I've collected these Unoa bits and pieces over the past several months and finally am opening them today.
I spent so much effort to find an open Lbi face only to get it on him and realize I loved his soft half closed eyes too much to change now 😭
At least the Lusis plate (replacing the Sist one) is one thousand percent what I wanted for sure. Unfortunately she is white instead of fresh, but OH WELL I am NOT in a caring phase rn
And YAY default Latea back in my sweaty grasp again! I'm so happy to have a blank one. Only just now noticing I have her and Sist/Lusis in the exact same wig (diff sizes). What can I say I do love red short wigs.
The Unoa Freak series is specifically written to celebrate and discuss Unoa dolls. Created in 2003 by Gentaro Araki, founder of Alchemic Labo, they were one of the first BJD available on the market. They are not as popular as they once were but Unoa dolls come in many common sizes, making these books a great resource to this day. The books also contain tutorials on face-ups, manicures, modding, stringing and more.
These books have been created with so much love and creativity, from the beautifully illustrated covers, to the fashion editorial style spreads for the patterns. They are one of my favourites to take off the shelf just to flick through the pages.
The number of patterns varies by book and each one has been created by different artists, so do take a look at the tables below before purchasing.
Gorgeous cover art with a partially transparent layer
A real must if you love Unoa dolls
The photography is superb
So many patterns for any size of Unoa doll
Includes a few accessories
Tips and tutorials for common doll styling and mods
Cons
Minimal instructions for the patterns, sometimes just a couple of drawings
The patterns in the book don’t work for every size of Unoa doll, usually each pattern is designed for a particular body sculpt (cries in Unoa Zero)
My copy of UF2 had a few pages come loose from the binding - not sure if it's a common problem but something to keep in mind
Final thoughts
I don’t think I would recommend these as pattern books for beginners, as the patterns are sized so specifically and the instructions are quite minimal, but if you are an experienced sewer I think you will enjoy the variety of styles here. My main reason for recommending these books wouldn't be the patterns though - it's the peek into BJD history that make them special. I think they are a great addition to any bookshelf.
In addition to LDD Inferno, these two have also distracted me from working on Calliope.
I’m working on my skills with paint, which I’d abandoned years ago for water color pencil. I feel unskilled and it’s frustrating, but this is better than I used to do.
New paints helped, and I bet some better brushes would help, too.
These two are one of my collection OTPs, though I never seem to take photos of them! I really should more often, especially since they’re both more or less complete lol. Something I can’t stay for ... a lot of my collection.
Their height difference is especially adorable, if a bit of a challenge from a posing perspective:
includes faceplate/headback, eyelashes, and faceup only (eyes/wig not included)
delicate pastel faceup with multicolored sparkles and freckles
painted with Tamiya and Golden acrylics and fully sealed with Mr. Super Clear
asking $220 + ship OBO SOLD
Please message off anon if interested. International customers OK! I will be shipping from California, USA (postal code 95120). Please allow 1-2 weeks for preparation for shipping.
Additional pictures of detail are available upon request + any comments/questions are always welcome :)
