Compromise on Skin colour?

Not really.

I've bought skin colours then found I don't like them (White - it just looks too stark and "unfinished"looking for me) and either sold them on or dyed them, I've dyed bodies and heads to a better match when I needed avparticular body for a particular head (many of mine ar e hybrids) but I don't do the body sharing thing becuase I learned early on that the second head just sits untouched in a box as I never get aroudn to swapping them over, so I either save up for a second body and make a complete doll, or sell on the head.

Teddy

 

oh yeah there are a few dolls i own/owned in NS that i'd love in tan. Particularly my minifee kyle was supposed to get reshelled into tan skin but i never got around to it ^^;;

 

My collection has always been all about diversity…so choosing unique skin tones was pretty much a given. I also only shell original characters, so color choice is extremely important to me and I simply won’t compromise if I have a choice. I always buy on layaway, so it usually only works out to less than $10 per payment anyway. I’m equally picky about bodies. I prefer them to be by the same company if at all possible so they’ll match perfectly. I’ll only hybrid if there’s a specific reason for it, like the artist only made the head, or if I’m needing a unique combination to suit a specific character. And no, there’s no heads sharing bodies in my crew. Everyone is a unique character unto themselves. I always shell them as complete dolls. But these are just the rules for my collection. Your’s might be completely different, and that’s good too.

 

I’m currently debating on compromising with getting a f60 miwa in normal skin, when all I really want is her in tan…but I’m keeping an eye out for a secondhand tan miwa regardless; I don’t mind waiting.

 

If you don't compromise, you probably save a lot of money in the long run. Probably a good habit to make sure you don't have buyer's remorse.

For example, my fiance is a massive fan of ff14 so I was secretly planning on making a doll of everyone's favorite smug villain and would scroll through sites and try to plumb the depths of ig, before they messed it up, looking for heads. There were a lot of "close" heads but I wasn't gonna compromise cause that smug look is like 90% of the character. Lo and behold, someone ended up 3d printing a few heads on IG. (melonpan.market i cause I know there's ff14 folks swarming all over this hobby.) now we have two heads and In the months in between I've actually gotten him interested in the hobby and he's actively funding it so he can have his tiny war criminal faster.

I'd say not compromising has worked out rather well.

 

I've definitely compromised on a doll due to the darker tan version being out of my price range. Currently, my LR Jelle is a light tan on a light tan body and though that's not his true shade, I'm still happy to have him at all. If I were to do him over, it'd be in something truer to the character's colour. I've also compromised on a doll by not getting him the right body until I found someone selling the body I wanted and then swapping out. Dolls that I'm really unhappy with how they're turning out I make adjustments on (swapping out the body, usually) until I can find a way to enjoy the doll again for what they are. Although it's nice to have dolls that are perfectly how I envision the character (my LR Andre is perfect in every respect) it's also cool to look at other people's dolls and be curious about the sculpts that "Could Have Been" for me. That's usually how I know if I've compromised and can live with my second choice vs not.

 

For me it kinda depends on the character I have in mind as to how picky I want to be with their skin tone, but sometimes it's more just a range and as long as the results are within that range, I'm good. Admittedly some characters will have bigger or smaller ranges than others for me. I'm not afraid of at least attempting to dye dolls either. I haven't dyed a resin doll yet but I've dyed a few playline dolls before.

 

It is definitely easier when I haven't had a choice. That's one of the reasons that most of the dolls I've owned have come from the second-hand market, because I can just see what the doll looks like and buy that exact thing.

That said, I have bought dolls, especially from the company, where I did feel that twinge where I would really have preferred to buy it in tan. Never mind that tan usually isn't in the budget for me, it can really really change the feel of a character to have a different skin tone, even just a slight one. I usually tend to compromise and buy normal skin, which has sometimes resulted in me not bonding with the doll and selling it. But then, I've also sold tan dolls before.

For me it came down to trial and error. It turns out I can bond with plenty of my normal skin dolls even though most of them were technically a compromise. But it could have easily been the opposite. The most important thing in the hobby is that you're happy with the doll, because an extra sixty bucks to make sure you're happy with your $400 doll isn't that huge a difference.

