I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question (if there even is one), so I'm sorry in advance if it's not! I've had my new Dream of Doll Si for a few months, but recently noticed something strange: His head is crooked! When I say crooked, I mean that it appears that his face isn't on straight. It isn't aligned with his ears and chin at all! Due to this, it looks like his jawline is slanted and his ears aren't equally seperated - one is closer to his eye on one side than the other. Do any other (Si) owners have this problem? It's bothering me and I'm wondering if it's a sculpting issue or if something got screwed up when they were casting my doll. I've owned a Si before, who is unfortunately no longer with me, and I never noticed this! Is this an ordinary problem for this sculpt?
I can’t help you with your specific doll, but a bit of asymmetry is not uncommon. It is nearly impossible to sculpt something completely symmetrical. Things can go wrong in casting too. The silicon molds are flexible and (especially when they are getting worn) they can become slightly deformed. But if this was the case with your doll, the head back wouldn't fit the head properly, and it looks like it does on yours. My guess is that there is nothing wrong with your doll. It is simply made like that.
All hand sculpted faces have asymmetry. It's not a flaw, human faces are all asymmetrical as well. In fact, photo shopped images of faces that are perfectly symmetrical tend to provoke negative reactions from many people. It's the Uncanny Valley effect. Nearly symmetrical faces are fine, but perfect ones are creepy :/
I have to agree with the people above me. All my dolls in my personal collection have asymmetrical faces, my IH Kamau is even one of the 'worst' in that regard. It adds a sense of realism because, like renee-chan said, faces that are perfectly symmetrical will trigger the uncanny valley effect; they become 'robotic'. Also, I can tell you from experience how difficult it is to make one side of the face exactly the same as the other. It can hardly be done. I believe asymmetry only becomes a problem when it interferes with the overall shape of the face. If one eye is at least a centimeter higher than the other, the doll gets a Picasso-like quality and this isn't always a good thing . But when the face doesn't become distorted, I think asymmetry does not have to be a problem and could add a sense of realism to the sculpt.
This made me think of the "Allen expression" head by MiracleDoll I just discovered yesterday. His eyes are totally not alike, his mouth is slightly open and the corners are uneven, and yet... open for a wide range of interpretation. Overall, he's cute, and I think such heads are a nice challenge for faceups, plus I probably wouldn't get bored looking at him. But I understand it's easier to deal with such obvious "crookedness" where it's clearly intentional and doesn't even let you get the suspicion it might be some kind of a flaw.
My Si has the same issue. It's just the way the sculpt is. Until you pointed it out I hadn't noticed, and I've had him for years. It still doesn't bother me, though.
Yup, lots of my doll heads are asymmetrical. And not just in the faces! My Ninodoll Bada has a seriously crooked cranium. Luckily it doesn't show under his wig! Linda S. galatia9
I think it's normal for dolls to be not "flawless", just like people. My doll's heads are also asymmetrical. But I haven't felt strange or uncommon. If it weren't the worst case, we could just ignore it and enjoy with our dolls.
While it can be a "fault" in the casting, it's more likely to be a feature of the that particular sculpt. It happens with other company sculpts too - the RML R20J head sculpt is noticeably asymmetric in the jaw (it's been corrected by sanding on one of mine but the other three still have it). Teddy
I had already assumed it must have been a sculpt "issue", but it's nice to have it confirmed! Thank you everyone for helping me find peace with this! I have extreme OCD and hearing that such things are normal occurances has really helped me to accept it in all of it's beautiful glory.
I'm happy you can find your peace with it and enjoy your sculpt the way it is, there are so many things you can actually change about the looks, while certain things just belong to the head and make it special .
I agree! I've had little Timothy with me for about two and a half years now and was just wondering if it was normal. Hearing that it's such an ordinary "problem" really eases my mind. I've been spending even more time with him lately!
I never actually noticed asymmetry. . I don't have that sculpt but in examining my own dolls quite a few of them are similar. I actually think it gives them a bit more personality! Thanks for drawing my attention to it, haha.
I think it's an equally artistic challenge to consciously go for lifelike asymmetry, the slight kind especially.
