happy ramiel

the happiest ramiel of them all   /   I blog about art, 3D printing, and BJDs!   /   Pro-BJD-Artists <3

[semiotickitten]

Heads for Sale!

I painted and brought these to Resin Rose, but sadly they didn’t find someone to go home with - so here they are!

All heads are legit, and they have been painted by me, Semiotickitten, using doll safe materials and MSC. They will be packed safely and shipped 2-day Priority, with full insurance, for domestic, and EMS for international. I will NOT underdeclare or ship without insurance, sorry! I do not charge paypal fees.

Please read everything carefully and feel free to ask questions! I will not offer refunds or returns, everything is sold as-is.

Fairyland Feeple Nanuri 2016 elf head in NS. Will not come with any neckpiece or donut, head only. She has beautiful gold accents on her upper lip, eyeliner, and freckled gold across her cheek and temple. 200usd, US domestic shipping included.

Doll in Mind 2009 Event Head. This head is quite old and has some staining, but I feel like I really brought out how cool he can look! His previous owner called him a Cruel Prince, and I definitely see it! He is unfortunately not fitting in around here, so I’m hoping someone will find him as cool as I do! Asking 60usd, US domestic shipping included.

April Story Eternal Winter Sleeping head, is a really stunning androgynous looking sculpt, so I tried to paint them in a way that could read that. They do come with their CoA card, I can take a pic if you need it. 150usd with US domestic shipping.

SoulDoll L-Heart head, this head is discontinued and probably yellowed, but in really great shape! He does have a CoA, pics upon request. 150usd, US shipping included.

Doll Chateau Hugh in the old resin yellowed WS. This has has seen some better days, and is old, but has a cute, fresh faceup to help him find some love! Please be warned, there is some staining and stuff in his lips and the tear ducts, if you remove the faceup. This is not a new head! 60usd with US domestic shipping included.

I live in a non smoking house with pets, I do not have a car, and work nights, so shipping and replies may be slow.

No trades or layaway at this time, thanks!

Boosting appreciated!! 💖

[happyramiel]

BOOST!

For those wondering: the April Story head fits on the Mirodoll 66cm body!

The Mirodoll 66cm New Boy Body has a neck circumference of 10.5cm-- and April Story 2013 heads are 10.5cm while newer 2016 heads are 10.7cm. Both fit on the Mirodoll body. If anyone wants pics, I can post them :)!

The resin match between Mirodoll classic NS and April Story is not perfect, but close (My Mirodoll body is from 2016.)

Finally, the “Winter” head was sculpted by Jung Eui Noh... who also sculpted the SWITCH bodies. But April Story recently discontinued “Winter”, so uh... I suspect that this little bird won’t show up for many winters to come ^^

I own two of Jung’s heads. He has sculpted dolls for ~10 years and, imo, boy heads are his specialty (which is why I own two. I’d buy this one if I had the savings... he is pretty AF!)

Boosting this for someone who likes pretty boy dolls as much as I do :3!

[happyramiel]

Rough piccie of my new BJD head :D!

He’s a Rowindoll Dresden, sculpted and painted by @rowindoll <3~! I He borrowed things from each of my dolls .__.! Like, I temporarily put him on on a DIM ‘08 body (it’s Volks-size. The fit and scale is good, despite its diminutive 60cm size. But he’s getting a proper 65cm one soon...)

I think I’ll call him Koloa Finn!

[priichu]

Hello! Sorry if you get asked this a bunch, but I have a lot of trouble with UV mapping in Blender. Most of the time everything comes out messy and I'm unable to draw textures over them since I can't tell what is what. Do you have any tips or video recommendations that could help with seam marking and UV Mapping? Much appreciated, Thank you!

To be honest, UVs started out as mostly trial and error for me. I made a lot of mistakes but eventually I figured it out for the most part. If your UVs are coming out too messy, it might be your seams are either in the wrong place or they didn’t cut enough of the mesh. Though I guess it’d be easier to help you if I saw an example of your problem.

