figure photography lately

I just realized that the abridged version of this blog (on Tumblr) has been more frequently updated than this one.  That's pretty sad.  So here's some catch-up. 

Run, Lelouch!  Catch the kamen kitty!

Lately, I've been doing figure photography, which isn't unusual.  But lately, I've not only begun exchanging bodies between Nendoroids, but I've also begun to actually make accessories for my figurines.  I hope to make some actual body pieces and new wardrobe pieces for them soon. 

These are for the Figure Friday Challenge theme "fangs".

Date-sama's smirk has kind of a fang.

I swear, I just wanted to put Date-sama in a hakama/kimono, but then it turned into a big, Nendoroid, mix’n’match party.  ^_^;  C.C. and Rin are having way too much fun with poor Yune.  And anyone keeping up with Sengoku Basara 4 news, should understand the reference with Yukimura’s alternate costume.

 

 

Polymer clay mini top hat to go with Nendoroid Hayate the Combat Butler's "Hermoine Ayasaki" dress.  Truthfully, I bought the Hayate Nendoroid, so I could put the dress on my Chibi-Arts C.C., since the original Chib-Arts figure does not have a stading pose, and the Hermoine dress is similar to the lolita outfit C.C. wore in Code Geass. 

 

The hat is made from polymer clay, run through a pasta machine, to create flat sheets to cut from.  The clay was formed around a foil ball, which was beforehand shaped cylindrically, like the main section of a top hat.  Red and black Craft Smart polymer clay was used. 
After baking the hat, it was hot glued to a piece of ribbon, that goes all the way around the figurine's head.  A slip knot in the ribbon fits it snuggly to the head. 

 

 

Tried making my first pleated skirt for a Nendoroid, out of polymer clay.
I didn't realize how much it bothers me that Jubei doesn't wear any kind of bottoms, besides underpants.  She especially clashes standing beside Saber and my other modest figures.  ~_~;  So I tried making a skirt for her.  Now, she has dignity.  ^.^

I forgot how fulfilling it is to make things for figurines, vs just buying figures.  And after missing that figure sale because of my stupid prolonged indecision, I really needed the self-esteem boost.  I recall now that time I got inexplicably sad, coincidentally around the time I put off drawing more frequently.  Maybe that’s what’s happening now. It’s like those people who get depressed when they can’t paint every day.  I just need to make things.  It’s good for the soul anyway.

Now I'm going to get it.  I have to stop stealing Yukimura's snacks.

I really tried hard on the lighting, and still—-Bleh!  x_x;  The natural lighting bleached-out, instead of helped, and I ended up having to block it out.  Then my artificial light sources were either too dim or also bleaching.  I took off my lampshade and tried customizing the light with layers of sheer fabric.  Still…  x_x;  I’ve seen other figure photographers use mini lamps and cover them with paper towels.  If it’s that simple why can’t I get this right?!  @o@!

And my focus is still bad.  I tried to get a nice median between focusing on Yukimura’s and Date’s faces, but…I really don’t want to have to concede to buying a $600 camera. 

I wonder if I should start compositing the best parts of multiple shots, since Photoshop is more my specialty.  But I want to be able to do everything in-camera like everyone else in the Figure Photography club!  ;o;

 

Mad Hatter tea party.  Just a bit of fun.  And yes, Jubei's tail is a pompom on a thread, hung from her torso joint. 

I’m thinking of doing a figurine comic of Alice in Wonderland, but with Date Masamune and other Nendoroids.  Here's a rough draft:

