HOW TO START CUSTOMIZING YOUR BLYTHE DOLL?

There are a series of materials to customize a Blythe doll that are basic and with which you can start. That is, there is no need to buy all the materials at once and spend a lot of money at once. On the contrary, you can acquire tools to customize your Blythe little by little, practice and see how you get by. Then, according to your needs and experience, you can expand your stock. Therefore, later I will talk about more types of tools to customize your Blythe that can be very useful when you have acquired some more fluency and have more confidence in carving or makeup.

ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES FOR CUSTOMIZING A BLYTHE DOLL

Below, I detail the materials to customize a Blythe doll essential to customize your Blythe and not die trying. In general, I have purchased them online because it has been the easiest way I have found to get them.

WATER SANDPAPER: sandpaper and sponge sandpaper

  – Sandpaper

You will need from the coarsest grain to the finest grain. For example, the coarsest paper I have is 400 grit. It works very well for removing the most visible marks after carving. The 600 also works very well if you are one of those who do very “aggressive” carving. The finest I use is 1200 for final polishing. In addition, you should also use intermediate grains between these two to gradually soften our blythe.

Yo lo compré en esta tienda de Amazon:

  – Sponge sandpaper

On the other hand, when you have finished sanding with the paper and want to give a final touch you need this type of sandpaper. Especially for the most difficult corners such as, for example, the wings of the nose, the chin or the corners of the nose.

There are three types:

Super fine,which is the thickest. Ultra fine, intermediate. Micro fine, the finest and gives the perfect final finish.

GOUGES

These tools are essential for carving the face of your blythe. They are generally used for carving wood. They are very good to start with, because they do not cut too much but enough to be able to carve easily. If you don’t have experience yet and want to start trying these are the best ones for you..

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KNIVES

If the gouges ‘taste too little’, you can use blades. I have Xacto blades, which are professional and more precise than gouges. Therefore, being sharper, they cut much more.

Some people only use the gouges, but I mix the two tools. I start with the gouges to mark and if I want to give more depth or more detail I use the blades.

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SCALPELS

These tools are not essential, but I wanted to mention them because I use them a lot. I have two sizes, number 11, which has a pointed tip, and number 15, which has a rounder tip. The latter is tiny and works very well for the hardest to reach areas. In addition, they cut a lot and are very precise. Which is something I appreciate.

Los puedes comprar en farmacias y en Amazon: nº11 y nº15

You can even buy #15 with a stainless steel handle that comes with several spare blades.

DIAMOND FILES

These files are used to sand the areas that become more complicated with sandpaper or a sanding sponge. For example, I use them for nostrils, corners of the mouth or mouth lines.

There are several in a pack. I’ve only used the round one for now, but I’ve seen people using the flat file to shape the nose. It’s all a matter of trying!

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SEALING SPRAY 

When we have finished carving the face we must apply a sealing spray in order to be able to start applying make-up.

For me, the best brand is MSC Mr.Super Clear, although, if you find it hard to get, you can also use Citadel Munitorum Varnish. It is larger than MSC and for about the same price it lasts longer. You can buy it here:

BRUSHES

You need them to bring color and life to your blythe’s face. I use two types of brushes: smaller ones and bigger ones, depending on what area I want to make up.

  – Nail brushes:

They are perfect for applying make-up to small areas such as the mouth, nose or shading the corners of the mouth.

Los puedes comprar en esta tienda de Amazon.

– Precision brushes:

These brushes are great for more specific details. That is, to give more intensity in some areas of the mouth, the nostrils and even for freckles.

Los puedes comprar en esta tienda de Amazon.

  – Makeup brushes: 

I also use these brushes, which I already had around the house, for blush and eye and eyelid shadows.

PASTEL PAINTS

The soft pastels are soft colors that gradually gain intensity as we apply more layers.

I bought the Rembrandt brand and I started with a box of 15 colors although there is this box of 30 colors that I think is perfect because it is more complete as it has more variety of colors. You can also buy single colors, so you can add tones as you need them.

Las puedes comprar en esta tienda de Amazon.

WATERCOLOR PENCILS:

These pencils can also be used to make up, for example, freckles, eyebrows or even to make drawings on the eyelids.

I bought the Faber Castell ones from this Amazon store.

MELAMINE SPONGE

My great ally and another one of my essentials when I do my makeup. It’s nice to have this sponge so you can erase if you don’t like how it looks or if you want to soften a shade. So it’s a fantastic eraser! They are sold in packs of 10 units, and I imagine even more, and they are very cheap.

Las compré en esta tienda de Amazon:

DUST MASK

As a safety measure, another material that I highly recommend is a dust mask, since when sanding or carving the plastic particles go to the respiratory system and do not disappear. This FFP3 model is the one I am using now.

I also recommend its use when applying the spray when you are going to seal the makeup. Although remember to always do it in a well ventilated area.