BJDGuide

W.I.P \A guide to ball jointed dolls/ Not all content is written by me (I also reblog). Note: I am currently inactive in the hobby, but I will answer questions to the best of my knowledge.

[bjdguide]

Where can I find the blue bunny doll

I don't know which doll you mean. Google the company or sculpt name to find the webshop or retailer.

[bjdguide]

I want to help a beginner

Hi!

My daughter is in the first phase of buying her stock to create BJd dolls.. She wants to start with a larger one as it will give her a bigger canvas to work on. I wanted to know, what would she need as tools and accessories to start this wonderful hobby?

I know she needs to purchase clothes - wigs - eyes - shoes. Could you help us with size wise for a 60cm and also, tools (makeup? - brushes? Etc)

What size eyes and wig your daughter's doll would need, depends on the doll. The company will list the measurements or wig / eye size that is recommended for said doll. This will also help with clothes.

Other things that are handy to have (eventually):

Restringing: extra elastic, spare s-hooks, string puller, head puller, hemostat.

Face-up: acrylic paint and mediums, art brushes, Mr. Superclear or other safe sealant, respirator, soft pastels, lanoline free dish soap, lanoline and acetone free nail polish remover.

Eyes: eye putty, eyelash glue, doll eyelashes.

Wigs: wig cap, wig brush.

Travel: face protector with elastic, carrier case (or wrap them in a scarf and be careful), wig net for wig storage. Usually a doll will come with pillows / carry case and a face protector. Wigs are often send in a net, so that saves some money.

Display: doll stand, chair, safe display place.

Heavy modifying: dremel, ceramic knife, sand paper in different grids, epoxy putty. Not recommended for beginners though.

Good luck to you and your daughter with finding and costumizing her first doll. Take your time. You don't need everything at once. You can also pay others to provide services your daughter isn't willing or capable to do.

[bjdguide]

Where could I get the eye putty and what kind is best

White and clear ones are the best. Doll companies will sell them, but you can also buy poster tack. Poster tack ia being sold in supermarkets, stationary or office stores, Amazon etc. Some will use silicone ear putty. The type you use to seal off the ear.

[bjdguide]

Hi there, I was wondering if there was an easier way to remove and replace the eyes on a bjd 1/12 doll. Thank you in advance, Kristyna

Hello Kristyna,

You could wiggle the eye putty loose with the help of a cuticle pusher (with the rubber tip). You could use the same device to help push the putty to the resin.

For insertion, I wrap eye putty around the eye like a donut and place the eye in the socket. Then I push the putty to make it stick.

Whatever you use, make sure it has no sharp edges that can damage the eye. Blunt items only. Scraping the putty of the resin can also be done with a wooden cuticle pusher or the blunt edge of a paint brush.

Maybe other people have more tips, but that is how I would do it, if I can't fit my fingers in there.

Hope this helps.

[bjdguide]

hello! I'm fairly new to the hobby and was wondering if perhaps you or anyone else knew where I could find clothes to fit a MNF boy? I'm really interested in getting one but I have no idea what dolls/companies are in his size range! I'm also open to suggestions for who makes custom clothes!! thank you!! (ﾉ´ヮ `)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

Hello,

You can find doll clothes on Etsy, ebay, den of angels, bjd retailers and from doll companies. The term you should be looking for are slim mini and minifee.

I used sites like dollmansion and acbjd.

Nowadays you can also buy and commission by using social media. Tumblr, instagram, facebook groups etc. Just make sure they have positive feedback.

[bjdguide]

How so i just bought a wigs for my sd17 dolls what surprising here is the seller gave me a free head with face up and its an april story doll the problem is i dont know what type of body it will fit how can i get the right body?

That depends on the head size and gender. Measure the head circumference and neck opening. This could give you an idea of what size body you should buy.

If your doll head wears a size 8-9 in wigs, it probably belongs in the senior line and would fit a neck with circumference of 11 cm, it would need a FM17 body (assuming we are dealing with a male that was released recently).

So measure the head and neck opening and this should guide you in the right direction.

Consult this page for help on different April Story sculpts. Find one with measurements similar to your doll head.

[bjdguide]

Hi what mm size eyes do i need for a 1/8 bjd? Im thinking about getting into it for the first time also great website thanks for allowing questions.

Hello,

Thank you.

1/8 sized dolls usually wear 10mm. Some wear 8mm or even 12mm.

I would recommend 8mm if you have a doll with small eye sockets or wish to see more sclera.

I would recommend 12mm of your doll has large eyes or if you wish to see more pupil and iris (for the baby eye look).

10mm is recommended standard size. This post is about eyes.

If your favorite eye size is a little too big, there are eye bevellers available to sand the eye sockets to allow a better fit.

How the eye sits also depends on the eye shape, of both the sockets as the eye itself.

