DOLL FAQ

WHAT ARE THESE DOLLS?
They're ball-jointed dolls (BJDs). Sometimes they're referred to as Asian ball-jointed dolls (ABJDs) too, due to the majority being manufactured in Asian countries (China, Japan, and South Korea). BJDs are characterized by several defining characteristics: they are resin, strung with elastic, have ball joints typically where a human person has joints (neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, ankles), and a two-part head that can be opened to interchange eyes.

Dollfie Dreams (DDs) are usually considered to be "grandfathered into" the BJD classifcation as the original Dollfie Dream body met all the requirements except that they were made from vinyl (a similar, but more durable, plastic as resin). Subsequent Dollfie Dream bodies, however, replaced the strung elastic with an inner skeleton, but retained the general aesthetic. Due to this, they are not well-liked in BJD communities, although generally accepted.

BJD; ball-jointed doll.
SD; Super Dollfie.
MSD; Mini Super Dollfie.
DD; Dollfie Dream.
MDD; Mini Dollfie Dream.
DDdy; Dollfie Dream Dynamite.
DDS; Dollfie Dream Sister.

WHAT ARE YOURS SPECIFICALLY?
The girls are all from Volks's Dollfie Dream line, though some of them have SQ Labs heads. The boys are LUTS's Super Senior Delf, and one head is a Migidoll head.

WHERE DO YOU GET THEM FROM?
I usually buy the DDs from Yahoo! Japan auctions (through a deputy service), through Volks themselves (via their Volks International), second-hand stores such as Mandarake, and in one rare case, Volks's Hometown Dolpa in person. As for the BJDs, I bought them directly from their store, although one body was bought from a member on Den of Angels.

LUTS. Migidoll. SQ Labs. Volks. Volks USA.

HOW MUCH DO THESE DOLLS COST?
Depending on the doll, they can cost anywhere from $300 to $1,000 USD. Unfortunately, some limited DDs can skyrocket on the aftermarket and end up at completely ridiculous prices reaching up to $4,000 USD. I've never bought one at that price, though.

SERIOUSLY!? HOW CAN YOU AFFORD SO MANY?
I share my collection with another person (Jey), and we've been collecting for a while. Fortunately, since we've been collecting for awhile, we got many of our limited ones before aftermarket prices really shot up.

WHAT'S THE POINT?
They're fun. You can customize them any way you want, buy clothes for them and dress them up, and photograph them. Since I'm a shitty artist (believe me, I can't even draw stick figures), this is also a great way for me to create original characters and not bother other people to draw them!

DO YOU DO PAINT YOUR OWN FACES?
No. A friend does the face-ups for us, and he does such a wonderful job at it. ♥ He's quick too! I wouldn't go to anyone else for them.

DO YOU MAKE THESE CLOTHES YOURSELF?
Also no. I have no skill at sewing whatsoever, and Jey isn't confident enough in her sewing skills to really do much yet. She has sewn a few items, but she feels she's still not ready for any major projects. The clothes are usually bought from stores that sell BJD clothing (Volks, LUTS, LeekeWorld, Alice's Collections, Nine9Style, Tata's Paradise, Nightfall) or by other people who do take commissions for dollfie clothing.

DO YOU HAVE A DEN OF ANGELS ACCOUNT?
Yes: Kobayashi Maru. I made the account when I really couldn't think of a username for myself, and I wish I could change it, but I can't; I haven't been using it much because of that. But I'm going to try getting more involved. :3



WHAT KIND OF CAMERA DO YOU USE?
I use a Sony α NEX-5N with a 1.8/50 lens and a Canon EOS T1i 500D with an EF 50mm 1:1.4 lens. I also have a Canon PowerShot SX110 IS as back-up, but I try not to use that for doll photos.

WHAT ABOUT YOUR SET-UP?
I use studio lighting with umbrellas and whatever other lighting that's available. (Although I admit, I never actually open the umbrellas, since I can't get past that superstition...) Before that, I used two desk lamps; the studio lighting is much better.

WHY DON'T YOU TAKE PHOTOS OUTSIDE MORE OFTEN?
I love outdoor photos, but I'm very limited with them because I live in the stix and there isn't anything particularly interesting here. The backyard is also out, because we have a dog and she uses it as her personal toilet. (Ew, lol.) And finally, I'm not allowed to drive due to a medical condition, and Jey, while she does have a driver's license, has severe anxiety and can't drive herself. This really sucks, as I would love to go to neat places and take photos. (Better public transportation, plz.)

DO YOU EDIT YOUR PHOTOS OR DO ANY POST-PROCESSING?
Not really. I do some very minor auto-adjustments, play with saturation levels, add a Lightroom preset, and add a watermark, but that's about it. I also only have PS 7.0 and Lightroom 3, I can't afford CS5.

CAN I POST YOUR PHOTOS ELSEWHERE?
Yes! As long as you give me credit. And, if you want, let me know! I'd be interested in seeing where!

CAN I USE ONE OF YOUR PHOTOS FOR REFERENCE?
Yes, as long as it's reference only.