Face-up Brand Picky: What do you think?

This sums it up quite nicely in my opinion also. People specialize. Someone may only do goth faceups, or natural faceups, or childlike faceups, and so on -- and sometimes those styles simply don't mesh with the sculpt styles from certain companies in a way that the artist feels comfortable with.

Sure, as a buyer, we might be inclined to say, "Aw, but I think it would be really neat to see a totally mature realistic gothic faceup on a childlike tiny!" -- and maybe it would. But would you want to be the customizer stuck trying to adapt the style you're accustomed to and comfortable with... on someone else's property? I know I sure wouldn't! When asking, it's important to remember -- that's what you'd be asking someone to do.

People also have different experiences with different companies. Some people have strong feelings about Dollzone, for instance, because of the copying in their past, and so on, and thus want nothing to do with the company at all. Maybe that company really screwed up a doll order for that artist and they never even want to think of them again after a long personal hassle or nightmare. Maybe they've done two dozen of that head sculpt in a row and never want to see it again. Maybe it's a doll they missed out on themselves but wanted badly and don't want to be reminded they couldn't get one themselves... the list of possibilities really is endless!

 

I've seen different policies from the artists, some won't work on a particular sculpt but some really want to work on certain molds and will offer discounts. I want to say maybe they find certain companies dolls (or the companies themselves) more appealing than others. To me, I guess it wouldn't really matter. I'd probably work on anything, just for the challenge. I don't really have a set style, ideally I'd want to let the doll's personality dictate the kind of face up. I briefly flirted with the idea of setting up shop and did a bit of research in the commissions section, but I realized I'd never be comfortable working on a stranger's doll. My friends have a standing invitation to send me anyone in need of work. I recently finished Aernath's James and Thom and she wants to send her ID Alex (Buzz) to me. . . so that's a vote of confidence I guess.

I realize I've been no help at all, but this isn't a topic that will ever have a definitive answer.

 

I wouldn't see it as offensive or limiting if an artist refused to paint certain dolls. If you're doing something for a hobby (whether you're being paid or not), it's got to be fun and if you don't find certain dolls interesting or fun to paint, why paint them at all? I don't think this is a negative thing, I would think it's the artists right to paint dolls that interest them over painting dolls that don't.

From a commissioner's perspective I suppose it can be frustrating if you want a particular artist to work on your doll and your doll happens to be on their no-go list, but that's just life. There are plenty of face up artists out there and it's their loss if they won't paint your doll. You can always take your doll and your money elsewhere.

 

There could be many reasons why an artist won't want to work with certain brands. It could be he/she is only comfortable with brands he/she is familiar with. Sometimes it's the resin, sometimes it's the sculpt. Different resin takes spray and color differently, and artists like to stick to what they know so the result will come out as expected. Yes, it's frustrating if you know certain artist can do a very good job on a head that you have, but won't want to do it. It's only because most of the time they only want to do their customers right.

 

I recall, a while back, seeing a very reputable artist who refused to do face-ups for Volks F-01 (the Four Sisters mold). I thought it was weird and a bit discriminatory. I think that, if the person is being paid and has the skill and ability to, they shouldn't refuse any particular molds. It is their job as the commissioned to do the best job they can to please the customer.
I can understand that they may be frustrated with the popularity of the mold, but that would only mean that they have more experience with it...
Now, if it is a matter of morals, I understand completely (such as refusing to do aesthetics for banned/counterfeited dolls). I also agree with javasoy, in that certain artists may not have confidence in their ability to do the best job they can on certain resins.

 

Do you really think artists should paint any doll a customer approaches them with just because they'd get paid for it? What about the choice of the artist? Does that really come second to the choice of the potential customer?

A commission has to be accepted by the artist before they start work. Would it be more acceptable for the artist to simply refuse to accept commissions for certain dolls as they are asked, or to be upfront about which dolls they are willing to work on before customers approach them? Personally I would rather know an artist's preferences and limitations before I ask them to work on my doll, not afterwards. If someone doesn't paint Volks dolls, I will know not to approach them to paint my Volks dolls. The only person losing out is the artist and they should have the right of refusal to any customer or doll.

 

I honestly think it's at the artist's discretion. If they prefer not to work with a specific company's dolls, it could be because they don't like their resin, or their style, or some part of the company policy...or a thousand other reasons. Regardless, that's their choice, and it's not as if they're being sneaky about it and waiting until the doll is in-hand before saying, "wups, changed my mind."

Some artists have favorites, or dolls they'd like to see in-person instead of just on the screen. Some of them will even give discounts for dolls they'd prefer to work with! There are a few who specialize in one type of doll and can do breathtaking work with them because of it.

