Sense of Size

Is my Lois Lane doll head really big? I thought it looked good on a skinny model muse body. I saw pictures of the same doll head on a belly button body and the head looked out of proportion. Then again, it could be just the angle of the camera or the way the hair was styled.

I had to try placing a big head on a model muse body and check if it can look "okay" on a skinny body. The big head (rightmost above), to me, seems okay on a model muse body. The angle of the camera may have something to do with it again. I was asking before if there is something different about my Lois doll worth noticing. I tried shrinking it, that's why. I guess the shrinking for that doll head was not noticeable enough.

I have learned the three basic words (acetone, soak, overnight) associated with shrunken Barbie heads even before I started repainting. I was just afraid to try it since I know acetone can be bad for dolls. I try to avoid it even for erasing the factory paint on my dolls. I don't know the long term effect of acetone on dolls and on my health, more importantly. With the recent abundance my big headed dolls in my collection, I had to give in. I was fine ruining them since I don't feel like playing with them in their current state anyways.

I tried soaking the big heads from the Fashion Fever line. That didn't work! They remained big. One of my later attempts was on the Sporty Fashionista doll head. I thought it didn't work... again. It was really hard to tell if it I cannot compare it with a same doll in the original size. I guess the shrink was not noticeable so I kept her stored for a while. I got the chance to look at her again after a while and that time I noticed that her head has shrunk.

Having found success on that Fashionista head, I tried it on another one, this time the Artsy doll. The middle head (below) is in the original size (although the mouth was closed). The doll on the right is from the Barbie Basics. The shrunken head (left) now has almost the same size as the Basics head.

Other that the three basic words on shrinking Barbie head, one must also be concerned "concentration" and "airtight". I failed to cover the acetone so the acetone must have evaporated over time losing its effect. Simply covering the container won't do. It had to be airtight since acetone is volatile. The concentration also affects the outcome. I read some people had bad results with this procedure but some attributed it to the high concentration of acetone. It is best to use a lower concentration although it may mean having to soak longer. I soak my Artsy head for 48 hours. The reduction in size will be noticeable after about 24 hours drying and the head feels more rigid. Head swapping and rerooting will be a little more difficult.

Going back to my Lois doll, she was soaked for 24 hours with low concentration acetone. She may still have a slightly bigger head and I can further soak her but I thought that won't be necessary.