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BJD with original faceup VS artist-made faceup? I am struggling

Aug 6, 2024

    1. I have a Dream of Doll Shall from back in the day. She has the original DoD faceup, and as iconic as that is, I do not vibe with it anymore. I find it slightly robotic.
      I am considering wiping her faceup and commissioning someone to give her an updated look, most likely something along the lines of Gem of Doll's faceups (the beautiful blushes and those eyes!!).

      What would you guys do? New faceup or keep the old one? I am struggling because I know this doll was discontinued and I am afraid it would be a crime to wipe her current faceup.
       
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    2. So my opinion is that your enjoyment of the doll matters more than future collector value. The reason it could be worth it to keep the original faceup is because you could possible sell it for more of you were to sell it. If youโ€™re not planning on selling it, all that matters is that youโ€™re making yourself happy, and if a new faceup does that for you, I say wipe away!!

      besides which, if someone was really passionate about having one that looked like the original, they could commission an artist to do something similar to the default faceup. That option always exists.
       
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    3. I feel this is a very personal thing, there will probably be people who will cry bloody mary, as well as those who won't give two sh1ts about it.

      I personally have wiped one of my discontinued BJD face paint, which wasn't a default one at that (it was a custom request). It was more of a nostalgic factor for me, than resell value of a sought after doll (I don't own any of those). I regretted it for a while, then I started to mod the HS, which was my intention. I regretted it some more because I didn't know the company was going to discontinued the head sculpt, only after the fact. I left the head partially moded and blank since then. I don't regret it any more, but I do wish I would have gotten a second unmodified HS, for my collection.

      At the end of the day, it's your money your doll. Do what will bring you the most joy out of it. If resell value worries you, then maybe that is something to reconsider and hear DoD collectors, who might have a different perspective. However, it's your doll, even if you still want to sell it off at some point. Good luck. (:
       
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    4. Chase your bliss! I'm sure there's people out there whose doll has the original faceup, so it's not like you're permanently deleting the faceup from the world.
       
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    5. Do what makes you happy, most definitely! Itโ€™s your doll, not a museum exhibit (unless thatโ€™s the focus of your collection, which is perfectly fine too.) The truly amazing thing about these dolls is that they are completely open to individual interpretationโ€ฆand therein lies the true magic of BJDs.:) You can make them your own vision which is why our hobby is so endlessly fascinating. There are plenty of photos of DoD Shalls with company faceups to enjoy. But people will also enjoy an original artist faceup that uniquely explores the versatility of the sculpt just as much, if not more. In this hobby itโ€™s all good!
       
      #5 PoeticSoul, Aug 6, 2024
      Last edited: Aug 6, 2024
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    6. I also have a doll who is discontinued and I had an artist paint his face :blush My reason- there are already pictures of the original and I want to see my doll in different faceup styles. Especially since the doll I have, not many people have when he was still around (Doll in Mind BBjorn). Hope this helps and you get the face you want :hug:
       
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    7. It's your doll, a highly customisable at that - do what makes you enjoy her more! Shall in her original state has been well documented but you can always take some pics of the old faceup before you have it wiped :) Plus, I'm sure that there are many faceup artists who would love to paint a Shall, I'm really curious to see one with a more modern faceup myself!
       
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    8. Itโ€™s definitely to oneโ€™s personal taste. I have an older Volks Chris who should honestly get his face redone but I love the old face and donโ€™t find myself wanting to have it redone, even if itโ€™s dated and fading.
       
      • x 8
    9. I told myself when I got my Peakswoods Dandy Han, who came with a face up already via DDE, that if I liked him but not his face up when he arrived, I'd wipe him, and would only keep it if I didn't like him after all and planned to sell him. I made this decision because I didn't like his company photos at all, but still had a feeling about buying him. Turned out I loved his face up when he got in, but the point is: You like the doll? You want to enjoy the doll? Congrats! It's yours to do with as you please. Face ups come in so many styles that there will always be people who love and hate every face up your dolls will ever wear. The important bit is that you like the ones your dolls have, because you are the one your collection should bring the most joy to.
       
