Tribal fusion Bellydance

I finally managed to get some pictures of the first ATS performance I've ever done.
Being a beginner and all, I was extremely nervous.
However, once the performance started I managed to just...do my thing!
And in the end I had so much fun! there really was no reason to be all that stressed out.

Kinda unflattering picture of myself. Here you can clearly see I'm all hyper and stressed out!

And here... full in the action! All the stress is gone, and just dance dance daaaance !

So, in the end everything turned out to be just fine. We had some problems with the music though, but we just kept on going and no one seemed to mind.

Our dancing classes will begin again next week! I honestly can't wait to get back to it.
I miss my tribe, and the dancing itself of course.

update solid bracelet

So, all that's left now is more filing, and polishing.
Yet, silver tends to scratch easily, so, if I'd just polish the surface it'd be kinda a waste of time.
So, I'm going to leave it like this, and maybe practise engraving on it.
I'd look like crap at first ( engraving is very, very difficult )
But, I'll have to start with it one day!
especially beause I really want to get good at it, engraving is absolutely gorgeous when well done.

And next to that,  some pictures of my workspot in the atelier.
As you can see I have everything I need, and more. I'm really lucky to be using so many material.

And we even have super comfty chairs....

Yes finally!

My Payapl account is now ready for use!
I already have an enormous wishlist waiting for me on Ebay.
oh dear lord where to start ?

First things first! First I'll select the things I need NOW!
....
Darnit "need now" and "want now " is kinda the same thing... so it's not really helping me out.

Stuff I need for jewellery first!
And for Phosphene!

Score, selection time.... and then, ordering time!

Commercial Photoshoot

I'll be doing a hair-shoot for " de Client " soon!
The pictures will be published, and I am very excited about it.
During the casting, they were brainstorming about what to do with my hair.
"pastel pink " Came up often, so I'm really curious about it. Since I've always thought about getting pastel -or salmon pink in my hair.
They've also been so kind to tell me whom of the team will be responsible for my look.
I was so glad when it turned out the guy who was yelling " HER FACE IS DESIGNED FOR PASTEL COLOURS! She NEEDS it in her hair! LIKE, NO JOKE " all the time when he looked at me, will be giving me my make-over. after the casting he came over to me and told me he'd do everything to get to do my hair! So I'm not surprised it's him in the end though, hahaha!

Also, In the latest email they've mentioned I'll be sharing the spotlights with an owl.
Yes!  I really, really can't wait !!!
I'm glad I was chosen as one of the models... I was pretty nervous during the casting...but it all turned out well in the end!

Silver Clock pendant

So, this is something I'm making for my dear friend, Milinda.
She's crazy about these kinds of clocks, so, I've been working outside my hours in the atelier to work on this present for her.

I still have a lot of work to do. Most parts are already made, but now I've got to finish the chains and then clean, file and sandpaper the seperate pieces.
The copper piece you see will be enameled, to give a colour accent to the piece.
Afterward it will be connected to the top layer with screws, a system often used in watches.
After that, I'll assemble all the pieces, polish everything nicely, and add the onix beads.

I hope I'll get to finish this soon, I can't wait to give it to her!

Messing Butterfly exercise

To be honest, I really REALLY hate this assignment.
It takes way too long and not to mention it's pretty boring as well. ( and, it's far from pretty )
This was a metal wire bending exercise. The wings had to be exactely the same. So folding the first wing wasn't too hard...but to make the second one perfectly the same was rather annoying.
Also, every wire within the wings had to have a different diameter, so the preperations alone already took a lot of time.
It's almost done now though ( thank god)

Now, I only need to solder the wings onto the back of the body, add the eyes and polish everything up.

*sigh* I'm so glad I'm almost done with this.

Yeah, that's the annoying thing about technical exercises, they're far from pretty.

( well in this case they are )

I'll ask my teacher of this class if I'm allowed to 'pimp ' it a little once he evaluated me on this exercise. I might be able to make something out of it....

Normally. I would have visited my previous school, the Royal academy of fine arts, when class was over.

but, I've been feeling ill all day and can hardly speak.

My voice seems to have vanished....

So, I figured it'd be best to go see my old classmates some other time, because I'm sure there will be a lot of talking and asking....So, one needs a voice to do that.

Sushi....nyum

So, today it was Sushi day!
Milinda, Bart and I went to our favorite sushi restaurant in Antwerp, The " Zao Wang "
we ate like crazy.... Like we do every time when we're there.
One mixed boat for the three of us, plus 3 extra rolls.
Kamikaze, dragon eyes and sexy roll are my favorites...

Tomorrow, I'll be visiting my old school, the Royal Academy of fine arts.
But first, I'll have to go to my jewellery technique class in Syntra.

the exercise we're doing there is extremely boring.... And takes way too long.
Not to mention the end result is far from pretty.
Yeah it's something I'll never wear. ugh....
But hey, it's just an exercise on technique, not on creativity.

Next to all of that, I really miss my BJD, his body looks kinda creepy without it's head.
but he's in good hands!

