Ludovica Goes Under The Pencil... Again

Many of you are familiar with me and my custom DDH-29, Ludovica. This forum has really helped me feel more like a real vinyl doll collector, and has inspired me to interact with my girl in new ways, and I'm very grateful for the community I've found here.

However, y'all have also made me jealous.

This (or the first image, idk how this will be formatted) is what she currently looks like. Not bad, right? I think I did I very good job, considering this was my first (well, second, but that's another story) faceup.

But compared to the lovely faces I see here, something about Ludovica's original face seems... off. I don't think she's currently quite anime enough for my liking, so, this summer, my dear MDD is getting a makeover! 

 

Nice low-mid 70s weather today, so the "surgery" can officially begin! Here's a picture of one untouched lashline vs one that's (mostly) done:

I finished her left hand side first, and was going to spray her after that, but I decided to do a coat on both eyes beforehand, and I'm glad I did, as I ended up touching up both sides. I didn't take a picture of that, yet, though.😅

She 's currently drying underneath a large measuring cup, to protect her new resin coating from dust. 😅 I want to add more in the next hour and a half to two hours, but it looks like it might rain, so that may be all I get to do today. 😕 However, Tuesday looks like good MSC weather too!😁

Had a full day of painting today! After evening out the lashes on Sunday, I examined the head and ended up deciding to thicken them a little bit more, as that ended up being my biggest regret from last time. This led to her eyelid lines being sacrificed, but I think that's worth it. 

I also evened out/filled in her eyebrows, and changed her little smirk to an (painted on) open mouth! I also dabbed some pink in the upper, outer corners of her eyes, but I guess it didn't wait long enough for the Mr. Super Clear to dry, and I ended up wiping it all off as I tried to go over it with a darker pencil. Neither color was what I wanted anyway, one too light and one too dark and purpley. The slight "blushing" left behind by wiping it off looks better.

I'm not quite sure why the sealant didn't dry in the 1.5 hours between coats, but it was a bit windy today, so perhaps I simply didn't get a thick enough layer onto the head. The 2.5 hours between that coat and the one I just finished (added teeth, no pics yet) had pencil rubbing off too. Odd. Oh well. That will probably be my last layer for today, and she'll have plenty to dry overnight. Enjoy these progress shots, because I do!

 

11 minutes ago, Giallo_Gatta said:

'm not quite sure why the sealant didn't dry in the 1.5 hours between coats, but it was a bit windy today, so perhaps I simply didn't get a thick enough layer onto the head. The 2.5 hours between that coat and the one I just finished (added teeth, no pics yet) had pencil rubbing off too. Odd.

I just wanted to let you know about the picnicky-ness of Mr. Super Clear. I guarantee you the wind and possibly your climate—not sure where you live—is causing a problem if you're spraying outdoors. Mr. Super Clear should dry with thirty minutes, so if it's lasting longer, there's a problem with humidity. Humidity and Mr. Super Clear does not mix and will cause a lot of problems with trying to do doll faceups, unfortunately.

You need a dry place in order to get the best results; I hate to say it, but invest in a N95 respirator (if you don't already have one) and spray in a well-ventilated area of your house/apartment away from food, animals, and usual living quarters. I hope this helps some!

Oh, don't worry, I wear a respirator and goggles, lol. But the thing is, it was lower 70s all day and mild humidity. 

40 minutes ago, Giallo_Gatta said:

But the thing is, it was lower 70s all day and mild humidity. 

Noooooooo, no wonder. Warm and dry!! Avoid cool weather and humidity as much as you can. Some people are fortunate enough to get good climate weather, but most don't, so try to use a well-ventilated area in your house/apartment. Trust me, you'll get better results. You should only have to wait thirty minutes. 😭

Edit: Also, I believe I read earlier that you were doing heavy coats of Mr. Super Clear? That's also a big no-no! A quick once-over for each layer is perfectly reasonable. Too much and it starts to clump up. Sorry for all the advice, but Mr. Super Clear is more finicky than my sixth grade English teacher!

Edited June 11 by condogenate

As a general rule, it's preferable for the humidity to be below 60, and it must be below 70 for MSC to work well.

Ah, I may have gotten the temperature wrong, I never do it outside. I apologize. 😭 But I definitely know the humidity needs to be dry.

Also, ssh, I'M NOT THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY DOES IT HAHA. All I know is from observing @rudebuster, the actual artist (who lurks, because she's too shy to participate on forums), and we usually do it inside. I guess, due to my health issues, we usually keep it at a neutral/more cooler temperature, so I got confused. I am a dumb idiot, I'm sorry!

Edited June 12 by condogenate

Just a small update: it's been a good few days of upper 80s/lower 90s weather (and/or high humidity) so I haven't been working on Ludo much. The weather is (tentatively) believed to be cooling off a bit, so I should hopefully be able to finish her new look sometime somewhat soon.

Well, it's finished! As of today, all Ludovica needs is one more coat of Mr. Super Clear!

I'm very happy with her new look, although I may add a few more details in the fall, just some white highlights or shading or such. Also, some of the paint is a little... clumpy. Overall, however, I really love how she looks now, and I see myself enjoying this take on her for many years.

See her for yourself!