Custom vs. Company Face-Ups

Omg I found a 3 pack for $13.00 XD
I'm gonna check on taobao since chinese currency is peanuts when using canadian dollars. XD

 

Some companies have beautiful face ups (Like Myou etc.) but I will try to do my own face ups pretty soon!

 

I prefer the ease of buying a doll with company face up but unfortunately I am not a fan of fairylands compamy faceups so I will have to send them for custom face ups.

 

I remember that my first doll was wearing the company face up and that was mostly because my friend bought it for me (and she sadly had no idea about bjd's at that time) and because I was too overwhelmed with finding someone I could send the doll to and maybe even a bit scared that the head would get lost and what not, but now I ordered my first doll without a company face up because I just want my doll to look how I want it and not how the company pictures her (even though her face up from the company is sweet), I just want to make her more unique by giving her a lovely face up from a really talented face up artist and I think I'm going to do this in the future as well

 

For the most part I prefer to paint the faces myself. I like the bolder cartoony look that using acrylics give, so most company faceups don't reflect that even if I like them. Also, it gives me more control over my vision.
That said, there are a few company faceups I like, I have a doll who arrived with his company faceup recently nand I am quite fond of it. So, mostly custom with the exception for company faceups here and there.

 

So far I've only ordered factory faceups. Mainly because I'm impatient and the wait for the doll is already so long, I wouldn't want to wait longer to have her face up done. I also find unboxing blank dolls to feel somewhat anti-climatic. Maybe in the future! There are soooo many talented face up artists out there.

 

only been happy with one company's faceup so far. The rest i'm gonna have to do myself *scared stiff*

 

I do not like company face-ups, since they limit my customization freedom and they look 'manufactured' so all my dolls' face-ups so far were commissioned. However, there is an exception from Little Monica's artist face-ups. There is really a blur line between company and custom in this line since well-known face-up artists painted Little Monica heads in very limited quantity (1 or 2) but you order the service through the company so...??? Seriously, the artist face-ups look really really nice so I think that is the only exception of 'company' face-ups for me.

 

For my first doll I'm going to go with the company face-up, because I feel it'll be a bit easier to get into the hobby! I have seen such beautiful face-ups so it's definitely something I'm considering, but I'm not sure when I could do it financially wise. My goal is to try and get to know my country's BJD community more and see if there are face-up artists here as the shipping costs will be a lot lower. Actually, I'm also looking forward to try my hands on doing it myself I think I would enjoy the process a lot, but I'm aware it will take some practicing in order to have the complete look actually, well, look good. So, for now, I'm going to start with the company face-up!

 

I'm a mix as well. My Unoas both have custom face-ups and modifications. I couldn't be happier with how they both look (though I purchased both of them as-is instead of sending out to an artist). I used to send my dolls out for face-ups a lot, even wiping the previous ones they had. For me it varies by company. I never liked FL's face-ups, so I wouldn't get a default if I ever was to purchase minifees again. However, I'm quite smitten with Volks's new face-up artistry and don't see a reason to change anything about my current dolls since I'm so happy with how they came to me, even though in the past, I really disliked most of their work.

 

I'll usually only get the company faceup if that's the only option a availible to me, but I prefer to buy them blank and paint them myself.

I usually have something very specific in mind that would be hard to communicate to someone else, I get a lot of joy out of doing it myself and at the absolute least, usually I have a haircolor in mind for the doll and it bugs the hell out of me when the eyebrows don't match >< lol!

 

I prefer custom faceups because they're custom (my dolls are all OCs so I have very specific ideas on how they're supposed to look, from the thickness of their brows to the expressions on their faces). But if I don't have the funds or the time to send a doll to an artist straightaway, I prefer to get company faceups for my dolls in the interim because I find it sad when they don't have faces. My photography of them is part of what I enjoy about this hobby and it just feels so unfinished to post a photo of a doll with no face.

 

I prefer customs unless for some reason I reaaaally like the company face-up. I like custom because it makes my dolls feel more unique. My dolls are always based off of per-existing characters I've made, so it's easier to fit the character to get custom face ups. I wish I was talented enough to do my own though!

 

Well...when I first started in the hobby I would purchase my dolls with their default faceup. I sewed their clothes, and photographed them, and changed out eyes and wigs as the whim hit me, but faceups seemed scary. Hehe.

But then I ordered a doll where a default faceup was not really an option, and so I had to paint him one way or another. So I painted him myself. And it was quite fun.

After that I did a bit of a mix. I would still order dolls with company faceups if I found them lovely, but I would also order dolls blank if I had an idea that didn't match the company's default.

Theeeeeen, I started wiping the dolls I owned that had default faceups one by one and doing my own.
One doll got a stain on her head from a wig, and I felt really bad about it, so I wiped her.
Another doll, I had a crazy fantasy idea for...and so she got wiped too.
Then I wiped a gorgeous faceup, did my own, hated it, and felt a fool for ruining the lovely face the doll already had. Haha. But, eventually I worked up the courage to paint her again, and loved that faceup.

So....now I am at the point where I order all my dolls blank (or in the case where that is not an option, I usually have plans to wipe them and do my own somewhere down the line). I love painting them and teasing ideas out of the sculpts. I love pushing my own standards and seeing how I can improve.

Hehe, though I have to admit....whenever I see my the same sculpt as my first ever doll with a default faceup I get really nostalgic! I have been tempted to find another head with the default faceup and buy it!

 

In general I prefer custom faceups. I've ordered the default faceup a few times, for my pukifee and pukipuki after very carefully choosing faceups I liked; for my LTF Bonnie, and then had her redone not once but twice before I bonded with her. I also ordered my MNF Chloe and FL Sircca with the default faceups, which I like, but I have wiped Chloe because I got tired of seeing others with the default, plus I love looking at all the custom faceups for Chloe--she can look so different! I like Sircca's default, but I'm worried that she will look like other people's dolls, so she's probably going to end up being sent out as well. I always use AngelToast--she's done 10 for me and she's amazing to work with. I also have a couple of Marketplace buys that came with custom faceups that I liked and have kept--one by Pearls of Danube on a LTF, one by Smiles Makeup Service, and a couple by previous owners.

 

I love doing my own faceups, but there are some company faceups which I really love (mostly Luts, Dollmore, some newer Dollzone).
Sometimes I order fullsets if I love everything about it - but if I only like the outfit, I plan to redo the faceup later (or order fullset without faceup if possible). Also sometimes when I finally get the fullset, I keep the faceup even I planned to redo it, if it's so beautiful like my Gem Doll Rae's
My collection is quite huge and I like the difference of styling and faceups, also within my own work.

 

Costum, because it’s unique.

 

I always always go with custom! Even I when get full sets I will take off the company face-up and do my own. Nothing against company face-up, I just feel like I know what I like better.

 

I like the company face-up of my Granado and A-S, but recently the Volks face up is seeming kind of bland. But I’m waiting on having her redone because I want to see what my Keai from Dollzone looks like. I’ve heard stories that their company face-ups can be pretty hit or miss, and I’ll want to send him out first. I can live with a quiet, boring faceup. I can’t live with one that makes me go