A "company" face-up vs an outside artist face-up

I only have one doll that has a factory face, he was my first doll and I didn't know much about the hobby at that point. But now all of my dolls have a custom face-up.

I feel that you're really able to bring a character to life with the excat face-up that you want.

 

I don't have any experience doing faceups, so when I get my first doll I'm going to go with the company faceup. I'm sure they'll do a good job, so I'm not too worried. Plus I'll be impatient for getting my completed doll after waiting so long and saving up so much too. xD
Maybe later when I'm much better at them I'll do them myself or send them off to some of the amazing artists here. I haven't gotten my doll yet so I haven't decided if I prefer company or outside faceups.

 

For me it really depends on the company face-up. There are some dolls I adore the default for (like all of the Rosette Doll girls, particularly Spring Term Armeria), and others I completely deplore (Like Ringdoll Dylan- that boy could be ADORABLE, but I hate both of the face-ups he comes with. When/if I get him, he's coming blank!).

It'd also depend on my idea of the character- like I've one planned doll that I'll likely commission the face-up for or do it myself, just because my idea for her is very detailed and off the wall. So I guess for me, both are options, it just really, really depends on the situations. n_n;

 

Hmm...I like all companies' default face-up for their dolls. I've never ordered a special or customised face-up before. But friends of mine did. Out of the 8 of them, 5 complained(but they were totally okay with them in the end...=w=) that certain parts of the face-up were not what they wanted or expected. Like colour too light or dark. Lines too thick or thin...

I do face-ups myself. So I know that it's not exactly easy. I did some for friends too. It's a tough job. When doing what you like for the doll's face-up, it is so much easier. Throw in a picky customer who wanted x's lips, y's eyebrows, z's eyeshadow and a's lower lashes style...you're bound to get stressed. Plus sometimes the face-up they like doesn't suit the sculpt. So modifications to the face-up is definitely needed.

I've recently commissioned an outside artist to do face-ups. I wanted the Soom Heliot's face-up style with a slight difference in the lips. Both heads came back very different from what I expected. But I still paid and collected them. I'm the type who don't want to trouble others too much even if they turn out not what I expected.

I feel like a wet blanket of some sort...

 

I've always preferred to get a face up by an outside artist. You, most of the time, get into more money to do it that way, but it's the best way to get exactly what you want for you dolls. Company face ups are usually very nice, pretty, and natural, but they're less personal and unique. Mind you, if you love the look of a default, there's no reason not to go for it.

As a side note, the look you're going for? I'd check out timchener. She's pretty amazing.

 

My answer's changed a bit, now that I've got more dolls and more experience. I have two with artists faceups, three with company faceups (one of which is a limited), and three with faceups I did myself. I didn't commission the ones with artists faceups, though, I bought them that way (and for one it was the whole reason I bought the head in the first place).

I'm glad my first 2 had company faceups, but now I think I'd only get company faceups if it was something special and/or limited and that I really liked (or was Bobobie or Resinsoul and was only $10 and easy to add to!). If I see a doll secondhand with an awesome artists faceup, it can encourage me to buy the doll when I might not otherwise (I'm currently fighting that temptation to buy another head, actually!). But except for special circumstances like that I'm buying my dolls blank, now, and doing their faceups myself. I'm not great at it, but I enjoy it, and I get something unique and just right for their characters that way.

 

My doll has a default face-up but honestly speaking I really want my future dolls to have face-ups made by some outside artists.
As for drawing a face-up myself… I don’t think I’ll ever do it. I absolutely don’t have any drawing skills at all and I don’t want to spoil a doll with a badly done face-up.

 

I prefer to comission outside artists as most company faceups just don't work for my dolls' characters - they often used very natural and sometimes plain colour palettes. Most of my characters take vivid or saturated, colour-specific palettes as I enjoy colour. I'm also fortunate enough to work with a very talented and skilled faceup artist who is able to bring my characters to life every time.

 

I very much prefer a commissioned artist face up. Unless it was a face up done by a very famous artist and really spoke to me, I probably wouldn't want to keep it if I wasn't something very in-line with a character the sculpt gave me an idea for. For example, if I wanted to make a cute and vibrant Nono I might keep an all-pink face up since it would fit the sculpt. But If I just wanted a natural looking Madoka I would wipe a decently done sultry face up since it wouldn't be the right style.

Wiping a company face up on the other hand depends very much on the sculpt and the company's artist. I tend to love face ups by K.Mayura and Aone of Volks but I would likely wipe a Valico face up unless it was really well matched to the character. If it was a one-off I would be hesitant to buy the head in the first place unless it was someone rare like Michele, as I wouldn't buy a one-off Four Sisters and just wipe the gorgeous face up.