Half sleeping eyes might give you issues if you choose a high dome lens. Wider eyes might be better off with oval shaped eye balls.

So it all depends on your doll, your budget and your personal taste. When in doubt, I would start with 10mm low or half dome eyes.

Have a nice day.

[bjdguide]

Are the cheaper BJD companies' dolls of worse quality than the expensive companies? I know some of their dolls are a bit basic looking, but newer Resinsoul dolls are quite impressive, and Doll Leaves has some great sculpts & faceups. Is this due to poor quality somewhere else (like the resin or construction)? Trying to understand the price difference.

In my experience quality varies per doll (Fairyland has had some differences), country of origin, and is also dependent on your personal taste.

Dolls from China are cheaper than dolls from France. In France you have to pay yourself a wage* and importing resin and other materials can be costly. Outsourcing casting is an option, but casting companies also need to be paid.

My first doll was from Doll Leaves and I like the quality. He doesn't pose quite as well as my Fairyland dolls, but I'm okay with that. You might want to look up customer pics of faceups first though, because pictures can be misleading**.

Resinsoul dolls (well, the one I have dealt with a long time ago) often need sueding and restringing. Doesn't necessarily mean more expensive dolls don't need that as well. It depends on the construction of the doll and again, personal preference.

All in all, I would recommend buying a doll you love from a company or doll maker with a good reputation. Research the doll before purchasing and if it does not live up to your wishes, consider hybriding or another doll all together.

* I read this from a doll maker which I believe was from France. Not sure if this still applies.

** I had a picture send to me of a Doll Leaves Bailey with a default faceup and it looked very different from the company picture. This was however a long time ago.

[bjdguide]

When they say 1/6 BJD doll, what size are they talking?

See also this post.

1/6 scale dolls are generally +- 25 cm in height. Often times they mean yosd. However, it can also apply to other dolls in that height range. Sellers of clothes will also use this term for blythe dolls.

The difference lies in the other measurements. Yosd have "child like" bodies. There are adult 1/6 bjds and they tend to be slimmer, with more body definition such as breasts. Blythe are not official bjd, but they do have joints. They have large heads and skinny bodies.

Below 1/6 are 1/8 ( pukifee, lati yellow, 16 cm) and above are 1/4 (msd 45 cm). In between sizes also exist. For example 20 cm and 30 cm tall dolls.

In short the heights go like this:

Micro bjd (<10 cm)

1/16 tiny bjd (10 cm) e.g. lati white, pukipuki.

1/8 tiny bjd (15 cm) e.g. lati yellow, pukifee.

20 cm dolls e.g. zuzu delf.

1/6 yosd bjd (25 cm) e.g. littlefee, volks yosd.

30 cm dolls e.g. lati green.

1/4 msd bjd (45 cm) e.g minifee, volks msd.

Bigger sizes like 1/3 sds (large variety) .

[bjdguide]

Hello I read your post on wig making, but I'm afraid I understand what hair types are heat resistant. I've been doing research on what colors and hair I'd need to make a golden blonde curled hair wig for a future doll of mine but most already made heat resistant wigs aren't the right color (I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my character designs) so I want to make my own wig with golden heat resistant wefts need it heat resistant as I want to make each curl an exact way without water

Hello,

You can search for heat resistant doll wefts. Terms to search for are:

Heat resistant, heat friendly, high temperature friendly, high heat.

I found a great website that listst all kind of synthetic fibers and their properties. Click here.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

[bjdguide]

Doll Clothes Question

Followers, please help:

Hello I had a question I was hoping you could help me with,

I'm a big fan of the Studio Ghibli movie The Cat Returns, and have just saved up enough to buy the rare life sized (14 in) Baron bisque doll by Sekiguchi, shown below

The only problem is, the suit is the wrong color. It is a deep grey instead of a pale gray that should look almost white. 

I was wondering if you think i could bleach the clothes the right color? It might be easy if i am able to take the clothes off the doll, but i'm worried they might be sown on, or too small to remove. If thats the case, could i use a bleach pen, or paint the bleach on somehow? 

Or should i paint the clothes with fabric paint?

The doll hasn't arrived yet, and wont for quite some time, as Japan isn't sending packages right now, but i'm so excited i want too start planning how to fix it already. I'm already planning on repainting the head, as the orange isn't near bright enough for me, and the eyes seem a little off focus, but i'm very worried about the clothes. I was also thinking of possibly commissioning a new suit all together if its not possible to fix, but again i'm worried the suite will be difficult to remove, and I'd like to salvage the clothes he came in if possible. Plus I've never commissioned doll clothes before, and am nervous about that. 

Any input would be appreciated, 

Thanks :)

Admin: I can't open the pictures . I personally have no experience with bleaching doll clothes nor do I have knowledge about bisque dolls.

