From 2D Sketch to Silicone: How a LORIBEAR Anime Figure Doll Is Made

This article is for adults 18+ only. It describes adult collectible products.

Most “how it’s made” videos about adult dolls show the same scene: a big factory turning out realistic, life-size bodies. A LORIBEAR doll starts somewhere else entirely, with an anime character on paper. The job is to turn that flat, stylised drawing into a soft, posable figure you can hold, and to keep the character recognisable at every step. Here is how LORIBEAR, GKDOLL’s own house brand since 2022, takes a character from 2D sketch to finished silicone, with real photos from the workshop.

Why a Figure Doll Is Built Differently from a Realistic Doll

A realistic doll copies human anatomy. A figure doll copies a character. Anime proportions are not human: eyes are larger, faces are simplified, and hair and silhouettes follow the artist’s style rather than a medical chart. Every LORIBEAR mini-series model is between about 62 and 77 cm tall. At that scale a figure still feels like a collectible but has enough size for real articulation. That small format is what most people mean when they search for a mini sex doll, but for us it is first a sculpting challenge. Every millimetre counts, and a flaw that would vanish on a 160 cm body is obvious on a 70 cm one.

Each piece is designed for two lives at once. It is a display figure you can pose on a shelf and enjoy as a character, and it is a fully functional adult doll. That double purpose shapes every decision below, from the sculpt to the silicone.

Step 1: Concept Art and Reading the Character

Everything begins with reference. The team collects official art, key scenes and fan-favourite poses, then draws turnaround sheets with front, side and back views plus outfit variants. The goal is to agree on what makes the character that character before anything is sculpted. That might be the shape of the bangs, the line of the jaw, the curve of the hips, or a signature outfit.

Translating Anime Proportions to a 61–80 cm Body

An anime drawing can cheat. A figure cannot, because it has to hold real poses. At this stage, proportions are adjusted so the stylised look survives in three dimensions and still leaves room for an internal skeleton. Head-to-body ratio, limb length and joint positions are all worked out before the sculpt begins.

Step 2: Digital Head Sculpting

The face is where a character figure succeeds or fails, so LORIBEAR head sculpts are built in-house by a modeler with 20 years of experience. Working in ZBrush, the sculptor refines the face from every angle against the concept art: how wide Tifa’s eyes sit, the soft shape of Aerith’s face, the line of 2B’s blindfold. On models with sculpted hair, the hair is built up strand-group by strand-group so it reads clearly once it is cast and painted.

Details that would be lost at a glance on a larger doll get special attention at mini scale. On a fanged character, for example, the teeth, tongue and lip line are sculpted at close zoom so they stay crisp after casting and painting.

Step 3: 3D-Printed Prototype

A screen cannot tell you how a figure feels in the hand. So the sculpt is 3D printed as a physical prototype and checked for silhouette, balance and proportion at real size. Layer lines don’t matter here. What matters is whether the character still reads correctly from across the room and up close. Corrections go back into the digital file until it is right. For more on the figure side of the craft, see Crafting Anime Figures: From Sketch to 3D Print.

Step 4: The Head Master

The approved head becomes a master sculpt, with eye sockets, lips and hairline finished well beyond the level of the body. This master is what the head mold is taken from, so any flaw here would be copied into every piece of the run.

Step 5: Making the Molds

From the approved masters, molds are made for the body and the head. A small body is harder to mold well than a large one. Fingers, collarbones and the edges of a costume line have less material to hold them, and every seam has to be placed where it can be cleaned up later without blurring the sculpt.

For the body, the molds stand upright in a row. The wrapped metal skeleton is set inside each mold and held in position before any platinum silicone is poured, so it ends up exactly where the sculpt expects it.

Mold preparation is also about cleanliness. Platinum-cure silicone is sensitive: contaminants such as sulfur or tin on a mold surface can stop it curing properly. That is why mold surfaces have to be clean and correctly prepared (see Smooth-On’s explanation of cure inhibition).

Step 6: The Posable Alloy Skeleton

Inside every LORIBEAR body is a custom posable alloy skeleton with joints at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. A skeleton for a small body cannot simply be a shrunk-down full-size frame. The joints have to be strong enough to hold a pose, yet slim enough to sit inside anime limbs without showing through the skin. Most of the frame is stainless steel; the movable joint parts, gears and screws can’t yet be made in stainless, which is why we ask owners to keep water out of the neck.