When it comes to limiteds, it also depends. I would wipe Tsukasa's face up in a heart beat because it's a somewhat older Volks face up and isn't extravagant enough for my tastes, his sculpt is too rare to keep "average" looking. However if I got my hands on a doll like a Kira Atelier Pierrot..I would try very hard to bond with her in the LE face up since it's so precious and rare old Volks style and that adds value to the doll for me and helps me form a character too.

 

I just got my doll done by an artist and I hate that it took me so long to have it done. The work is amazing, so much more distinct than a company face-up.

 

I feel if you like the company's face-up and have the money for it when you order the doll, go for it. But if you don't like it, feel free to get an artist to do it! It's your doll and the best thing about them is the freedom to make them yours!

 

Kym is a dream to work with too!

Of all my dolls, only one has the company faceup and thats my fcs msd boy. He's sooooo cute! His faceup didn't turn out at all how I'd intended it. But now I just can't bring myself to change it. I always want to, but I can never go through with it.

Sometimes a faceup just speaks to you.

Another doll of mine came with a faceup from another artist. I'd initially planned on redoing that too, but again it spoke to me and it seemed to suit my girl so I mostly left it alone (just added a little more eyeshadow and blushing).

 

If a company faceup is what you want the doll to have and you have the money to do so then get it. For example my SooRi came with a natural faceup, which I wanted. The Elfdoll Tasha I ordered comes with a smoky faceup, which is exactly what I wanted.

However, I really disliked the company face-up for Heliot so soon he's getting a custom one done once the artist has slots.

Basically I'm not fussy if it's company or independent artist, as long as my doll has the look I want

 

I got a company face up for my first doll simply because the task of doing my own face up seemed so daunting and I didn't feel too comfortable with sending my doll's head off to someone else to get his face painted. It helped that I liked the face up I chose (it was a DoD light brown face up, back before they changed their face up options).

My second doll also came with a company face up, but after a while his face up started to bother me so I handed his head over to a friend to do a face up for me. My fourth doll I ordered blank because the company face up was nothing like what I had in mind for my doll's character. I, again, gave the head to my friend to do the face up for me.

As for my remaining two dolls I have.. they're limited editions. Whenever I order limited editions, I tend to keep the default face up - not necessarily because I love it though. I order it with the default face up in case I don't bond with the doll and have to sell him later ^^; Fortunately I love the face ups that my two limiteds came with and I doubt I'll be changing them any time soon, if ever.

So in conclusion; for standard dolls I'll likely order them blank now unless the company face up is close to what I already have in mind. But for limiteds, I will always order the default face up with the exception of the face up being utterly horrible (in my opinion) or something like that.

 

I think it depends on what the owner is looking for in regards to theirs dolls style.

some company face ups are really pretty but what you might call ;generic;

while other owners might want a certain look that only a outside face up artist can give them.

Its up to you which is so nice because you can always have it changed later!

 

It completely depends on what you want. I have a few company defaults in my group, but most I've either done myself, or someone else has done them. Often times company defaults are either too dramatic looking, or the coloring isn't right for the specific character I'm buying the head for--that said, the ones I have I love. My Unidoll's faceup is gorgeous and I wouldn't dream of changing it. The defaults on two of my Bobobies work quite well for them because they are quite basic, and I didn't want overly made up faces--I wanted a more natural look. The custom ones I have were bought second hand with those faceups--often they were available new, but I really liked that particular faceup so I bought the doll second hand. So it really comes down to what you want your doll to look like and whether or not the company can achieve that look.

 

I ordered my two that I have now with the company faceups, because they suited what I had in mind for the dolls' characters. There are quite a few dolls on my wishlist, however, that I plan to order blank and send off for custom faceups. It really all depends on what your vision for the doll is.

 

Actually XP all the artist I love commission outside
But are hired by companies ,
Like docshul , she does all my dolls and she works for pipos
And Rabiruna and poppy all commission really beautiful dolls,
And they are working for eluts

 

I think it depends on what style of faceup you want, and whether or not the company you are buying the doll from will do it. I bought all my dolls from Luts, and at the time I bought them they were doing custom faceups. I think their faceup artists are really good, so I just told them what I wanted, and they did it exactly as I requested. So I've never had the need to hire someone else to do it. But then they quit doing custom faceups, they just do whatever they want. So if I ordered a doll from them now and didn't like their faceup, I'd have to hire someone else to change it, because I'm allergic to the materials used and can't do it myself. In the end, though, it just depends on the style you want for your doll, who you think can do it best, and who is willing to do it for you.

 

Artists face ups are cool because you can commission what you want: your vision of your doll, as opposed to the same "default" look to them. Artist's face ups are more unique and personal