Obssession over props and in-scale objects.

Hello, my name is Tonboko and I am a propoholic.
My biggest issues are tiny chairs for my Catsy twins... two dolls do not need nine chairs.... and those little soda lip balms that look like cans. I have an overflowing zip-lock baggie that my dolls hardly ever touch.

My true obsession is to find in scale swords for my SD sized dolls. They are either too big or too small. However, I shall remain vigilant and perhaps someday I will find one that is "just right" like Goldielocks... I just fear a bear attack may be the final results of my search.

 

-sigh- I want props. I haven't really found anything though. Although if I did, it would have to properly go with it.. . I don't see how it works if they're too small or just over-sized for the specific doll. :c
Isn't the point of props to make it more realistic?

 

I adore props. I do not have copious amounts of them, due mainly to an attempt to corral my doll budget and my inherent pickiness-- I really want them to be the /right/ size, and the right prop -- I've broken down and bought a miniature martini set, but no mini violins, because I don't think either of my girls would play a violin. I also shamelessly fudged pieces of furniture... the table I used in my Hanukkah photoshoot was the wrong size, so I fixed the height with a box and covered it with a tablecloth so you couldn't tell. More expensive things I wouldn't buy if they were the wrong scale, though. (The table was actually a footstool that I own for an entirely other purpose... yeah.) So I think I'm a bit of a junkie, in truth. I have ambitions of building an entire SD-scale apartment in my basement.

 

I have just gotten into the whole in scale thing, haven't bought anything yet but I have a strong feeling that I will very very soon. The closest I've been was thinking of buying a tiny chair once, but then I thought that would be silly. Now I'm thinking about making "rooms" with wallpaper and props and everything. ^^

 

I am in the process of building doll house that is to scale for my SD dolls, so I am always on the prowl for things that are not only the proper scale, but also relevant to my sets.
It could very EASILY become an obsession!

 

Prop size/scale isn't really a huge concern for me when looking at other people's photos. The more in proportion things are, the cooler they look, but I've never clicked on the 'back' button because of a lack thereof.

Messy and/or dirty photo shoot settings are much more distracting to me.

 

I LOVE props & try to get them in-scale. If it's off just a little it doesn't bother me as in our real world things may be larger or smaller than the norm. But when it's really the wrong size I don't buy it. I'd rather keep searching until I find a better fit. I've basically learned to think in 1/3 scale since SDs are my main focus & so have found many things while out shopping.

Weirdly enough though, over sized prints & jewelry on SDs don't bother me. They seem to have more of a dramatic effect which the bigger dolls can pull off. While on smaller dolls those things just look wrong.

 

FrankieCat That sounds exciting! I was thinking about the same thing just five minutes ago. I'd like a victorian style house ^^

 

I can see where matters of matching scale could be highly entertaining and engaging (and potentially obsession-making, lol!), if you have that kind of mind, that 'clicks' on questions of math and ratios.

But in no way is it essential to enjoyment of dolls, or the integrity of a photostory. One of the very best stories I follow (OT here, alas) mixes rl props and environments with doll-scale, and because of the sound storyline, well-rounded characters, and high quality of images in telling the story, it's only as an afterthot I ever notice the shift in scales (and it's often used to augment or foreshadow a story element, bonus!).

I also find 'little creature/big world' images very touching to my personal taste, and I think the surrealistic possibilities of mixed-scale are very interesting. So, I think 'matching scale' is strictly optional - if it's your bag, run with it, but there are lots of other approaches that are equally viable.

 

I've developed quite the eye for props lately, especially food. Fortunately, I've plenty of odd little trinkets. Also, there's quite a few thrift and antique stores in my area, so it's easy for looking for small furniture.

 

I actually hardly prop shop at all, I have a big box of props in Australia, it did not make it over here. I used to be a chairaholic, mostly so I had somewhere to display the dolls, and I still am a bit of one now, it makes it easier to display a larger number of dolls in a small space (on my dressing table I have 7 dolls on a doll couch, two sit on the back, two in the seats, one SD on her husband's lap, and a MSD and Tiny on their daddy's lap...in other worsd all the elves on one chair, rather than taking up a whole shelf) but I have never collected food etc.

I do have a teaset, and some champagne glasses, and of course musical instruments since my dolls are a band, and I do have a couple of horses, mostly since they were mega cheap and my minis seem to like them, other than that I don't have props.

However I do live in an odd house, and often find bizzarre things here, such as my gothy housemates have a LOT of mini tombstones, which made halloween interesting

 

I prefer seeing either in-scale for the doll props, or completely out-sized (ie: small person - big world). Mixing of the two tends to throw me off.

I'm not hard-line about it... it just has to look right for the shoot. When I see shoots that are completely jumbled and it seems less intentional than just they couldn't be bothered to find something more appropriate, I find myself (usually) a bit disappointed.

Anyway - it's a case-by-case thing. I just intend to do my best to get in-scale items for my doll(s).

 

Well, I don't have many props for my dolls so they'll just be posing with whatever I think looks okay. I can't say that I would have the heart to critique or get annoyed by someone's props or lack thereof. The intent behind the photo is what I try to focus on.

