Custom vs. Company Face-Ups

I have done most of my dolls' faceups, but I've got three exceptions. One was a company default which I quite liked, though I added a fair bit to it and resealed it. The second was I believe also a company default that I had thought I would probably wipe, but once I saw her in person I ended up not wanting to change her. The third had an artist faceup from a previous owner - their pictures had made me want that doll in the first place so the faceup felt special. Generally speaking I still prefer to buy a doll blank though.

 

Most of mine dolls have custom face-up, I know lots of talented people who make beautiful works. However, some company are great at the face-up and the price is totally worth it, such as the Little Monica. I love their dolls, I love their make up. Its only 50 and the face up you get is wonderful. I also love the face up from the Volks, especially recent years. Do not fool by their photos, when you see the real doll, you will love it.

 

I prefer custom faceups, unless it's a doll that already comes with a lot of detailing like a fantasy doll or a faceup that really blows me away. At that point I would be buying it for its faceup/body blushing/tattoos. I like to do faceups on my own because I feel like I get to bond with the doll and I typically already have a character in mind if I'm going to buy.

 

It depends on the doll really. I fell in love with my grail because of the company face up. But I have other dolls where their face has more potential than what they're given.

 

I settle for company face-ups out of convenience if they're pretty - they're usually the first thing I look at and they play a large part in determining my first impressions of the sculpt. I've sent a few heads out to artists, but I find it quite difficult to describe the look I'm going for... I have contemplated doing my own and learning how to, but I'm generally not that great with art.

 

At the moment I prefer company face ups because I'm to worried to do one myself until I have a practice head, I love how custom faceups give individuality But can't even bare the thought of sending my dolls head to someone else I'm super paranoid it won't come back or will get lost/broke in the mail

 

Sometimes I like the company faceup, sometimes I don't. If I can get an old Delf with company faceup I am happy, but that's not enough to stop me from buying them without the faceup.

My Soom Sabik's default faceup was perfect for his character, so I got it. I also have two Angell Studio dolls with default faceups, because the default faces were gorgeous. My Souldoll Rye's default faceup was almost perfect for her character but not quite, so I asked Souldoll if they could give her the default but use charcoal grey instead of brown, and they did. She is perfect!

Most of the rest of my dolls are blank and waiting for me to commission faceups for them.

 

I prefer not to send off my dolls to other artists for face-ups so I’m torn between company face-ups and doing face-ups myself.

On one hand, company face-ups are so convenient. However, they look so default sometimes and I feel like I’ll eventually get bored of how it looks.

On the other hand, if I do face-ups myself, I can make make my doll look however I want. However, it’s a lot of time an work and I’m no that great of a face-up artist lol.

Since I typically only buy instock dolls from dealers, my decision on getting a company face-up depends on what is instock at the moment. If there’s a doll I want with a company face-up, that’s cool. If it’s blank, it’s face-up art time.

 

1000% prefer custom but I’d rather have a faceup at all rather than none most of the time

 

i think personally id like the doll to have a custom face up because it would be able to be revamped as you get better at face ups or if you pay someone to do it they could get better with things and also it gives the doll that kind of personal touch like it suits their character better for me x3

 

I love many of the custom faceups I see but I’m very nervous about sending any part of my dolls anywhere haha... I typically like the company faceups a lot! Which is good because I don’t know how good at faceup Id be if I tried my hand at it. Maybe one day that’ll change but for now I admire beautiful custom faceups from afar.

 

I love two of my dolls' company faceups. The third came with a company faceup, but it just did not show off her sculpt well at all. To the point where even my very first face up ever was an improvement. Generally I prefer not to do my own faceups, but for this particular doll and the one I have on layaway now, it's the only real option.

 

I ordered my first doll (a Souldoll YeonSoo) blank, as the company default faceup didn't really match what I thought I had in mind. I sent her off to have a custom faceup done, and while it's absolutely gorgeous, I live in fear of messing it up.

The Bobobie and Resinsoul dolls I've ordered with faceups. They're very generic, but also only $10. I'm fine with that price for them to arrive with a faceup, even if it's generic. I've altered the faceup some on one of them (but not sealed over my alterations), and I'm planning to alter another one. I'm waiting on my third one. My Island Doll Leshy also came with a default faceup, and it's fine for her. I have no plans to alter it right now.

My Illusion Spirit Anita isn't made anymore, so she was only available as listed - which was with a faceup. I didn't like the faceup she came with at all, so I wiped it. That will be my first attempt to do one from scratch (gulp!), when I get around to it.

 

Customs face-ups are probably my favorite aspect of this hobby. I am not an artist myself at all, but I always marvel at the talent that others have! I also love the diversity in people's styles, so I have a pretty hard rule for myself: I cannot use the same face-up artist more than once (unless I am having siblings painted).

This isn't to say I don't like company face-ups, though! I just usually buy secondhand based on availability, so a doll may arrive blank, with a company face-up, or with a custom one. If it's a default company face-up and I like it, then it stays!

 

I like Company faceups because I like to see what I'm getting and am always worried that a Custom won't match what I'm expecting... There have been times when I have not liked the Company faceup... I've bought second-hand dolls that had a custom, in that case. There have been dolls that did not come with faceups. I've done them myself when that happens since I feel I know what I want more than anyone I can commission--and sending out heads makes me nervous. I'm really not that great a faceup artist, though, so I prefer it if there's a Company faceup that I like!

 

Once I liked getting dolls home with a company faceup, all because I wasn't talented enough/had just picked up trying to do my own, so this was an easy way out. Got more experience painting their faces myself and now I never get dolls home with a company faceup, unless they're 2nd hand and are sold with a company faceup, but then after a while I will eventually end up wiping it to replace it with my own work.
Have given it a thought commissioning someone else to paint a head for me. It is only recently and because this friend of mine does these wonderful faceups, a much different style than my own. She's really the only faceup artist where I'm all smitten and would love for her to paint a head for me.

 

I LOVE doing my own face-ups, even though I'm not the best at it. I get better with every one and I think it does make them more "mine" I just recently ordered a Doll Leaves Jeremy tho, and one of the reasons I fell in love with him was the company face-up so I sprung for it. Time will tell if I keep it, or repaint it.

 

I can't do my own face ups because of my hand tremors. That being said, my dollies Seth and Tate both have custom face ups that I paid to have done. I really love company face ups sometimes, though, so I've considered a few dolls with the default! Plus I like getting an idea of how the doll could look based on company photos.

 

Custom! And I do them myself these days. Out of my whole collection only 2 have the company faceup and that's because they are tiny. And I'm still nervous doing tiny faceups. :3 If I don't do my own and I have the money on me, I will definitely send them out to an artist.

 

I'm always taken aback when I remember some people actually don't prefer custom faceups, lol

For me doing my own faceups is like... the whole fun part of collecting dolls. No one else can execute the plan I have in mind as well as I can, so I do my own faceups even though they might be sort of amateurish. It's just fun, I would never pay someone else to do it no matter how much more talented they are.