For Noob Questions

Do you have a question for a simple subject that you're worried about bothering anyone else with? this is where you ask it! Brought to you by the admin of BJDLetsBeFriends, this is a positive spot to ask anything you need! Replies from Admin Charon, Cecil, Seven, and Blue!

[horsefigureoftheday]

Horse figure of the day: Bjørn Wiinblad Centaur

[aroaceauri]

@elodieunderglass I feel like you need to see this

[elodieunderglass]

Hahahaahha WHAAAAT! Thank you so much

[consecuences]

[noobbjdquestions]

Hello. My mother used Sharpie to give her Dollzone Edward a faceup (along with gluing the torso parts together which makes restringing this boy a total ordeal). She willed this doll to me and I was wondering if there is any possible way to see some video tutorials on removing Sharpies from a resin face. I was thinking of using 1500 to 2000 grit sandpaper but I'm not sure what liquids to use to further remove the stains. Thank you for your time!

[noobbjdquestions]

Not sure if this has been asked before, but I've seen a lot of people using washi tape or bandaids as a little accessory. Thing is I was planning on trying it out on my doll with a band aid, but I'm afraid that the residue from it would be risky? I wanted to do the cliche over the nose look but I'm afraid of messing up the face up, and if it did leave residue, what would be the best way to remove it?

It probably will leave residue. If you still want to do it, try adding some extra layers of sealant and be aware that cleaning it off may involve full scale cleaning the face up off the head.

-Mod Charon

[noobbjdquestions]

How should I buy doll clothes? I mean how do you make sure they're going to fit your dolls?

By using average sizing. If you have an average sized MSD doll, you’d get clothing designed for average sized MSD, verses a slim MSD or minifee.

Though messaging people who sell clothing probably wouldn’t hurt anything, you’re still running a bit of trial and error.

-Mod Charon

[noobbjdquestions]

Hello, I tried to remove the makeup from my bjd (with success) but I used acetone that had a purple tinge which i hoped would not do anything... well i was wrong 😂 my dolls face is tinged purple and I dont know how to get it off?

I legitimately am not sure if you can, Anon.

Try soaking it in a oxyclean bath? That’s the only solution I’d have.

Also please invest in something like Windsor and newton cleaner, because that acetone at all isn’t good for your doll.

-Mod Charon

[noobbjdquestions]

Hello! I just purchased my first BJD: a Hujoo Nano Freya, and she's apparently made of ABS plastic, according to JunkySpot. I've gathered enough through other forums that I should really do a sealant coat before and after applying pastels/paint, etc. I'm an artist, so I already have some Krylon Color Master Acrylic Crystal Clear, which I'd love to use since I have it, but most people are saying it's not good (except a few people on Yahoo), but I don't know why. Halp?

Hey there, anon! There's a few reasons why Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Spray wouldn't be a good idea. First of all, it's a gloss finishing spray. As an undercoat, which you do need for faceups and blushing, it will lack the necessary "tooth" for your pastels and paints to stick to, and as a final coat it'll give your doll a permanent "sweaty" look. Secondly, Krylon products frequently contain ingredients that can damage dolls. While I don't know offhand if the ingredients will damage ABS, I've definitely seen reports of them eating away at resin dolls, so I personally wouldn't take the chance. Thirdly, it might not be easily removed with an ABS-safe solvent when you want to change the faceup.

It's always best to use materials several people have tested completely. It might seem nice to be able to use something you already have on hand, but it won't feel nice if that something ends up damaging your new doll. A few dollars for the right products are always worth it.

-Admin Cecil

[noobbjdquestions]

Notice

Hi, guys, Seven here!

I wanted to thank all our followers and apologize for the slow replies lately. We've had some life changes across the board and it's made maintaining a lively sideblog kind of difficult. Charon has a lot of community obligations elsewhere, and my chronic illness has reached a point of crisis, so what I can manage varies day to day.

