Aversion to customization?

Hmm, I know what you mean! I think it's different for everybody. For me, I can't imagine buying a limited or one off with a faceup by a famous artist, and then removing it and changing the doll around, but it seems like people do.

And for sanding, I wouldn't want to sand the doll myself, but I also don't really want visible seams, so I'm quite pleased that DoD's come sanded. Psychologically, maybe your aversion to body modifications and disembodied parts is because it's a very strong reminder that these are dolls, when in our heads they feel like real people?

 

I don't think you have to customize to be a good doll owner as you said...rather most people simply take advantage of the fact that you can make your doll look however you'd like.
I think sometimes it can depend on how long you've had them also. Like most people I was a little intimidated by my boy at first. I have never spent that much money on something like that before and he looked so delicate. I was almost scared to touch him. Plus I have never been a good "artist" as far as painting or drawing so I had no confidence. Finally I convinced myself I needed to get past it because I bought him to enjoy him, not be too intimidated to even play with him. Now I am totally ok with taking him apart and doing faceups. However I still can't bring myself to sand him. ops:
On the other hand sometimes you find a doll that is perfect to you just the way they are. As long as YOU are happy with how they look why should you feel pressured to change anything? That's what matters most is how happy you are with them.
The part about Jung-Shin's head sounds like a different matter all together though. Are you becoming less interested because of customizing issues or is it because you just haven't bonded with him? Maybe you feel compelled to get a new doll all together because he isn't what you expected? :grin:

 

you really aren't alone here --

I'll do lashes and blush and LITTLE makeup tweaks quite happily. I'm trying to get better at body blushing, as I really like how it looks, but i'm not very good at it and I get frustrated when I can't do it right.

I did NOT enjoy working on sabrina's face. I redid about 90% of her faceup (only her brows are original, and accidentally I almost wiped one totally off, so that one I had to go over as well) and I didn't think it was fun. She came out pretty, and I'm happy with how she looks, but man, when that faceup starts to go, she's getting shipped off to have somebody else do it.

I don't like having headless bodies around either.

 

I don't customize my dolls.

I have absolutely NO interest (or the skills) to restring, repaint, rebuild, etc. my dolls. I like them just the way they are :grin:

 

I really liked painting Vasiley's face, but I have no desire to mod/sand/do other things to him..don't know, it just doesn't seem neccesary to me, I like him as he is, he's just perfect ^^

 

Uuummm...I really love it. I enjoy the process of making a doll that's perfect for the doll personality in my head. I am up to 3 complete head-mold modifications and repaints...But I bought the heads for that reason. I don't particularly enjoy the fuss of stringing and sanding but...I love the finished product. I don't like having a severed head around but that's because...I want my doll to be whole! Is there not another body you have to switch out? It's hard to bond with just a head...I found that posing the head with my other dolls helped a little...I don't like body parts laying around, it's just a hassle...

 

I love art, and hands-on things, but I can relate - there's nothing more I hate than restringing, donig face-ups, or anything like that. I can see where doing these things helps people to bond, but I think anyone could bond just as well and not do these things. I know I have ;_;

I tried doing Jules' face-up myself, and failed miserably, and I got so scared that I would hate him forever because of it. I just sent him off to have someone else do his face-up. I think that if you send heads off for face-ups, and describe how you want your doll to look, it makes them just as unique and customized as if you did it yourself. I mean, you're telling them to do what you have envisioned, so I think that's a form of customization too. (well, with plenty of credit to those who actually DID the face-up of course ;_

 

I have to say, if no-one hated doing it, I'd get no work, so I'm all for people not liking it

BJD are an odd hobby in that there's so many facets to it. Photographers, tailors, wigmakers, artists, writers... all are drawn to BJD for different reasons and they're all good. If you don't like one thing, let someone else do it for you, and just enjoy your doll for the things you DO like

 

I love the default makeup on my dolls and I don't have any plans to change it unless it seriously starts to rub off. I did have to take Kobu apart to suade him (which I only did because of his crazy legs). I did it all in one day so he wouldn't have to stay in pieces. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I really didn't like the pinched fingers I had afterward.

Jordan is a bodiless head at the moment and I don't like that because I feel I don't give her as much attention. She is a sleeping El head. I would love to have someone modify her eyes open but since I can't afford a body for her at the moment I certianly can't afford that. I also like her default makeup a lot and wouldn't like to see it ruined just to get her modified.

 

Nah!... I know it is the wrong way but I don't take the doll apart to make the face-up.
Why? Well... I don't like re-stringing.
I don't enjoy doing faces much as well but... I have to. I don't have money to pay commissions, shipping, stuff like that..

 

Well...

