#transformative dolling

[shinymist]

Desert Sunset, made by Shinymist using drag-and-drop on DollDivine and Inkscribble’s Flutter Bug maker, based on and as a non-entry for @winterstarart’s 20k DTIYS

This doll of Grian and Scar took just over ten hours to make across five days, which has been condensed into a 17min speed doll at 30x speed that you can view here!

Alt versions, rambles, WIPs, and reasons this is a non-entry, under the cut.

Alt versions:

The reasons for the slight color differences in the final pieces is how I saved the image - using the in-game save option gave more accurate and vibrant colors but a blurrier image, while using screen capture provided more clarity with muted colors.

This doll was really fun to make! I wanted to play into the blocky shading in the original piece, make the dividing lines more solid, both as a test of skill and as an art style I hadn’t experimented with as much. Shading with draggies can be tricky, and I wanted to see how it could work if I forgo all the DD-typical shading tools and just focus on building lines with colors. I think it turned out pretty well! I couldn’t decide if I liked it better with or without lines, so I’ve posted both. I tried further shading the ground and bodies, but it didn’t work out very well, so I think I just need more practice with shading on this maker.

Flutterbug is a maker I’ve always struggled with in the past, but this was exactly the project I needed to appreciate what it can do. Winterstar’s art style, and this piece in particular, really play to my strengths when making hidden doll scenes. I’ve grown to love the wide array of draggies available, as well as the muted color palate, and of course brush mode which has probably saved me hours! It really is just an optimized ND palate for hidden dolls. I’m excited to try more of the transparency options in the future, and play around a bit more with the multiple shading options. You can read my rambles while making the doll here.

The only thing I’m unhappy with is that Scar’s face is ever so slightly too small. Unlike traditional artists, I can’t just erase and redraw - I’d have to manually remove every individual draggie and rebuild it from scratch. So, he’s stuck with a small head. Oh well! The fact that Grian’s face came out so well completely offsets my disappointment in Scar’s face. The whole time I was building it I was chanting “trust the process trust the process” in my head, and it was well worth it!

It was only after I’d finished the doll that I realized that using Flutterbug instead of Gemsona (as originally planned) would make this a non-entry for me. Unlike works made entirely by Ola, Inkscribble does not have blanket permission to monetize works made with her dollmakers, so I do not feel comfortable entering this into a contest for physical rewards. Therefore, I am treating this as a for-fun only challenge only.

Thank you Winterstar for making such beautiful art, this was super fun to participate in, and congrats on the 20k followers on insta!

[shinymist]

Acec’s Bey Avatar, a gift for @qloof

Made by Shinymist using draggies on DollDivine’s Gemsona Maker

This is heavily based on two dragon dolls made by Daisycat (CatflowerJosie) on DollDivine’s Gemsona Maker, and the accompanying tutorial and speed doll (linked below).

I made this on the app during a five hour flight so there are definitely more flaws that I’m usually comfortable with. The biggest it’s that colors aren’t perfectly accurate to the drawings qloof has made, I couldn’t get the shading right and it ended up a lot more purple than intended. I’m sure with more time I could figure it out but just call this an artistic choice and I may redo it sometime in the future

The original dragon and tutorial dolls are no longer publicly available, but the speed doll is still up and can be found here:

[shinymist]

Summoning the DollDivine gods and the power of the old Urban Chic Deluxe queens today, here goes nothing

[shinymist]

Garden Inspiration

Made by me using draggies on DollDivine + Inkscribble’s Merfolk Maker, inspired by Sorachan’s Tales of Tanjia

Musings + credits under the cut

I’m a little rusty as I haven’t used Neptune’s Daughter in nearly three years, and I’ve never used Merfolk, but I’m very happy with how this came out! I chose Merfolk specifically so I could make the background separate and move them to match. I think I prefer ND for the more vibrant colors and familiar draggies, but learning Merfolk’s scene maker abilities was still fun!

Making a Tanjia-inspired doll on an Inkscribble game really felt like returning home. My style has never fit well with Tanjia’s aesthetic, but I always loved seeing other’s dolls of the world, wishing I could contribute as well. I’m a good ten years too late to the party, but Tanjia will forever remain in my heart :)

~~

Neptune’s Daughter: https://www.dolldivine.com/neptunes-daughter-mermaid-dress-up

Merfolk: https://www.dolldivine.com/merfolk

(Games are not mobile friendly)

[shinymist]

I have some drafts that have just been sitting there for nearly two years about transformative dolling. I know why it stalled - anxiety. I want more people to appreciate this art, but I always worry that I’m coming across too authoritative when writing about the unspoken rules and etiquette we posted by. I’m not the best at dolling, I’m just one of very few people left keeping this art form alive, and even then I haven’t made a doll in a while due to time and life. I love this art form, and I think that dollmakers are especially important with the rise of unethical image generating programs. This is something those programs can’t replicate, that can’t be monetized, that is built by multiple hands of artists layering their styles and skills on top of each other until you have something truly unique. It’s art. It’s beautiful. I want to share it but I’m so scared of it breaking containment that it’s holding me back.

[shinymist]

Celeste’s Dream made using drag-and-drop on Inkscribble‘s Merfolk Maker for Sorubiart ‘s dtiys

This doll was so much fun to make! I once again chose to use Merfolk instead of Neptune’s Daughter for the more pastel color scheme, which worked out very well! I struggled a lot with layering for this one, and of course the hands and feet were a challenge. I am most pleased with the dress and hair. Hair has never been my strong suit but I think it turned out great!

Progress photos and rambles under the cut

Original art by Sorubiart, and progress photos for the doll

While I did make this for sorubidtiys, I do not feel comfortable entering it into the contest itself, since this is not completely my own art and is being shared outside of dedicated dolling circles. Please do not consider this an entry, just made for fun.

Transformative drag-and-drop dolling is a dying art these days. Using a dollmaker as a canvas is its own skill set, and unfortunately much of our history was lost with the death of flash. There are also many things I can not do with this art that a traditional artist can, because by definition I am using someone else’s art to create my own, and as such the art does not completely belong to me. This is why I call myself a DollDivine artist specifically. If anyone wants more info on transformative dolling, feel free to message me!

Thank you Sorubi for letting us recreate your beautiful oc! I hope my doll did her justice, it was a lot of fun!

Also anyone who’s read this far should check out inkscribbledraws and consider commissioning her, she makes absolutely beautiful art and I am so grateful to her for making such incredible dollmakers!

[shinymist]

Painting the Sky by myself (Shinymist), made using drag-and-drop on Sara Kuan’s Urban Chic Deluxe maker, for Toshiasan’s dtiys

As soon as I saw the original dtiys art, I immediately knew I wanted to try making it on Urban Chic! Which proved to be very much a challenge, as it’s not a maker I have used often in the past. The draggies were difficult to layer, but with a lot of trial and error, I think I’ve created something I am proud of. The clouds were especially tricky, but thankfully the repo wasn’t!

Credit links under the cut

Urban Chic ~ Deluxe Fashion Edition

Create hip and stylish urban looks that take inspiration from the 90s, hip hop and hipster movements. A modern and edgy dress up game for th

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A post shared by ToshiaSan | Art (@toshiasan)

[shinymist]

New Year’s Stars

Made by Shinymist using drag-and-drop on DollDivine’s Gemsona Maker app (which has no brush mode)

My plans for next year include really committing to making Meiker dolls. I’ve already experimented with a few meikers and have a good idea of how stamps work, and there are a growing number of games with versatile draggies, so I’m excited to see what is in store for 2024!

Speeddoll