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PE - Interview with Metroid-Tamer:iconmetroid-tamer::iconmetroid-tamer::iconmetroid-tamer:

First of all, how long have you been dolling? What got you into it?
I've been dolling for about eight years. My initial interest in pixel art came about when I was a child. Specifically, it was Super Metroid that rose my interest in pixel art. When I was fourteen I discovered some pixel art on dA that led me to ~angychan's "Yumestudio" site where I discovered dolling. I was blown away. I couldn't believe that dolling existed and it really changed my view further. It was at that point I decided to take up dolling as a hobby. I've enjoyed myself since.
What did you think of dolling before you learned more about it?
It was amazing and intimidating to me. I think intimidation was the bigger of the two feelings because, at the time, my skill was so

PE - Overview, Interview with DulcetFancyHey there! Thank you so, so much for sticking with us through Dolling Week! I'm going to start out by giving a few shout-outs to some members who've helped me a lot. There are so many people who have helped, but these few helped write some articles, gave amazing feedback, and were there for support when I really needed it

:iconpyrochan-dolls::iconeternal-sins::iconye-ye::iconsnap-hiss::iconpentiful::iconslightly-caustic:
And here's a table of contents, just so we've got a handy list of what we went over this week!
Intro to Dolling Week
Dolling 101
History of Dolling

PE - Interview with LadyHazy:iconladyhazy::iconladyhazy::iconladyhazy:

First of all, how long have you been dolling? What got you into it?
I made some doll-like stuff from around 1998. So that's around 14 years. Back then, personal sites and "adoptables" were all the rage, and I just wanted to make some of my own. If you remember Angel's Chimera Dreams, Starluck's Sweetwater Valley, BearJest's, Amanda's Page Guardians, and the like, then there you go. I also got into the Kiss Doll community at OtakuWorld via the Magic Knight Rayearth fandom.
I wouldn't have called

PE - Interview with IceCradle:iconicecradle::iconicecradle::iconicecradle:

First of all, how long have you been dolling? What got you into it?
I honestly can't remember, I think it was around 2000/2001 that I started, but while I have some old dolls saved, I didn't think to date anything back then!
Firstly I came across a bunch of the old-style prep dolls on a magazine style website I used to read. I didn't really know what they were, but I really liked the idea. I used to make paper dolls as a kid and it was a similar sort of thing. I remember saving a load of these dolls onto my computer, making them a lot bigger and then painstakingly smoothing out the pixelated outlines, taking off all the clothes and drawing my own - yes, yes my very first dolls were all frankendolled! The horror!
I carried on doing that for a while, completely oblivious to the dolling community. A couple of years later I was a part of a sims related forum and

PE - Interview with CaitlinCaitieCait:iconcaitlincaitiecait::iconcaitlincaitiecait::iconcaitlincaitiecait:

First of all, how long have you been dolling? What got you into it?
I’ve been dolling for…Hmm…about five years. I started how I think most dollers start – I saw and loved playing with the dollmakers from places like The Doll Palace and DollzMania. I eventually got bored with how long it took for new makers to come out started trying to figure out how to go about making my own dolls. I found DHF and their tutorials and started with those.
What did you think of dolling before you learned more about it?
I didn’t really know anything much about dolling before I started, other than the “dollz&

PE - Intro to PageantsWritten by ~snap-hiss, *slightly-caustic, ~ye-ye, ~IridescentStardust
Dolling is fun, whether you start from a base or make one yourself. But what if you want to see how hour skills measure up to everyone else's? There are lots of dolling contests around dA and the web (like the Gender Twisted Redoll contest and the BonBon Base Edit contest), and a pageant is just a mega-contest! That usually means there are three or four different rounds, and you might have to make more than one doll for each round.
The first pageants were inspired by real-life beauty pageants like Miss World and Miss Universe, so they had the standard swimsuit rounds and evening gown rounds.

PE - Interview with GrangerPixel:icongrangerpixel::icongrangerpixel::icongrangerpixel:

First of all, how long have you been dolling? What got you into it?
I’ve been dolling for a really long time in my book. I think it’s been about four or five years now, I remember starting to doll in high school and it’s been three years since I’ve graduated. What originally got me into dolling was a cute little site called Mellissa’s dollies. I happened across it one day at school when I was in computer lab looking for images from the series ‘Tokyo Mew Mew’. Once I found the website I fell in love with the idea of making pixel art and used the bases from that site.
What did you think of dolling before you learned more about it?
At first, I found it hard. I started dolling in Paint Shop Pro 7 all on one layer and found it to be difficult, until I found that I could use layers for it (still looked the s

PE - The Beef with BasesWelcome to the Beef with Bases article. This may get a little controversial, so put on your heavy duty hats!
By now, we should all know what a base is. But just for a refresher - A base is a bald, naked figure for people to 'doll' clothes onto. Lately, more people have been making animal bases as well. Some argue that since they can't be dressed up, they aren't proper bases. But a base is a vague term to begin with.