10:11 PM 12/13/2013 version
Date-sama in Wonderland:
Alice = Date Masamune
White Rabbit = tiger cub
Mad Hatter = C.C.
March Hare = Jubei
Dormouse = P-chan
Cheshire Cat = Madoka
Tweedle Dee = Len Kagamine
Tweedle Dum = Rin Kagamine
Caterpillar = Saber
cards (painting roses) = Yune
Queen of Hearts = Sanada Yukimura
King of Hearts = Tomoe
---
CloudCuckooCountry says that each story is episodic, so maybe I can do this project out of order.  When Revoltech Date-sama comes in, I'll do his scenes then put it in order.
 12:13 AM 12/14/2013
 I'm beginning to think that my figure comic "Date in Wonderland" doesn't have to exactly echo the meanings of Alice in Wonderland.  It's fine if I give it my own meanings.  This whole project is supposed to be catharsis for how I missed out on buying Yukimura.  So I want to do a project in which Date is searching for Yukimura, and hopefully, I will be able to finish shooting the story when I finally buy Revoltech Yukimura.  Therefore, it's perfectly fine if I make all the episodes about Date having missed out on Yukimura, as I have, to express my feelings about that, and further have him express my quest to meet him again. 
 12:20 AM 12/14/2013
 Once upon a time, Date-sama missed the chance to meet with someone important, and in frustration with himself, he practiced the sword until he wore himself out.  He was about to take a nap beneath a tree, when a tiger cub ran by.  Just when he thought it was very strange to see a tiger cub in these lands, it began to speak.  It muttered to itself, "I'm late!  I'm late!", and ran off into a burrow in the ground. 
 Date-sama's curiosity was piqued, and he was eager for the chance to take his mind off his problem.  So he followed the tiger cub to the burrow. 
 But as soon as he glanced inside, he was suddenly swept in by an inexplicable force.  He fell deeper and deeper into darkness, until he landed with a thud.  Across a tiled floor, the tiger cub ran off towards a door, tiny in the distance. 
 Date-sama picked himself up and walked to the door, yet it remained small, as it had in the distance.  He scratched his head.  "How the heck did that tiger get through here?"  He continued scratching his head and glanced around. 
 He had not noticed it before, but a small table stood beside him.  On it, a sake bottle was labelled "drink me".  "What's this?  Complimentary sake?" He picked up the bottle.  With nothing better to do, he decided to have a drink. 
 As soon as he did, the table grew large and the walls grew taller.  The ceiling stretched further and further away.  "What the hell!?  Did I just shrink?!"  He whipped around at his enlarged surroundings.  The door had grown to such a size, that the doorknob was perfectly within his reach. 
 He set down the bottle and stepped through the door. 
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
 The tiger cub was again, speeding off into the distant horizon.   This time, Date-sama was able to catch up with it.  Before he could say anything, it turned and took his hand.  "There you are!  You must tend to this for me!" 
 "What?"  Before Date-sama could say another word, the little cub's jaws had clasped his coat and dragged him off with indiscernable speed into a house. 
 "Please!  There isn't much time!  I'm very late!" 
 "Time for what?"
 "Time to play!"  The little cub smiled.
 "Play?  I haven't got time for that either."
 The little cub's ears sank and his mouth almost dropped a spear that he had turned to retrieve from a trunk.  "I did not expect you to say that again."
 "'Again'?  When did I---?  Hang on.  Where did you get that spear?!"  Date-sama knelt down to examine the spear, but when he looked up, the cub was gone. 
 In the tiger cub's place was another bottle of sake.  This time, the bottle was labelled "in apology for my rudeness". 
 Date-sama took the bottle and sighed.  "I guess I better accept it, before I make him sad again."  Date-sama froze.  Make who sad again?  It was very strange, but Date-sama had forgotten.  He was sure it was the reason he was so frustrated before.  Frustrated enough to practice relentlessly, until his muscles ached.  But who was it he had made sad?  Well, whoever it was, he didn't want the cub to be sad, and he didn't want that frustration with himself again.  He drank from the bottle. 