      • x 6
    10. I felt the same way about a Soom Heliot head I have. I really liked his default faceup but I wanted to see how yellow he really was underneath it all. So I sent him away for a new faceup - based off of his original. He's just as beautiful and possibly just as yellow. He's still waiting for a body but resin matching will be hard hahaha.
       
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    11. it's your choice whether the history or charm of the face up matters to you. it's not a crime to change it. do what makes you happy :kitty2
      I will say I'm usually someone who values company make, and I take no issue with changing it. This is your doll. There may be other collectors who choose to preserve it, but it doesn't fall on you to do the same. and I look forward to seeing your Shall's updated face up if you would choose to share it :chibi
       
      • x 1
    12. This varies from person to person, but I can say without a doubt that not once have I ever regretted wiping a company faceup. I just need that unique faceup to fit my characters, and the company faceups tend to be either too bland or too "perfect doll-like" for my tastes. (And I don't mean that offensively--it certainly takes skill to do professional faceups, and they can be beautiful, they're just not personal enough for me.)
       
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    13. I usually get my dolls without face-up because they don't usually vibe with me or the character but I can totally understand what you mean, the doll being so old and rare nowadays that it feels almost like a limited one and that the original face-up should be preserved somehow even if it does not fit your vision.
      Still, this hobby is all about customization and having the dolls like you want them so, if you love the doll's sculpt, I encourage you to make her what you want and not worry about some ancient face-up. If you think at some point you may want to get back to something similar, you can always take a picture and keep it so you can have it as reference.
       
      • x 1
    14. Like other have said, it's really up to you. As someone who would love a DOT Shall for nostalgia's sake, I wouldn't change it or at least I would get it updated.
       
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    15. It's up to the owner what they want to do to their dolls.

      That said. Faceups do age. Often the sealant goes first and chips or yellows. I've been in this hobby for 20 years -OMG! and I've had to have a few faceups redone or re-did them myself because of damage or yellowing.
       
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    16. I think you should do whatever will make you happiest. If the only thing holding you back is feeling like you shouldn't, rather than worrying that you'll regret it, then you should go for it. I have two old dolls with default faceups, but it's less about me wanting to keep them original and more of a sentimental thing. If I change the faceups, they won't feel like "them" anymore. If I didn't care about that I'd get them repainted in a heartbeat.
       
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    17. If you sell the doll the next person probably will want their own again and wipe your face up.
       
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    18. I have a habit of ordering a doll blank or wiping the faceup if the doll came with one like dollfie dream dolls for example.

      I always love customizing my dolls and have a unique look to them, I don't do my own faceups, I commission artists, but I feel like my dolls feel special when they have a custom faceup. If wiping the old faceup makes you happy then do it.
       
      • x 1
    19. I like it when a doll arrives with a face-up of any kind, just so i can dress them up and "get to know them" before I decide exactly what I want to do with them. But I don't feel like I need to keep a default. Faceups don't last forever, sealant can get stained, chipped, yellowed. Styles change over time. Some defaults aren't all that to begin with.

      My very first doll was a limited, and his default worked well enough. Rather than repainting him right away, I just waited until it showed some wear to replace it. In his case, he got a chip in his sealant on his nose after a couple of years and his forehead was stained by a wig. So off he went for a new face~

      I also think it's easy enough to get a doll repainted to look similar to their default if needs be. So I don't see any crime here.
       
      • x 1
    20. I am pretty new to BJDs and I am really attached to my doll face ups. I don't think I would be able to get a new face up. I think I would try to find someone to make it look as close as possible to its original look, if there was a chip or something. It's like the Velveetn Rabbit story, boo boos happen.
      I may change my mind about this in time. I have bjd friends who have no problem changing face ups to look very different.

      Should we reseal them periodically to prevent this? I'm a bjd newbie.