Before casting, the skeleton is fixed in the mold so it sits exactly where the sculpt expects it. If it shifts, a joint ends up too close to the surface. For a full breakdown of articulation, see our guide to mini doll joints and articulation.

Head Tension Tuned for Posing and Photos

One small detail makes a big difference for collectors who photograph their figures: the neck joint. Its rotation tension is tuned so the head can nod down, tilt up and turn left and right, then stay exactly where you leave it. A shy downward glance or an over-the-shoulder look holds for the camera instead of slowly drooping.

Step 7: Casting the Platinum Silicone Body

LORIBEAR bodies are cast in food-grade platinum-cure silicone, which is safe for skin contact and has no chemical odour. In a platinum (addition) cure system, two silicone components react with a platinum catalyst. As Wikipedia’s overview of silicone rubber notes, the reaction leaves no byproducts. That is one reason platinum silicone is favoured for products that touch skin.

The silicone is mixed, degassed to remove trapped air, then poured into the closed mold around the skeleton and left to cure. Once the molds are closed and filled, you can still see the drips where silicone was poured in.

After curing, each body is carefully demolded and the excess material along the seam lines is trimmed by hand. Not sure whether silicone suits you? Our comparison of silicone vs TPE for small dolls covers feel, care and durability.

Jelly Breasts on a Mini Body

Some LORIBEAR models have “jelly breasts”. The breasts are filled with a soft silicone gel of the same type used in cosmetic breast implants, which makes them noticeably softer and bouncier than solid silicone. This technique is normally reserved for full-size dolls of 140 cm and up. It takes more time, it raises the scrap rate (more pieces fail and are discarded), and it lengthens production. We use it on our 62–70 cm minis anyway, because it makes the experience far more realistic.

A Softer Channel, Poured Twice

The internal channel is made from the same platinum silicone as the body, but in a softer formulation for comfort. Using a softer silicone means the channel has to be formed in a second pour. It is a slower way to work, and the result is a body that looks like a figure but feels much more comfortable in use.

Inside the workshop (NSFW): the photos and clip below show raw, unpainted silicone bodies straight from the mold, before heads, paint or outfits are added.

Step 8: The PU Head, Painted by Hand

Most LORIBEAR heads are made in PU (polyurethane), with sculpted soft vinyl hair. PU holds crisp, hard edges much better than soft material, so eyelids, lips and fangs look as sharp as the digital file. Five models are the exception: Cammy, Tifa, Ada Wong, Aerith and Hinata have a PU and silicone head with implanted hair, for a softer look and real strands.

Then comes the step collectors notice first: makeup. Base tones are airbrushed, then eyes, brows, blush and lips are finished by hand in the garage-kit tradition, so the face matches the character’s art rather than a generic doll template. Because every face is painted by a person, tiny variations between pieces are natural.

The pair of photos below shows one fanged PU face before and after its hand-painted makeup: the same face, the same single makeup look, taken from the earlier stage to the finished result.

Here is what that hand work looks like on finished heads. Every blush, lip line and eyelash below was painted by an artist, not printed.

Glass Eyes and Hand-Implanted Lashes

On our realistic-face models only, the painted eyes are replaced with lifelike glass eyes, and the eyelashes are implanted by hand. The glass catches light the way a real eye does, so the gaze seems to shift as you move around the figure. Anime-style faces keep painted eyes true to the original art. Each product page states whether that model has glass eyes and implanted lashes.

Hand-Implanted Hair You Can Style

The five models with PU and silicone heads (Cammy, Tifa, Ada Wong, Aerith and Hinata) have hair rooted by hand using premium synthetic fibre instead of sculpted soft vinyl hair. It costs more to make, but it is easy to comb, and you can restyle it yourself: ponytails, braids, whatever the scene calls for.

Two Faces, Swapped by Magnet

Some characters, including Boa Hancock and Tsunade, come with two face plates. They attach magnetically, so switching expression takes seconds and needs no tools.

