Dolls without face-ups?

I have a few members of the crew who currently lack face-ups... but that's mostly a matter of my waffling about who I want to send them to, rather than any planned thing. I'm not a painter myself, and it's a tougher choice than you might think to decide who I want to commission for them. Eventually I'll make a choice and Marion, Niges and the Juri/Nanuri elf trio will have faces, but it's unlikely to be a fast process.

 

I can't stand having a blank doll, it feels incomplete, but that's because all of my dolls are OCs, and none of them would be "right" without a faceup. I have friends that have blank dolls, either intentionally or just haven't had a chance to complete a faceup yet, and I think some can be beautiful without. When I first got Riven, my OT Obitsu, I considered leaving him blank because I was afraid of messing him up. But as with my others, he did end up with a faceup.

 

I don't mind blank dolls. Once of the prettiest dolls I've ever seen hadn't gotten her face-up yet. I think if I got a blank doll, and I loved him/her that way, I would develop a backstory that it explained the feature (or rather, lack of features). Mine all have face-ups, but that's because they came with them (they were all secondhand).

 

Dolls without faceups just look unfinished to me but I can understand the appeal. There is a kind of purity there. However, I would definitely need any doll that I own to have a face up. If I ever have to buy a blank doll I would probably keep the doll in a box until I was able to find some to paint it. Which as Brightfires said is not easy!

 

Moderators, feel free and able and whatever to remove if this is wrongly categorized, off topic, or illegal in anyway! I couldn't find anything like this while going through the boards.

I know face-ups are a large part of the hobby, but I was wondering if anyone has a doll or multiple dolls that you chose to be without a complete face-up, just blushing and some contouring? A lot of dolls seem to be heavily loaded with paints and pastels, even guys! I've been thinking about having one of my dolls just blushed and contoured, without eyelashes or any other sort of makeup. What does everyone else think about this?

 

That's a good question!

At the moment I have a Twigling Ingenue in Paletan. I really feel this doll is a work of art - her skin tone is gorgeous, her facial sculpting is kind of tribal (to me, in that skin tone) but she has HEAPS of expression. So right now I just photograph her with eyes and nothing else. No clothes - nothing! One day I'll give her a faceup, but I'm in no rush. She blows me away just as she is.

I'll probably still get her a wig and clothes, otherwise I'll feel bad. :P

As for your doll, I think it's a great concept. If you feel she speaks to you with a minimal look, go for it! And share it here - I'd love to see. n.n

 

I've always thought that blank heads were interesting to see. I love seeing the blank lips! But I don't like having them hang around for a long time.
I've seen some minimalistic face-ups that I really liked, because face-ups sometimes make all the difference and can make the same sculpt look so much different from the others.

 

I do love some blank sculpts. There are certain dolls that I think I would leave blank if I had them. Blank dolls do tend to have a unique personality.

 

I generally prefer dolls to have face-ups. It seems that lots of sculpts look better (and more interesting) with them, though I like seeing pictures of blank sculpts too for comparison and stuff. I think it's often easier to tell if you really like a sculpt by seeing if you like it blank too.

...On the other hand, my Raven hasn't had a face-up in the almost three years I've had her, and at this point I think it'd be weird if she did suddenly have a face-up. I like her the way she is, blank & all :c

 

Face-ups don't always have to be ornate, either. Subtle, minimalist face-ups can be really pretty too! You have the finished quality of a face-up while still preserving the purity of the basic sculpt, and your doll will be that much more unique because you have something different! That's just my taste, though. If you like blank dolls the way they are, then that's what you should have!

To illustrate my preference here, think of it in makeup terms: if you're going to wear makeup, you probably don't just put on foundation and leave it at that. Even if you want a natural, basic look, you're going to put on at least a tiny amount of something else, just to make the completed look feel more natural.

 

I do not mind blank doll faces but I just prefer them with their face-ups on.

 

For the most part I like my dolls with face ups, but I have one doll that I just love blank. I've struggled with painting him over and over again, but each time when I wipe the face I am happier than when he had one. I'm considering just leaving him as such at this point.

On this topic, does anyone know if there is a thread specifically for pictures of full dolls without face ups? I know there's a blank doll head thread in the reference section, but that is just doll heads. I did some searching but I couldn't find one that showed pictures of dolls intentionally left blank. If not I'd consider starting one if anyone is interested in sharing their photos.

 

Some have the potential to look great blank, but I don't think most of them are sculpted in a way that pulls off no-paint very well. They need a lot of detail and a more realistic face, I think, to have me alright with them. I do think though missing eyelashes and eyebrows is a little strange, though. Still, I'm curious to see what has been done to intentionally blank dolls.

 

Blank faces are interesting, but with my dolls I will always give them face-ups.

 

I don't really like my dolls blank--- but I've definitely seen some beautiful blank dolls, some that I really prefer blank than painted, so I understand liking that.

 

The faceup gives the doll that last bit of *something* to really bring out their personality. I prefer for my crew to have their faces so I can get a better feel for who they are.

 

I really don't like dolls without face-ups. I don't have the talent to do them myself (my hands shake), so I seek out those who can and am always excited to see what they come up with.

 

I would put in my girl's pictures....I love pic spam...heeheeheehee

 

I personally feel very uncomfortable when I see a doll without a face-up. For some, I have seen it work but for the most part they look almost ghostly. I think a face-up is the most important part of a doll - it's what gives them their personality and uniqueness!

 

I prefer my dolls to have proper face ups, but I have one that seems to always end up blank again, no matter how often I try to paint him. I always wipe it in the end because it just doesn't fit.
This blank slate look kind of works with his character though, so I don't actually mind so much with him.