Besides, getting upset with an artist who does not want to work with a doll from Company X is like trying to hire a portrait painter who doesn't want to paint the exterior of your house. Find someone who does that kind of work, and whose work you enjoy. It may take longer, but nothing will take quite as long as trying to insist an artist put a faceup on a doll when they don't want to.

Pointless!

 

Moreover, why would you want them to paint a mold they don't like?

If they declined to paint it because they know their style isn't likely to work well on that mold, you're probably going to be disappointed with the result.

Maybe the texture of the resin from that company doesn't work well with their techniques and supplies. Again, you probably aren't going to like the result.

Even if it's something as simple as the artist thinking the mold is unattractive -- artists are people. Do you really want to make them stare at something they dislike for hours? No matter how hard the artist tries, they aren't likely to do their best work on something they really want to avoid.

Find an artist who is interested in working on your doll, and you're much more likely to enjoy the result.

 

My opinion on this is that it would only be rude for an artist to refuse a certain sculp or brand if they did it after the head was sent to them. If it is clearly stated in their advertisments that they do not work with certain sculps or brands, then I see no harm in it, but if the limitation is imposed after money has changed hands.... well that is a different matter.

Like others have said, these are not usually people making a full-time living off doing this, but people earning a bit of extra money doing something they enjoy. And even if they are making a living off it, they still have the right to refuse work. And that is a key thing for me: offering someone money does not give you the right to dictate what projects they work on.

Think of it this way- an artist drawing pictures for comission can refuse to draw adult content, certain animals, anime style pictures or anything else they have decided that they don't want to draw. As artists, if they feel their best work is in a certain area, or have personal objections to doing certain kinds of work, then they have every right to stick to it and politely refuse to do anything else. I see face-ups as no different.

 

This type of "entitlement" is a bit boggling to my mind. How on Earth can one "debate" whether or not a commissionable artist has the "right" to create a list of specific moulds/companies she is willing to work on??? Perhaps I'm not understanding the original premise - are we asking if these artists have the "right" to set up their business as they see fit? or are we asking why some artists have a preference? And even then, why is that something folks would like to have answered?

 

I do understand if it appears to be a bit arrogant to be picky about brands, but it's important to remember that it's a hobby. It's hard to compare it with professional make-up artistes who paits people with persons who does face-ups for dolls for fun. It's true that the heads of a doll won't twitch and that it is not as on spot as for a make-up artist. However, doll faces can be very different from each other. A face-up style can suit a doll with a certain look than on others and I belive some artist might have a lot of struggle with dolls from a certain brand.

An artist might not like a brand or the dolls from a certain brand and not like to do face-ups for dolls from a certain brand. I don't think it means they are a much worse face-up artist than someone who does face-ups for dolls from all brands. It's being specialized and prefering to (or not to) paint a certain brand. Just like an artist who enjoys to draw people might not want to take commissions of drawing animals if he or she doesn't find it fun to do. It is a hobby and it should be fun to do. Personally I would hesitate to do face-ups for a doll I don't want to do a face-up for or know I wouldn't be able to do a good face-up for. If I were able to do face-ups.

I think all artist is allowed to do their own choices and I don't think it's more arrogant than if I asked a painter to offer her or him money to draw a wolf and him/her turning down my offer. Not wanting to a wolf and not wanting to paint a doll from for example Dollzone might not be the same thing, but there are no doubt there are
similarities. But I agree with Guide that if an artist refuse it after the head was sent to them it would just be rude.

 

I've noticed that some artists have issues with some doll companies (for whatever personal reasons they may have) and may not wish to work with them or their products. They also may be in such demand as artists that they can afford to select the projects that interest them personally. Most of the faceup artists whose work I admire have day jobs and paint dolls as labors of love for extra money, so they have limited time for these projects and probably prefer to paint dolls they like. If I had a doll that was not on the "list" of the faceup artist I admired, I would just look for another artist with a similar style. I don't think it's wrong or arrogant to be selective, and I would not take it personally if someone declined to paint my doll.

 

We've all seen the 'issues' people, face up artists and others have with certain doll companies, so to me this topic isn't new. Faceup artists give cheaper prices for sculpts they want to do, I don't see why it can't work the other way as well.

Apart from the passive aggressive in this post, I am confused by the words in bold (and just quickly adding that I am a native english speaker. From England). If we ask a question that will inform our decision whether to comission the artist or not, we deserve an answer. For example, I would want to know if the artist uses materials like nail polish or Krylon Matt Spray, and I would especially want to know if the faceup artist condones known recasts and pass offs from legitimate companies. Because then I can make an informed decision to take my business elsewhere.
If it's asking a personal question, like why will you not do faceups on this particular company or sculpt, then yes, you're right. We don't deserve an answer to such a personal and uninformative question.