As for tips: Try to mark the seams in areas where they aren’t too visible, like under the arms, behind the head, etc. And be sure to make use of as much space as you can on your UV map. You can also stack UVs if they’re symmetrical. Typically for my lower poly models, I tend to stack as many UVs as I can, especially since I use smaller texture maps.

[catsi]

“you can stack UVs if they’re symmetrical” oh my god why didn’t this ever occur to me. gamechanger. thank you op

[shatterstag]

Just jumping into this thread to say that as a 3d artist who LOVES texturing the most, I absolutely swear by 3d Coat and it sounds like it can fix a ton of anon’s issues with unwrapping!

3d Coat is just fantastic and I could not live without it. It can be used for texturing, unwrapping, sculpting, even pbr materials I think. I primarily use it for it’s texturing and unwrapping capabilities and do *all* my handpainted texures in it.

3d Coat lets you import a mesh and paint straight onto it with brushes, layers, layer blends, pixels, you name it. You can rotate the camera and mesh and readjust it within the program, and then just texture straight onto it. You can also import meshes and unwrap them intuitively and easy by just marking out where you want the seams and having the program auto unwrap it for you. It saves me SO much time especially since I am honestly clueless when it comes to making uv maps.

Best of all: 3d Coat intelligently hides seams. It’s not 100% perfect, but the program is GREAT at allowing you to paint straight over seams, blending them in and hiding them.

You can get a 30 trial for 3d Coat, and the ‘amateur’ package is only 99$. Which is an AMAZING price for a 3d program that can do so much, including sculpting. If you’re planning to do any handpainted texturing I would say that 3d Coat is a must have, and well worth the price if you can afford it (or find a download through other means if you so choose).

[happyramiel]

^ THIS

I second 3D Coat!

[slimetony]

lets make a videogame how hard can it be

[slimetony]

nevermind you have to know shit about computers

[hthrthebear]

hey!! sorry to hijack this post, but there are a bunch of ways you can make videogames without knowing shit about computers!! 

for starters, there’s Twine, which is fucking great for making all kinds of interactive experiences (it’s what Crystal Warrior Ke$ha was made in so you KNOW it’s good) at all skill levels (i picked it up and made a game in two minutes a few nights ago)

if you want a bit more involved experience there’s Inform 7 which is a simple language for text-based adventure games that reads like slightly-weird English and also relatively easy to learn

you can do some pretty fucking cool stuff with Unity (my personal engine of choice) but you may need to dig a bit farther to get at the good stuff. there’s lots of really good presets though (i made an entire game just mixing and matching pre-existing templates and adding in my own art, won an award at a game jam for that one) and if you want help the community’s pretty dang friendly from what i’ve seen!

this is just a taste of what’s out there from what i’ve seen, but there’s so many cool resources out there. if anyone wants help getting started, i’m around to give you a leg up on making something in the coolest, most unexplored art medium around!

[auttoton]

I’m addin’ to this post because lowering the barrier to entry for making games is super important to me!!!! If y’all have any questions about making games, you’re welcome to come and ask! I made this list a while back with some friends, so it has some of the programs John already mentioned.

2D Editors:

GameMaker : Potential for pure drag-and-drop “programming”. It is recommended to read-up on the program’s functions to make good use of it. Good for prototyping. Uses its own language called Game Maker Language (GML) that is similar to a C language (e.g. C++ or C#). For both Mac and PC; free version available.

Construct2 : Drag and drop level editor that uses an “If-Then” event sheet structure for programming. Good for prototyping and for beginners. For PC; free version available.

GameSalad : Drag and drop with no code requirement. Good for programming. For both Mac and PC; free version available.

Solpeo : HTML5 based game engine for 2D and isometric game development. Some programming knowledge needed. Platforms supported: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer 9+. Free version available.

Stencyl : Drag and Drop “programming,” templates you can edit the variables/values for.

Scratch : Lego-block-style coding platform by MIT; totally free and a great intro to thinking in code. Very kid-friendly and comes with a community site. Browser version available.

3D Editors:

Unity : 3D editor that creates 3D games. Can build games for browser, as an app, or for mobile devices (iOS and Android). For both Mac and PC; free version available.

