CustomHouse Ange Ai Gaby for Krishna

One of my dearest friends in this hobby, Krishna, is leaving for Japan to further her career. I'm gonna miss her terribly, so when she asked if she could commission me to do the faceup of her new girl, I jumped at the opportunity. I like to think of it as a goodby present from me to her. ; w;)

Her doll's name is Umeko, which comes from the Japanese word ume, meaning "plum". She's a young girl born with a congenital illness that makes her look pale. She decides to embrace Shironuri fashion to cope with her sickliness.

I was supposed to try my hand at using acrylics to do the details, but I chickened out. x_x I also wanted to finish her ASAP because Krishna's leaving for Japan by the end of January. Oh well, I'll have other opportunities to practice lol. Despite that, I'm pretty happy with how Umeko turned out. :D

Starting the Year Right

There's nothing quite like a new doll to usher in the new year! ☆*･゜ﾟ･*\(^O^)/*･゜ﾟ･*☆

Rowan is a Fairyland Feeple60 Sleeping Rona mod. The fantastic Eludys opened her eyes and my awesome friend Ricci did the finishing touches. I ordered her in October 10 and she shipped on December 13, which is quite fast for Fairyland — just 46 working days! My boyfriend Ryan helped me get her home just before Christmas, and I finished her faceup a few days after that, heh. (* >ω<)

The year 2013 in general was a fantastic year for me, and it couldn't have been possible without the support of my family, friends and you, lovely blog followers! Thank you for sticking around. ♥♥♥

Happy New Year again, guys! Here's to a great year ahead! *✲ﾟ*｡✧٩(･ิᴗ･ิ๑)۶*✲ﾟ*｡✧

Because I'm a Doll by Kazuki Takamatsu

Beautiful, serene-looking dolls posed amidst dark, sometimes macabre and violent backgrounds are the subjects of Japanese artist Kazuki Takamatsu's series of paintings, "Because I'm a Doll".

Takamatsu mixes both traditional and modern techniques to create his signature "depth map style" paintings. Depth maps are computer-generated images that show the distance of the surfaces of an object or scene from a viewpoint. These images are used in creating 3D animations and computer graphics. However, instead of using a computer, Takamatsu uses gouache to achieve this effect. He painstakingly paints layers of semi-transparent gouache to create the illusion of depth. The monochrome color scheme adds to the evocative atmosphere of his creations.

His usual subjects are innocent, melancholy young girls as either victims or perpetrators of violence, but for this series, a lot of his subjects are female ball-jointed dolls. I'm not sure why he used dolls this time. Perhaps to emphasize fragility? Or maybe it's a criticism on the expectations placed on girls?

Below are some of my favorites from his series.

Photo credits: Kazuki Takamatsu's Facebook Profile