 "Great."  Date-sama was now too big for the tiger cub's house.  In fact, he was so big that his head reached the clouds, where little ravens sat. 
 "Ah," they looked up from their writing desks and began walking towards him with papers.  "Please do sign this.  And this."  They each came at him, one at a time, each with papers to read and sign. 
 Date-sama protested.  "I can't do this now!  He just came over for a duel!"
 "Who came over?"  The birds all stopped and stared. 
 Date-sama stopped to think, the gears in his head spinning, while his head was stuck in the clouds.  "I can't remember..." 
 "Well, then, you must continue with this paperwork, or else your land will cease to function."  They pushed the papers towards him again.  "Yes!  Yes!"  The other birds brought him more papers.  "You must take care of your responsibilities before you play!" 
 Date-sama remembered the little cub smiling, "Time to play!"  And he remembered how sadly the spear sagged in his mouth.  "I did not expect you to say that again." 
 "I have no idea what this stuff is about!"  Date-sama thrashed about, scattering the birds' papers. 
 "Ah."  One of the birds picked up a manju from his desk.  "Perhaps it is time for a little break."  He brought the little rice cake to Date-sama. 
 Frustrated, Date-sama took a deep breath to calm down.  He glanced at all the ravens, waiting for him to take the manju, as it was lifted towards him.  He sighed and took a bite. 
 Date-sama instantly shrank and fell from the clouds.  He landed on the ground, unhurt, which was completely inexplicable to him.  "What the heck was all that?"  He rubbed his back, while glancing up at the clouds.  "I don't even think half of what they were talking about had anything to do with me." 
 "What about the other half?"
 Date-sama looked up to find a large mushroom before him.  On it, a caterpillar puffed smoke from a hookah.
 He stood up.  "They were sayin' somethin' about my land fallin' ta pieces, if I didn't take care of beaurocratic stuff." 
 "Oh?  What land do you rule?  Are you a king?"
 "No, I'm...I'm...Damn.  I can't remember."
 "Remember what?"
 "The land I rule."
 "So you are a ruler?"
 "...I can't remember." 
 "Well, what kind of ruler doesn't tend to their responsibilities?"
 "It wasn't that.  It's just that he came over all of a sudden, and I didn't want to pass it up."
 "Pass what up?"
 "Pass up..."  Date-sama shook his head.  "Well, it doesn't matter because I told him to come another time and I did take care of my responsibilities instead!"
 "How did he take it?"
 Date-sama froze. 
 "Was he sad?"
 Date-sama tried to remember.  "I don't know what the heck's going on!"  He grit his teeth and punched the giant mushroom. 
 It shook underneath the caterpillar, clattering his glass hookah.  "Hey!  Temper yourself!  Here."  The catterpillar broke off a piece of the mushroom and handed it to Date-sama. 
 "What's this for?"
 "One side enables you to play with those who are small.  The other side enables you to rule over large spaces." 
 "What?"
 "Eat."  The catterpillar turned away from him and continued puffing smoke from the hookah. 
 Date-sama shrugged his shoulders and tried a bite of the mushroom piece in his hands.
 Suddenly, he was too big to see the caterpillar any longer.  Yet, he wasn't so big as to reach the clouds.
 "Finally," Date-sama stared up at the sky far above and the grass that was finally no taller than his feet.  "Looks like I'm the right size." 
 "But are you in the right place?" 
 Date-sama spun to face the trees behind him. 
 "Meow."  A cat sat in the shadows of a tree's branches. 
 Date-sama scrutinized the cat with much suspicion for several moments.
 This made the cat smile a wide grin.  "Well, at least you can be at the right time."
 Date-sama sighed, "'Course...The cat talks too."
 "There are many people to talk to here.  Or rather, I should say, towards that direction."
 Date followed the point of the cat's tail.  In the distance, a faint chattering reached his ears. 