:thumb304981579:

Why do so many people make bases? What's the allure? Many people just start doodling and end up with a body they don't plan on finishing. So why let it go to waste? They fix it up a bit and let other people use it, so maybe others will find inspiration where theirs left off. Other times people are inspired by a pose, and want to practice their anatomy and draw the body. Sometimes people even have an idea in mind - say... a big set of mermaid poses! And more frequently, people see a piece of art t

PE - Welcome to Digital Dolls!Hey everyone! Welcome to Dolling week of Project Educate! I suppose I'll start it out with what the heck I'm even talking about.
Digital dolls! A term coined by DeviantArt, but a very fitting term indeed! Dolls are basically small pixel-art (usually of people) typically created from a base-body (a naked, bald pixel-person) that another doller has made.
That was a mouth-full, huh? Just think of them as digital paper-dolls.

So what's this about a base-body? Bases are actually a huge part of the dolling experience. If you notice, in the three example dolls up there, the artist credits another artist for the 'base'. Almost every doll is like a collaboration between two artists, making dolling that much more fun! Some people choose to edit the base they use til it's barely recognizable, and some people prefer to leave them as they were!

So where can

PE - Resource Round UpOne very important aspect of dolling is resources! Half of dolling is resources itself - the base. However, we won't focus on bases in this article. Instead, here's a big variety of tutorials and resources for dollers to learn from. Everyone's technique is different, and every style is unique. But many people are happy to offer their help and show people how they get that certain effect! Whenever you're struggling to get something just right, these tutorials can be a life-saver. Also if you're starting out, they can show you some very helpful techniques that can get you going in the right direction!

Program-Specific and Getting Started

More!

MSPaint

PE - All From One BaseA little under a week before Dolling Week began, ~mariiiis-dolls sent me a note with an amazing idea...
"Many people don't think dolling is very difficult, because we use premade bases and therefore don't put much effort into our dolls....But we do.
How about choosing (or creating, even though it's very spontaneous) a base, and a few dollers with diverse styles who should use the same base? Everyone would doll in their own unique style, to show that bases are more an inspiration, a point to start or a kind of 'collab' with the base maker, rather than a crutch? Maybe even a small description about the techniques the dollers use, technical details (like colors, time spent and so on). Dolling can be much more than using the base because 'we're lazy' - we use bases because we want to work with different styles, and combine styles of our own with styles of the base maker to create unique work."
~mariiiis-dolls happened to be working on a

PE - History of DollingWritten by ~IridescentStardust and ~ye-ye
The original idea behind dolls (and why they're called dolls in the first place) comes from the cut-out paper dolls - a paper cut-out of a figure (typically in underwear) with separate clothes that hold onto the figure with folding tabs.
The first popular version of virtual 'paper dolls' was through a Japanese program called KiSS (Kisekae Set System), dating back to 1991. Originally they were the same as paper dolls - only on the computer. A base figure, or template, had different sets of clothes to drag and drop onto the template. Using layers, they were able to create an illusion of depth not possible with paper dolls (for example - a figure with their hands in front of them would have different layers, making it easy to have a sleeve in front of the chest, a bag, arm-warmers, or other accessories).
These vir

PE - Groups HighlightWhat better way to get involved in a community than to watch a few groups? Submit your creations to them and make yourself known, as well as see the techniques of others!
Here, we'll showcase a few awesome groups to help get you into the groove of Digital Dolls, and learn more about them!
General Collection & Improvement Groups
Basic dolling groups that are there to inspire and help people doll, or just to collect dolls and bases.
:iconageless-dolling::iconarentyouadoll::icongrowing-dollers::iconneverstopdolling::icondollers::iconpixel-party-paradise::iconpixeldolls::icondamnfinedollers::icondollersparadise::iconalternative-pixels::icondollnation::iconfinepixeldolls::icondollingclub::icondoll-base-club::iconbranching-bases:
Art Challenge and Trade Groups
Dolling groups that offer contests, trades, challenges, and more!
:iconroyal-design-project::iconsecret-panda::iconthedct::iconexchangepixelsecrets::icongoodiegrabs::iconpixelpresents:
Spec

PE - Dolling 101 (Or Dolling For Beginners)

Hello, welcome to Dolling 101! We'll be going over all the basics that every beginner doller should know. There's a lot, so let's get to it!
Lesson 1: Terminology/Vocabulary

What is a Doll?