UDK (Unreal Development Kit) : Full-fledged, highly advanced editor. Features a complete set of tools that go from level design to visual scripting to cut-scene creation. Uses it’s own programming language called Unreal Script that can be arranged with Kismet, a visual code editor. For Mac and PC; free.

2D Art/Animation Software:

GIMP : Free photo editing and digital painting software.

Easy Paint Tool SAI : Free digital painting software with a UI similar to Photoshop.

Mischief : Free digital painting software with an endless canvas.

3D Art/Animation Software:

Sculptris : From the company that created Zbrush, this free software is ideal for beginning 3D sculptors.

Maya : Animation, VFX, lighting, and rendering software.

Magical Voxel : Voxel Art (3D Pixel Art). Very intuitive and quick to pick up.

SketchUp :  Architectural modeling software, great for creating 3D environments and buildings. Free version available.

Text-Based Games:

Twine : Create interactive text stories using Twine’s visual map system that links your game together. Easy to learn and use. End result is browser-based. For Mac and PC; free.

Quest : Interactive text stories that you can build in-browser.

Ren’Py : Create visual novels using a modified version of Python that reads like a combination of stage directions and a CYOA novel. For PC, Mac, and Linux; free.

Audio Resources/Editors:

Indie Game Music : This site offers free indie music with no need to worry about royalties or licenses.

Audacity : A free, open-source, cross-platform sound editor that allows you to record and arrange sound.

Super Flash Bros. : This site allows you to record theremin-like (8bit) sounds and export them as .wav files for your games.

FL Studio : Free music composition software.

Miscellaneous Tools:

Donjon RPG Tools : Randomly generates maps, items, XP, etc.

W3Schools : Web-code tutorial database: HTML, CSS, Javascript+.

Debut Video Capture : Video screen capture to record Let’s Play videos, showcase your game on Youtube, etc.

Korsakow : Free tool for creating interactive and database films.

Processing : Flexible programming language used for visual and interactive artworks and simulations.

From Student to Designer, Part 2 : Tips for making a well-rounded, solid portfolio

Places to Publish/Share:

Itch.io : Platform for self-publishing games

Philome.la : Place to share Twine Games

[nicejewishguy]

@slimetony how does it feel to have your shitpost be turned into a helpful resource

[slimetony]

It feels like a betrayal of every tenant of humor I subscribe to. Helping people is an alien concept to me. It makes me upset.

[happyramiel]

Meet Bonn!

Bonn, a.k.a. Bon-Mot, is the latest member of my BJD crew :D! He’s a musician in a rabbit-themed punk rock band (alas, the ears aren’t here yet!) This sculpt is a Ninodoll Ando head on an ‘08 Doll in Mind body-- with a faceup by the wonderfully talented Amanda of SemioticKitten Aesthetics (@semiotickitten​)!!!

I love red hair and freckles, and am glad to have my first BJD with both! :D

[smaug11]

This is Ezra’s 10th anniversary present - which arrived quite luckily exactly on the big day - a beautiful wig from Eclipse21. So handsome - and finally he doesn’t have his bangs in his eyes!

Ezra - Dollshe Hound

[weavemama]

PLEASE BE CAREFUL FOR ANYONE WHO USES “BLUEBUFFALO” FOR THEIR DOGS!!

[itsalburton]

@k9kesi

[indirispeaks]

And cats.  Blue Buffalo killed @sidneystrange ‘s cat.

[sidneystrange]

THIS THIS THIS!!

I’ve been telling everyone I know for YEARS not to buy Blue Buffalo.

This is the short story:

A few years ago I took my sick cat, Ankh, to the vet. The vet and vet tech asked what I fed her. I told them Blue Buffalo. They looked like I had just told them I fed her razor blades and cyanide. They diagnosed her with pancreatitis and said that nearly all of the cats they’d been seeing lately with pancreatitis were being fed Blue Buffalo.  They gave her medicine and sent her home.  Two days later she had a seizure and died right in my arms. 

The day after she died Hannibal started displaying the same symptoms she had so I panicked hard and took him to the vet.  Got the same meds and the same diagnosis.  Luckily Hannibal survived.

I wish Ankh had survived. She was only ten and the best cat I’ve ever had. Literally the best and five years later I still cry when I think about her.