 He glanced back towards the cat, but it was gone.  The branches, the trees, and the rest of the field were all equally empty. 
 "I guess I should ask where I am."  Date-sama shuffled his feet towards the distant voices. 
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
 In the middle of the woods, Date-sama came to a small house, with lively voices emanating from its garden.  Continuing to follow the voices, he came up to a table with multiple tea cups and numerous chairs, but only 3 people. 
 "Hey."  He stood beside the person at the head of the table. 
 The person in the top hat ignored him. 
 "Hey!"  Date-sama grabbed the chair and spun it around. 
 "Ah!" The person in a top hat clasped her hands.  "You're just in time!"
 "Time?"  Date-sama was tugged by one of the other two at the table, into an empty seat. 
 "Just in time for tea!"  The girl with bunny ears wiggled her puff ball tail before sitting down. 
 "Yes!  A very good time!"  The hatted girl raised her cup.
 "No, hey, I'm not looking for a good time."  Date-sama interjected.
 "Well, how fortunate!  There is no Time!" 
 "Yes, yes!  No Time!"
 The mouse asleep at the table muttered, "No time...no time at all..."
 "You see," the hatted girl set down her cup, "It is always tea time. Therefore---"
 The bunny jumped up.  "Therefore, there is no time!" 
 "Yes, yes!  Time stopped is no Time at all."
 "And time spent unchanging, also may as well not be either."
 "Quite true, quite true."
 "Hang on."  Date-sama finally found a break in their jibbering.  "I'm not looking for the time.  I'm looking for---"
 "Then how fortunate!  Because there is no Time here at all!"
 "Yes, yes!  No Time!"
 "Only teatime!"  The hatted girl and the bunny girl both raised their cups and drank together. 
 Date-sama began grinding his teeth.  "Fer the love of...I'm just lookin' for a way back home!"
 "No need to shout."
 "Yes, you'll wake the poor mouse.  Incidentally, there is no Time in dreams either."
 "Yes, yes.  Time spent sleeping is no experience of Time either."
 Date-sama got up and left them to sip at their tea.  But he found himself lifted up by both arms.
 "Round and around in a circle!" 
 "Yes, yes!  Around the table!"  The ladies sat him down into a new seat. 
 "It's very strange to see you running around in circles, Sir."  The hatted girl commented towards Date-sama while sipping her tea.
 "What?  You're the ones who dragged me around this table!"
 "Oh, no."  The bunny girl interjected.  "You were running in circles well before you came here."
 "Yes, yes.  Running in circles, with no time to play."
 "Though running in circles seems to be an interesting game to play itself." 
 "Though, quite aimless."
 "Yes, quite aimless."
 "What do you get for running in circles, hm?"  They both turned to him.
 "I don't have time for this."  Date-sama tried to get up again.
 "That's exactly the answer!"  The bunnygirl clapped him on the back in congratulations, and back into his chair. 
 "No Time!  No Time!"
 The sleeping mouse mumbled, "No Time...no Time..."
 As they took a long sip of tea, Date-sama got up.  "What a waste of time," he muttered, bumping into the tiger cub.
 Something fell out of his paws and onto the table. 
 "Ah!  My watch!" 
 Both the hatted lady and the bunny girl stared at the metal device.  "What is that?"
 "I have no idea."
 "It's my watch!"  The tiger cub pleaded.  "Please, I need it to tell the time!  I'm already very late!"
 "Tell the time?" 
 "Tell the time?"  The bunnygirl and the hatted lady looked at each other.  "However would you do that?"  They snatched the cub's watch and each took turns picking and prying at it. 
 "Hey."  Date-sama snatched up the watch as the crazy girls passed it between themselves.  "Here."  He handed it back to the cub. 
 But the cub just stared at him.
 "Here.  C'mon.  Take it."
 "Maybe you should keep it.  You said you needed more time."
 "When did I say that?"
 The watch began to chime.
 "I'm late!  There's no more time to play!"  The cub snatched back the watch. 
 "Hey!"  Date-sama chased after the tiger cub.  "What did you mean?!"  And he followed the cub back into the woods. 
xoxoxoxoxoxo
 The woods broke into a set of manicured hedges, well-groomed trees, and a geometric layout of open spaces.