I haven't customized Kaye at all... I haven't even ever removed her default eyes, and I'm not going to, I like her default... and yet, people still seem to enjoy her XD
(Heck, I hadn't even changed her out of default wig or outfit for the longest time)

Grimm is *barely* customized...

I think you might sense a little push for customization just because when people do something different and new, we all have to ooooh and aaaaah over it... but there are plenty of drooled over dolls that are default.

You can "customize" a doll to make it totally your own with nothing more than personality.

 

A lot of people like the process - heck, I'm one of them - but I think an equal number don't. We all love them, albeit for different reasons, and that's kinda the whole point.

I mean...who really cares if you've done all the work yourself? I haven't done all the work on mine - even though I enjoy it, I don't have the skills or the time to do the work on mine. If you love them, I don't think it matters one way or the other, really.

 

As forme, I personally am TERRIFIED at even the THOUGHT of restringnig or customizing my doll myself. I can just hear her scream, "Stop! What are you doing?! Don't paint my lips THAT color!!! And exactly what do you think you're doing with that can of MSC?!!"

er... yeah. I have a ton of respect and admiration for people who take the time and effort and are creative enough to customize their and others' dolls. Even chaning their eyes is nervewracking for me!

 

I. HATE. Customization.

(Since when is stringing customization, by the way?)

I have absolutely no desire to sand down x's nose, re-paint y's default faceup, give z piercings.. Why?

I'm one of those boring uncreative people who like default faceups BECAUSE they're boring and neutral. Oh no, my El without wig looks exactly like every other Luts El out there. Oh well. I LIKE that faceup on him, I love the way his lips and eyes are and everything about him, plain and default as he is. If his faceup ever gets messed up, I've considered emailing Sean and asking if it would be possible to SEND HIM BACK to have it done by them again. And yes, his nose is psycho pointy. Whuptidoo. Makes him more interesting. I'll sand it when and if the thing breaks off. My Isao and Arashi will shed their defaults when they wear off, and even then I'll probably try to find someone to approximate the original for me.

Sure, I can do faceups myself, and better than a lot of people can. I also hate doing it, and am never satisfied with the results. As a result the doll pisses me off and I want nothing further to do with it. I note that both dolls I've sold/will be selling were painted by me.

Seams don't bother me unless they're Volks seams, Volks seams are horrible. @_o (I've CUT myself on Lukas and Nai)

I plain don't like piercings on HUMANS, nevermind doing that to one of my dolls. XD

Sure, Link could stand to have his eyes widened slightly and the bridge of his nose sanded down... But am I going to do it, or have anyone else do it? Nah. I like the mold the way it is. He's NOT perfectly pretty, and I like him that way. Makes him seem more human.

Now eye-changing/stringing I don't mind at all. Eye-changing is easy, and stringing is piss simple and takes ten minutes, and that's IF you have to adjust tension.

But yeah. Don't want to do it, don't want someone else to do it. My dolls are fine the way they are. I'm ohsoveryboring, and I like it that way. X3

 

Wow Ian-KunX. XD I don't think you're boring and I think people can do whatever they please with their doll. ^^;;

Myself, I like customizing because that's how I bond with my doll(and er, my new girl is coming face-up less anyway). I feel weird because I don't have these elaborate photostories or people can take their dolls out and let them pick out stuff and I don't. It's just a different way of doing things.

 

I like restringing Volks dolls, it's fun. x3 !!!

But that's just me.

I know what you mean with a head laying around. I don't like it either.

Abacus is an Anais boy, so I bought the head. Then I think it took close to a year to get the body. Then a little longer for a faceup. It was really difficult for me to see him like that. You don't bond until a doll is complete and in one piece? Neither do I. I'm going through the same thing with Cicada. He's a Jun boy, so I could just sell his head and buy a new doll, but I stop myself. I'll bond once he's put together and in one piece.

I'm sure when he's all together you'll be happy too. :3 Be patient if you can and see it through. Are the heads put in boxes out of sight? That helps a lot!

But customizing isn't what makes a doll loveable or good by other's standards. If people are like that, then they're the minority and not very well-liked here. Loving a doll is loving a doll, everyone does it different. But we all love them and that's all that matters huh?

 

Me too. There's something extremely satisfying about yanking your doll into pieces for a while, really! Even if I can't customize worth beans otherwise, at least I can restring. =^^=;;

 

Oh, forgot to mention the bodiless head thing.

I've got an Isao head. He sits on top of a glue bottle on my dresser right next to the other dolls. He's just as vocal as they are, and just as alive. X3 Doesn't bother me in the slightest to see him there. Mind you, it bugs HIM because he wants his body, but. X3