Project M updates continue with Cutebucket having started rooting Miku's hair and run out of material in the middle of the it. After a break of two weeks for the material to send over, she continue working on Miku. Over to Cutebucket.
This update will be broken into three sections: Hair Rooting, Adding the Eyes, and Hair Styling
Hair Rooting
As you remember from the last update, I had run out of rooting hair and couldn't finish adding hair to Miku's headcap. So, one of my first tasks this week was to start adding hair to the back of her head.
Bald...
After several hours... I had added hair around the edge of the headcap and started working on her center part.
I was sure to root the hair around the part in an alternating, zig-zag fashion. This is to prevent the skin showing at the part, which would result in an ugly bald spot.
In the next update, you'll see that I will be filling out the headcap with hair so that the skin no longer shows.
Adding the Eyes!
This was possibly the most fiddly part of making Miku so far. My first task was to ensure that there was no stray hair or hair ends directly behind Miku's eyeholes. At this point, her hair is still very unruly, but we'll fix that soon.
The best way to hold these tiny eyes is with eyebrow tweezers...
Then the hard part is trying to hold the eyes steady with one hand while using a hot-glue gun to add glue around the edges of the eyes. I also had to be careful to wait long enough for the paint to harden, otherwise it would do nothing for holding the eyes in place and I would have to start over.
Another hard part is trying to get the tweezers back out without shifting the position of the eyes. It's difficult to get pictures of this, since it's mostly a learning process. A little poke here, a small twist there.... Getting the proper alignment of the eyes can be tricky, especially since these 10mm animetic eyes have a specific side that is "up" or "down."
Luckily, hot glue is pretty forgiving, so it was possible for me to make these adjustments without starting again from scratch (usually!). Careful adjusting and lots of patience paid off in the end!
I filled almost the entire cavity of her head with hot glue to prevent further shifting. It would be very embarrassing for Miku if her eyes fell out while she's on stage ^^;
Hair Styling
Rooting hair tends to be a bit wavy when it arrives, since it's stored and shipped with a twist to avoid tangling. To get rid of the waves, I decided to heat treat Miku's longer hair. This is a fairly simple process where I submerged her hair in hot (nearly boiling) water...
And allowed it to dry straight.
My next task, after adding her eyes, was to tame those ridiculous bangs! They needed to be trimmed and styled. My weapons of choice were a Razor comb and Dollfie Water Wax.
It's important when cutting doll hair to make the ends naturally uneven-- this is why the razor comes in handy.
I also used scissors, cutting into the hair at a sharp angle (never straight across!!-- this would make the hair look fake).
Her hair was finally at a more reasonable length. At this point, I'm still erring on the side of "too long." It will look a little different when it is properly styled, and it's impossible to add more hair after cutting it too short.
Time to add some Water Wax!
I added a small amount at a time, working from the ends in closer to Miku's skin. The Wax makes her hair stick together a little, while also helping to keep it in place. It's perfect for making her hair anime-spikey.
Water Wax takes a little while to dry, so I tied Miku's hair down using a piece of scrap elastic.
She looks a bit like she's wearing a hairband now! Isn't she cute? X3
In the next update, Miku's head will be completely finished, and she will get her body back!
If you find Project M interesting, do give your support by comments over at this blog and over at Cutebucket, follow us on Twitter (my twitter),subscribe to my RSS (my RSS) or Like in Facebook page. You may even share this news to friends of your if you know they are interested! We need your support!
This update will be broken into three sections: Hair Rooting, Adding the Eyes, and Hair Styling
Hair Rooting
As you remember from the last update, I had run out of rooting hair and couldn't finish adding hair to Miku's headcap. So, one of my first tasks this week was to start adding hair to the back of her head.
Bald...
After several hours... I had added hair around the edge of the headcap and started working on her center part.
I was sure to root the hair around the part in an alternating, zig-zag fashion. This is to prevent the skin showing at the part, which would result in an ugly bald spot.
In the next update, you'll see that I will be filling out the headcap with hair so that the skin no longer shows.
Adding the Eyes!
This was possibly the most fiddly part of making Miku so far. My first task was to ensure that there was no stray hair or hair ends directly behind Miku's eyeholes. At this point, her hair is still very unruly, but we'll fix that soon.
The best way to hold these tiny eyes is with eyebrow tweezers...
Then the hard part is trying to hold the eyes steady with one hand while using a hot-glue gun to add glue around the edges of the eyes. I also had to be careful to wait long enough for the paint to harden, otherwise it would do nothing for holding the eyes in place and I would have to start over.
Another hard part is trying to get the tweezers back out without shifting the position of the eyes. It's difficult to get pictures of this, since it's mostly a learning process. A little poke here, a small twist there.... Getting the proper alignment of the eyes can be tricky, especially since these 10mm animetic eyes have a specific side that is "up" or "down."
Luckily, hot glue is pretty forgiving, so it was possible for me to make these adjustments without starting again from scratch (usually!). Careful adjusting and lots of patience paid off in the end!
I filled almost the entire cavity of her head with hot glue to prevent further shifting. It would be very embarrassing for Miku if her eyes fell out while she's on stage ^^;
Hair Styling
Rooting hair tends to be a bit wavy when it arrives, since it's stored and shipped with a twist to avoid tangling. To get rid of the waves, I decided to heat treat Miku's longer hair. This is a fairly simple process where I submerged her hair in hot (nearly boiling) water...
And allowed it to dry straight.
My next task, after adding her eyes, was to tame those ridiculous bangs! They needed to be trimmed and styled. My weapons of choice were a Razor comb and Dollfie Water Wax.
It's important when cutting doll hair to make the ends naturally uneven-- this is why the razor comes in handy.
I also used scissors, cutting into the hair at a sharp angle (never straight across!!-- this would make the hair look fake).
Her hair was finally at a more reasonable length. At this point, I'm still erring on the side of "too long." It will look a little different when it is properly styled, and it's impossible to add more hair after cutting it too short.
Time to add some Water Wax!
I added a small amount at a time, working from the ends in closer to Miku's skin. The Wax makes her hair stick together a little, while also helping to keep it in place. It's perfect for making her hair anime-spikey.
Water Wax takes a little while to dry, so I tied Miku's hair down using a piece of scrap elastic.
She looks a bit like she's wearing a hairband now! Isn't she cute? X3
In the next update, Miku's head will be completely finished, and she will get her body back!
If you find Project M interesting, do give your support by comments over at this blog and over at Cutebucket, follow us on Twitter (my twitter),subscribe to my RSS (my RSS) or Like in Facebook page. You may even share this news to friends of your if you know they are interested! We need your support!
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