I’ve been meaning to post this for a while now, and I feel it is very important that everyone new to dollmaking reads this.

I often get notes/messages on FA, Tumblr, Facebook and Deviantart. People asking me ”How do you sculpt?” ”What clay do you use?” ”How do you make molds?” “Where do you get your sewing patterns/fabrics/paints/clay/resin/etc.?” “Can you tell me how you make a doll, I really want to make one but I don’t know how!”

Before, I usually replied to everyone, using a lot of my free time to help out, and I was constantly getting nothing in return. Not so much as a “thank you”! Most people just used me for my knowledge. I can count on one hand those who actually replied after I helped them (and I am, of course, very grateful to those people).
These last few months the messages have increased vastly in numbers. And I have now come to the decision that I will not be answering them anymore.
I do not want to use my time on someone not even bothering thanking me for helping them out. I want to add that I have always stated on my profile that you should do your own research, but nobody reads that. I hope this journal will get more attention.

When I first started doing this I had NO clue what I was doing. Zero. I did a lot of trial and error over months and years to get to where I am now. I researched and learned everything on my own with the help of books and the Internet. Seriously guys, there are LOADS of resources right under your noses! It’s a waste of my and your own time asking me questions Google would find answers to in 0.5 seconds.

So, do as I did (and still do!). Research. A LOT. Read and watch sculpting/mold making/casting tutorials. Learn about patterns from sewing books. Painting, jewelry, assembly, design. It’s all out there waiting for you to indulge yourself in it! You will make mistakes, but you will always progress from these mistakes. My first doll looks totally different from my newest doll, and that is because I worked hard for a long time improving my dolls from one to the other. There is no SECRET RECIPE to making dolls. What works for some people may not work for you.
Nothing I can tell you will make you awesome at doing this. Only practice will. And it will probably take a lot of practice as well, so invest time in this. You will need it.

I will list a short list of materials I use on my profile page, but other than that, you’re on your own buddy. That’s how I and every other dollmaker I know learned their craft, and you will too.

I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you find the motivation to practice, practice, practice! :)

Apologies in advance for crappy grammar, English is not my first language.

Hello everyone!
This is mostly a shoutout to Norwegian followers, but I will be having an artstand at Desucon 9 the 27th-29th of June! I hope to see you guys there and everyones art and cosplay and the like. :)

I have sold out all my dolls from my shop now! I will try to finish the sculpts for my mini dolls soon. Thanks for giving me a reason to keep doing this. You are all so wonderful! <3

I have also gotten my grabby hands on a beautiful Doll Chateau Olivia. She’s a ball jointed doll, almost 70 cm tall! I’m in the process of cleaning her and giving her a makeover. One of my rare personal art projects. I am excited and I think this’ll be a fun and different thing for me to do!

I still have some lucky monsterfeet and pendants left though! Check them out in the link below!

Visit my online shop on Etsy! I ship worldwide.
>>> http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeastVoodoo <<<

I am to be found here:
http://BeastVoodoo.Tumblr.com/
http://BeastVoodoo.Deviantart.com
http://Twitter.com/BeastVoodoo
http://Facebook.com/MariKrokstad
http://www.facebook.com/Artbymarikrokstad
https://www.weasyl.com/profile/beastvoodoo
Instagram: BeastVoodoo

Art is going slooooow.... not because I'm uninspired or in an artblock, I am quite the opposite. Inspiration is overflowing! But, because my hands are being complete sons of b*****s! I have carpal tunnel syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpal.....unnel_syndrome) which causes me a good deal of pain and discomfort. Whenever I work with nitpicky things like sewing or sculpting, my hands fall asleep! Aaah! This is very annoying, and has gotten a lot worse the last year.
I am currently on a waiting list for surgery, which could be as late as 6 months from now on, but hopefully before Christmas. THEREFORE, as I am in school and all, dolls will take longer for me to make, and whenever I have fixed my hands I am not allowed to work with anything for quite some time. Which sucks, but it is definitely for the better.

Send me a note if you have any questions!

Hope you are all having a good time!
Mari

I wrote this exact same journal over at my DA: beastvoodoo.deviantart.com

So, I've come back from my week long holiday in London, and I am really pumped to get going on my current commission, a Baphomet-doll! Yay! I'll be sure to put up pics as soon as I have some significant progress going on.

On a side note, I've been planning on making several types of dinosaur dolls when I am done with this commission, plus the huge dragon doll I am working on. What kinds of dinosaur do you want to see made into dolls? My current list looks something like this: Pachycephalosaurus, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Parasaurolophus, Carnotaurus. If you have any additions to my list, or replacement-suggestions, please mention them in the comment section below. Your feedback is highly valued! I'll consider every suggestion. :)

Have a great summer!

So, I got myself a Nintendo 3DS as a summer gift as my DS lite started to get tired. I even got the last Pikachu-edition 3DS XL they had in the store! Oh, joy!
I am currently playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which is quite addicting.
So, my friendlist is kinda sad and empty, and if anyone wants to, feel free to add my friend code! :D My friend code is: 1134-7857-6939

Yep, that’s right. I have finally opened my very own Etsy-shop. As an opening offer I have free shipping on all my lucky monsterfeet. Head on over and have a look!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeastVoodoo

Thanks!
-Mari

I joined in on this'ere new furry art community as well... https://www.weasyl.com/profile/beastvoodoo

Hit me up! I'm a total loner there. ;_;

So, when I was 16 years old, which is... 5 years ago, I borrowed a tablet and made some horrible furry art. I loved using it, but couldn't afford one of my own at the time.

Which is why I treated myself with a tablet today. :D

I got a Wacom Intuos5 Medium tablet, and I can't wait to try it out for real! When I finish these commissionsI am working on, I will make a proper drawing and perhaps even post it here, who knows?

This little guy: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9521097/ has yet to find himself a new home. I have reduced his price and am now selling him for 235€ with included shipping worldwide! Send me a message if you are interested.

Happy New Year everyone!

I still have one available slot left for anyone who wants it. Read more about commissions here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4118873/ or send me a note!

I am open for commissions and I have three slots at the moment. It can be dolls, figurines, watercolor paintings or inks. Send me a note and I'll give you a quote! :)

1. DA-user - Doll
2. FB-user - Doll
3. FB-user - Doll