Overdone
So I tried to do bokeh on a dark background. The overall method works, although - as I suspected - with dark backgrounds I need to utilise blending modes more fluidly. I also tried to not use such a random brush like last time, instead making every dot count. Works better when bokeh is used in only a small area. And this time I tried to avoid putting the dots too much over the doll, so that it looks more like she's backlit.
The end result is not one of my favourite photos, on the whole, but it might just be that I'm not that used to dark backgrounds anymore and since the focus was on trying out the bokeh manipulation, I didn't give so much attention to the doll. So Other-Nuu is looking kinda weird there, not very organic. Actually the main reason I used this particular doll was that she was light coloured (stands out against a dark bg) and she wouldn't clash too much against my horrid eggplant-coloured wall (which I'm hopefully getting to paint over soon).
On a whole another topic from bokeh and photoshop, I have had this itch to try out making an alpaca wig by myself. I love the look those wigs give to dolls and I think especially Other-Nuu would be a lovely candidate. I've checked out tutorials and have a noob's grasp of how to go about making it and I have most of the materials at home. Except for the actual hair, of course XD And since I'm still pretty sure I'll botch this whole thing, I'm hesitant spending the cost of a fiber wig on alpaca wool that might or might not end up being a wearable wig...
Thenagain, wigmaking would give me something to do with my dolls other than taking photos and spending increasing amount of time with Photoshop now that face-upping is on hiatus. And once I'd get the main process down, I could try my hand at custom dyeing and such cool stuff. I know I'd love to make Yuffie her own fluffy alpaca wig in whacky colours :3 And don't even mention all the pastel wigs Hani would be hoarding after this...
Bleh, maybe I'll just throw my money at Etsy if I have money left over from the first renovating-costs after this next payday.
I really like how the effect looks in a dark background, thanks for trying!
VastaaPoistaAlpaca wigs seems so fun to do, I actually wanted to give it a try this year so I ordered some hair in january, but I had so many problems with the seller that after 6 months of excuses I didn't get my alpaca hair (and luckily I was able to get a refund), so now the whole thing just makes me mad and I don't wanna try anymore XD! But I'd love Faolan to have really short hair, and that could be possible by doing the wig myself :(... maybe in the future.
You did your dolls face ups yourself? they look really well done!
If you try making wigs, let us know how it goes :D
I'll keep you posted on wig-developments for sure.
VastaaPoistaI have done four of my nine current dolls' face-ups. But some like Other-Nuu here have customs done by other very talented artists (my Ais and my Lorina have been done by Korone), whose work I really don't want to erase. But any future blank dolls I'll be getting I'll be doing myself :P
She looks so lovely!! :O
VastaaPoistaI love bokeh too, and I think you did a wonderful edit here! I love the photography, too :3
Regarding the wigs, you can maybe try first with tibetan-lamb-wool, that is a little more affordable and a little easier to do... but, you need to get a good quality, or it will look poor and the cap will show (that happened to me, sadly).
Also, I found your blog and saw you had linked mine, so I hope you don't mind, I just added your button to my blog :3
I don't mind at all :) I like reading your blog, especially the interviews.
VastaaPoistaRe:bokeh, Thank you!
Re:wigs, that might be a viable option to think about. I seem to be the type to want to do it perfectly right from the start, and I want something usable from every experiment, but I might just have to lower the bar if I start to do my own wigs XD Like with face-ups, no the first ones were far from perfect. Or clothes, the first pieces I sew were horrid now when I look back. So I need to take it down slowly with the wigs too... No point in spending maybe hundreds on wig materials and then giving up when the result is not what I expected, when all I would have needed was practise... Do you btw have any links to good quality tibetan wool? Maybe on Etsy or something?
Oh yes, this wool is sold with the skin... *headdesk* Then it won't really help me with the practising, since alpaca is sold as free hair, that is most often glued to a separately made wig-cap. Well, sure, I could cut the hair off the skin, but I think it'd be a bit of a waste of a good cap XD
VastaaPoista