Fan Art/Tribute Dolls: Your Feelings

Nothing wrong with tribute dolls. If I had the room (and a husband who didn't pop a vein every time I considered buying a doll ^^;; ) I'd like at least one tribute doll from my favorite book series, written by Michelle West.

I've seen a ton of your books Mercedes, but have never picked them up ;-; I shall have to do so!

 

I really don't think there's anything wrong with them at all. I'd love to have a few from my favorite properties, like Avatar and what not... but it is a pricey thing to "build" something that's made cheaply by Mattel. If only I had the cash.

HI MERCEDES, I love your books!

 

Some of us already are, dearest! Or, to keep it in topic, we are stuck on your doll tributes to your characters!!

Oooo.
Now you've all given me the greatest idea... and how to get the Spouzal Unit (tm) involved in dolls too. All I have to do is actually finish listening to the three podiobooks he's got out there (instead of just sitting here looking at ways to squander my paycheck.) I know his main character would make a heck of a tribute doll!!

Sorry, I got sidetracked. As a person who regularly does and buys fan art and has, as my most expensive piece of fan art to date a Kenshin doll (yes, you WILL have to get him over my dead body) I am entirely in favor of it. I think that a person really has to have quite a connection to the fictional character to invest the time and effort to do a good piece of art. And that would make me, as a writer (if I still wrote) feel darn proud!

It was obviously easier for me to come up with a Kenshin -- who by the way looks about as identical to my sales poster of the books as anything could possibly look -- than it would to come up with a doll based on a character from, say, one of Mercedes' books (if I could still make out the words through the smudge marks from many readings...)! Because those would be entirely based on interpretation of written description. Very, very cool stuff, and what made me a fan of RP games back when they were all in text The point? uhhhh... oh the point being that some tribute things take a heck of a lot more creativity than would be otherwise obvious!

 

I personally don't think there's anything wrong with fanart/tribute dolls.. I own 2 myself and am planning on owning 2 more. I do like original character dolls too, of course, because one would be able to have more freedom with them than the tribute dolls.

I guess my liking of owning tribute dolls is like being able to create my own storylines for the characters I really like.. It's like writing fanfiction, just different.. Heh..

 

this is interesting to me because i think that the only doll i would ever own would be a tribute doll because of level of interaction into that particular fandom. *supresses fangirl squee* i would think that both types of characters for your dolls are appropriate because they require your time, enthusiasm and care to come to life. how can any of that not be creative? i have seen some amazing outfits for the LoTR characters displayed here that took my breath away. the same goes for original characters.

for me, it seems like every facet of these dolls stimulates creativity. it could start out, as has been stated, with some poorly tied together wigs and outfits claiming to be a tribute doll (rather like wearing a store-bought mask and street clothes at halloween). i can't see someone continuing with this hobby maintaining that level of involvement however, it would just be a starting point. a grounding to determine how far your creativity can grow.

ultimately the doll you create is your own, whether it's your original character or your interpretation of a pre-existing character. the challenges are different but the creativity requirements are the same.

 

I think it's more of a tribute than lack of creativiy and I don't think it's wrong. Some outfits aren't simple as lookign and then doing it's more. Looking, thinking, testing and then doing. You've got to be creative for that. Plus how many people over the years haven't made an outfit based on a character they liked and I don't mean just for a doll. Those who make them look like them, are pretty cool too. I would love to know how they made such mods, so I can try to make simiulair mods.

 

I am a cosplayer. I LOVE recreating anime/manga/book/comic characters, and finding ways to represent a character in the way I would see them in the real life on my own body. (Or on my boyfriend's, friends, etc.) When you are dealing with something that has already been created, it is not always easy to get all the details exact, and I put a lot of work into trying to make the most accurate, but also still flattering look possible. No one has ever called me uncreative for this - and I don't know why it would be any different for dolls.

I have two dolls on their way, and 90% of the reason I bought them was to dress them up as characters I like and admire. To me, finding my own way of creating these characters in doll form IS creative, and in some ways more challenging than making up a character design from scratch. With an original design, there are no mistakes are made. It doesn't matter the length of the sleeves, color of the eyes, or style of the hair, because no one is going to critique you (except yourself!) With a character that already has specifications, the less you meet them, the less people will be able to tell who they are, and the more you will get nit pickers on your back about the details you miss. It is also very possible to have two people make two completely different dolls and materials look like the same character - and that is where the creativity is in my opinion.

So in short, yes, I think cosplay and tribute dolls can be extremely creative.

