Bought first doll, now what?

I recently got my first real BJD so I'd love to let you know what I've done so far. Which is...euhmm...not so much to be honest. *is ashamed* I opened her box (LittleFee Leah - go check out her opening box thread!) and admired her for so long and fondled her all over. She was so much fun to play with. I'm pretty sure she's a keeper for me even though at the moment I have zero inspiration for her character.

I dressed her up in her full set outfit and took some pictures to share here. I keep her in her box for the moment but almost every day I take her out to admire her and hold her, even just naked. I can't just leave her sitting around because I have a very energetic dog and there are two children who occassionaly run around in the room. I love to hold her a lot and admire her face in the hope that she'll tell me her name and I get some inspiration for her character.

Currently I'm shopping around for her first wig, a pair of eyes and new eyelashes. She's a secondhand girl so her face was smashed around a lot during transport which unfortunately caused her lashes to be...not where they are supposed to be. Since she's my first I'm pretty scared to get and attach some new eyelashes but I guess I'll have to get over that fear.

I also bought a sewing machine (haven't sewn anything in my life before) and attempted my first pair of socks for her. And omg Yo-SD size is a nightmare to sew for. Even more so since I used elastic fabric instead of simple cotton...how was I supposed to know? o__O;

I hope to get her a big sister soon and also learn how to sew better. So far I'm really enjoying my first girl so I have zero regrets getting into the hobby.

 

I've also just got my first To begin with I was SUPER worried about everything that might harm him in the slightest so I had him dressed in his lightest coloured clothes when I was playing with him but after that he went back in the box bald and naked! Since then I've relaxed a lot and most of the time he is sitting with me (but out of the sun of course!)

With him I ordered a whole selection of clothes as well so I spend a lot of time dressing and re-dressing him in various things.


What I'm really looking forward to doing next is taking lots of photos! However... I ordered him blank so I could do his face-up (as he is a character I've had for far longer than I've known of BJDs) and, while I've got everything else I need, I'm waiting on my MSC to arrive I can't say I'm too fond of looking at face-up-less dolls (unless I'm interested in buying the sculpt) so I will have to wait.


So really, since he's got here, it been re-dressing and playing with, plus going to his first meet. Like Siara said, I've no regrets whatsoever

 

after i open their box i usually put them back in the box...i know sad story
usually i have wig and eyes and shoes prepared for them so i take the face out to paint and measure the body to make clothing for...
i dont like it when unblushed or naked dollies sit at my desk since they look half finished...so before i gather all the materials to bring them to life they just...lies..in.. the box
the saddest times are when they just keep on lying in the box and never get played with at all...and i just sell them for some reason.

 

When all the box opening and such are done, I propably have some idea about the wig and eyes I want them to have. Hopefully I'm able to have the doll try out the eyes and wig, maybe some clothes or so. Usually I buy dolls naked without any accessories or face up, but if they have face up and clothes etc, I do like to dress them and take few photos. I don't mind naked dolls around, that's quite common at my place since I'm always in the middle of some clothing project. I don't do face ups, so if I've contacted an artist I will send the head to the artist and then wait. Maybe sew some clothes or not. I do like to handle the doll and see how the joints move and if there are any need for hotglue sueding, restringing or something like that.

 

You guys are so brave, haha~ My first doll has a face-up because I am not in a position to do it myself. MSC is too harmful for me even with full protection. I'm contemplating of ordering my next doll blank and send her out to an artist but I'm so scared my heads will never return to me. The thought alone hurts my heart.

I'm so curious to see how your beautiful girls and guys will turn out! Do you have a sculpt in mind for your first doll, Sakura?

 

I always sit my new dolls out on display - I have shelves at the back of a North facing room where the sun can't get them, and an armchair in front of the shelves, where I often sit and watch 'dollyvision' Not much happens on dollyvision, but it entertains me for ages, just sitting and looking at them, thinking about their clothes I want to buy, making up stories in my head about them, planning which doll to get next and where it will sit - it's very relaxing! Clothing and faceup are not obligatory either - I had my impldoll idol boy body sitting there naked and headless for months - he is beautiful and sculptural, so I enjoyed looking at him - although I did at least sew him some boxers for modesty! I have quite a few dolls with no faceup sitting there now - I promise myself every time I see them 'I must get their face done!' but I still love them blank too - there's no rush. I also have a couple of heads sitting there on the dolly sofa staring at me - they look like they are annoyed with waiting for a body LOL - I always put eyes in them and a wig on at least, even if they're blank with no body I am not really one for touching my dolls though - I worry about making them dirty so have to wash my hands, and as I always use handcream that has to be done specially to handle my dolls, so I tend to just look and not touch, as I can't be bothered to wash my hands AGAIN!

