Do you want an exact same doll as others?

I've seen a lot of beautiful custom dolls that I have thought, "Oh, if it weren't for the style that they did, I might not like the sculpt nearly as much." That isn't necessarily a bad thing per say but you have to keep in mind, that is their design. If you try copying their style, their design, it is quite like copying someone's art.

Instead try figuring out why you like it so much. "What specifically do I like about the doll?" Don't say everything.
- Is it the color of the eyes? The style of face-up?
- Is it the style of the wig or the color?
- How about clothes? Do you just like that style on the sculpt? Colors?
Once you are able to recognize just what you like so much on the doll, you can use their doll as inspiration, but not as something to copy. Have fun with it.

 

Oh, yeah, there are plenty of dolls I've seen here on DOA that make me think "wow, I'd like to have a doll just like that!!" People do so many cool thinks in customising their dolls. But I think ultimately I'd be happier putting my own spin on a doll than drawing completely from someone else's custom or even a company fullset. That way, it feels to me like the doll is truly *mine* and not just a very pretty doll I like the looks of.

 

Hmm, no.
While there are a lot of customs that I really like, and some I could see work well in my group, the fact it belongs to someone else automatically removes any desire for me.
I just like customizing myself too much. I also feel like part of the appeal of some dolls is not only the way it got customized but also how the owner presents it.
You could give five different people exactly the same doll and it would still not be the same on every picture.

 

Like Youzen said, I find dolls that I really love, but I wouldn't want one exactly like it, because it's not really mine...like, not really my design or character. My dolls are all about my characters, so if I saw one exactly like one of my characters that I'd want to copy, well...that'd be kind of weird, honestly. I'd love for my dolls to be the kind that make people say "wow, I'd love a doll like that!" But if they actually copied it, I'd be pretty upset, especially the ones that are in no way generic. Take Ilya, my selkie character; if he inspired someone to make their own selkie character, with their own story and design, that'd be awesome! But if their character/doll looked like Ilya and had a similar story and everything, I'd be kind of devastated. My characters are super important to me, so seeing someone else take that for themselves would be upsetting. And vice versa for others! I wouldn't want to copy someone else's designs, because they probably mean a lot to that person. I like just admiring other people's dolls that I really love; it already exists for me to look at, so I don't need to copy and have one myself!

 

I have not really experienced this feeling. Usually when I see a beautiful doll and decide I'd like to own it too, the reason I want to own it is so I can do something different to it. If I see a beautiful doll that is styled absolutely perfectly, with nothing I'd change, I get enough enjoyment just looking at it that I have no desire to own it myself.

On the reverse side of things, it is generally frowned upon to get a doll and style it just like someone else's. Even if nobody says anything, just know that if you copy somebody's doll, others WILL notice and it's uncomfortable. I agree with @Ansell that you should try to analyze what it is that you love, and create a doll with those elements that is not a copy. Being inspired is great, but putting together the "exact same doll" is not.

 

More like I wish companies who don't do full set options of non-limited dolls would do them. I'd buy a fullset Yuz boy no hesitation. Even if I don't keep the fullset gear it'd still be nice to have stuff that'd fit.

 

Hmm... While there are plenty of dolls that belong to other people that I like, I can't say I've ever looked at one of them and said "I want my own version of you, exactly like this one!"

Been interested in having/adding the head or body sculpt to my crew? Sure.
Pondered getting a faceup for one of my dolls from the artist that painted them? Yes.
Gone searching for a particular outfit, or pair of shoes, or color/style wig, or the type of eyes they're wearing? Often.

But I've never had the desire to put everything together to duplicate someone else's results. It seems lazy to me.

 

I definitely take inspiration from other people but try to put my own spin on it so my doll is unique. Be it a colour scheme or a fashion style or whatever, I like to invest a bit of myself into the design as well, but I do look at a lot of pics for inspiration. Photos, drawings, other dolls, the works.

There are times I see a doll and I think "wow.. that is amazing" and it inspires me, or I think "I had no interest in that doll till i saw that."
Heck, the doll in my profile? I bought him BECAUSE his faceup was so inspiring to me. He was unfinished but what the original owner had done just really leapt out at me and I knew I had to have him.
His wig and his faceup just worked and brought everything together. I would never have considered this sculpt were it not for this specific one.
So you know...

but yeah i'll freely admit I def take inspiration from other people but I try not to directly copy. It's always my own spin. Sometimes a good idea is just a good idea right?