 "Hey, cub!"  Date-sama called out into the garden.  "Where did ya go?"  Date-sama saw a figure standing behind a rose bush and asked, "Did you see a tiger cub run through here?"
 "Oh...um...no...I'm sorry."  The gardener kept her darting eyes on her work, as her hands moved frantically.
 "Hey, you okay?  What're you doing?"
 "I have to paint these roses red.  I made a mistake.  They were supposed to be red, but they're white.  I have to paint them red." 
 "Why not just plant red roses?"  Date-sama's hand gently cupped one of the white flowers.  "Though, these are pretty nice the way they are."
 "No.  I can't.  They have to be red.  I don't want to have to fight."
 "Is someone picking a fight with you?"
 "I challenge you!"  A voice suddenly shouted from behind. 
 Date-sama turned, and barely remembered to breath.  "Yukimura...?!"
 "Masamune-dono!"  The young man smiled, relaxing the spears in his hands.  "It is so good to see a familiar face!"
 "Yeah, same here."  The one-eyed dragon almost lost his words, as the tiger cub almost leapt into his embrace, but stopped short. 
 "I'm just," Yukimura was almost teary-eyed, "so glad...!"
 "Yukimura, how did ya get here?"
 Yukimura's smile began to melt away.  "Do you not know, Masamune-dono?" 
 "Your majesty!  Did you find someone else to challenge?"  A woman walked up from behind Yukimura.
 "Ah, yes!"  He turned.  "But I found him to be a previous acquaintance, and we began speaking."
 Date-sama watched the two of them converse with an unusual amount of familiarly.
 "That is of no consequence.  You must continue issuing challenges."
 "Yukimura," Date-sama asked, "What's this?"
 "Ah, my apologies, Masamune-dono!"  Yukimura turned again.  "When I found myself in this place, they said I was to function as their king, and carry out the duties of that position."
 The woman stepped forward.  "As the king, he must issue challenges, to anyone new who comes into the garden."
 "Well," Date-sama began to smirk.  "That sounds like fun!  I accept!  Let's have ourselves a match!" 
 "Oh, no."  The woman waved her hand.  "He must continue issuing challenges."
 "My apologies, Masamune-dono.  They say that if I do not continue fulfilling the fucntions of this role, then their kingdom will fall apart.  Please excuse me."  Yukimura took a step to run off in search of more newcomers to challenge.
 "Hang on."  Date-sama grabbed his arm.  "You can't be happy with this.  Challengin' people then not fightin'?  Then ya run off again for more empty challenges?  You can't stay here and spend all your time like that, Yukimura."
 Yukimura stared at Date-sama.  "Masamune-dono.  I thought you would understand." 
 Date-sama's grip sagged from his arm, and Yukimura moved to take a step past.  But not before Date-sama's grip tightened again.  "Ruling Oshuu is not like this crazy place!  There were people who depended on me do those things that felt like a waste of time!"
 Yukimura just stared at him.  "Are you beginning to remember now, Masamune-dono?"  Yukimura dropped one of his spears and placed his hand on Date-sama's.  "If you remember everything, this place will disappear, and you won't be able to see me."
 "What?  If I want to see you, I'll just go to Kai.  Are ya sayin' you won't be there anymore?"
 Yukimura backed away from him and ran off with both his spears. 
 "Yukimura!"  Date-sama began to chase after him.
 "Sir!" 
 Date-sama found a sword pointed between him and his path.  The woman who had explained the rules stood in his way. 
 "As queen here, my function is to ensure the king fulfills his duties.  You cannot interfere."
 "Yeah?  Then show me these people who'll be hurt if he doesn't go around doin' this type of stuff!"
 "You should have asked this before you came here."
 "What?"  Date-sama just barely dodged her sword swipe. 
 "He wants to stay here too."  She continued her attacks.  "Or do you not understand that either?"
 Masamune found no sword at his hips. 
 The gardener cowering behind a rose bush, locked eyes with him, as he dodged.  Quickly, she grabed a rose not yet painted red and tossed it to Date-sama. 
 When he caught on reflex, he found a sword, not a white flower in his hands. 