 

I guess I did come off a bit harsh, I believe they have the right, but it sometimes can seem a little off. I understand they have the right, we all have the right if we choose to. Many people are brining this up, but I agree with what Zagzagael said, I didn't really think this was a debate on if they had the right because they do and that's not really a debate that has an effect on anything (to me).

I think face-up artists do have kind of a "style", but shouldn't flexibility also be an issue? I mean, if I see a face-up artist whose "style" I liked, but they restricted some brands(that weren't my own) I'd be kind of weary to send my doll to them. Someone mentioned they could be sick of that brand, but how do I know? And if someone said that on their post it could come off as rude, so I want to see their gallery and see the variety they've done because each company has a different style of mold, and how do I know if they can be all that flexible and use their style to be successful and beautiful on my doll?

 

While it might be disappointing as a potential customer, as long as the customizer's preferences are clearly stated by him or her before the commission is accepted I think it is completely fair.

Having that kind of choice is part of being a free-lance artist! It isn't as though the artist is employed by a company, sits at a worktable during his or her shift, the company produces or accepts dolls, and the company tasks the dolls to the artist to paint. In that case, the artist does not usually have a right to refuse--their job is to paint what the company directs them to paint.

A free-lance artist gets to select his or her clients, medium, and so forth. There are many painters who will only paint one type of subjects--maybe only portraits, or only landscapes, or only pets. Therefore a faceup artist should be able to say that he or she will only do a certain size, a certain style of makeup, and a certain brand of doll.

Personally, I wouldn't want to my doll to be painted by an artist that wasn't enjoying the creation of the faceup. I think the quality would suffer.

 

If you are a face-up artist and have this policy, may I know why you choose certain brand? (perhaps, my silly theory is right that certain brand is hard to 'figure out'?).

Heh! I can totally imagine why artists might limit themselves to one company... There are certain companies' dolls that are really difficult for me to paint because they're such "blank slates" sculpt-wise and so in essence my paint is what makes the face and that's not what I'm about. My preference is to enhance a sculpt, not sculpt the doll myself with my paint... I don't know if that can make sense to a non-doll painter. ^_^ But I haven't said "I'm only painting dolls with BONE STRUCTURE from now on!!" lol

There are some companies whose resin is difficult, or perhaps its the prevailing prejudice against Chinese-made dolls or whatnot also. An artist can have many reasons, some 'scientific' and some perhaps otherwise.

I don't think it's necessarily "arrogant". Since I feel I don't paint certain companies' sculpts well, maybe I should do my clients a favor and say "I don't paint dolls by company X anymore" but I haven't. I let my clients decide what they want me to do, then I do my best with it and hope they like it too. It's really nerve-wracking, actually, to spend hours making something you hope your client will like, not at all certain of the outcome. I think an artist limiting themselves can make perfect sense. You want to do work you feel you CAN do, that you are proud of, and that you feel somewhat certain of. Really the antithesis of arrogance...

Raven

 

Again, this really feels dangerously close to "entitlement". Why should a face-up artist be "flexible" - to suit you? It makes no sense. Guess I'm different in that if I fall hard for a face-up artist's style and I inquire when there is an opening and she accepts, I'm just so thrilled and over-the-moon excited that I feel lucky and privileged. Is that odd???

I don't find it rude in the slightest when someone lists what they will and/or will not work on....in. the. slightest.

 

There are a lot of perfectly valid reasons why some people prefer not to paint some sculpts. Maybe they already did a boatload of them and are sick of the sight of that sculpt, maybe they find the face uninspiring, maybe they know their style doesn't work with that face shape, perhaps the resin reacts in a way that makes it difficult for them to paint, or maybe, they just don't LIKE the sculpt in question! Absolutely none of this makes the artist in question arrogant in any way shape or form, they're exactly that, artists, and as such they have to WANT to do the best job possible on your doll or where's the point in commissioning them?!

The last thing I'd want was to send a head to a faceup artist that I know felt zero inspiration for the sculpt. At best you'd get a half arsed faceup and the artist would've been bored painting it, I'd much rather they were entirely up front about what they were willing to work on so that as their customer, I could make an educated decision on who I went with.

I really don't understand why people find it strange when artists mark their commission threads so clearly, do you not WANT to know these things?! I like to know everything before I toss a coupla hundred $'s worth of resin in the mail to someone and I'm always amazed when other people don't!

I think you have to remember that most people who take commissions do so for FUN and a bit of spare cash, I sincerely doubt they want the hassle of forcing themselves to paint something they know won't be their best work and it's unfair on both customer and painter to expect them to do so.