 

dolls of all colors live in my collection), from the lightest ones, these are dolls from eslynsdoll and ending with dark shades (ebony silk PashaPasha, tan tendercreation). I love absolutely all shades, I recently received a lavender tawny owl from the Popov sisters. Unusually beautiful color, now I think what better make-up for her to do

 

My mom wanted to collaborate with me on a Volks FCS doll. I wanted Sunlight, she was more interested in Beauty White. It was easier to concede rather than stand my ground. I didn't really bond with the doll until I gave her reversible customizations.

A more recent doll I got is based off a yet-unpublished novel of mine. This character has a distinct appearance, and I didn't know of any company which offered the skin I was looking for. Hence I bought a light resin doll and sent her out to get dyed to my preferences.

 

Yes and yes , I did compromize for every reason above and regreted it every single time

 

If it's too expensive or its in a shade that I want but it's sold out/not an option, dying is the solution. Dye shades can be limited however since it's harder to get lighter fantasy shades at times. Not to mention a bunch of other problems, but its' the most cost effective and sometimes only way to get specific shade.

 

Generally I get the skin colour I want regardless, but recently I actually did compromise. I already have a doll in the same size than the two I ordered and they came with extra set of posing hands, I wanted them to be shared, so I compromised in taking the same skin tones for both than the one I have, otherwise I would probably have gone for tan at least in one of them if not the two. Some days I regret it a bit, but I think I would have regretted it more if I couldn't share the hands.

 

I compromised on one doll to save money and I do regret it so I just spend the extra money now and get what I want. I’d rather have less dolls in the color I want than more dolls in a color I don’t want.

 

I do try and get a skin tone closest to what I want but if it’s going to be too expensive I just airbrush the color I want. Works like a charm, and actually even if I get the right color resin I always airbrush anyway to prevent yellowing haha

 

Do I compromise on resin colors? Yes. All the time.
Note: I posted something similar on Tumblr. It was... controversial. So if I get blowback again here, I won't be surprised or offended.

BJDs are made from 2-part epoxy resin. If you have a Google, you'll realize that 2-part resin comes in 2 clear jugs. All color is added by the companies (unless they buy pre-tinted resin, but even then, that's usually UV resin only). Companies use recipes so that the resin colors are similar across batches. However, resin is also a finicky little bastard and will cure differently depending upon temperature, humidity, whether it feels like behaving, etc.

I point this out because I have given up on resin matching. If it happens? Yay! Happy coincidence. If it doesn't? There's paint. Dye. These dolls are super-modifiable.
Ya is waiting for me to paint her (Doll Chateau DC kids) arms and legs:


My Limhwa half-elf head is waiting for me to warm up the Impldoll Star MGB body to match that gorgeous, golden brown. I'm thinking pastels to start:


My Unoa Lusis head was color-matched to an older FOB NS body using pastels. Now, I need to wipe and re-match her to the new FOB body (same company, same resin color, different years) - and I'll probably use pastels again:


Perfect match for the old body, but not for the new:


All of this is to say: I sincerely appreciate folks who take the time to carefully photograph and label resins from different companies. But I basically ignore them. If I can't match with pastels, I'll paint it. If it's a deal for a discontinued head, I'll pick a matching body and decide which I want to blush/paint/dye to match.

 

I don't normally compromise on the resin tone I want for a doll. I don't shell pre-existing characters (except the few anime inspired ones who are all conveniently "NS"), so I'll order whichever available resin tone I think best suits the doll and the character I have in mind for them. I've ordered dolls partly because they were available in a resin color that cost extra. I've paid the extra fee separately for a head and body that aren't a default combination. I've done this twice now, with the same company.

@MaleficentMrsofEvil I am impressed by your confidence with your art skills. I own only one hybrid with a fairly close match in resin tone, and both are company "normal" tones, as I have no such confidence.

 

.

 

I prefer to think of this as shade, because I am definitely a beginner at this - plus I think it's hilarious.
Everybody's gotta learn somehow, right?