Asking face-up creators to 'copy' their dolls for you?

Hmm being new to faceups, but coming from a background as a makeup artist, I think I would copy my dolls, as they are basically advertising/displaying my service. If I had one that I won't copy, I would just mark that in my portfolio and explain the personal significance.
Although I do like being bribed for something hard to get...

Copying a doll I have done for someone else, I always make sure to get the person's permission to recreate that look if they have created that style for me to paint.

I guess as a makeup artist, I'm too used to recreating looks, so doing the same thing for faces wouldn't bother me. But, also as a makeup artist really I prefer if the person who is asking for a face to have thought about it for their own liking, and if they/we put together a face chart (basically, an idea drawn down to detail what areas will be done and how) specifically for them.

After all, if you want a faceup, you either want something personallised for your doll, or you would buy the faceup from a company. Doing my dolls makeup for customers would be like a company doing faceup.

Personally I'd be loathe to do a company faceup, or any other faceup artists style on dolls, far before copying my own work.

 

I don't think it's rude or out of line to ask, I think if you want something similar then it's fine. I regularly browse the database to see what sorts of styles look good on the sculpts that I own, I like to try certain things out- like darkening the area around the eyes on a sculpt because I saw someone else do it that way- I never aim for an exact reproduction- or usually anything too close since I want my work to be unique too. I think as long as you're respectful enough to understand that the artist may not want to make an EXACT copy for you, then it should be fine. Ask for something similar, and put your own individual spin on it- that makes it a little nicer.

 

Interesting question! I won't copy my faceup exactly, but I will suggest to the person that I do an original faceup just for them, but that had the same "feel" of the one they like. Most people are happy with that.

 

If you would run a face-up-service, how would you react to a request like that?
I would not be offended by someone asking, but I would get very annoyed if people responded rudely to my answer, or accepted it and then complained bitterly about it, or if they heard it, then went to another artist with the photo of my doll and the same request. For the record my answer to requests like that are "well, I can paint you a similar faceup but it will not be identical, that doll is a specific character, tell me about your character and I can create a faceup to suit them inspired by my doll, but that is still uniquely yours"

Do you think it's rude?
Nope, I do not think it rude, but I would think it rude if they kept pushing, or were rude about the request

Would you don't mind it and just do it?
Sorry to say I never do two the same, even when I redo my own dolls. I am happy to do faceups inspired by something, but not a total copy. You also need to bear in mind that even if I did try to copy it would not come out exactly the same, and an identical faceup on a different sculpt would also look totally different.

Would this hurt you because you like your doll to be 'unique'?
Hurt? no, but i think every single doll deserves to be unique, and I am happy to use inspiration to make your doll special

Or would you tell the customer that you won't do this for him?
Like I said, I would say no, but I will do something close, and inspired by that face

If so, why?
Like I said, every doll is unique, and deserves to be treated as such, both mine and yours. Even if I TRY to copy my past work it will not be exactly the same, the same faceup looks different on different sculpts. For the record my answer is the same if someone approaches me with another artist's work. The only exception is when it is simply repairing/redoing a faceup that is worn out.

 

I've been reading through this thread, and my initial reaction before actual reading it was that it wouldn't bother me.
However, I guess there are some exceptions~

As was said, some people make those face ups specifically to represent the doll's character, while others use it to showcase their work.
If I were a face up artist (and having background of sketching, and obviously creating OCs xB!) I'd appreciate that they liked that particular work, but I would feel like it'd be crushing some of the character or... something

Although I kind of read this as though the person were saying "I really like how you did this face up, could you use this as a reference/inspiration for mine?" sort of thing, not an /exact/ copy~ (In which case, see above xD;~ )

 

As an artist myself, & an aspiring "face-upper" - I'd say that I agree with what was said about not every stroke being quite replicable exactly from doll to doll anyway. Though certainly stopping short of very personal distinctive things such as tattoos, doing a similar & "natural"-style face wouldn't bother me. The dolls of other types I've already done are unique & won't be replicated exactly - I don't think I could promise an exact copy of something simply because I am very used to things being done only once & not "copying..."

 

I've been tempted to ask faceup artists to make one of my doll's a face just like theirs, but I was always worried about seeming rude, or putting the artist in an uncomfortable position, since so many do pride themselves on individuality.

However I've thought about it a little more and I don't see anything wrong with asking to create another faceup like their own, with some slight variations. Maybe change the colors up a little bit, or like others have said, do a combination of several faceups. When you think about it though, it shouldn't seem like a big deal to ask someone to make a similar faceup, since most people have a specific style all their own anyway. I mean look at a lot of the company dolls out there. Many of the dolls within one company not only have similar faceups, but similar looking sculpts as well. Sometimes you can tell a brand of a doll, just by recognizing these similar characteristics and styles.

I wouldn't think of making a doll similar to one you've already made as taking away from its uniqueness, instead I'd look at it as your own personal trademark, what people will recognize you for, and associate your work with.

 

Well said!

 

Personally I never considered -not- asking a faceup artist to replicate a doll they own personally for me >_< Too much time as a makeup artist If I didn't copy looks, I'd run out of work fast in that business.
I guess everyone else sees it as more art that I do. I see faceups as just an extension of the doll face, ways to compliment the mold.

 

I wouldn't ask a faceup artist to repeat a faceup exactly because I know most of them don't do that and wouldn't like being asked.

