At least some admit they are IT cheerleaders. That's a great attitude.  They don't take themselves so seriously. They're not holier than thou. Take what you need and leave the rest. You like a doll, buy it. The rest of the collectors don't have to like it.

I'm that way when it comes to poodles as a breed of dogs. I think they're wonderful. You can say what you want or mix up a poodle with some other dog and you won't get me down or make me insult you or tell you how to behave. I will tell you that mixing a poodle with another dog will get you a mutt. Likewise if you wish to re-root your doll or repaint it, I don't get insulted because you didn't like the original. You thought you could make it better. Maybe you did. But it's not what the designer produced. Do you think they care? You paid for the doll. In the end, the manufacturer looks at the bottom line.

(Note: I am not saying that repaints are mutts. I'm talking about poodles. Mutts are great dogs anyway.)

If you look through my blog and my Flickr, would you think that I have adverse opinions on almost every doll that's produced? Why do I post my gorgeous photos all over the place?

Are you fucking blind or just stupid? 

I've sold more dolls than you can imagine because of my reviews.

Exaggeration is a backhanded form of dishonesty. There are a few people who are in a snit over my blog. Go away and don't read it. You can always write your own opinion of a doll and/or post a response to my posts. I won't attack you or tell you how to express yourself. 

When I write my reviews, I don't bounce them off the opinions of others. I take credit and responsibility for my opinions. I don't preface them with "I don't agree with what so-and-so said." I don't have to. So-and-so can say what they want to say and so can I. If you like the doll, write about it. Don't waste your time writing about me. I've wasted enough time on this topic for all of us.

Posted by Permission of Petra

Vanessa's First Photoshoot

Flame Blue Vanessa is pretty close to perfection. All I have to do is glue down the curls on her hairdo and she will be. She is actually better in person as the construction and fine quality of the gown can be appreciated only when holding her in hand. This is her first photoshoot. There will be more as I'm not really satisfied with these images.

Picture of the Week Award ~ Christina Goodison - Shuga Shug

The latest Fashion Royalty doll, Flame Blue Vanessa, that's been causing rending of garments and begging, is beginning to arrive at collectors' homes and Christina, often first on the scene, has posted several gorgeous shots of Vanessa. (Is that a run-on sentence?)
This is the same doll as in my previous post. Christina's photograph is so good one wonders which of them is the promotional shot as hers certainly could be! I like Christina's better.
The camera used was a Sony Alpha DSLR. Shot was made outside in natural light with a black velvet drape. Settings for the techies out there: f/3.5, 200 ISO and white balance - natural. A tripod was used.
Christina told me that she used natural light as she is trying to grow her abilities by challenging herself to do things differently. She usually uses a light set indoors.

I asked her is she had tips for other doll collectors' photography and this is what she said:

"Say NO to your flash! If your photo is too dark then just change your exposure. My suggestions to those trying to improve their photography is to really get to know their camera. Getting a better camera isn't always the solution to getting better pictures. Most people don't even use their camera's capabilities. Learn to change the settings such as the white balance, saturation, exposure until you find what gives you the best photo with the lighting you are using for that shot. "
(I agree with learning to use the different settings on one's camera. But you have to have plenty of light to keep the flash turned off and that's another setting to learn about. Sometimes I use the flash out of doors intentionally in a technique called fill flash. Photographic lighting has a steep learning curve!)

To see more of Christina's beautiful photography check out her blog and Flickr photostream at the links here:
http://shugashug.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shuga-shug/

Congratulations on the Picture of the Week Award, Shug!

Great Pretender Lillith and Perk Colette Nu-Face Dolls

I was sure that I wasn't going to purchase more NuFace dolls; My intention was to concentrate on the more sophisticated dolls and fashions but when I saw these two, I ordered. I am very, very pleased with them and their garments.
My introduction to Lillith was with the convention set of the twins Lillith and Eden. I didn't like her at the time. This one knocks my socks off with her adorable face and coloration.Her hair needs a little trim but temporarily will stay in a pony tail. I added a Fashion Royalty handbag to finish the look. There's a lot of attention to detail, even in the shoes. She's a winner.
Perk Colette is a surprise mix of well designed and executed fashion pieces that work together. I love being able to say that. Believe me, I wish every single doll in my collection could be described that way upon their arrival. I added the handbag. Colette's face is gorgeous. Her hair is pulled back into a low pony tail which is crimped. The blue jewelry is like an exclamation mark on the black, white and grey fashion. It's a wonderful doll.

Both dolls retail for $99. and are available from regular dealers. Get them now before they sell out. I think they just might once everyone sees how cute they are.