Christmas 2013 wishlists

I don't know where else to put this, where anyone in my family can access it, so here's my family's Christmas gift-exchange wish list. 

Rexie's wishlist:
-  blue, green, or blue-green bath towel, without excess decorations.
-  Lowe's giftcard.  (for buying plants)
-  Target giftcard.

Totoy's wishlist:
-  Lowe's giftcard.
-  Home Depot giftcard.


Nini's highly implausible wishlist:
-  dragon or dragon hatchling figurine from Michaels (Any blue, purple, black, or silver dragon, besides "Midnight Moon" or "Cloud Dragon"). 
-  round chopsticks with cute animals or pretty foliage patterns, and no ridges.
-  "Le Plume Pigmented" black marker from Marvy Uchida brand.
-  Copic ink refill "C2". 
-  Copic markers. Any "Copic Sketch" or "Copic Ciao" not already in my inventory (see below).
-  Copic Multi Liner black pen(s).
-  cute manekineko (lucky cat).
-  artbook of Alphonse Mucha.
-  Jeweler's mini anvil or dapping block.
-  Jeweler's pliers.  Long-nose, round-nose, etc.
-  blockprinting carving tool blades.
-  tiger cub plushie by Aurora ("Terrence" or "Taz"). 

[visual aids below]

 

feeling much better now

I was actually able to draw today!  ^U^

I really have to thank the new Nendoroid that came in the mail today. 

I had so much fun, switching different parts, with my pre-collected Nendoroids, I guess I felt inspired. 

 

 After all, my point in buying even Nendoroids of characters I don't particularly know (like Jubei on the left), is so that I can make replica castings, to create custom Nendoroids.

Someday, maybe I'll be able to make Nendoroids of my original characters.  So I thought, I'll have to finalize her design.  That's what lead up to my drawing tonight. 

Usually drawing is such a struggle for me, but this came out so easily!  It's not the best, but I'm just really glad that drawing actually felt good.  ^_^  I guess having an idea and really wanting to do it, might be what they call "being inspired".  If it just takes some new figurines and/or playing with them, then maybe I'll do that more often. 

But tomorrow, I'm going to try to replicate these figurine parts in polymer clay.  (Instead of the expensive resin and silicone molds everyone keeps advocating.)  I feel like experimenting.  I hope it turns out well. 

I would like to give Jubei her own set of short pants, not just Rin's, so she can be displayed with dignity, instead of with just her undies.  ^.^;

OTL You don't have to read my angst.

It's been a while.  I feel like so much has changed. 

I've totally neglected my daily uploads to DeviantArt, I barely do the Figure Friday Challenges at the Figure Photography club anymore, and I haven't drawn anything in forever.  The only creative thing I can seem to still pick up on occaision is writing.  But it takes me forever to finalize those.  Not ideal for daily art uploads.  My thoughts just drag on ideas for making custom Nendoroids, even though I'm too afraid of new processes/mediums, to get started, let alone the cost of resins and silicon mold materials.  Though, I've been muddling over starting with attempts at polymer clay custom Nendos. 

I guess this extended hiatus started with my last convention.  That was a perfectly justifiable excuse.  But I haven't been able to get back.  ;_;  Anyone would say that I have all the time in the world, yet somehow, I don't know where it all goes. 

Today and yesterday, I had ideas for photography, but I couldn't even get myself to bring out the figurines and do that kind of art. 

Maybe I'm in one of those "giving up on life" lulls.  I've had those frequently, all my life.  Hard to make art like that.  ....Without going further into the darkness, anyway.  Although, art I've made in that state does tend to be something I look back at fondly. 

Yesterday, I suddenly had a rush of ideas for an illustrated type of episodic short story, or maybe I should call it a figure photography comic with accompanying story text.  But I feel ashamed to post it, if I should ever get a bit of it done, besides the story text.  It's just too similar to someone else's work that I've been reading lately.  I guess her episodic illustrations with short "diary" entry captions got into my head, and I was thinking in that way, without even realzing.  But now I know, and I don't know if I can bring myself to show the community who would be interested in the topic, because I'll just look like a copycat.  ;_;  Some voice in my head is telling me not to be ashamed for being an "copycat", because so many good works are_inspired_ by others.  For example, the presentation style in Extra Credits was inspired by Zero Punctuation, but now they seem like a style in and of themselves.  But it would take forever to make the custom Nendoroids for the photoshoots, and my drawing (especially of chibi characters) is so awful, that I probably wouldn't want to post it anywhere it may really get seen.  OTL

I don't even know if I should continue "pretending" to be an artist anymore.  My attempts to make a living at it have not worked well with me, yet returning to a life that's not based on creativity doesn't feel worth living anymore.  (I convinced myself long enough the first time, that I could get fulfillment with just consumerism, like a Normal person.) 

That's where my life is right now.  ;___;  Feels bad, but creating art to post online everyday, has become the least of my priorities lately.  ;______;