I personally do see the faceup more as makeup because it's changeable, rather than being fixed like the sculpt, so if I were a faceup artist (which I'm not) I wouldn't have a problem with repeating the same "makeup" on more than one head. But, I understand and accept that others in the hobby feel differently, and that most artists and most doll owners see the faceup as another "unique" feature of the doll.

One thing I have noticed is that most artists seem to develop a style in which most, if not all, of their faceups tend to look pretty similar anyway, even if there are differences such as colors used and so on, so you can probably get the same "general look" even if it's not "exactly the same faceup" because they changed the colors slightly or some other subtle difference.

 

I have no problem repeating a faceup any more than I mind doing two sculpts that looks alike. If a customer comes to me and says "That doll there, I want you to sculpt me a doll that looks like that" I say "Sure". So I do the same thing for finishing any doll's look.

Unique is not the same as One of a Kind in the doll hobby or no two people would have the same sculpt, so I see no problem with recreating a face-up that has appeal.

 

I would do it. After all, if the customer wants that look, they will commission it. If they don't get it commissioned from the original artist, they will find someone able to copy it close enough anyway, so I'd rather be the one making the money.

 

If you're asking the artist to duplicate a doll in her own collection, that might be alright but definitely not a doll she did for someone else. All she can say is no if she prefers not to repeat herself. And really, it wouldn't be exactly the same anyway as each work has it's it's own quirks.

If you like the style of a face-up she did I think it's perfectly legit to ask for something in that same style. It also gives the artist an idea of what you want & a place to begin. I did this once though the mold I used wasn't the same as the artist's doll but I just liked the style & the artist appreciated the idea rather than me spelling out colors, brow shape, etc.

 

Hmm... If I was actually good with faceups, and I did a masterpiece on one of my dolls and someone asked me to duplicate that faceup... I'd have to say...
Nah. Although I'd be so happy to know that someone likes my doll's faceups, I would not want a clone of my doll all over DOA.
But, that's me. I don't think it's rude to ask... but it might be akward.

PLUS, if the faceup creator liked the faceup they did on your doll's face better than their own doll's face... they could SWITCH 'em!! O_O Lol...

 

As someone who doesn't paint dolls, but does frequently commission people, I think all the following should be "on the table"

-- Doing the "same" face-up of an established doll on a different mold (it will never look the same on a different doll, and face-ups can never be exactly replicated anyway)
-- Combining different features of established dolls to create something new (eyes of a, lips of b)
-- Replicating a previous face-up done for commission (not the artist's personal doll), even on the same face mold, acknowledging that no face-up can ever be replicated exactly

All of these are under the assumption that there's not anything particularly "unique" about the face up (like a tattoo of the character's name on their forehead?). As someone previously mentioned, wigs and eyes and clothes and general styling change so much, but I acknowledge that some face-ups are too unique to be willing to copy even parts of them. But most are not in this category.

Of course, this is just my opinion of what is ethical to offer. I don't think that all face-up artists should feel like they have to do it or anything. That's why it's really important that face-up artists are upfront about what they will and they won't do. I tend to not commission people that feel like they'll be uncomfortable replicating a previous face-up, because I tend to choose face-up artists based on previous commission work that I want a reasonable likeness of. An example here that I can think of is Raburina's work on four sisters heads -- she does mostly the same thing over and over, and frankly that's the thing I really want, and I know it'll turn out great. I like that kind of security in face-ups

 

Different situations call for different responses.

1. I wouldn't copy a faceup done by someone else. If you want that look so bad, go to that artist. I probably wouldn't be able to copy it anyway.

2. I would, and have, copied faceups I've done myself for my own dolls. On the same mold.

3. I would also copy a commission I did for someone else, unless that person asks me not to duplicate the work I did for them (which I've never been asked). Though I have done a commission with the tattoo of the dolls alias on the forehead, and I wouldn't copy that for anyone else.

To me, at the end of the day these are just dolls. I know thats sacrilege to some folks, and don't get me wrong, I love my dolls, but really what do I care what someone else does or wants for their own dolls? So what if someone likes the character/style of my dolls. They're still my dolls with their style, whether I copy it for someone else or not.

 

There is one case where I think this would be alright. Say you had a doll, with a certain face up, be it a factory one or a custom one, and it got damaged. And you were looking to fix it with a similar face up to what it just had. Basically you'd be asking them to copy a face up, but in the case of a repair, I think it would be alright.

However, if you were to say, I like your "insert doll's name here with a cool face up." Can you do the same one for me? Then it would be a different story.


If you would run a face-up-service, how would you react to a request like that?
It would depend on the case. If it was to repair or duplicate an existing one on a damaged doll I think it's ok. It they just want a doll to look like another one, then I'd more than likely say no.

Do you think it's rude?
I think it's rude, and unoriginal to copy someone elses doll. There's soo many other looks a doll can have.

Would you don't mind it and just do it?
Again, it depends on the case. For a repair, I wouldn't mind. If it was supposed to look just like their doll's old face up. Because to me, changing a faceup can kind of change the doll's character, and looks.

I'd say no if they just wanted their doll to look like mine, and yeah I'd be a little hurt if I seen another doll out there just like mine. I'd probably consider changing it to look different if someone copied it.

 

Before asking, I would read the artist's commission page to see if she/he has an opinion about copying faceups. If they have objections, they usually state it in the commission page. Most artists will not copy any unusual or unique faceups they have done, but will listen to the customer's request as to preferred colors/style for standard basic faceups. If they say they will not copy faceups, then I certainly would not ask.