FUCK BLUE BUFFALO.

[k9kesi]

I don’t know the full story behind the tweets above, but a Google search shows there HAVE been several recalls regarding this brand, especially in 2016. I would absolutely avoid as it is not worth the risk.

[taigas-den]

@ladycyon

[espikvlt]

Good god thank you so much for sharing this because I’ve lately been considering switching to this brand cus it’s supposed to be so much better than all the others but good god what the hell.

[zookmurnig]

@countingcrowds

[zaflikescreepydolls]

Who here rec’d this to me when I got my cat? Have a google, it’s pretty bad.

[theexoticvet-deactivated2022070]

Every year I diagnose at least one cat with renal failure due to lily poisoning. If you have cats please don’t have lilies.

[goldfishgeek]

The “I Probably Shouldn’t Have Pets” Starter Pack

[schakerin]

Could someone tell me what’s wrong with meowmix?

[irljimmy]

seems that it’s made some cats sicker (puking uncontrollably) and has been infested with bugs often, also in general, i think it’s probably just low grade and can give cats problems (like purina for dogs)

[chill-moth]

What’s wrong with the bird cage? I could understand that it could be too small for a large bird like a parrot, but what about a canary?

[birdfightingbigotry]

Nope. That cage is far too small to be used as a home for any kind of bird. It’s acceptable as a travel cage for small birds, or as a sleeping only cage. But songbirds deserve to have room to move around and fly too.

[prettyfishies]

For Canaries and finches, it’s recommended they have at least a 3 foot cage!

[firephox]

Canaries are birds that need to fly. They were not meant to be domesticated and profited from as pets. They are highly active birds that will self harm from stress in such confined spaces. Canaries are delightful to have in groups, though they are fine on their own, but every 1 bird adds 3 cubic feet to the space needed. They need multiple perches and toys. These are examples of proper Canary or other small bird enclosures.

Meow Mix is a horrible brand of cat food, I used to feed it to my cats and they would just throw it back up. It’s so low quality that half of the ingredients aren’t even food items. The meat is all scrap by products from slaughterhouses like hooves, eyes, tails and fat because it’s cheap. Which is something they don’t list on the packaging to fool pet owners. I always used to find worms in my bags of Meow Mix. Beneful literally uses antifreeze in it’s food, which has lead to the deaths of thousands of dogs a year. From conditions such as internal bleeding, seizures and cancers. 

Rabbits shouldn’t be confined to a cage. (Especially a dog cage..?) Rabbits are curious creatures that need to jump, run, chew and play to be healthy. Keeping them locked in a cage 24/7 as a toy for your kids will make them sick or develop aggression from stress. Healthy rabbit lifespans are 10+ years. Rabbit cages should only be a place for your rabbit to use the litterbox and sleep after a long day of exercise and play. Also, never keep two rabbits together unless they are fixed. Rabbits are territorial and they will either fight or mate rapidly when intact. Up to 14 babies every month. This is the proper set up for a rabbit.

I’m cringing at that rainbow “my mommy got me a cute hamster” rodent cage. These are small creatures that need to run around and explore. They need to burrow and chew. This is the proper set up for a hamster or other small rodent. 

Betta fish get stressed from any confinement under 5 gallons. They are the worst pet for being sold to kids as “accessories” in small cubed tanks. When kept like that the fish will die a horribly stressed life within a year when they can live for 7 or more. They need calm filtration with many dark caves and soft plants. They are aggressive to other fish. These fish are so intelligent that they actually play with you, and they need mental stimulation to live healthy. These are proper Betta setups.

Who the fuck would even feed an omnivorous bearded dragon pellet food…? Do they want a sick pet? If pet stores even bothered to care about the keeping of exotic pets, they would know that shit is bad for them. If you can’t feed live meal worms and crickets than you shouldn’t own an exotic pet in the first place. Pellet food isn’t even real food, it’s chemically made with preservatives. 

[st--pvtrick]

@amazingpetenclosures

[amazingpetenclosures]

All of this is good info, thanks!

