Inspiration from where and to what?

I'm a history nerd and a lover of fantasy fiction. Most of my inspiration for my dolls comes from history, fantasy art and the works of great illustrators, as well as cinematic costume and set design in Fantasy/medieval movies.
I don't really get much out of modern pop media except for books and illustration, as I don't watch TV or follow pop trends. They just don't interest me.

 

I love Japanese anime and manga stories as well as their harajuku fashion style and I love Victorian age's dress up. I don't really watch TV much but I love to find ideas and updates on Japanese fashion style which is where I find all my inspirations to make clothes for my dolls.

 

My dolls are all based on original characters, which means they reflect the whole general sort of mishmash (spot an influence there ) of what comes together in my mind to create stories and characters. My influences include anime, manga, video games, Japanese mythology, First Nations culture, musical theatre, Britcom, music, fantasy, science fiction, and comedy, and add on to that just general experiences from everyday life, work, living abroad, landscapes I've seen, stuff like that. Some dolls I could follow a rough sort of inspirational lineage but some things I don't remember where I might have gotten the seeds of the idea from.

 

I'm inspired by Latin, monsters, mythology (Greek, especially), superstition, twins (and the mythos surrounding them), death culture, occult and occult history, bubonic plague, various states of historical revolution, modern day punks and grunge, underground exploration and paranormal investigation, fables (especially!) and fairy tales.

I am a writer, (meaning I create my own stories and casts that are original and are not based off of the works of others), but many of my characters and ideas draw from or touch on at least one of these subjects; for example, the theme of 'twins' or 'dual selves' are a trademark of my writing (almost every story I've written has featured a twin, a doppelganger, or a person who has 'two selves' inside, for a lack of better description. Or, my work highlights colourful cultures and beleifs (normally in relation to monsters) and at least a /hint/ of the paranormal mentioned somewhere within each tale, even things like modern day, humanitarian police stories. I'm, stylistically speaking, kind of like Stephen King crossed with Guillermo del Toro: it's all about the beautiful nightmare. You know?

 

Haha, thank you! I guess it's also fair to ask you what inspires you, and your dolls, too!

Is it just music videos?

 

I actually just watched a short video with a talking severed head (wow, that sounds... yeah. That sounds worse than it is), and I was like 'OMG! I need to do that with Moz! He's a floating head anyway, I can get him a petrie dish and accessorize him appropriately and do a very weird photostory!'

I take my dollspiration from everywhere. I get bits of inspiration from films, TV, music, books, games, and then it all sort of interweaves in my head. Moz himself is equal parts D&D rogue, Spy (from TF2), and cyberpunk hacker, depending on my mood (and, of course, where his faceup is at at the time-- and if he can steal Vince's body, what costume I put him in). Vince lets me pull from just about everything under the sun for his looks.

Pete and Billy are way more straightforward-- they're both character dolls who come straight out of my love for Venture Brothers. But I'm kind of moved to give them steampunk costumes as well someday, since I really love that aesthetic. And then there's a girl I want inspired by turn-of-the-century fashion and a Longfellow poem...

=^__^=
Anneko

 

My main influence is by far Eiichiro Oda's title One Piece. Most of my BJD, 10 of 13, are characters from the manga and anime series so their looks, personalities and back storylines are set. Based on a world, or worlds, of pirates and fantasy where whatever may happen, it is a vast fountain of inspiration for me. My few own creation characters did have no problems to fit within. Since the beginning in this hobby and after these almost 6 years, my experience makes me think that Oda's imagination and mine walk on a similar path and hold on in tune with each other's.

 

My dollie is going to be a mix between sci-fi/fantasy and historical costumer. hahaha

So I find inspiration from everything... historical texts, paintings... period movies... fantasy drawings... all of it.

 

Music, Mostly classical since I love it so much, i'm learning to play the violin. Books would be my next inspiration. I like fantasy stories full of elves, vampires and wizards. Manga included. I would love to do a Princess Ai face on a doll!

 

The original characters I've developed for my dolls all began with a single moment of peaked interest...and it can be the craziest things and come from absolutely anywhere, including DoA! For instance, there was a debate about sock couture on here that got rather nasty and eventually had to be locked by the Mods. I thought, oh my goodness, people get so defensive and up in arms about "socks"? But obviously it stuck in my mind because the next thing I knew, I'd developed a character for a Littlefee who was a genie that saved single socks left behind at the neighborhood laundramat and used them to make her (very fancy actually) clothes.

Here's another DoA inspired example: In the BBB/RS mini thread discussion there is a gal named Kitty Blue. She began doing fascinating photostories with a crew made up largely of cat-inspired dolls. It was so much fun, and the way she posed the dolls and presented them made them seem so natural and real. The next thing you knew, I began to see cat people as natural and real in my mind too, and I developed a cat character all my own (absolutely nothing like hers obviously...just "inspired" by her general "take" on cat people.)

And here's the latest and most bizarre example: I like doing swaps, so I'm always perusing the swap section in the marketplace to see what's being hosted there. Well, I was currently very busy with swaps I was finishing up and not really interested in joining a new one, but one caught my eye anyway...for "Monster High" inspired OC's. I checked it out and thought...how delightfully funky, how goulishly fashionable, how fun!...but I was far too busy and unfamiliar with Monster High so I immediately dismissed it. But no-o-o-o-o! Unbeknownst to me, my creative subconscious went into overdrive all on it's own overnight while I slept. I awoke the next morning with a full blown, complete Monster High inspired character that was perfect for a new doll that had recently arrived. Needless to say, I've joined the swap!

 

Heh, thank you! I do have a blog- the link for it is in my signature, the line of text in blue.

This is a really cool thread to read- It's neat to see how people get their ideas! Keep em coming, guys!

 

Clothes. It's the clothes. The ones that I can't get away with wearing because I'm too old or too fat. The cute goth-loli lace and ribbons, the school uniforms, the fantasy outfits. I see a doll and the first thing that comes to mind is what kind of clothes would look best on it?

 

Heh... I watch tv... there's lots of great visuals and a fair amount of history and science and interesting stuff there. (LOVE the programs on Egypt and ancient civilizations and medieval times and all that.) But like others, I get inspiration from everywhere.

I'm a fantasy artist, so I'm used to getting ideas from everywhere. I also have degrees in History and Art and Literature. Everything is just FAR too interesting to me. I love reading a lot, too, and although it doesn't have visuals--other than book covers--it definitely inspires them!

Most of my dolls dress in historical or fantasy outfits.

 

My inspiration for my dolls.....it starts with the doll itself. Sometimes they remind me of something I read, heard, saw, watched, or played. Sometimes they trigger a personal memory/dream/story I've had. Sometimes they embody what I wish for or would want for myself. Mostly, though, it's a mix. It's really hard to pin it down without analyzing a specific doll and the circumstances around the purchase. ^^;