Faceup guilt?

Actually, I have plans to go to Japan - and of course, Tenshi no Sato or at least one of the Sumikas - in 2017. And taking my boy with me so I can show him to the people there. He's got no headplate, either (as in - it didn't fall off, he never had one, it's a pre-headplate-era head) and I'd be really interested in finding out how old he really is, which they maybe could tell me by looking at him. All I know by this point is that he's pre-2004 since he's got the old body and also, that he's an old F-28 rather than an F-16 (from comparing him with pics of both heads).

 

I usually buy my dolls blank, but not my first ever doll, and I also bought some dolls off the marketplace that already had a face-up. None of them are particularly special, but I still have trouble removing face-ups done by other people. This is mostly because they usually contain elements that I can't do all that well myself. If a face-up doesn't suit my purpose, but it is pretty... well... I'll probably leave it on. There is one doll I bought off the MP with the firm intention to wipe her company face-up because it didn't suit her intended character at all. But I just couldn't do it. It was in pristine condition and it gave her a lovely little air. So um... I ended up changing her character. And then broke my rule of never buying the same doll twice when I found another one of her on the MP. This one had wig stains, so I felt no qualms about wiping that head clean and starting over.
Then finally, I have two dolls with which I fell in love partly because of their face-ups - not because those are in any way exceptional but because they already expressed the characters that I wanted. Both face-ups are actually too pale to my taste and rather basic. But in the case of these two dolls, I somehow fear that a bit of their personality will be lost if I wipe the old face-ups. I don't know. In the case of my first ever doll, I bought a second head and sent it to an artist whose work I adore. I use that wonderfully painted head on the doll now. But I am glad I still have the original one (I am sentimental about it). For the other doll... Hm. I may change my mind one day and do her face myself...

 

My first MSD had his faceup done by his previous owner. The quality was beautiful, and it photographed well, but he really didn't end up fitting in with my plans for him (in fact it ended up being essentially the polar opposite of what I intended for his aesthetic). I felt guilty wiping it because I knew it was of higher quality than the faceup I was about to give him, but I really wasn't bonding to him with his old look. Once the doll is yours I think it's totally fine to change their aesthetic to one that fits your desire for their character.

 

I got a secondhand Soseo head with a very beautiful face up. It was a bit expensive and I think the face up was the reason for it...the face up was also the reason why I bought the head because it looked wonderful, however, when it got here my mom said that the head looked "dead" lol and I couldn't erase her words so I started to dislike it....

At first I felt guilty because it was great face up but in the end I'm glad I wiped it because I learned more about doing face ups and he now has a face up done by me which I really like! just do what makes you happy.

 

It's up to the owner... if they feel uncomfortable with wiping a faceup, then they shouldn't do it. But if they really think a new faceup would be better, and they feel OK about it, then they should do that.

I think it maybe is silly if someone buys a doll with a special or elaborate or artist faceup and then wipes it when they could get a blank or one with a really basic or worn faceup they could wipe or paint...

It used to happen in the early days--that some dolls were rare and would come with a very elaborate, special faceup... and some people would wipe it because the wanted to do what they wanted with the doll... People then would be sad that the special faceup/blushing was now gone and they wouldn't have a chance to buy it if the owner changed their mind and sold the doll... But now that more dolls are made, I don't think that is much of an issue!

--And really, it IS up to the owner even if the faceup is special and rare! Faceups and blushing can be easily damaged and worn and most everyone understands that faceups don't last forever... so wiping one can be a bit traumatic! but it's also part of owning bjds!

 

It's totally up to you whether you want to wipe it or not! If you're unsure - don't rush into it. Leaving the doll with it's current faceup for a while and playing around with different wigs and eyes can be fun. If after a while you decide that no, this look really isn't going to work... then wipe away!

I'm currently going through a bit of this myself, I have an old 2005 Delf Moon head with his original default faceup. He's my only second hand doll, I usually buy them all new and blank so I can paint them myself. I've been wanting to wipe this boy and re-paint him (his head desperately needs blushing as it's much more yellow than the newer F60 body he is on!) but I find I'm hesitant to do so as it's still in fantastic condition. I'd say the original owner put him in a box and never played with him. It's a bit faded but there are no rubs or chips.
Since he's technically a discontinued sculpt there won't be any more chances to get him with this faceup.
So the poor boy sits on his shelf, neglected, while I try to figure out what to do with him XD

 

Even the most beautiful faceup will have to be redone eventually, so I have no qualms about wiping a faceup to replace it with something I know I'll like better. The only time I'd ever hesitate is if I was planning on possibly listing the doll and thought the current face would be a selling point. It's your doll, and you have to be the one who's happy with it.

 

The faceup is a big part of me purchasing the doll. But if I know I want to change the face and can properly describe it to an artist then I'd have no problems getting it repainted. It's nothing to feel guilty about.

 

I have no qualms about removing a factory faceup since I find them to be..I guess the word would be simple? But I might have a bit of trouble if it was something more intricate and rare

 

I purposefully only buy blank dolls for this exact reason. For the first time ever I'm currently waiting on 2 dolls who will have their default face-ups and that's only because I knew they were 100% perfect for the characters I have in mind.