[shatterstag]

Please allow your pets to thrive instead of just barely survive

[urbansfairytales-deactivated201]

This week I was surprised by these amazing pictures. What a wonderful work! When I saw Fleur, from Rosen Garden, I was impressed with the size (18 cm). Imagine my surprise when I discovered that there were a Ball Jointed Doll in this size? It would be 1:24?

by  조일형

[carudamon119]

Hank Cheng

[pencilcat]

30 Days of Art Improvement Challenge

Are you tired of feeling like your art just isn’t improving? Do you want to do a 30-day challenge that’s actually useful? Welcome to 30 Days of Improvement Hell. >:D

I made this because I’ve been feeling super ‘blah’ about my art these days, and I needed something to kick-start myself. Who wants to do this with me!? Start now or whenever you can (now you procrastinators!). Challenge yourself and have fun at the same time!

Tag your posts with #Improvement Hell so everyone can follow along and see each other’s awesome artwork. I may even create a blog and reblog them! :D

What are you waiting for? START!

Self-Portrait - Introduce yourself

Draw a figure using a reference - link to reference

Draw a figure that’s in action, using a reference - link to reference

Draw a part of the human anatomy you have trouble with. x20, with atleast 5 being skeletal/musculature studies.

Draw more figures. Quick gestures and silhouettes. x20, with atleast 10 different body shapes

Let’s have some fun. Design a character from either This or This character generator! Be creative and bring something to life!

Pick the weirdest object in your house/room. Draw it. Shadows and Highlights.

Find 2-3 objects, make a scene with them. Draw it. Bonus points for creativity. Double points for dramatic lighting.

Draw a landscape of a place you’ve never been or drawn.

Draw a BG with 1pt Perspective. Negative points if it’s a railroad or an empty street.

Draw a BG with 2pt Perspective.

Look out a window. Draw what you see. Bonus points for adding something interesting.

Draw an interior setting with the character you designed on Day #6 in it.

BG with either bird’s eye or worm’s eye view.

Halfway there! Draw three ‘action’ scenes with different compositions in each. Quick sketches are fine, just make them interesting and understandable! Bonus points if it’s the same scene, but different composition.

Draw a single page comic with 5-7 panels (the story begins and ends on one page). 

Draw an animal you’ve never drawn before. x10  Link references.

Draw a car. Negative points for whining. Hint: Use a perspective grid.

Think of the thing you hate drawing the most. Guess what? Draw it! Negative points for lying to yourself.

Pick an object in your house/room. Now design a character from it, using the shapes, forms, textures, purpose and colors as inspiration. Also link/post the object you used. Negative points for using a humanoid action figure.

Draw a character/object/scene, and shade them using ONLY solid blacks and whites. Bonus points for good use of lights/shadows

Draw a different object/scene/character. Shade using hatching, crosshatcing, and/or pointillism. Bonus points for lights/shadows and textures.

Colors! Pick a color palette, and paint a scene/character/object using only those colors (some blending allowed). Bonus points for good use of lights/shadows.

Draw and color a scene/object/character - no lines allowed! (aka - lineless art). Don’t forget light and shadows!

Draw a scene/character in a style you’ve never drawn before. If emulating an artist, credit+link. Bonus for color style.

Draw a character. Draw 10 emotions/expressions. Bonus points for ‘uncommon’ emotions. (i.e. anxiety, guilt, despair, loneliness etc.)

Draw three random shapes using your opposite hand (or your foot). Now design characters from those shapes.

Turn on the tv (or load your illegally downloaded movies). Pick an actor and draw them.

Almost done! Let’s have some fun. Draw some fanart. Bonus points if it’s super obscure and unknown. Make people guess what it’s from.

Last day! Find a drawing you did within the last year. Now draw it again using what you’ve learned! Link it for comparison!

 Look at all that amazing improvement! Congrats!

[Update] There is now a sequel challenge, Draw All The Things!

[lazysmirk]

Just in case you forget this exists.

It exists.

[dragonofdarknesschaos]

With those “when you want to design a character but you don’t know color theory” posts flying around I thought this would be relevant again.

[secretsivekept]

SLAMs THE REBLOG BUTTON

[niyarest]

there’s also Coolors website that gives you randomized palettes!

