I don't know what happened

Sorry I stopped updating for a while!  My basement flooded and has not only needed my attention desperately for the last while, but it's also where I work so I haven't been able to work down there!

My latest sort of project has been Monster High dolls.  I've like them ever since they first came out but couldn't convince myself to get any, but when I was at Target and my mother offered so I went ahead and got a few!  I saw one custom where they had cut the head open and put eyes in so I wanted to try that too.

I'd like to start by saying that it's not the easiest thing, and if you've never opened a doll's eyes before you may end up ruining the first one you work on.  Maybe start with one of the Create-a-Monster kits where you can get two dolls for $20, so you won't feel bad about ruining anything, that's what I did!

I got a set with a Vampire girl and a Sea Monster girl.

First you have to remove the face paint that they come with, but it's a cinch with some q-tips and 100% acetone!  Next you draw out where you want the eyes and the shape.  I wanted a 'dreaming' sort of look.  There is some leeway with how large or small you can make the eye holes, but I tried to keep it within the confines of the already sculpted sockets.  All of the Monster High girls have different head sculpts so you will have more leeway with the ones that have less defined eye sockets.

Make sure to use a brand new x-acto blade, you want it sharp!  The first cut is the easiest to mess up, and also looks terrible.  I try to cut a hole just inside the outlines of the eyes that I want to cut, so I can work outwards to get the right size hole.  My only other suggestion is to do this like you're moving in slow motion.  The vinyl the heads are made of is VERY soft, and while it's going to seem kind of thick and tough at first it gives very quickly.  So you may be getting nowhere one second and suddenly you've cut halfway through the head!  Try to use careful even pressure so as not to suddenly lose control of the blade.

I already had the eyes ready that I wanted to use.  Stupidly these eyes are worth almost 5x as much as the doll!  Since I already have the eyes I cut the holes according to the size.  Depending on how large the eyes are cut these dolls can take anywhere from 8-12mm eyes.  I think the ones I'm using are 12mm.

Now with both eyes cut open!  I try to get them as perfectly smooth as I can, but it's difficult since soft vinyl like this does not take sanding well.  So I just have to spend a lot of time taking of extremely small curls of vinyl.  It still didn't end up completely smooth, but pretty good!

More on this tomorrow!