I think if I received a face-up that I found very unattractive it would be easier for me to wipe it, but admittedly I DO have difficulty wiping it if it's pretty I have found. Some time ago I purchased a DiM Robel head that came with a beautiful custom face-up. I had intended to wipe it once it arrived, but it as kind of nice for the head to have something as I didn't have the funds to send it out right away for a new one. Now that head has been here for a few years and I STILL haven't wiped it. I do feel conflict over it since even though it doesn't match the character at all (who needs light pinks, whites and maybe even some silver), it's still a really gorgeous face-up (much more natural and a lot of browns...I think it was a boy before it got to me), and after I put a long brown wig on her (though the character is supposed to have pink/white hair), she just pulled together. Sadly, this is not how she is supposed to look at ALL and I definitely do want her to be character accurate at some point, but it's hard wanting to change her when I've had three different people tell me she looks just like me!

 

I have a few older Volks dolls (My Emma, Yori and the Tsubaki twins) who still have their original face-ups. They're all still in good shape, but the style is very, VERY dated and primitive-looking by current standards.

I'm really reluctant to wipe them and have the dolls repainted, though. Those old-style face-ups have gotten to be pretty rare as more and more owners replace them, and it almost feels to me like I should leave my gang as they are as something of an archival record. Sort-of keeping them as an example of 'What Dolls Used to Look Like Back In the Day'.

It's one of those questions I waffle about sometimes... Should I/ Shouldn't I. I'm still not sure how that's going to end up.

 

I have a similar "problem". I bought a Volks doll from Mandarake that I thought to be an F-16. Well, as it turned out he's actually and old F-28 and he's got an old-style Volks face-up, maybe by Valico. I'm kinda torn between sending the head away to have the face-up wiped or sending it away to someone who's willing to repair the damages (one of the eyebrows would need retouching because part of it rubbed off). It's kinda cute and it's also kinda doll "history", isn't it?

 

I can never erase professional faceups if they're in good condition. I just can't bring myself to do it! Especially since I know the ones I'll make after will be horsesh*t in comparison.
So now I really try to avoid to buy dolls with faceups

 

I think it is a nice record to have. It is rare to see those old face-ups now, especially in good shape. It is amusing to see those old Volks brows on a doll now. It is OT but when I was more active in the Blythe community there was a surge of people buying up dolls to customize, and soon people were desperate to find stock Blythe dolls and the prices went all wonky. I can't say where it is at now, and I can't say BJD are the same, but to me it will be interesting to see if the old dolls will be in vogue again or if they'll simply be lost save a few (which is how it seems at present).

 

If I don't like the current faceup (which 9/10 times I do not), I see no reason in keeping it. A faceup can make or break a doll for me, so I ensure it has one that I enjoy. I currently have three heads off at two of my favorite artists' places because I wanted them to fit the characters they are meant to portray.

I see no point in keeping a faceup on just as a courtesy to a previous owner-- you paid money for the doll; it is yours.. Do what you want.

 

I always feel a little guilty about wiping away a company faceup because I doubt whether the new faceup will be an improvement. For that reason, I try to get dolls with blank faces. But if you don't like the original faceup, you shouldn't feel obligated to keep it. If you don't like the faceup you do yourself, you could always send it off for someone else to paint it. You should stay true to your artistic vision, even if doing so comes with some guilt.

 

i don't think i've ever felt guilty for wiping a face up. more just annoyed that i had to pay for something that i had no intention of keeping. i prefer to do all of my own faceups to make the doll uniquely mine. so i always try and get blank dolls. sometimes that just isn't possible and the skin tone i want is only available as le's with faceups or the doll itself is only available second hand and i can't find it blank. in that case i enjoy the faceup until the weather is right for painting and then quite cheerfully take it off!

 

When I bought a Pangen second hand he came with this absolutely gorgeous fantasy-ish faceup but it wasn't what I wanted for my character. I felt so guilty about wanting to wipe it because of how gorgeous and unique it was. I ended up selling him because I couldn't bring myself to change it (along with the fact he was a little too big for me.) I feel guilty very easily haha. From now on I will stick to blank dolls.

 

I recently repainted my Volks Shinku. Her face-up was in a bad condition when I got her years ago but I kept it because it was the original and I did feel guilty for even considering wiping it off. I recently got a SDGr body for her and the only way the resin color would match was if I blushed her, so I thought it was about time I said goodbye to the old face-up. Even after I finally decided to repaint her, it took me over a week to finally clean the old face-up. So yeah, I completely get the 'feeling guilty' part.

 

I always get my doll blank, only one came with a face-up (I bought her on the secondhand marketplace). One thing I didn't realize was that it was the company face-up she had, not a make-up done by her former owner. It was a beautiful face-up but it didn't fit the characters I had in mind AT ALL, and anyway painting my dolls are one of my favourite part in this hobby, so I had to take it off. I did felt guilty, but I knew I wouldn't regret it...