Worlds Apart: Brandee and Tahlvin
November 30th, 2007
Warning/Plea: Very long, rambling post, but I'd love your opinions on some things if you have time so I hope you're able to wade through it.
As some of you may have guessed (i.e. amalinaball 😉 ), I'm working on putting together BJDs of Tahlvin and Brandee from Worlds Apart (an urban fantasy story illustrated with pictures taken inside the Sims 2 game).
I already have the body and head for Tahlvin, although they are as yet unpainted/unmodded. He is being based on an IM Hound ("IM" stands for impressive). Although he is a Hound like Ethyn, his face mold has some differences most notably in the scowling brow and the down-turned mouth. To give you some further examples of this doll model, here are some pictures of Yenna's IM Hound. Please note, however, that she sanded off the wrinkles of his brow. I happen to like the scowl though and think it will work well for Tahlvin. And, if ever I don't want him to be scowling, I can hide his forehead with the bangs of his wig.
I'm currently on a waiting list to have Sera of CherryStreet Dolls do his face-up and facial mods. I picked Sera because I fell in love with a Remy LeBeau (Gambit of the X-Men; 5 rows down, middle picture) commission she worked on in the past. I have a lot of mods I want done in addition to his face-up too: elf ears, two earrings in his right ear, hollowed cheeks (to make it look like he has cheek bones), shorter nose and rounder chin. The last two mods (nose and chin) I may attempt to do myself (maybe…I'm a bit nervous about it). As to when this will all be done, I'm not sure. I'm one of the last people on Sera's waiting list (I think there are about 20 people listed before me), so it looks like it won't be until next year sometime. I hope it's before summer though. One thing this hobby has taught me is patience, but I'm not that patient!
For his body mods, I'm hoping to commission Suzy at Switchblade Aesthetics as she does some awesome tattoo work, and where would Tahlvin be without his tatts? I'd also like to have her add some scarring to his forearms and chest, paint his fingernails black, and blush his torso, hands and feet.
It hasn't arrived yet, but I've already ordered his wig. I think it's a fairly close match to his in-game hair. However, I'm having a bit of trouble picking out his eyes.
The above are the eyes he wears in the Sims 2 game—Enayla's cloud eyes. They look grey with perhaps a tint of blue; however, in the game and in in-game pictures, they look light blue to me. So far, I've narrowed my choices down to: Masterpiece Eyes in Dresden or Frisco Bay, or Gumdrop Eyes in Blue Danube or Stormy Blue. What do you think?
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December 1st, 2007 at 1:44 am
Such a great project. I can't wait to see the finished product myself!
Tahlin's eyes: I personnaly think the Masterpiece Dresden pupils are a bit small compared to the sim version, but it may be an interesting look for what I know. I love the color of the Frisco Bay one though.
I've never seen elf BJD before, I'll have to google a few pics up.
Brandy's face: I don't really see Brandee in these, but I don't know her as much as you 😉
I think the Ipsae looks more innocent but the shirt pics you linked to show that she can be very sexy too. The Lisa doll looks more sexy in a dangerous way. "I dare you to…", if you know what I mean. She would be more pirate Brandee to me I guess.
So it seems I'm leaning toward Ipsae. Plus, it's such a beautifull name…
Good luck on the patience part, you're gonna need it. I'm rather patient myself, but whan I want something really hard, I tend to turn into a spoilled brat. And I can imagine how hard you want to have these two finished, so I share your pain, hehe 😀
December 1st, 2007 at 5:08 am
*drool* Pretty, pretty dollies…
The IM Hound is amazing, I can see little similarities with the fabulous Sim-Tahlvin which make me think, "Wow!" I personally like the Dresden eyes for their colour, but the Stormy Blue are lovely as well; and maybe the Dresden pupils are a little small. But I can see why you are struggling to pick! 😉
With Brandee (beautiful expression on her Sim-picture, by the way), I lean towards Ipsae because you said that you think of her as innocent and naive. Though goodness knows that Lisa is a gorgeous doll, her pout and general sultry expression makes me think that perhaps she's not as able to pull of the innocent look as well as Ipsae. Plus, I think Ipsae is capable of looking "sexy/dangerous" in your hands. Her face just seems to have more expression in it than Lisa's.
You've made two other dolls completely individual characters, but they are both extremely loveable. I am sure that with Tahlvin and Brandee, two characters you have had in your mind for a lot longer than Dom and Ethyn, you will work wonders with the finished products! (Hey, and maybe your husband will take a shine to Tahlvin, it being an old WoW character'n'all) 😀
Good luck with everything!
December 1st, 2007 at 5:52 am
For Tahlvin's eyes I'd say either the Dresden or Stormy Blue, with Stormy as the leader at the moment. And definitely Ipsae for the Brandee doll. That male Saint is rather gorgeous isn't he *joins in the drooling*
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:43 pm
For Tahlvin's eyes
my first thought when I saw the Dresden color was – that's a nice color. And when I saw Frisco Bay I thought – that's an unusual color. (I didn't care for the others) But I think you have to keep in mind skin tone and hair color and if possible look at all three colors together and see which combination you like the best.
As far as Brandee is concerned I think the reason why you are having such a difficult time is the Ipsae doll is more innocent looking and the Lisa doll more sultry. So it depends if you want Brandee to look more naive or sexy. Both are stunning. I like the Lisa doll better – there's a little more going on behind the eyes.
I'm sure whatever you choose will be perfect. And I think it's a bold move! One girl to three guys! It's goin to get ugly up in heah. . .