 

Oh, yep! This happens to me as well. Not often, but when it does, it's like... let me save your picture so that I may stare at this perfectly coordinated beauty whenever I yearn for sculpted art! ; a ; what people do with their dolls almost makes me jealous. Why didn't I think of this? People have so many lovely ideas, it makes me really happy.

Spoiler: boring art and copying stuff if you want to read it! :3

I personally feel that this is a really innocent thread, but I noticed a lot of replies addressing this, so here goes.

But, I don't know, I'd feel bad for directly copying, or copying too extremely. I completely understand loving someone's interpretation to pieces, to the point where you feel weirdly sympathetic to the concept of the design, but I have characters I love dearly, ideas I love dearly, and a pure, direct copy would make me feel betrayed, I guess.

Whenever I see an extremely similar style though, I feel so in love! Just a little bit of a difference here and there (in faceups, exact hair shade and cut, eyeliner, body language), a little of your own style and heart, and it's like a celebration of what you both like. I won't deny for a second, that my own aesthetics, even in my customised dolls, has been slowly built up by what I've admired, and art styles that have deeply moved me have likewise deeply affected my own aesthetics just like that. I'm usually worried that my then art style will be too similar in some aspects. I can combine the styles of everything that I like to make it different, though. Dolls and any sort of art that strikes a chord in you... as an artist, I would feel glad. I don't know, it's a tricky thing, I guess. Not logical, maybe.

But anyways, maybe I'm fortunate. I have many ideas and styles that I haven't seen much of, so maybe I'm speaking from a really different place?

 

Whilst I really love some of the custom dolls I've seen, and would be proud if they were my own creations, I would never want to copy someone else. The design/art/craft aspect of the hobby is the biggest draw to me and I don't think I could enjoy a doll if I wasn't involved in the process of completing them; this also puts me off buying fullset dolls, although I think some of them are beautiful.

 

Well yes sometimes I do! But then I realise that it won't be possible and I wouldn't want to fake someones unique custom doll. But I defenitely know the feeling. Over the years in this hobby I learned to appreciate the dolls and looking at their pics without willing to have them (in the case of custom or really rare ones).

 

I felt this when I first joined the hobby. I would see all of these really neat, creative dolls and wish I could have one really, really similar to it. I didn't want to copy anyone, but I admired their character development, styling, and how they portrayed their dolls in their photography. I still admire other dolls, but if I see a doll or sculpt I really like I can easily picture what I could do with that sculpt, and how exactly I would make it my own. I feel that I have my own style that I end up shaping my dolls to. I know exactly what I like, and I enjoy creating my own unique characters and dolls

 

Well... If I bought a full set doll from a company, then I'd definitely want it to look like the other full sets they have!

 

I have seen dolls I really loved because of what their owner did with them, but I wouldn't want to own an exact copy. For me, the OOAK aspect and creativity are what draw me to the hobby, and if I did recreate their doll, I think I'd feel guilty for copying them and feel like it's not really mine.

 

Not really. I admire the work and creativity that goes into custom dolls. I enjoy looking at everyones creations but I rarely ever search for doll pictures or even look through the galleries. I mostly just look at blank artist sculpts, and my own ideas flow from there. The thought of having or wanting a doll that looks like someone else custom has never really occurred to me. About the only type of doll that I exclude from that would be a full-set character doll created by an artist/company.

 

For most dolls, no because the owners tend to make custom dolls exactly to their taste but occasionally I see a doll which I would love to have an exact copy of

 

I think I'm with a lot of people who love seeing customizations and appreciate their beauty and creativity but not necessarily want to replicate them...with my personal exception of Bishonen House Nails the Pastel Punk, because that guy is PERFECT and I want it SO BAD that I just don't. Care! if it's copying. In general, I'd much rather find my own style when customizing a doll and I'm not creative enough to be fussed with plagiarism. Who'd want to copy my less-than-stellar designs?

 

No, I can't say that this has ever happened to me. There's a ton of dolls out there that I love and admire, but a large part of that admiration is what the owner has done in the whole. I enjoy making my own dolls uniquely my own too much to want to copy someone else's style. Now, I do have to admit that there are times when I see a doll and that it gives me pause to reconsider a sculpt, but I'd still want to do it up my own way and not follow how someone else has done it.