Knowledge from Other Hobbies?

When I first started the hobby I worked at a hobby/craft store where I picked up a lot of model building and train info. It really helps, because one of my favorite things to do is to make little scenes and houses for my tiny dolls

 

I make my own dolls (not BJD), so I know a lot about resin, apoxie, sculpting, sewing, painting and so forth. I already had an arsenal of pastel chalk, varnish and brushes when I got my first and currently only BJD.

 

I have spent 25 years working with porcelain and vinyl parts to make dolls. In those hobbies you start from the ground up so there are so many skills that you learn. Just the sewing for these dolls has me with a collection of fine fabrics and trims I now plan to use for my bjds. Pouring the porcelain slip, firing, sanding and then painting was so much fun to learn. Working with vinyl kits to make reborn babies was incredible making these parts into what looks like real babies. I joined the smocking guild to learn heirloom techniques on baby clothes. So, it has all been doll-related but the skills I have learned over these years has been the most fun and now to take all that into my bjd collection.

 

Well, like you I have Cosplay as my hobbies, so I definitly can use a lot of knowledge and materials from that in this hobby as well
Thought some things are quite harder to do in 1/4 scale than expected.

Cutting wigs, styling wigs (soon maybe even dying wigs), making clothes and accessoirs...
I'm rather glad I had cosplay as hobby first. I think I'd end up frustrated too easy if I got in BJD first, especially if I'd rely only on items that are avaible for purchase instead of just making my own :3

 

I've made my own clothes, so that will help with making clothes for my dolls. And I painted and drew alot when I was younger, but I don't know if I would be trying a face-up very soon. My father was a good photographer so I will ask him for tips on making cool pictures ^_^

 

I've been painting and drawing all my life and doing so seriously throughout my adult life, so when I got my first BJD the only material I didn't already have for the faceup was the sealant, and my art background made it fairly easy for me to get into doing the faceups. As well, I've been sewing doll clothes since I was a kid and made all the clothes for me and my sister's American Girl dolls---- and then years later, picked it back up again when my daughter got an American Girl and wanted lots of clothes for her. I got really into learning pattern-making and couture sewing techniques and eventually started selling American Girl clothing---- as a matter of fact, that's where I made the money for my Elfdoll Rita, my first BJD. So yeah, my art and my previous sewing experience made BJDs a natural fit for me, hobby-wise.

 

I do a lot of miniature sculpting and I love to make dollhouse miniatures in general. I also used to cosplay and when I was younger I crafted houses and housing materials out of Kleenex boxes and tissues and all that sort of stuff. I'm really happy that I have an outlet for all of this crafting now, rather than just making things for the sake of it. Making jewellery or some tiny food because it's for my doll makes me feel much more accomplished.

 

OH yes, I was just chatting about this last night.
I've been some type of artist for as long as I can remember, so I already had experience with painting, pastels, miniatures, and sewing before getting into the bjd hobby. I collected doll houses and loved working in miniature scales so I was already accustomed to working small. (Not that my faceups don't still need a lot of work!
I used to do crazy hair extensions, fake dreads, plastic weave, etc. And now i'll be taking that old knowledge and trying to make some dreadlock wigs for my girls soon.

 

Well, I love modelmaking in general. When I was young, I started with Revell plastic modelkits. Later I had no time but for my real horse. Having sold him, I got into modelhorses. This miniature world was quite fascinating, but I started to dislike certain trends there. And the 1:10 horsetack drove me crazy (such TINY buckles and straps). And I do consider my BJDs not really as dolls, but as miniature (well, not quite miniature) model people. It turned out that making superdetailed outfits and items for them is so much fun. The downside for some people, however, is that I do have much less obstructions about using a powertool on my dolls and e.g. adding joints or customizing their bodies otherwise. I am very used to doing this, as customizing modelhorses is a very normal thing in the modelhorse hobby. However, many of these customs got finished until the painting stage. I could hardly ever get myself to give these little horses their coats. And this sadly carried over to BJDs. Only a short time ago, I finally managed to do a face-up on Loki I finally could live with (perhaps I simply expect too much from myself from the start). But as most company faceups are not useful for me, I have to do them myself. So...no excuses there. But it's never bad to have to learn something new.

 

I studied art in school and that has helped me a lot in this hobby. I have sadly forgotten a lot but I wish I remember enough when I want to try out making my own face ups. I have painted on clay-sculptures, but not anything like this so I hope it goes well and don't f**k up too badly
I have also a very artistic background, which makes it easier for me to customize my dolls.

 

I draw and therefore artistic, so I'm relativity sure that I can give my dolls good faceups when the time comes, and I've already tattooed one of my dolls. I just wish I had some supplies and the courage I had when I first did that to my doll, because I haven't had it since the summer I got him!

I'm also a writer and extremely creative, so creating stories for my dolls comes so easily.

 

Indirectly? I compose...but can't sew. So a friend who wanted one of her songs sequenced (basically, done up as an audio file, for which I have the spendy software and she doesn't) agreed to a trade: I would orchestrate/arrange her song, and sequence it for her, and she would sew me a costume for the doll. Admittedly knowing how to sew would probably be more directly useful! I plan on learning but I expect my smocks to be shapeless for a long time yet.

 

I was also a cosplayer long before I had an interest in BJDs! Some of the crafting skills I learned, like sewing, working with fake fur, sculpting, painting and making jewelry, I use all the time. I worked with wigs quite a bit and learned make wefts and how to dye, straighten and cut them. Other things I dabbled in, like making chainmaille and working with leather, I haven't used within the doll hobby yet, but who knows? I've also worked with horses since I was a kid, and I'd really like to try sculpting one for dolls.

 

As a few other people have mentioned, I have some history in art-related hobbies, so had a ton of supplies on-hand already - very convenient! I also build Gunpla, so that provided even more supplies. I wish I could say I was a cosplayer though; I think sewing and wig styling would be incredibly useful skills to have beforehand.

 

I've been making human-sized fantasy, science fiction and historical costumes for 40 years. I've worked with every conceivable kind of fabric, hand and machine embroidery, beading, hat and headpiece construction, wing making, etc., etc. I've even made soft-sculpture dolls and dressed them. I wouldn't have been interested in this hobby if it wasn't for all that costuming and clothing background.

 

I've been making dollhouse scale miniatures and making things out of polymer clay (Sculpey) since I was a child. I've sewn clothes for other dolls and done a few quilting projects. So I have some experience making props and tiny clothes.

 

I've been sewing clothes and accessories for my two daughters for a couple of years before getting into Dolls (bjd and Blythe), and it has proved useful, as I sew lots of my dolls' clothes myself.

 

Though not as practical as any of the other skills listed here, my background as a History and English major has helped me so much with my writing and character formation. ALSO, I've become hellbent on historical accuracy in costumes (only for my own doll, of course. I'd never try to tell someone else how to dress their doll) and my background in History has aided me a great deal in that respect.