I would be careful with bleach if you can't remove the clothes. If you require clothes to be commissioned, you need to take measurements. The seamstress can tell you which measurements they need.

I hope one of the followers can help you further.

[bjdguide]

What size of iris do you need for 14mm eyes?

Hello,

Most eyes have a standard iris size. You could choose for a type of eye with smaller irises or pupils. The smaller the pupil or iris, the more sclera (eye white) is visible. Some people insert 12mm for that effect, but then you could get gaps. It is a matter of personal preference. More sclera means more realistic and more mature. Bigger pupil or iris means cuter, more childlike.

[bjdguide]

I've never owned a bjd (heck, I've never even gotten to see one in the flesh) but I've recently thought to sculpt my own. I've been an artist for over 15 years (mostly illustration, but a few sculptures and 3D modeling) and I always like to make things myself. I've shared the idea with a few people and several expressed interest in buying one from me. How well-received are new artists in the bjd community? Is there anything I should know as an artist before starting?

Hello Anon,

New artist are welcomed. We love creativity and more choices.

Tips:

1) make pictures of every step of the sculpting process. Keep a blog about it. Make sure people know. This is so people can't accuse you of copying and recasting.

2) Do not copy or recast. Make something that is truly your own. Both body and face.

3) Don't underestimate the work load. Sculpting your own bjd, especially without any experience or having seen one in real life, is hard. Even for experienced artists.

4) Don't underestimate the costs. Making your own bjd is not cheaper. If anything, it can be quite expensive, because you will have to "get the hang of it".

5) Don't overestimate the profit. Bjd companies and artist are not in it to become rich. Like I said, materials are expensive and that is just for a master sculpt. Casting is a whole other thing. People will say they buy your stuff, but the percentage of people actually buying it, will be much lower. It is a lot of money to spend after all.

6) Decide wether or not you want your sculpt casted. Then decide wether or not you want to cast it yourself or hire a casting company to do so. This will help you choose the material of your master sculpt. Paper maché is not suited to be casted for example.

7) Decide what material you want your doll to be casted in. Even among resin, there are differences.

8) Study bjds. How are other artist sculpting them? How are they assembled? What are common measurements? What do people prefer in terms of detail? Do I go double or single jointed?

9) Look up tutorials. Puppit Productions is a doll maker who has sculpted a bjd without having one first for examples. DeviantArt is another great place for tutorials. There are forums and communities for doll makers. Join them.

10) Research, practise, don't give up.

Good luck!

[bjdguide]

Hi! I never had a Bjd but I would like to know the measurement of a Bjd male head of 70 cm, like lenght of the head in general, circumference of the head and also of the neck ecc! Thank you!

Hello,

I don't own any 70 cm bjds, so I can't measure for you. Hopefully someone else can help you out. It would help if you had a specific mold in mind, because sizes may vary. You could however find head circumference and width of the neck on most company sale pages and you could also contact the company with your questions. Hope this helps.

[bjdguide]

Some time ago I made a DOA account. I was super excited, was talking to lots of great people, and I had so many resources open to me. And then all of a sudden I found out I'd been banned for already having an (unused!) account. I'd forgotten that I had made one with an alternate email a few years beforehand. I explained this to the admins via email, but they just ignored everything I'd said, responded with one sentence on why I'd been banned, then ignored all my replies. It was very upsetting.

I am sorry that, that happened to you. Unfortunately I can't help you with gaining access to DOA again. All I can advice you to do is to look for alternative resources like Facebook groups, Instagram tags, Tumblr and / or Flickr.

Best of luck anon.

[bjdguide]

I'm extremely new to the hobby. My first doll is a 70CM figure and I just got his face made up. I had a falling out with my friend who got me into this in the first place so I come to you, all knowledgeable one. Where can I start? Where can I find people to commission for clothes, faceups, etc? Where can I buy things? I'm finding everything extremely overwhelming and have no idea where to begin!

Hello. Welcome to the hobby.

You can commission people and buy stuff through facebook groups, Etsy, Den Of Angels marketplace, Instagram, Flickr, websites, Ebay and even Tumblr.

BJD Collectasy is a great site to find stores and fora.

Which person to buy from or commission depends on which country you live in. If you live in Europe, shipping to the USA is very expensive, so it is best to buy within the EU.

Please also pay attention to reviews or feedback. There are scammers in this hobby.

I recommend becoming a member of Den Of Angels . It is a great source of information.

Also, read about recasts. They are knock off BJD and harmful to the artists in the hobby.

This is a helpful post, as it has all the information so far listed, and if you are on the computer, you can also use the directory.

If you have more questions, let me know.

[bjdguide]

Which BJD wears pants with an inseam of 29cm and a length of 37.5cm (name or how tall is a boy doll?)

Gen X Mina and Beyours old style bodies for males. These are SD sized dolls, so I would look in that direction.

Edit: these dolls are in the 60 cm range.