 

It doesn't bother me what other people do because I think people always try to do their best. Sometimes people come up with really interesting concepts that I would never have thought or tried. So, I always hope that people keep testing things out, whether it is a flipped over cup or some odd random found object, and then share what they have done, because that might help someone else.

I have about four elaborate doll environments, all in scale, two are Victorian, one is 1950's, one is sort of generic living room. I can switch them all around in which I do. I also have some plan backdrops as well because sometimes I just want to shoot the plain dolls. I've been collecting props for above 6 years or so, and I just get rid of pieces when I find better ones or if I don't need them anymore. I wrote an article for FDQ about where to buy props too about three years back. I'll try to find that article and repost to my doll blog to see if it helps anyone.

I don't buy dolls as much as the props now. For me it brings them more to life. But I don't feel like everyone has to feel the same way about it than I do. Others are more into the doll collection. I like the details. To each their own.

 

I don't mind what other folks do. But I have been in miniatures of differing scales for a long time, so I am very particular about the scale of props and furniture for my own dolls.

I was unable to find delicate enough, scale pottery for my 60cm DiM doll recently. So I got out my throwing porcelain, did the measurment conversion and started throwing pottery for my DiM Andrea on my pottery wheel in 1/3 scale.

I am also working on making some Victorian furniture for him. I find furniture all the time. But it's often klunky and thick and not realistic enough. The other thing I tend to have to make on my own is lighting fixtures. 1/3 scale lighting is next to impossible to find without spending a fortune. And after working in 1/12 scale for so long, I know how to wire a lamp just fine. So I am working on some 1/3 scale fixtures right now--including a chandelier.

 

I'm actually not too bad when it comes to refraining from buying every cute little object I see that I think is the right size for my dolls. I have seen quite a few things while shopping in Hong Kong last October and my sister (who was with me) got so used to me squeeing over the cute re-ments collections that she gave up trying to stop me from buying them. However, I have my limits. As cute as some of the items are, I never buy anything that my dolls won't use.

I guess I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to items having to be exactly in scale. I have several 'tea sets' that my sister and other family members have gotten for me for my dolls, but since none of them are of the correct scale, I never use them

 

I seem to feel the opposite way. I think its rather cute and fun to have normal sized (for people) objects posed with the dolls. Its not trying to imitate that they are real people given, but its still a fun thing to see or take pictures of, it may also allow you to do some more creative thins like the struggle of one doll/character to do something with a big prop.

 

I'm not a stickler, because I don't care enough. It's just not a priority. ^^ Things in real life are often not proportioned for ME, either, so I don't see why the dolls should always get perfection.... And for that matter, the dolls aren't even humanly-proportioned themselves! Their heads are too big, their eyes are too big, their limbs are overly-long, their necks are too skinny, their hands are huge; so something that fits an SD13 face will be tiny for his eyes, something that fits his head will be too big for his face, and something that's long enough for his arm will be way out of proportion for his torso. And so on. If the doll is stylized, his world is also gonna be stylized.

I am especially not a stickler when it comes to jewelry, because some looks are based around objects that're comically big/small on one's own body - anyone who spent any time as a goth in the 1980s knows that there is no such thing as an "oversized" crucifix or skull charm, anywhere in the world. I still sometimes wear a medal or cross that takes up half my chest, or wear teensy miniature clothespins in my hair, or hang full-sized handcuffs off a belt or coat; my boys also wear big handcuffs on their belts, sternum-sized crucifixes, and big swags of chain. It just takes a certain eye to decide which outsized/undersized objects look cool in which context.

When the perfect-scale prop DOES come to hand, of course, it's always worth a little boogie dance of joy. But life is too short & the apartment is too small to make a second, full-time hobby of just hunting perfect props. For other collectors, I totally grok it's alllll about the thrill of the hunt & the perfection of the challenge, and that's fine for them. (In fact, I have several non-doll friends who are HUGE prop-scale sticklers; they cannot criticize my toys enough, & are always saying things like "oh fachrissakes, just let ME make him a cigarette, so he doesn't have to be seen smoking that ridiculous thing". XD They don't always deliver, but I like that they offer anyway.)

PS. @Aralyne, I hear that - why won't people stop trying to give me tea sets?

 

I only have one item that is considered in scale for my BJDs- it's a fold out doll bedroom made of wood that's basically a leftover from my childhood... Other than that I really don't like buying miniature items, I got past that when I used to collect dolls as a child and buy TONS of little dolly things for them. As a result, buying 'in scale' items makes me feel like I'm playing with toys again like I did when I was little, and I hate that.

I haven't even used the doll bedroom- it's just sitting in my closet at home and I keep saying I'll do a photoshoot with it eventually... I think I definitely will too, but unless I already have something hanging around from when I was little, I don't buy anything. (leaves more money for buying dolls and clothes XD)

 

OMG I love those! I don't have doll props but I... do love looking for them...however, I HATE when something looks out of scale (well very out of scale) I do like some of the little food erasers, the detailed ones of course. But I don't need many props...I hope more like props that each character would have, I found in scale handcuffs for my wolf boy though. And I do like those mini horses but those are in scale so it's okay. but hey not everything is in scale in the real world, anyone remember those giant pencils? and the dolls aren't totally proportined anyway so some things can slide.