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Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 1:32 am
by kjs8732
I got a sanhui 145 for several months now. Everything is fine except that I am kind of sucks at posing my doll.
The instruction provided is pretty basic (only range of motion) and I am having a hard time figuring out how to make any non-basic pose.

One example is, by default (out-of-box posture, all torso straight), the doll's hand is facing back, I am trying to make it facing front at the default posture (so I can pose her ex. to cover her breast etc). I try to figure it out by analyzing how I make this movement, but I just have a really hard time visualizing it and getting it to work.

I am stuck at this and any help is appreciated!! (tips/trick/tutorial/what to study, etc)

Thank you very much!

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 4:31 am
by serge
As i'm not an English natural writing, because i'm french

The first advice i can give you is to put your doll sitting with the manual where there's the motion range, move one by one all the articulation to both side just for you to see the real range and mouvement you can do with her !!

to put her hands hiding her breast you'll have to turn the arm before the hands and to move back the elbow and arm until the touch

what kind of skeleton do you have ?? The flexi or else ?

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 5:26 am
by Nord
Wait what, you got instructions for yours? :lol:

I have just received my first Sanhui doll too, with the Flexi skeleton, and yea it's definitely quite different from the old 2015 hinged skeleton I'm used to. There seems to be a mix of different types of joints throughout the body rather than just ball-joints, which is something you need to get used to since they will behave differently. And don't use too much force by pulling the legs up/down by the foot or bending the back by the head. Instead put a hand on the joint you want to bend, and pull with the other from a position not further away than the next joint. That way you will not put too much stress on welds and other joints. It can be a bit challenging at first until the joints loosen up a bit.

As for how to get a doll into more complex positions, it requires some planning. Learning how the joints work and the easiest/safest techniques to bend them in your environment is vital basics. Also always keep in mind what may not be healthy for the doll, as in how the silicone stretches and folds, as well as compression against delicate areas like gel implants and makeup.

Another good advice is that instead of brainstorming/freestyling positions, get a collection of actual photographs of people in the positions you want to achieve. That way you can focus more on planning than than improvising. You may have a good idea in your head, but most often it lacks the details that makes the pose look natural in the end, and that's what some form of reference material of real people is good for.

The basic steps I personally go by is something like this;

1. Surface, make sure it's soft/stable enough and wont stain the doll, or vice versa considering what foot studs and oil can do to floors and furniture.

2. Basic position and balance. This only concerns joints needed to be positioned for the doll to form and stay in the pose, mostly just the legs and spine, and arms only if they are needed for support (if not just keep them safe and close to the body). It's usually easiest to adjust the limbs when the doll is still laying or sitting, before you carry the doll into position.

3. The details. At this point the doll is where you want it to be, and you now focus on the rest of the joints to get arms, hands, and head into natural positions and angles. Also remember to make use of the twist of the spine, which can often make a huge difference for the end result.

This may sound like a lot to think about, but you'll quickly learn and do it fast and fluently over time.


As for hands. On mine they seem to still be hinged for up/down movement, and rotate by the whole bone of the lower arm. If it's been rotated off it's natural position, you can usually see how the silicone twists to know what way to rotate it back. In these cases always adjust it in one direction at a time.

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 9:48 am
by Wight
Twisting the hand: hinge it first up or down nearly 90 degree, and then rotate. If you twist the hand from the hand plate, it could break. This has been an issue before. My doll has more limited twist on her other hand, and I'm lucky I didn't break it with my "wrong" move.

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 12:51 pm
by kjs8732
serge wrote:move one by one all the articulation to both side just for you to see the real range and mouvement you can do with her !!

what kind of skeleton do you have ?? The flexi or else ?
That's really good advice! I like the idea of going back to the fundamentals, I learned farm more than I expected:)
I brought my doll 6 months ago, it's not flexi, I think it should be called "normal" skeleton?

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 12:52 pm
by kjs8732
Nord wrote:Wait what, you got instructions for yours? :lol:

Another good advice is that instead of brainstorming/freestyling positions, get a collection of actual photographs of people in the positions you want to achieve. That way you can focus more on planning than than improvising. You may have a good idea in your head, but most often it lacks the details that makes the pose look natural in the end, and that's what some form of reference material of real people is good for.
Thank you! I really like this one, learning from others!

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 12:54 pm
by kjs8732
Wight wrote:Twisting the hand: hinge it first up or down nearly 90 degree, and then rotate. If you twist the hand from the hand plate, it could break. This has been an issue before. My doll has more limited twist on her other hand, and I'm lucky I didn't break it with my "wrong" move.
yeah sure, I will try it out!

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 1:07 pm
by kjs8732
Wight wrote:Twisting the hand: hinge it first up or down nearly 90 degree, and then rotate.
I have a follow up question. I try twisting the hand, the range of motion is pretty limited (after bend it 90 degree, I can move it left/right about 15 degree). I still don't quite get how to make the hand facing front...

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 1:26 pm
by Nord
kjs8732 wrote:
Wight wrote:Twisting the hand: hinge it first up or down nearly 90 degree, and then rotate.
I have a follow up question. I try twisting the hand, the range of motion is pretty limited (after bend it 90 degree, I can move it left/right about 15 degree). I still don't quite get how to make the hand facing front...
Sounds like the whole lower arm is rotated into the wrong direction rather than the wrist. Bend it up 90 degrees by the elbow and rotate it carefully 180 degrees in whatever direction feels best. That way you're effectively turning the hand as well.

I just tried it on my doll too, and it's definitely possible. You should notice the silicone on her upper arm looks a bit twisted, then you know what direction to rotate the arm in.

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 2:09 pm
by kjs8732
Nord wrote: Sounds like the whole lower arm is rotated into the wrong direction rather than the wrist. Bend it up 90 degrees by the elbow and rotate it carefully 180 degrees in whatever direction feels best. That way you're effectively turning the hand as well.

I just tried it on my doll too, and it's definitely possible. You should notice the silicone on her upper arm looks a bit twisted, then you know what direction to rotate the arm in.
hi sir, is there a video available showing how to do this?
I don't think I will be able to figure this out without seeing someone doing it.....
I just tried it on my doll, it doesn't work..

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 2:36 pm
by Silver Silence
For my doll, she has one hand palm facing in while other facing out. The one hand facing outward can't cup her breasts. Seems like a defect. But they both can rotate at least 90 degrees

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 9:22 pm
by kjs8732
Silver Silence wrote:For my doll, she has one hand palm facing in while other facing out. The one hand facing outward can't cup her breasts. Seems like a defect. But they both can rotate at least 90 degrees
I saw Bella and she looked gorgeous!
I have the exact same model as you. Could you teach me how you made this pose?
20200301_090309.jpg
20200301_090309.jpg (48.81 KiB) Viewed 2008 times
Thank you!

Re: Need Help: I want to learn how to pose doll

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 1:32 am
by Silver Silence
kjs8732 wrote:
Wight wrote:Twisting the hand: hinge it first up or down nearly 90 degree, and then rotate.
I have a follow up question. I try twisting the hand, the range of motion is pretty limited (after bend it 90 degree, I can move it left/right about 15 degree). I still don't quite get how to make the hand facing front...

So it can rotate only 30 degrees in total? It should be able to rotate more. My Bella, her right hand can rotate 180 degrees while her left hand rotate 135 degrees. The wrists are wonky. But 30 degrees is not quite enough to do a whole of pose.