In wax sculpting class, I'm planning on making some jewellery pieces for my BJD.
I have crazy plans in mind, I'm just worried they'll be a little bit too crazy....I hope I'll get to realize them.

about my drawings so far

So , you can have an idea of what I make and how I work.
As some may now already, my 'personification ' is my main source of inspiration.
Therefor the drawings I make are mostly character designs, some with a deeper meaning and other just plain simple characters.

 This, is an older peice of mine.
Actually I'd love to redo this one, since I think I'd now handle it differently. not to mention the paper quality was awfull, making the entire piece look smudges and blurry.
This piece is called " Blackened porcelain ". and it's about that if you do not accept your fragility but fear it instead, you'll just end hurting yourself.
This porcelain doll, is afraid to be broken if she'd go out to see the world.
Sso, she uses string to chain herself, to force herself never to leave.
These strings represent her fear, and in the end they start to control her, consume her... and after a while she starts to lose herself.

An unfinished piece. I've always been fascinated by crystal children.
So, this drawing is about their beauty and the mysteru about them, yet...how their gift is a burden as well.
The reason I never finished this was because I have no idea how to colour this.
Should I use only a few colours ? or none at all ?

Many people see something different when looking at this piece.
Some say it's an ode to creativity.
other say it's the cruel reality of how an idea can completely break and consume a mind.
And then there's the story of how this girl has created an imaginary world, deep within her, and to her it's so real, it changes her as well .

This piece grew out of a small piece of coral that was laying next to me when I was watching Naruto on my pc.
'Dreamy ' ...' floating yet firm... '...' always reaching for the surface' ... ' unique and mesmerizing ' ...' silent yet a powerfull existance ' ...' from a complete different world ' those were things that filled my mind when looking at it.
So, I drew a beautifull girl, dreamy, looking up to the sky, an image that would be a mesmerizing moment for whoever is standing there next to her.
For the anime/manga fans out there. They's probably notice the sand headband in her hair.
Well, like I said, I was watching Naruto when I drew this.
Plus, since I wanted to place her in a world where she'd stick out, I'd figured the sand village would be the best place for her to be.
Coral in the middle of the dessert....maybe she's dreaming about the place where she was born ?

'Nezumi' or ' the rat '.
I guess I don't need to explain what he's the personification from  ?
He's sneaky, hardly ever seen, a shadow, intelligent yet his this little thing about him that makes you either runaway from him, or hug him. :3

This man, is steam. Once again no need to explain what he's the personification from .
A worker, loyal to those that he cares about, never stressed, always calm and collected.
and existance you'll never capture or understand. Steam can go around, above, underneath, any obstacle with ease. Even though it doesn't really have a place in mind of where it wants to go.

This character design is the personification of many, different material, making a complex character with many dreams, ambitions, weaknesses, talents, strong points and weak points....
One that changes her mind quickly, yet is too stubborn to say so.
She confuses herself and everyone around her.

The personification of ink... This is a costume I made, and I later on printed the pictures and added ink.
Strong, feminine, unpredictable yet strong, mind of it's own, leaves a mark,  elegant yet rough....
Has the gift to create and destroy.
( picture by Leroy Photography, Model Lotte liese )

Face-up!

So, I went to Leuven today to bring Blood's head to the faceup artist, Lotta.
She noticed I was so nervous, and so she was so kind to let me stay a little and watch as she did the first layers of his faceup.

My heart skipped a few beats when she started to work on his blushing.
I mean, someone is drawing on your doll's head.... It's rather nerve wrecking.

I know you can hardly see anything on this picture.
But if you see the before and then this, you'd notice the subtile blushing on the cheeks, ears and eye sockets.
Also, the lips here have a more healthy colour and she already placed the base of the eyebrows.

gnnn... I'll have to miss him for a while now! She first has to finish a face up for someone else's doll...But hey! As long as the faceup is done well I don't really care how long it takes. (  the other doll she has to paint is from the same company as where I bought Blood. The odds of this are SO small, since it's such an un-known company! It was ' Jack ' The boy doll with the cat face )

Especially because she said his eye sockets are tricky to paint, because they are very deep where they meet the nose, and so the paint always gathers up in that spot.
So, when working on the eyes she has to be very patient and do one small part at a time.
God I'm so curious to see the result!

I loved the look she got in her eyes when she took his head out of the box and saw him for the first time.
" What a gorgeous mold! "
I love it when someone so experienced with these dolls compliments me on my taste in molds... Especially since she only buys smaller, kid BJDs.
For her to like a doll of this size is rare!

While he's gone I'll order him some clothes, a wig and shoes.
She gave me some very interesting sites that have clothing in his size.
( it's not easy to find those, because he's from a non commercial one-woman company )

And, what also isn't so easy to find is quality clothing that isn't too expensive.
I won't be paying $ 260 for a clothing set....

And so Blood becomes Phosphene

I'm actually so nervous for tomorrow!
Blood is going to get his faceup!

He's finally going to be one step closer to my story's main character, Phosphene.

You have no idea how long I've been looking for a male BJD, to turn into one of the characters of my fantasy story i'm working on.

