Posing Tips for Beginners?

It really depends on your doll and what she's capable of doing...Some dolls just have bad balance or some need a bit of augmentation. To get my RS song to stand and pose his legs like a champ I put wire down into his legs and it kept him from falling over Museum exhibits when I was photographing him. Sueding also helps.

 

Keeping your doll in any position without leaning on something or without a stand is not a good idea. You know all those stories about how to fix dings in faceups or chips in noses and ears? That's what can happen when a doll falls.

It is slightly safer (faceups can still be scraped by something like carpet or grass--I've seen it happen!)... but it's harder since the surface is uneven.

Some dolls, as Arashi Uchiha said, just aren't capable of taking certain poses. And some will need stuff like sueding or wiring or re-stringing or adjusting string tension, etc. Even then, there is no promise a doll can take certain positions.

Sure, there are pictures of really wild poses... But they are impressive because it's NOT the norm. If you have that exact same doll, then maybe you have a chance of posing them like the photos. But maybe not!

Another thing, aside from the construction of the doll itself and all the various adjustments, is patience and the ability to balance a doll well in certain positions. Some people are really good and/or patient and can make a doll take certain unusual positions--but there are some people who just don't have the knack--or the patience. You have to make sure all the other factors are working and then you need to be aware of your doll and how to balance it. Try just standing first, then go to very simple poses... If you're having no problem, then go on to more unusual poses.

And just because a certain doll can pose one way doesn't mean the same doll can do other poses! You just have to make sure the doll can hold any pose at all, and can stand, and then try from there... but it's very possible that a pose won't work.

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Posing is more than just standing, or standing on one leg. Posing is expression--making your doll look good and look as if it is feeling or conveying something. You'll need to think about what is a natural-looking relaxed pose and what is more unusual or tense or strange or angry. You'll need to think about what a human body can do and whether you want to keep within those parameters or just go with whatever your doll can do and what works for what you're trying to make your doll do. You should pay attention to the position of all of the joints of your doll.

Some people are happy enough just to plop their doll down and let it be. Others want to be much more careful about every little thing. Posing can be very meticulous and pretty much an art, to those who are really into it. It can be as important as the angle of a hand or arm or head... It's not just whether a doll can stand on one leg or not.

 

If you'd like some tips/ideas for posing, nothing can beat just playing with your doll! Learning how their joints move, finding their centre of balance. Try different poses too, not just sitting/standing, try making your doll look like they're relaxing, reading, looking bored, impatient, excited! Or if you run out of ideas, I find that getting a magazine and trying to imitate the poses of the models with my doll is good fun too!

 

Don't neglect torso joints! I find that the easiest way to get my dolls to hold complexposes is to shift the position of their torso joints.

 

I have found that each doll has it's strengths and I work with them to bring out their best. Not all of them lounge and slouch the same (same with real people). So in other words I explore poses that accentuate my dolls characters/personalities. Just casually fiddling with my dolls allows me to learn what poses they do best. Some can do back-bends and look like a break dancer and others can't. But I also don't need all of my dolls to pose the same way. I'd recommend not over estimating the mastery a natural looking sitting pose - it's an art itself. Subtleties like head angle and hand placement make all the difference; more so than finessing a doll into Warrior I pose. But as others have said it definitely depends on the engineering of the doll, patience and getting to know the doll/jointing etc. and I bet you'll find that your doll can do many things that other dolls can't.

 

Rule #1 NEVER GIVE UP! ^^ I've had my one doll for a few weeks less than a year and my 2 girls a little less.... they still fight me when posing ><.... But! I AM BOSS! Eventually they will have to do it 'my' way.... right? lol.... just keep trying and practicing and YOU are like an athlete's "spotter"... YOU keep them safe 'in case' they do fall.

And eventually you will learn "their" capability's and work within those constraints!

 

Your enviorment can also be a good factor for poses..Here's two pictures from different shoots..One doll is not sueded and the element is helping them hold the pose better then if they were inside and standing on my desk or table:




This doll is wired, he isn't now but that day he had been and he did more complex poses..But his string was also new. My MSD in this picture needs a good restringing now (and maybe eventually a new wig...I'm seriously having second thoughts about buying ANOTHER tiny now..) but he that day at the museum posed like a champion because I knew what he was capable of with the right adjustment. My tanned RS girl is another story...She needs some augmentation but her posing abilities have been better outside then inside. Inside it's tricky to get her to pose but she will...Without shoes. Outside it's only WITH shoes.

 

I find that certain clothes greatly increase the stability of my dolls. Shoes with a sturdy sole really help with balance. I also usually pose the upper halves of my dolls before I stand them up and if I want to change the pose I pick them up, readjust and then stand them up again. It's a little more time consuming but it keeps them from taking tumbles.

 

It is also a matter of tension on the elastics. Some dolls pose better when they are stung tight, some when they are loose.

Never try to force your doll to do things it isn't supposed to do. Respect the limitations of the joints and use it to your advantage. Over bending single joints on a tightly strung doll can cause dents and unnecessary wear. Generally speaking; lesser mobility makes sturdier joints, so a good stander may not be the best sitter etc.
Play with your doll and learn what it can do. And have fun with it!

 

I like to 'train' poses while the dollie is naked. Like StacheRabbit says, sometimes clothes or shoes may support the body in its poses, but personally I want to know exactly what happens when I use the doll's joints. I don't want to force anything, and it is just easier to see what you are doing when the doll has no clothes on. Logically. Plus, clothes can also hamper a doll's movements.

Like other people have mentioned, balance is very important. I find that most often, the weak 'link' is the doll's ankles. But then again, those of my dolls who have really solid ankles are not capable of doing natural-looking foot poses.

I don't wire my dolls, but I do suede and/or use silicone disks to help some of them to hold poses. They are all different and most have their strengths and weaknesses (I say 'most' because my first ever doll seems to have only strengths. His only flaw is in the ugliness of his excellently posing knee joints :p).

Incidentally, I love balancing my dolls. I'm not as good as some (never got anyone except my smallest dolls to stand on one foot, though I'm sure some of my taller ones are technically capable of it too), but this is just one of my favourite things to do with my crew .

 

Like others have said, definitely play with the doll and find its balance points, then from there see what it can actually do. My first doll took me nearly a year to find his balance point, while others I've found immediately on unboxing. They're all a little different, but with time and patience, you'll find the best way to work with each doll.