"Afraid" To Send Doll Out For Face-up?

i haven't even gotten my first doll yet and i have a fear of face-ups. i'm sure there are plenty of good artists out there that will take good care of your doll and get her back to you safe and sound. just think of how good she's going to look when she comes home!^^ that's probably the best thing to look forward to. good luck!

 

Im more worried of an artist who cant fulfill my expectations or spending money on a faceup that I wont like.

I think if youre more concerned about the head's safety, then send it to a quick and reliable faceup artist. I recommend Shuui of Blue Meg designs on these Den of Angel forums, since she gets your faceup done within a week and her work is just impeccable. She sends you photos of the faceup progess until youre satisfied with her work, and she has great feedback on these boards. She is located in Singapore, so you do have to pay a little mroe to ship your head to her.

But if you expect to keep your doll's faceup for years and years, then please please please just spend enough of your money on an incredible artist that you like, instead of going for a cheaper option.

 

I went nuts when Xavier was in the mail, just worried he would get lost or something. But he got to the person I commissioned, and she let me know, and posted pictures of his face as it got done ^_^ Most artists will keep you updated, and that really helps the anxiety of having the doll out of your home. I've had two face-ups commissioned so far, and it really is a great option once you get over that initial panic!

As for choosing an artist, I wouldn't say price matters so terribly much, although I guess it can. Find the style that will suit your character, then commission that person. Xavier needed fantasy coloring around the eyes and the rest subtle, so I went with 1000 Cranes (really good at using unusual colors), and Meztli needed something more smoky on the eyes and natural toned, so I commissioned LadySaiyuki (excellent at this). Both turned out great and they completely listened to what I wanted. So, find an artist whose style suits the character and is nice to work with, you'll be fine and your doll will be better for it ^_^

 

I'm afraid the head will be lost in the mail! That, and saving money is the reason why I started doing my own face ups!

 

ah, i wouldn't worry so much if someone else has ordered a face up from someone then you can probably trust them ^^ i know, it's kind of a scary notion sending out your "baby" but if yeh wanna get it done yeh gotta send em out! i feel your pain though, i don't have a doll and even now i'm thinking of what i'm gonna do about face ups and mods XD

 

Get insurance when you send it if you are worried about the mail. If you are worried about he faceup artist stealing your doll head, then pick another artist with lots of good comments from happy customers.

What I would be afraid of is forever losing the old face I had loved (even if it is now worn), permanently erasing her old "being", and fear of not liking or not being able to bond with her new self. But that's me.

I can understand what you mean about her being headless in the interim. But my fear really is more about sending her personality away and getting a different one back.

If she really needs a faceup or you want something different for her, get your shipping box and materials, shipping label, a note to go inside, and have them ready. When it's time to send her, remove her head, box her head in the prepared shipping box, put her body in her doll box for now, and send the head to the faceup artist. Some of the faceup artists stay in touch with their customers and send interim photos of the steps for approval - maybe that would help you, but I doubt they all do that. While waiting, maybe buy your doll something nice for when she returns and is united with her body.

Carolyn

BTW - if you need a face shield (clear bubble), you can buy them at http://www.junkyspot.com

And one other note - ask the painter if you can send eyes along so the doll will come back to you with his/her eyes in.

 

I feel the same way Mouse, I'm horribly afraid to send mine off, and they need face ups badly. I haven't been able to work up the courage to do it yet.

 

I sent almost all my dolls + at least 5 of my friends dolls for faceups. Everything went great and I had no probs. All the awesome faceup artist did a great job and got the way I wanted there faceups to be. Don't be afaid, I only get nervous when they go out for shipping.

 

My first doll is seriously lacking a decent faceup.... part of the reason I haven't sent him out is that I don't want it to get lost in the mail.... but the other part is that he was my first doll.... and his head isn't in the best condition now. D: So I'm embarassed to have anyone see him. XD

 

I had such bad seperation anxiety when I sent Akina's head off for the first time...but the end result was worth it.

If you're really nervous, get the head insured before you send it out.

 

I've done face-ups :3
As long as you go with someone who is trustworthy and make sure the head has tracking & insurance, you should be fine.

 

When I sent out my favorite doll for repaint, I kept his headcap with me. For whatever reason, that eased my anxiety. Maybe that will help for you too...to have a part of the head with you.

 

I have a friend who wants a Soony but is quite worried about the faceup she wants to ask for. She doesnt want it to arrive and be a disappointment. As for me, I safely went with a default faceup and hopefully it will be beautiful when he arrives!

 

I know what you mean! I feel the same: I couldn't send my doll's head away for so long! (Plus he's my only doll, so I'd be very lonely and worried)
That's part of the reason why I did the first few faceups myself (and not with the right tools) which turned out not so appealing. When I went to a convention, forunately there was comicbookartistboi (who is, btw, awesome at it!) who did my boy's faceup and even pierced his ears. Actually, he even gave me some tips on how to do good faceups, so the next one I'll try to do myself properly, and if it doesn't turn out well, I'll mail him my doll's head. It would be so worth it having a well done faceup for sending your doll away for a couple of weeks!

 

I think everything will be fine. Send your doll through a carrier that you can keep track of during the entire shipping process. If you use one of the main carriers like Fedex or UPS you can keep track of your doll from the time it leaves you until it reaches it's destination through your tracking number.
Best of Luck.

 

Go to a meetup where it is advertised there will be faceup services, or a convention. I had my Sydney done at Metrocon by the wonderful comicbookartistboi...he had her finished within hours of my dropping her off at his Artists' Alley table. Of course, I've met him and trust him, and was originally planning to mail him to her, but it worked out much easier simply to meet at Metro.

So if you don't want your doll to be away, ask around here for a local faceup artist that you can meet, lol!

 

Some of my crew I can send off... Sera has Yue, Snow and BSR's Tez at the moment... but others? There's no way. No matter how much they need a new face-up (And my Alabaster Prince definitely does... ) I can't and won't risk them getting lost or damaged in transit.

There's no way I would send Al, or Harumatsu or Teacup out. I don't think I could do it with Jen or Kessari, either... So, I just try to be as careful with their existing face-ups as I possibly can be.

 

mm id suggest contacting the faceup artist you want to use and have them tell u when they will be available and send it out so they can do it "asap" so you get your head back, and most people who do faceups own dolls of their own so im sure they know how valuable/precious your doll is to you as theirs is to them