I went from doll company to doll company yet NEVER found the Male BJD I was looking for.
Meanwhile Milinda, a good friend of mine, had already found 3. and ordered all three of them as well.
After months of looking I kinda gave up on it, and decided to make another character.
Vincent Valentine, a character out of Final Fantasy 7.
I had no idea where to look for him, so, I made a post on DOA, asking people to help me out to find the perfect mold.

One of them, Told me to have a look at Immortality of Soul. A one-woman-doll company that only makes male bjds. But unique sculpts and expressions as if they're not from this world.

It's there I saw Blood.
People that have BJDs as well, will recognise this feeling, seeing your perfect BJD.... You stop breathing and you KNOW that doll was made for you.

I immediatly forgot about my Vincent plans, Bloods expression, facial structure aso.... they fitted the athmosphere of my story so well. It was like he walked straight out of it!
Sadly, He was a limited edition and was already sold out.
My heart broke... and for the next month I visited the IOS website to look at the pictures of Blood everyday , hoping she might re-make him again one day.
And, like it was a sign from heaven, she announced that Blood was going to be re-sold, yet again, limited.
I had to be sure I was ready as soon as she opened the orderings.
Sadly, I was at work then, and I couldn't get near a computer.
Thanks to Milinda though! I managed to get my hands on one!
She ordered one for me as soon as the ordering started.
The next day they were sold out.

He was stuck at the postal office for an entire month, it drove me crazy!
But once he arrived, I was soooo happy!
And then.... the box opening begins.
It's the most nerve wrecking moment of all! You've always seen the doll on pictures but never irl.
Who knows... he might not look like on the pictures at all!
Also because he was completely nude, plus no faceup, or eyes, or wig....
Once you open the box you're so afraid you'll be dissapointed!

But, as soon as I saw Blood's nude face, I was in love. He looks even better than I had hoped!
Not to mention his body was so flexible and easy to pose!

So....tomorrow I'll have to miss his head for about a month!
But once he's back I'll finally get to name him Phosphene!
He'll look amazing I'm sure! seriously just look at that face.... no way it can go wrong with a face like that.

The solid bracelet

So, the exercise I'm working on right now is a solid bracelet. With an hinge system and a clip-lock.( eeerr... or whatever it is called in English )
First I had to make a lock with an extra safety system, to understand the mechanic.

It was actually a lot more simple than what I imagined it would be.
however, the one I made is rather big. I'm sure that if I have to make the same type of lock smaller, it will be a lot more difficult.

Once that was done, I could start on the bracelet.
I made two plates, made them round, and the smallest one ( the one that will be on the inside ) I decorated with a fantasy pattern. when done I cleaned it all up nicely.

After that I soldered the two plates on a third plate. This was quite the challenge.... since it's silver I had to heat the entire piece just to solder the sides of the bracelet.
So, it took a lot of patience to get it done.

so, after cleaning it again, I did the other side and then... yes I cleaned it again.
Then I had the file the entire piece as well, because of the constant heating when soldering, the surface of the silver was completely stained and that can only be removed with rough work.

but yeah, once done with all that, it looked like this :

So, monday I'll have to saw the entire piece in two, make the hinge and the lock.
The lock will be placed withing the hollow part of the bracelet.
So, the lock itself won't be visible.

*sigh* it was quite the work, but I like where it's getting.

Camera ?

To make this blog interesting, I'll keep a small camera in my purse
So, I can take pictures of the jewellery pieces I'm working on.

I'm looking for it right now...it's here somewhere...

 At work I'm working on a solid bracelet.
It's just an exercise ( not for a customer ) , but then you can get an idea of the goldsmithing techniques I'm currently learning.
and, after work I'll go straight to the wax sculpting class. I'm currenlty just messing around and experimenting like crazy.... so It's not like I'm doing anything productive there for the moment.

However I'll be taking my Camera to Leuven as well on saturday!
There, my BJD Blood by Immortality of soul will finally get his faceup!

He'll have to stay with the faceup artist for a month though....
But I trust her! and I'm sure she'll do an amazing job!
The faceup will be pretty unique for the Blood sculpt.
All the other faceups I've seen on that sculpt are always very dark, but I'll be going for mainly white accents.

I'm so excited about it really... Once he'll come back home again, I'll give him his new name. He has been waiting for it for so long.
Phosphene.
So yeah, you can guess it. He'll be my vision on the personification of phosphenes. 

Just found the camera! hoozah!
Be ready for a picture spam

Back again

I doubt you people remember me. But, I used to have a blogger a few years ago as well.
I deleted it because I was so busy, and life was getting ahead of me.

luckely, I've managed to make time for my creative hobbies and work.
Therefor, I decided it was time to give a blog another try.
What you'll find here, are mostly character designs for the fantasy story I'm writing.
jewellery concepts, designs and realisations.
reviews about things that inspire me.
and modeling pictures of myself.
all through the eyes of a mind consumed by personification.

I should warn you all, that I'm also a huge fan of the Final fantasy series...so you will come across some post ( and fanart ) about that as well.