This blog will remain active, but asks that request or require photos may take weeks rather than days to publish. Simple inquiries will see faster turnaround.

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to hearing from you.

~Mod Seven

[noobbjdquestions]

Is it possible to pair a Dollfie Dream head with a 24cm obitsu body? And if you have a picture of what it would look like, that would be great appreciated!

I'm a little confused by this ask. Did you mean 24 inches? If so, then yes. This is a thing that can be done, and I can look into finding owner pics for you.

A 24 cm body, however, is a little shorter than a Yo-SD, and is about a third of the size of Dollfie Dream bodies. It definitely is too small for a DD head.

Sorry I wasn't able to be more specific, and I will try to post owner examples over the next few weeks.

~Mod Seven

[noobbjdquestions]

I want to get two DC BJD's but I think the height difference may be too far between them for them to fit together and look normal. They're supposed to be brothers, 16 and 13 years of age. But the tallest is 60cm, and the youngest is 50.5 cm. They're both supposed to look short, but I think the one might end up looking super tall compared to the other. I mean three years shouldn't make one doll only reach the shoulders of another, or should it? I dunno, I'm new so I don't understand everything.

Hi there, Anon!

The short answer is they’re your characters and you get to decide what they look like/what makes sense. Honestly. That’s what’s great about the bjd hobby: everything is up to you and your creative vision. But it sounds like you have some questions about general age appearance as well, so I’ll try to address that.

I actually don’t think that’s an unreasonable height discrepancy for those ages. Especially boys. Boys’ growth spurts tend to happen between 10 and 16 and depending on the individual it can be pretty major---one of my nephews grew almost a foot over a three-year period; that’s about the same as the 9.5 cm difference between your DC boys! So it’s a yes on both fronts: Yes, you have total creative freedom and you are the one who has the final say on what your characters look like; and yes, I think it’s a believable difference in size.

Hope this helps!

~ Mod Seven

[noobbjdquestions]

Is this blog still active?

In a manner of speaking, maybe. I don’t usually get a lot of personal time in my life, particularly for BJD stuff.

-Admin Charon

[noobbjdquestions]

im planning to dye a doll with a water based dye that will not require boiling (ive tested it on the head and it works well!) im just wondering if i will have to unstring my doll if i am planning on getting it wet? will mold form inside the body or will it be safe to leave it strung and get it wet?

Hey there, Anon! Yes, you will definitely need to unstring your doll if you plan to submerge it. Not only will it keep the strings from molding and weakening, but it'll make sure the dye gets into every part so you don't have any surprises in the joints. Luckily, as long as you don't cut the strings, you can reuse them to reassemble your doll when you're done! Good luck with your dye project.-Admin Cecil

[noobbjdquestions]

I know people dislike children at meets but what about children who are collectors? I'd love to go to a meet but I'm 15. I personally, for the sake of getting my parents consent to me attending, would avoid house meets but would adult collectors, as a general rule, still bar me from going to public meets because I'm a kid or would they be A-OK with me attending, with or without a parent? I'd love input from everyone who has an opinion, by the way!

I’m so sorry this has been here for a REALLY, REALLY long time...

As a note this is my opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the other mods.

I think when most people say ‘children’ they immediately assume 2yr - 10yr olds. During those pre-teen and teenage years most ‘children’ should be mature enough to understand the rules of a meetup. I think a lot of the stigma comes from children who are brought by their parents, and don’t really want to be there, especially if they can’t play with the dollies, and become disruptive and/or destructive. Or from collectors who don’t personally want children, and/ or dislike children in general. I would not label you as a child, personally, but as a minor, most collectors I know have no problems with a minor at a meet, as long as they have the parent’s consent. As a minor at a restaurant or other public place, I would recommend having a parent nearby or very easy to reach, just in case something happens.

If you have any doubts contact the organizer.

