Thursday, April 20 2023
Transcendence has been our most challenging character to develop since we began crafting electroplated paint masks a decade ago.
This complexity stems from her fangs, where the mask doesn’t extend fully to the inner ridge of the mouth. The mask’s thickness adds to the challenge of making the fangs appear to emerge from within the mouth rather than merely resting on the lips.
Moreover, for the first time, we’re utilizing a single mask to generate a lip gradient. Typically, we invest in multiple masks to simplify the painting process for our team members without having to mask off holes. However, this time, we needed a unique effect for the fangs, which required using just one mask. We applied a light pink base layer followed by a darker shade, spraying the paint at a specific angle to achieve the desired result.
After completing the masks, extensive training was necessary to achieve the desired aesthetic. While paint masks are incredibly helpful in achieving a consistent look and feel, each character still requires individualized training for painting, even with the masks’ assistance. Paint must be applied at particular angles to compensate for the mask’s physical characteristics and thickness, ensuring full coverage of the desired areas.
Consequently, the development process of Transcendence took much much much longer than usual, resulting in numerous pre-production heads that, while of product quality, were not to spec.
These are the final product photos of Transcendence in Cocoa, Gray, and Cinnamon, where the fang size is now larger and closer to the original master. Tea is still in the works as we are experimenting with a color palette - suggestions are welcome.
I understand that some folks prefer 3D fangs, and I’m delighted that these folks won’t lose out due to such options being offered by other manufacturers ;-)
#tokyo #smartdoll #anime #manga #3dprinting #japan