Ever owned a difficult to understand doll?

Yes! I have a few. Some dolls are just difficult to work with I think. It takes time and effort. I don't really create any specific characters for my doll because I like to try different styles for all dolls so, I think it is easier for me compare to someone who has a specific character in mind for their dolls.

 

I've definitely had this problem. First clothes I got my boy just weren't him, but he was stuck with them until I had more money. Overtime the clothes I bought for him were heading in the right direction. I find it a sort of a hit and miss type situation at first. Though it's not only his clothes but his eyes as well. I had eyes for him that I was positive he was going to be keeping but I found other ones, totally different colour that just suit him better. I think once you start getting into the right direction of what clothes actually suit the your doll, it gets easier.

 

Uhm... I don't think you quite got what I meant -- either that or I am completely misunderstanding your sentence up above, here. I *didn't* say "other members should back it up"... I was merely supporting the statement someone else made that it gets terribly irritating to hear the same wet-blanket approach over and over.

I don't expect people to enjoy the hobby the same way. I also don't think it's necessary to belabor the obvious (they are chunks of resin, ok? we ALL know this) or call folks who enjoy pretending their dolls have real feelings crazy people. *shrug* Common courtesy -- from all sides. Can we haz some?

ETA: (slightly tongue-in-cheek) If someone were to respond to a jarring literal response with "No! My doll throws fits!" I'd kinda have to say to myself "oooookay then!" and quietly slink away. Sure wouldn't let it spoil my enjoyment.


And yet another ETA: What occurs to me is that if the rather blunt "they're just dolls" could have been expressed "no, *I* don't have any difficult dolls, because they will wear whatever I put on them. They're simply dolls in my house" -- or something along those lines -- it would have come across much less like a personal attack and a lot more like ... just what a good number of people feel about their dolls. So often the exchanges on either side of this frequently discussed issue come across as "you're either an idiot or a crazy person for believing" [insert your belief here]. That's what bugs me, and I don't see it as being necessary.

 

Well yeah I agree, it's kind of a mix-match-and-try-out-thing.
I have had most problems with my DZ Mo. And I guess he was about the only one who had some sort of a planned out character before he got here.

It really took me about a year until I figured him out Just in time because I started to think about selling him because of it. And so I've started to try out other things and leave my first concept of him. But staying in the same sort of style though.
Eyes, wigs, clothes, custom made wig, dreads, new face up...
Luckily it worked.
The "what if" is sometimes very usefull I think. I had a short white wig laying around and I liked the idea and then thought what if I give him a long one instead? He is now still wearing a long white wig

 

Ha ha ha Yes!!!! I have one girl that is so beautiful, but it took me a year to get her in something she didn't look ridiculous in. Wigs, clothes, everything was a disaster. No matter what style I tried it didn't work. And the funny thing was I named her Jadis, she was meant to be the Ice Queen (from Narnia), well that concept lasted about two days, but the name stuck.

 

I've had my baby, Edyn(BBB Dai) for nearly a year and it was only a day before yesterday did she finally tell me what she likes to wear and what her personality was. Oo

Sometimes, it comes to you and sometimes you just have to experiment with it but never give up hope! ^^ The one things my dollies have trained me in is the art of patience. xDDD

 

Isenn: ohgoodgod that sounds FUN! 8D

As to the question.... Ergh. Sort of? MOST of the time I know the general theme they want to be, but sometimes they need to be DIFFICULT. Tohru, for example, will wear only one or two outfits from various styles and reject everything else. He is a picky dresser. Don't even ask me what I think I'm going to do with a couple of the little monsters, I have yet to see anything that works with what I think half of them should look like.

Might be easier if I knew what they looked like in the first place. Darn you enticingly vauge design concepts!

 

I actually have one! I have a heavily modded DOT Ducan that has robot mods on half his face, one arm and half his chest. It's too awesome to hide, so I just need some sort of pants for him, but I just can't think of WHAT. So I just put him in my non-modded Ducan's pajama pants. lol

 

I had this problem with my first doll. He was supposed to wear the punk/rocker/goth/scene type of clothing, and he's the most preppy boy ever. -_- It took me so long to figure that one out. And it was frustrating as all get out!

Luckily, I got it all figured out and I still have some of the clothing I purchased for him knowing that eventually I'll have another SD boy in the house who will wear them. It's just taking time is all :P

 

Milo's been like this for a little while. I just can't seem to find a set style that fits him. I found a wig that works, but as for clothing and face ups, I just keep changing it because I can't find something that seems like him yet. It's a bit frustrating at times, but I kinda like the challenge.

 

When I ordered my DOT Sha, he was going to be my little gothic aristocrat, Mephisto Aristaeus Chapelwaite. I had planned everything, believing he would be really dark and moody, big into visual kei and vampire movies and all that.

When he arrived, and I opened up that box and saw him, instead of my broody little man, he just sort of screamed "Hey! It's cold in here. Can I have some hot chocolate?" So almost all the clothes I had for him had to be set aside for someone else. So, I figured, seeing how girly he could be at times, cross dressing for laughs would be no problem. Not quite. He hates dresses and skirts, but he loves roses and pastel colours. So, I eventually tried a more punk approach...which sort of worked, but nothing really clicked.

 

Surprisingly, I have to say yes to this- Edissen is like that. I had a huge breakthrough the other day though, and now I'm beginning to figure out his story, so his clothes are getting easier to work out as well. He dresses flamboyantly, but not gay, and sort of preppy at the same time, so that's been an interesting combination.. Same with Peitan- when she arrived she was a into the punk scene, and now she seems to be a character that likes dresses and frills and pretty things... go figure!

 

Most of my dolls are like that at least for a while. Since they aren't set characters but rather evolve into who they are, their eyes, wigs & clothes generally change quite a bit. In fact some dolls that I've had for years are only now starting to define their particular look. Others have been & will remain chameleons, changing everything about their appearance as it suits their mood. Heck, I don't wear the same clothes or style every day so why should all my dolls?

 

Yes, I know exactly what you mean, and it isn't even always just about the clothes! Some dolls are just a little stand-offish. It doesn't matter whether it's your own character that you've created, either; it seems like some dolls simply don't want you to get to know them. ;;^^

My beautiful little AngelRegion boy-- a Present Ren, which is a haughty sculpt even at the best of times-- is the most standoffish doll I've ever encountered, just never even gives off a Pick Me Up And Play With Me vibe. I dress him in whatever I like, and he doesn't seem to assert an preference. I gave him a basic character-outline, and he's expressed zero interest in sharing any more of himself with me. The punchline is: His previous owner said exactly the same thing! He was her dream doll, she worked so hard to bring him home, but then she just couldn't & couldn't & couldn't bond with him. One of the reasons she sold him. XD I think this is just one snotty doll, empirically. (But! I have bonded with him for just that reason. He's my hardcore-misanthrope side, so he is what I need him to be. I leave him alone. )

Clothing-wise, the problem has the same solution: Just let the doll alone, and she will eventually reveal her style to you. I've got dolls that I've owned for more than a year before their character's style asserted itself. - In the meantime I just dress them in whatever I've got, whatever fits & looks decent. Eventually, I will have a brainstorm on my own... or, I will see something that clicks in my head (the Galleries are good for such inspirations, btw!), and then I know which direction to go. After that, it's all a matter of shopping.

 

I create moodboards, just like Isenn said. Searching the internet I look for pictures of people who show a certain attitude, different clothing styles, mood-pictures of seasons/nature/etc, artwork, colours, textures, cloth etc until I get this great idea for my doll's look.

If one moodboard doesn't give me results, I make another one and another one, until one finally gives me the results I've been looking for.