Modesty Studios

 /Dusts off Crafting Blog/ Well, it's been a few years hasn't it? I write almost constantly in my costume blog since that's where almost all of my effort has gone. But there are a few creative projects that I'm doing that don't fit and I want to write about them. So today, I'm writing about my early research into making 3D printed anime figurines and ball jointed dolls.  Why I wanted to do this It's a bit of shiny object syndrome. I saw and bought some stylized BJD parts from an Etsy artist. I thought these would be better than the free stuff I was finding on Thingiverse. It was highly customizable and new stuff is coming out all the time...so I joined their Patreon. The process for printing and finishing in various mediums was well documented!  I've also started collecting anime figurines. My collection varies in style and quality from cheap, clearance at a grocery store blind bag to rather nice official things. Everyone so far is under $80. Again, shin...

This was the project that really spear-headed the whole craze. I wanted to wait until I got good...but I didn't. I just went for it. And we'll see how it goes.  What I Used Materials: Acrylic Multi-Surface Paints, Stencil 4.8" x 7" Glass, Chrome Spray Paint. Vinyl sticker on back for protection(?) Method: Masking with lineart Color Method: Cel painting Colored Reference. Image Prep The image was originally from this  Stencil  which looks like it's based off a frame in the manga. That's why there's lots of little scratch lines and fiddly details. I opted to take out the flowers on the sleeve, thicken the lines in Kyojuro's eyes, and open up the space in Kyojuro's hair tips since I will color them later. Another thing I was trying to decide is if I would print the scene as a stencil or inverse stencil.  Stencil Version The pros of the Stencil are that the line art will be flat black paint (except Kyojuro's pupils which I will first paint white). ...

In this method, the goal is to print the stencil directly on your glass piece. You may wonder, "Why print on the glass and not on the print bed?" So the stencil needs to be really flat on the surface to make clean lines. If it lifts anywhere, you lose definition. Well...it works well on paper. Anywhere the stencil "lifts" it's fuzzy. However on a piece of glass...the fuzzy parts don't look as stylish.  Hmmm...globby Kyojuro.  This is why we're printing directly on the piece of glass. The adhesion to the glass keeps it flat so we can paint or use etching cream or use an engraving tool I guess. You could invert the stencil too and make the inverse stencil the lineart of your piece.  Materials For this project you will need:  Isopropyl Alcohol  Filament  Optional Materials: .2 Extruder Nozzle Slicer program Pre-Requisites Check height of your glass directly with your machine. You want to make sure you got the correct height for your material. If you find th...

 The big challenge for me has been making sure my images are prepared correctly to get the best results for my chosen project. I will go over how I evaluate how to use the image, how to convert an images into an STL stencil and some tips for editing images to make them more suitable to the task.  You can find images on 3D printing repositories meant for laser cutting or plain old stencils. Most of my examples I downloaded from the user Longquang on Thingiverse .  But you can make your own using your favorite image making program. Ideally, an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) will be the final result. However, I will show you the way to convert PNG to SVG so you can make your STL stencils! Yay.  Find/Making Best Images Depending on if you are cutting or stenciling, you will want to use images with some heft. Made from big, beefy, beautiful shapes.  Ideal image to cut or Stencil But most art (mine included) use thin, fiddly lines to make characters. But you can't make...

 I do a lot with my 3D printer. And I found out more I can do with it! Turns out I could turn it into an engraver or a plotter or cutting machine. Not as perfect as the real deal machines but the research has me very excited.  I made a post on Modesty's Costume Closet , about how I got inspired and how I plan on applying what I have learned in my research. But in that blog, I try to focus on costume application. This one, I'm going to focus on the ART part. (I still go pretty in-depth on the Costume Closet, but I am going to go into more detail here.)  The plan for this series of posts is:  >> Introduction: The Research I've done and Basic requirements Preparing Images for Etching, Cutting, or Stencils 3D Printing Stencils onto Glass Process Cutting Vinyl Stencils or Stickers Etching Glass Directly Glass LED Lamp/Display Projects Etched Look Sticker Decal Cel Painted Scene Note: Currently these are 'in-progress' projects for me. I am writing about ideal situat...

Projects that I'm currently working on at the moment. Baby Blanket Crochet - I have crocheted about 13 cm of a 100 cm blanket. ;_; Leather Lessons - I'm up to module 5, but I still need to do the homework for 4. Planning on doing that this weekend. MAX - Doing the art exchange this month. I should be able to make it this weekend and do my homework. Lotara Cosplay - Collecting phase. I'm being patient, but I've gotten ears and body paint and earrings at the moment. 3D Printing - I'm very close to my savings goal for a Resin 3D printer. Looking forward to making minis and costume parts. Sculpting - haven't started my lessons on Udemy yet. Art Doll Goro - the armature stares at me all the time. :P BJD course - about 50% done but I think I need to restart. I some of the supplies for it, but it has intrigued me about porcelain casting, but no info yet. VN Project - I've written up to chapter 5 for both the final routes. (Goro and Katsuro). I...

Work has been all consuming of my time and a drain on my creativity. I still get bursts of creative energy from time to time. Some things I've made since my last post: Rhinestone Necklace                     Rhinestone Shoes Crochet African Flowers Stuffed Fox Touching up VN sprites Written the First chapter of the next two VN routes So more productive than I give myself credit for. :) Also exciting is that MAX (Multi-Artist Exchange) has been revived again after 2 years. I've been a part of this art exchange for over a decade. We're open to new folks joining so check it out at  https://comicadia.com/ . I have been working on updating the guide for them. Last night I purchased some of the fabric I'll need for my massive ballgown. Good golly miss molly. I had to get 19 yards of tulle. NINETEEN! That's almost 50 feet of fabric. What have I gotten myself into!? It also got me going into pattern reading whic...