 

I always have a character in mind for the doll before it comes home, and will generally have at least some temporary eyes and a wig; as much as possible, I prefer ordering the wig and eyes shortly after the doll itself has been ordered, so they'll be ready by the time it arrives. I'll also dig through the "community clothes box" and find something that suits the character's personality for the doll to wear on arrival. When they do arrive, I first give them their eyes and wig, then spend some time checking out their mobility (if it's a model/company I've never bought before), test how easy it is to get them to stand flat-footed on my coffee table, and lastly dress them and tuck them away safely on my shelf until it's time to do their faceup or make some clothes for them.

 

When I got my first doll many, many moons ago, I wasn't sure what I'd do with him. I ended up taking tons of photos and making him a fairly extensive wardrobe. As my collection grew (I'm up to 24 dolls now), I kinda fell off the photos wagon and don't make as much clothing as I used to. I'm a little annoyed with myself over that as some of my boys have a single outfit and that's it. 2 are purposefully naked (a Naga and a Cockatrice) and one needs clothes but I haven't gotten my lazy but in gear to do it yet despite having him completed for over a year *sigh*. In my defence on the clothes issue, the majority of my dolls are odd sizes and easily 90% of them require individual patterns to be made to fit them.

I'm also limited on display space (i.e. I have none *sigh*) and I have Idiot Cat who firmly believes that all mohair/real fur wigs are his toys and the dolls are simply "display stands" for his toys and he is free to take "his toys" any time he pleases *rolls eyes*. To that end, my dolls spend the majority of their time in their boxes as that's the safest place for them to be. I do like making clothes for them though and taking them out to photograph in natural situations so that they look like they're real (especially since they're characters from the novels I write).

 

When I got my first doll I became even more obsessed than I already was. I dressed her in everything I had, plus some makeshift clothing, took a ton of pictures, started thinking of her character and very soon after, began planning for my second ^_^

 

Usually, I try for a face up first. It depends. Icarus was my first doll and my brother got me his first outfit and wig as a Christmas gift so he got a face up first and Arianna got her face up first too. Jethro already had one so I bought clothes for him first thing and Cecil got his eyes and glasses and wig first. He's still hanging out naked in his bag, though.

 

I usually do their make up first. a lot of sculpts look a little spooky blank and it creeps my roomies out.

 

When my doll arrived, my sisters had to donate some of their doll clothing to him because the poor guy was going to be naked for a few week What I like to do when I'm getting a new doll is create a collage or mood board for them online so that I can get a better sense of what I want out of the doll aesthetically and personality wise. I also like the idea of buying one "main" outfit for my dolls, and that being what they wear most of the time. I don't think I'd want to dress them up too much because each of my dolls/characters has very distinct personalities and I don't think they would like wearing each other's clothes

 

I think it's nice to have at least one thing you can have your first doll wear when she arrives. I didn't have anything the first time so I couldn't take many pictures of her >.< The second time I had one outfit ready to go, since then the main project has been sewing... I'm not allowing myself to buy anymore clothes until I've sewn more!

 

I just got my first (and second through seventh -- ordered them all at once, and it took five months for them to arrive one at a time.) It's a wonderful thing, just admiring them, isn't it? To date, I've always gotten a doll with a face-up already done, so they're good to go when they arrive and already have eyes in. The first thing I do after I de-mummify one of my brand-new girls or boys is select a wig (I pre-bought some wigs I liked before the dolls arrived) that complements whatever eye color the seller packaged him/her wearing and pop that on. Then, I usually do pose them nude for a couple of days to just admire the beauty of the sculpt and skin tone. May or may not take photos at this stage; I will, if the doll has body-blushing already done, but if she/he doesn't they usually just don't look right in nude photos.