[dykedekuremade]

Me: Wow I would love more jewish characters in media.

Me: *looking at most jewish characters in media*

[happyramiel]

[buffdolls]

Bait and Wait Scam

There is a scam that is prolific on ebay that I would like to make people aware of. It is, right now, prevalent in the Hot Toys and high-end action figure market, but I am CERTAIN that these scam artists will be glad to prey on any high-end collectible, and BJDs fall into that catagory easily.

Here’s how it works. The seller sells a bunch of low-cost items, like reborn doll eyes, or small crafting parts. They send these to the buyers, and build up the feedback score so that it is very good. Then, once the paypal restrictions have been lifted, they list a bunch of Hot Toys figures (insert high end collectible here), for a great deal. They may advertise it as bootleg or ‘chinese version’, or as factory seconds. They will be responsive to questions about the items. 

You are protected by the ebay buyer protection, so…you take a shot. You buy the item and pay for it. Then you notice that the item has a ship time of 1.5 months or so. This is on purpose. Because they originally inserted a long ship time, this is their window to make all their money. People buy the cheaper high-end items, and receive tracking numbers on ebay that never work, and ebay says you have to wait the whole time before you can file a not-arrived complaint. 

This plays out two ways. The first way, you have your money in limbo for months, until you can finally file with ebay. By this time, everyone who didn’t receive their stuff will file, and ebay will refund your payment. But, believe me, by this time the person in China will have already dumped all the money out of paypal and disappeared, so you have helped criminal activity.

The second way is that your tracking number works, and is sent by super slow mail, and when you open it, you find that you open a package full of garbage that adds up to the appropriate weight of the item. Now, not only do you have no item, but you might have some trouble proving to ebay that you DIDN’T receive the item.

Please, beware. I cannot tell you how often I try to report sellers on ebay, but it doesn’t seem to stop this. Make sure before you buy a ‘good deal’ that you are looking at an authentic seller. Check their feedback to see if it is exclusively a bunch of smaller items. Check the ship-time to make sure it is not excessive.

[happyramiel]

STAY SAFE FRIENDS!

This scam has already happened in several BJD trades. People have lost their trade offer in the process.

Thieves are especially attracted to high-priced, brand name items. Proceed with extreme caution. And if you trade via mail, don’t trade anything that you cannot afford to lose. Stay safe!

[shadowfromthestarlight]

[sonypraystation]

how much for a gram

[challengers]

“uhhhh okay. sorry”

[direhuman]

“Direhuman 2020: I love you too”

[samfisherofwoe]

We can dress stlyin :3

[frank-sen-stein]

Ok. Everyone hopes she ok

[vicemage]

Yep, it’s all good!

[somewheresunbear]

“When is it due?”

This isn’t promising, lol.

[tenasilvertear]

Thank you!😍

[okamikodomo]

Bahahahaha

“Nope”

[glyndarling]

Hybrids are back on the menu!

[mintyliciousbjd]

He put all his eggs in a row, LOL!

[happyramiel]

“Kay”

Crowds would chant kk.

[r-dart]

[timemachineyeah]

  I’ve said this before and I’ll point it out again - 

Menstruation is caused by change in hormonal levels to stop the creation of a uterine lining and encourage the body to flush the lining out. The body does this by lowering estrogen levels and raising testosterone. 

Or, to put it more plainly “That time of the month” is when female hormones most closely resemble male hormones. So if (cis) women aren’t suited to office at “That time of the month” then (cis) men are NEVER suited to office.

If you are a dude and don’t dig the ladies around you at their time of the month, just think! That is you all of the time. 

And, on a final note, post-menopausal (cis) women are the most hormonally stable of all human demographics. They have fewer hormonal fluctuations of anyone, meaning older women like Hilary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren would theoretically be among the least likely candidates to make an irrational decision due to hormonal fluctuations, and if we were basing our leadership decisions on hormone levels, then only women over fifty should ever be allowed to hold office. 

[eroticmirotic]

Reblogging hard for that last comment.

[nyardynn]

I WANTED TO SAY THIS BUT THEN SOMEONE ELSE DID and I’m damn proud.