Do you want an exact same doll as others?

There's a Dollmore Zaoll called Rei (I think that's the sculpt and name, correct me if I'm wrong, please!), that I am absolutely smitten by. I love the modding, the makeup, the sad expression, the clothes, well, everything! It was the first bjd I had ever seen and it's what made me fall in love with the hobby and wanting to own a doll!

 

My doll-aesthetics are so terribly specific that I've only ever even seen a single fullset (IslandDoll's Veranoen) that made me want it. Usually there's something small I don't like (or at least wouldn't do) with my own dolls, so the difference prevents me from lusting after dolls I can't reasonably have.

 

I was reminded reading through this lol.. A while back I had someone specifically ask me to paint a doll for them (SUCH an honor to be deemed good enough omg) and their request was because they LOVED a couple of my boys and wanted something very similar. They figured the best way to achieve that was to get me to paint it lol.
He had a different sculpt to my boys, but I still worked on getting him close. He looked like their cousin or something heh.
It was fun to do, a real challenge to emulate the same sort of look on a different shaped head.

But at the end of the day, isn't that why people select certain artists? because they want something aesthetically like their other work?

Dang i'd love to paint some more dolls hahah. I'm looking at my crew thinking "who's head can I wipe?" I got the repaint itch.

 

I don't know if I would like to own a doll that someone else had customized... My dolls are so strongly linked to their characters that I have problems bonding with them if they don't have a character. An excisting style/look probably wouldn't be what I wanted for a character. I don't actually like second hand dolls at all, because they aren't exactly like I want them to be (wrong body, wrong hands, wrong skintone etc.) and they have "a soul" already, if you know what I mean.

(Aaaaaaand somehow my minifees have no problem with having no characters. It seems to be enough for them to simply have a pretty face...)

 

There's plenty of dolls I admire and love the look of, even to the degree that I'd love to make something with similar elements. But I wouldn't want a direct copy, and wouldn't want anyone to directly copy my dolls, either.

Even my character dolls aren't the same as any others I've seen around. I've seen other people who have the same characters as the ones I have, but they're different sculpts, and different customizations, and different approaches to the character. And, personally, I'd rather see that than see a bunch of clones of the same take on that character. I can (and will!) admire your version while still loving my own.

 

No, I have my own style. There might be dolls out there I love to look at but I want my character to be special!

 

It´s a good question , I don´t copy dolls from others. I will make my own unique doll.

 

Only once, I fell totally in love with Iplehouse Carina with the standard company faceup and wig. I was very broke when she first came out, so it took me over two years to get her. I make all of my own doll clothes though, so her clothing is unique. She likes long silk dresses in brilliant colors.

 

It's hard to not to look at an amazing custom doll and think " I would LOVE this doll " but as a doll owner and artist I would never copy someone else's work only take inspiration !

 

For me it's more like "wow, I would so love to see that doll in person and be able to play with them/talk to the owner for a minute!" than "I need them to come home with me and be mine". There are definitely dolls that are super inspiring to me that might make me want to use a specific wig/piece of clothing/color palette/etc on one of my own, but never anything I'd want to copy directly. This hobby for me, like everyone else in the thread has said, is about customization and creating my own unique dolls but I do understand that other people in the hobby really just want to own pretty things. I can understand why someone who was really just into dolls for the aesthetic value might want to copy someone else's exactly and I don't really think it's an evil thing to do unless they start posting the copy around and claiming it as their original work I guess? It would make me feel strange to just be wandering instagram or something and find an exact replica of my doll lol

 

Hm, while I sometimes see gorgeous dolls owned by other people and absolutely love what they've done (sometimes even saving pictures to swoon over later) I have never had the urge to own the same doll styled the same way as someone else. I may take inspiration from different bits here and there ex: brighter blushing instead of more natural or heterochromia or maybe a wig with more than one color but never a look that would be even near identifiable as inspired by a particular thing. The fun of BJDs for me is creation and customization. I want to make my dolls exactly as I envision them, everything suitable to the character and image that I create. It's why I've never bought a doll with a faceup unless there is no option to get it blank but then I just erase it and do my own anyway. I make my dolls clothes, paint their faceups, carefully choose their eyes and wigs, and more and more these days do modifications such as carved scars, sculpted elf ears, cyborg parts, amputated limbs, and so on. I can't see myself ever buying a fullset. It may be stunningly beautiful but it won't have a piece of my heart and my soul in it.

 

Mmm not really honey, obviously there are dolls that I always love because they have been customized, they are just beautiful, but I think I would lose a little of that beauty if I wanted to have one exactly the same, maybe I added some of its elements to mine, but, That my dolls are personalized in a unique way not copying to another in its entirety even though I may love a doll of another, or at least try to

 

I will think about getting similar styles, but not exactly the same one. Anyway, it will change when you get it. Dolls change because of the owner. They can not be the same.

 

There are definitely custom dolls that make me feel that, but I'm too personally motivated by The Quest of customizing my own unique doll to perfection. I think the feeling of coordinating everything nicely will be all the more satisfying once I've done it myself! (though with the tiredness that comes with fussing over it endlessly, no doubt).

 

Sometimes I will get ideas for aspects of my characters' designs when I see something in someone else's doll I happen to like. But I haven't really wanted a doll that somebody else has. My collection is mostly based off my OCs that are involved in my WIP novel, and are pretty much developed in appearance for the most part. I love seeing what creative ideas people come up with for their bjds, but each doll is unique to that collector's aesthetic and tastes. What one person desires another might not exactly. At least when it comes to something as creative as bjds anyways.

 

In our aussie doll club there are people that do have the same doll as me, but if someone else in the group has one I am a little less likely to buy it since we like variety in the club. Also, sometimes seeing it in real life it may not look as great as the company wanted you to believe

 

I haven't been at this long enough to do anything but feel awe about what can be done with dolls. I recently got a doll chateau queena in tan skin with no face up and she is absolutely gorgeous already! and the queena's I see look so different from one another it is simply great fun. That said, if you saw my queena's blue eyes you would want them too : )

 

Sometimes I see a picture of a painted doll and I love the way the artist has done the face up. But I don't think you can have another one that would be exactly the same anyway. I do get doll envy for the person who has such a wonderful doll but am glad I can enjoy their pictures. Some collector's dolls have such fun personalities that you feel like you are seeing their adventures.

 

Hm, so much time I watch dolls very beautiful and thinks "I would like to have it !"
But after hours, I look again at the pics and I write/draw in a notebook what exactly I love (even if it's all the doll), how are cutom the eyes, the mouth, the nose, if there is some strass on the cheeks.
And when I imagine how I could custom one of my doll, I pick some ideas in my notebook.

 

I would do this more when I was new to the hobby and wasn't entirely sure what appealed to me the most in a bjd. I would see a doll I just adored, and I would try to take inspiration from that doll to create a character for mine. I would save tons and tons of photos that inspired me, but I would never straight up copy someone elses doll.
Nowadays I'm shelling OCs or I have a pretty solid idea in mind of what I want for my dolls