After that, if I don't much care for the eye color, I switch out the eyes for something completely different (I pre-bought eyes in colors to suit the hoped-for doll personalities, and also some I just liked for the colors), which usually leads to switching the wig, and then I play dress-up and pose them various ways for a week or two, until the novelty of the outfit wears off. That's when I make sure to get some good photographs, because I will then either switch out the outfit/wig/eyes for a completely different look or (if I have a fresh can of Mr. Super Clear and the doll didn't come with body blushing) pull off the head and have a session of Craft Time with my pastels and brushes and lots and lots of good lighting -- it's amazing, what a difference some body blushing makes, especially for the boy dolls, and since body blushing is pretty easy to do even with no experience it's a great way to spend time playing and bonding with a new doll.

Of course, all of that stuff depends on already having rather a lot of dolly accessories on-hand, but there are things I do that don't require much money, as well.

Another thing I like to do for a new doll is sew something just for him/her -- it usually isn't something fancy or complicated, and just with whatever fabrics I have on-hand, but it's special because I'm making the very first thing that my doll will have made just for him or her. I have some sewing experience with dolly outfits, but not a whole lot, and not with anything fancy...even the simplest outfit for a new doll gives me a great sense of achievement and accomplishment.

If you don't sew, you can also make a necklace just for your new doll. Go to an inexpensive fashion jewelry shop at the mall, or check out the clearance racks at department stores, and find a pair of dangling earrings that you like. Take the dangle bit off of the earring part with a pair of small pliers, and string the dangle bit onto a bracelet chain (you can get these in bead/jewelry departments at craft stores). Now your doll has a necklace just for him or her!

Also, take photos -- lots of them, even if it's just with your phone -- because it's the single least expensive thing you can do to make good memories with your new doll. Every time you change something about your doll, and like what you've done, take photographs. You don't need fancy lights or sets or anything; even a plain bit of clean floor will work as an improvised photo set. If you get up early in the morning, and the lighting is perfect, grab your doll and take photos. If it's thunderstorming out, set your doll gazing outside by a (closed!) window and take photos. If there are flowers or green grass outside, go outside for a few minutes and take photos!

Then, of course, there's shopping for your doll, even if it's mostly just dreaming. I've spent a lot of happy hours on a certain famous auction website dreaming up new looks for my doll. Clothes, shoes, wigs, eyes -- there is so much to see. For inspiration, search "photo backdrop bjd" and your doll's size (1/3, 1/4, 1/6 etc) -- you'll get a lot of ideas just looking at all of the doll-size backdrops available! I recommend actually buying a backdrop -- or several, if you have the money -- because the photo possibilities are so much fun with a backdrop, and you can make a holder for the backdrop with just a cut-open cardboard moving box (the dish packaging ones are the perfect size) and some cheap little plastic clamps from a hardware store. Don't forget to browse for furniture, as well; most of the chairs made for 18" girl dolls will fit 60cm dolls and 1/6 size child dolls perfectly, and there are lots of ways to have a doll sitting around in a chair. (And she/he is less likely to fall over than standing.) I bought some Am.Grl. brand wicker chairs and off-brand upholstered chairs on the auction site for my doll.

Oh, another thing: take your doll with you and go hit up a flea market, antiques mall, craft fair, or craft store! You may meet some wonderful people who stop to chat and admire your doll, and you may find accessories for your doll there. (Just be careful of sunlight if it's an outdoor place. Wish they made dolly sunblock, but putting your doll in as full-coverage clothing as you can just has to do.)

Anyway, that's how I enjoy my new dolls! Hope you got some ideas.

 

I kind of do that, too; I'm making myself sew for my dolls by only purchasing outfit pieces that I know are beyond my skills (and available equipment) to make -- stockings, shoes, that sort of thing. Sometimes I'll inspire myself to sew by getting one outfit piece, like a shirt, because then I just have to make the rest of the outfit to go with it!

 

That's a brilliant idea. I might do that! Often I stick to skirts/ dresses as they're easier to fit, but maybe if I got a shirt I could be forced into trying to make some shorts... Or something slightly more complicated!

 

My first doll ever arrived with a wig and faceup, so i didn't need to worry about that. First project was clothes, and I made some horrible sock clothing for him. Was a little while before I got his first outfit. XP

 

I made a temporary dress that didnt need to be so fitted before my last doll arrived. So she wouldn't be naked. But becouse I make all clothing myself I never get to dress my doll up in her finished clothes when she arrives.