It might help to begin this article by telling you what you're reading about! A doll, or as we call them on DeviantArt, Digital Dolls, are small graphics, usually pixel-art, of people and characters. People create these by taking a base body another person has made, and creating art on it - designing clothes and hair, and turning the blank template into whatever kind of character they can imagine.
I will go over dolls more in detail, but that's the very basic description. Please, read on!

What is a Base?

Bases! You're probably familiar with this term. That's right, those pixel line-arts of bald/naked people that

A shout out to the idiots.I'm half asleep. So if this doesn't make sense. Fuck you. I am very pissy and bitchy. Not only that but sick. The damn fire here in New Mexico isn't helping. Move? I originally live in Texas dumbass. Before you tell me to move. Perhaps get to know why I'm in New Mexico instead of assuming I live there. Anyways. So. Every.Fucking.Day. My friends and I put up with the stupid subspecies of humans called "Dumbasses". Those who steal, copy, trace, go around lying about shit. "Oh yeah, you're copying my character." If your character is up way before mine was. Ok. I'll admit it and take it down. But if your character suddenly comes into being after mine or my friends. I'll fucking report you for stealing.

.
"That's not your art."
- First. Look at their damn gallery. It's there for a fucking reason. If their art looks like the art you're accusing to be NOT theirs. You're blind. Go get glasses. Now if their art isn't exactly top notch and then suddenly they put up art that makes your jaw drop

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Submitted: June 16, 2012
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PE - Interview with TheThirdAct

Sat Jun 16, 2012, 9:03 PM

(Warning - minor swearing!)

First of all, how long have you been dolling? What got you into it?

Hmm, I've been dolling for a long time. Eight or nine years I think, with some breaks in there. I got into it when my sister pointed it out to me. She found Josie's Dolls, I think. That's the first site that I really remember going to all the time and being totally obsessed with. It was probably the dollmakers that she had. Those things are so goddamn addicting. I actually frankendolled one of her dolls once, though I'm sure I was the only one who ever saw it.

What did you think of dolling before you learned more about it?

Honestly, I don't remember. I probably thought it was all about dollmakers because that's all I would do in the beginning. Especially at DHF, and there was some huge prep-maker thing I used to do all the time.

What's the hardest part of dolling? What do you find most fun?

I don't think there is an easy thing in dolling. It really varies from doll to doll, and the concepts that are behind each one. A lot of times I'll struggle with how a certain fabric should fall on the body, especially if the body position is weird. Face edits are a lot of fun. I don't know if other people do this but when I'm drawing or dolling my facial expression will match the doll's. Like, if it's frowning I'll frown. It's weird.

What's the most confusing thing about the dolling world?

How the fuck people can make so much drama. Seriously.

What type/style of dolls inspire you the most?

Dolls that really provoke emotional responses are the ones that I respond to the best. Dolls that just look like mannequins for clothes are alright but there should be something more to them than just that. If someone can combine technique and concept and excel at both, I'll be sold.

Do you create bases, or do you mostly make dolls?

I make dolls. Basemaking is an art form that I admire but do not participate in.

What's your stance on "traced bases"?

Like this. -spreads legs, hands on hips-
No but really, I think someone should respect the original art and ask permission. That being said, I have probably used a base or two that do not adhere to that rule.

Do you participate in contests or pageants? Which was the most fun to do?

I do, from time to time. I used to be all over that shit but lately I haven't had a lot of time. I think pageants are great because it gets you to show your skills in an arena that will hopefully challenge you. Especially if the rounds are uncovered over time. When I first started getting really into dolling I'd enter all the motherfucking contests. I once got honorable mention at DHF for something; made me so fucking happy. Pageants I find more building in general because, for me anyway, I'm always trying to outdo myself from the last round.

If you could tell someone who doesn't know anything about dolling one thing to help educate them about it, what would you say?

Don't doll in public because people will see all the naked cartoon ladies and get the wrong idea.

What would you like to tell beginner dollers out there?

Respect. The golden rule, kids: treat others like you wanna be treated.

What was the most challenging doll you've ever made?

Oh, fuck. Umm... well, the one that was most challenging to me at the time was the second doll for Battle Royale. It was the first time I was doing a background and a big edit to the base. And it came out so well, I still love that doll.