-Admin Blue

[noobbjdquestions]

Hey, I wanna ask if there's a sculpt that looks like the Elfdoll Vivien (since I don't think ordering from Elfdoll is possible anymore?) Thank you in advance! ouo

Opening this question up to our followers. Anyone have a good suggestion?

[noobbjdquestions]

How do you give your doll a septum piercing?

Well since there isn’t usually enough space actually drill into the septum of a doll’s nose, your best bet would be glue or paint. The only really good place to drill piercings is the ears.

You can glue a thin ring (or wire), or micro-beads, depending on the look you want, to the sides of the septum, in the nostril. Any pva glue, such as Elmers, or Mod Podge, will work. You can also try to use some paint, built up in layers, or puff/3d paint to achieve a similar look.

All of my doll’s “piercings” are glued straight on to the faceup. I handle my dolls a little rough so I put a bit of extra glue around the sides just to be sure it holds.

-Admin Blue

[noobbjdquestions]

I'm considering getting a bjd and as an artist the thing that attracts me the most is doing the face-ups, it looks like so much fun. But I have read that it can be damaging (correct me if I'm wrong) and it's putting my decision a bit off. Is this true? Since it's the thing I'd enjoy the most, it seems like a bad idea to invest in a doll if I'm going to ruin it by doing it often :( (sorry if it's a stupid question)

Not at all stupid! It sounds like you may have seen some warnings about unsafe media out of context, that’s all.

A faceup will only damage your doll if you do it with the wrong tools and materials. As long as you use proper materials, you should be able to do and redo a faceup dozens and theoretically even hundreds of times without hurting your doll. 

Seal first and often, and avoid oil-based products and things like sharpies with inks that can stain through the sealant. Watercolor pencils, and acrylic paints and chalk pastels applied with brushes are best. You can use a toothpick for glue-based mods like scarring to form the basic shapes and maintain hard lines, but avoid anything made of metal like a painter’s knife for that, as metal can scratch the resin. Heck, as long as you seal before and after, you can even use glitter in a faceup–people have done it! 

Now, you do also need to be careful removing one faceup to start work on a new one. Windsor & Newton cleaner is the most commonly recommended, and it’s what we use in my household. Isopropyl alcohol works too. What you want to avoid are things like acetone, as those can cause damage. If you’re ever unsure about a product, just ask! Most veterans are happy to offer tips and tricks if you ask nicely. :)

Use resin-friendly materials and seal properly, and you can change a doll’s faceup to infinity and beyond! (Just make sure you use a proper respirator when you’re applying your sealant–breathing MSC fumes can damage YOU!)

Hope this helps!

~Mod Seven

[noobbjdquestions]

Hi!!! I was wondering wondering if you can only spray msc in one season p much? since i live where its 4 all year round, I'm not sure if I should invest in faceup stuff when I can only do it at a certain time and wont be able to keep practicing u know? Like, what do faceup artists do in the winter to not get rusty?

When using any type of spray, PLEASE wear proper respiratory protection. Sealant, spray paint, airbrushes, and even pastel dust create particles that will get into your lungs and do damage.

One of the major things you have to watch out for is humidity. The humidity range is going to vary depending on the brand you are using, a good rule of thumb is the less humidity the better. There is some constant humidity where I live, we never drop below 5~10%, so I got a weather app that tells me what the humidity in addition to the temperature, and general conditions. Staying under about 50% humidity should be fine, and between 65°F and 90°F. Here is an excellent link for information about MSC.

One of the things you can do, if you want to spray, but the weather is outside those ranges is build a spray booth. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube, and you want to look for one that will vent outside. I’ve looked into building one for myself, but never got around to it.

Another solution is a toaster oven. Strange I know, but Andreja (Nicolle's Dreams) recommends It in her video here. Keep it about 80°F and you should be fine. The trick is going to be finding one that goes under 100°F. And NEVER use it for food, obviously.

If our followers have any other solutions, please feel free to add them.

-Admin Blue