Listening to Collectors: The Tsunade Hair Fix

Making figures in small runs means we hear from almost every owner. After Tsunade launched, buyers told us that the hard material first used for her twin-tails could break too easily. That’s not acceptable for a figure meant to be handled and posed, so the hair was changed to soft vinyl. Pieces with the new hair can now flex under a firm push and spring straight back into shape, as the clip below shows.

It’s a small change, but it captures how we work. Feedback from collectors goes straight back into production.

Step 9: Assembly and Quality Inspection

With the body cured and the head painted, the figure is assembled and inspected. Mold seams are checked by hand along the torso, hips and back, every joint is flexed through its range, the head tension is tested, and the surface is checked for bubbles, thin spots or blemishes. Any piece that fails inspection is destroyed and made again from scratch. It is never sold as a second.

Step 10: Tailored Outfits

Off-the-shelf doll clothes rarely fit anime proportions. LORIBEAR outfits are patterned by a doll-clothing pattern maker specifically for each body, so they sit close and follow the character’s curves instead of hanging loose. On a figure this size, a well-cut costume does as much for the likeness as the paint.

Step 11: Discreet Packaging

A finished figure leaves in a plain brown outer carton with no product images, brand artwork or descriptions on the outside, so nobody can tell what is inside.

Open that carton and you find the printed LORIBEAR box. Inside, fitted foam inserts and bubble wrap hold the body, head and outfit in separate compartments so nothing shifts in transit. Every box also carries our new black anti-counterfeit card. You can check it on our product authentication page.

The LORIBEAR Display Stand: Another Way to Spot a Fake

Copies of popular figures do turn up online, so we made accessories that copyists cannot easily fake. Our display stand is designed for LORIBEAR figures. It is stainless steel with an adjustable height and dual support arms, and both the base plate and the stand’s own box carry the LORIBEAR logo. The stand is sold separately and offered as an add-on at checkout. If a seller’s “LORIBEAR” doll arrives with a generic box, no anti-counterfeit card and an unbranded stand, treat it with suspicion.

Limited to 1,000 Pieces Worldwide

Every LORIBEAR design is limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide. Keeping runs small is what makes the hand-painting, the second pours and the inspection time possible, and it keeps each character genuinely collectible. Every genuine piece can be verified on our LORIBEAR product authentication page.

What This Means When You Choose a Figure

Knowing the process makes it easier to judge any small figure doll. Look at the face: does it actually look like the character? Look at seams and joints in real photos, not only renders. Check the materials: a platinum silicone body, a crisply sculpted head and a real metal skeleton you can pose.

Browse every finished character in the LORIBEAR collection, or compare all our small sex dolls from 61 to 80 cm. A few models that show the process well:

• Tifa Lockhart, whose head sculpt appears above
• Tsunade, with reinforced hair and swappable faces
• Chun-Li, shown in her foam-packed LORIBEAR box above

FAQ

Is a LORIBEAR doll a figure or a sex doll?

Both. It is sculpted and painted to collectible-figure standards for display, and it has a soft functional channel for adult use.

Why a silicone body with a PU head?

Food-grade platinum silicone gives the body a soft, skin-like feel with no odour and is easy to keep clean. PU holds sharp sculpted detail and takes hand-painting beautifully, so the face stays true to the character. Five models (Cammy, Tifa, Ada Wong, Aerith and Hinata) use a PU and silicone head with implanted hair instead. All others have a PU head with sculpted soft vinyl hair.

Do all models have glass eyes, implanted hair or two faces?

No. Glass eyes and implanted lashes are only on realistic-face models. Implanted hair is only on Cammy, Tifa, Ada Wong, Aerith and Hinata; every other model has sculpted soft vinyl hair. Swappable magnetic faces come with characters such as Boa Hancock and Tsunade. Each product page lists its exact features.

Is every face painted by hand?

Yes. Small differences between pieces are normal and part of what makes a handmade figure special.

Will a sold-out character come back?

Each design is limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide. If you love a character, don’t wait too long.

Where can I learn more about LORIBEAR?

Visit our LORIBEAR brand page, or the brand site at nsfwfigure.com.

All LORIBEAR products are adult collectibles intended for customers aged 18 and over. All characters depicted are adults.