 

As someone new to the doll experience but a creator of fan fiction for many years, I think that fan creations can go either way. I think that "fandom" at large can be VERY creative and expressive; and exploring someone else's universe through your own character (or even one of theirs) can reveal really interesting intricacies, a really nice symbiosis. A good example is the Harry Potter fandom; while it has its share of the bizarre and gratuitous, the exploration of character and plot within the HP universe has led to really interesting discussion of the use of magic, blood and power dynamics, and racism in the wizarding world. Star Wars is another good example - the extent to which fans have broadened the scope of the 'verse is really intriguing.

But of course this isn't ALWAYS true; sometimes people just want to pair up their favorite underdog couple and aren't necessarily using the 'verse to its best advantage. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but I think some authors might be put off by seeing it - "well, of COURSE they're not sleeping together" kind of reaction.

I know you're not talking about fanfic specifically, but this is the experience I have. I think the same can be said for dolls, since we use them to tell stories. I think creating a fandom doll could be really flattering to an author, it's a reflection that a fan loves their work. But it's also an indication that they might not be doing with that character what THEY would, and that could be weird.

I certainly don't have any objection to someone creating a fan doll on the basis of originality. If you love something, you love it. Not to mention, of course, that your interpretation of Hermione or Will Stanton or F'nor or Claudia might be very different than someone else's. And you could also be creating a doll based on the UNIVERSE, such as Star Wars dolls.

So for me, I think it's really cool and totally appropriate if fans want to create their favorite characters or universes in simulation, to create an alternate ending or keep the story going long after the book or movie ends.

Can I just say it's really awesome of you to present this topic the way you do? From experience with MUSH and RPG as well as fanfic, I know some authors are very, very protective of their work and would be much more defensive bringing up such a topic. So thank you!!

 

I think people should have whatever makes them happy; this hobby is big enough for everyone to collect the dolls they wish.

 

I think tribute dolls and fan art dolls as well as original characters shows a keen eye for detail....I love cosplaying and find nothing more rewarding than to make an outfit from a movie or game and getting absolutely everything right about it down to the last shoelace......it doesn't matter what kind of doll it is IMHO hard work goes into all outfits and how the doll looks....i think tribute dolls are great after all it's all fun and creativity at it's best

 

I think I'm the only one on the opposite side. I love original characters, and I don't hate fan-tributes. But... Because it's someone else's original concept and not mine, it would not feel special to me or worth doing. That's just my opinion.

 

I'm wondering if my tribute dolls are part of my "process" of asimilating people and characters I come across in to my personal universe and wanting to hold on to a piece of them forever? The first step always sems to be a simple drawing or two, some make it as far as being used as bases for OCs and others become subjects of my portraits. For example one muse has given a face to no less than four characters that became dolls, three are siblings, and I went on to make an oil painting of him.

All of it started because I wanted a doll of a character he played on TV. The journey has left me with my treasured dolls that have gone well in to the OC realm. Another doll is based on a puppeteer and has some of the real guy's personality but he's coming in to his own. Any other writer-artist people find themselves starting with a bit of someone else's idea and finding it inspired their own?

 

Interesting topic! I fit right at home in here . (And it's neat to see you in this hobby, Mercedes. I've read and enjoyed several of your books.)

I'm another cosplayer, so I certainly would never say that creating a character doll takes less creativity than creating an original character. It just takes a different type of creativity. However, as much as I love making cosplay for both myself and my dolls, I could never see myself owning a doll that's JUST a recreation of a character. To me, that would be a limit on creativity. I want my dolls to grow and change with me, and to let them stay in the same outfit for all time would bore me!

I own a doll (SD13 Cristal) in part because she reminded me so strongly of Lady Oscar from Rose of Versailles. But while I've made an Oscar costume for her, she also has her own style. If she was nothing but Oscar I would end up falling out of love with her, and she'd be on the auction block in a matter of months!

 

Love The Black Swan! ^.^

anyway, almost all my dolls come form some kind of book or character or song or something. i dont think it shows any lack of creativity. creating a piece of art in the likeness of my favorite character from my favorite book is what brought me into the BJD world.

i think it opens up creativity, in my case i had to create an image based on my feeling and what i thought as i read it for there are not like real images to go by, just descriptions. (it was really rad when i got to show the author who is a doll collecter herself!)

 

I like tribute dolls, but I would never do one myself. It takes too much discipline! I admire people who can channel their creativity and hard work into recreating a character that is true to the ideal. I know my own personal tastes and silliness would get in the way and take it into "inspired by" land.

 

I say as long as you enjoy your doll within reason and aren't breaking any laws then it's alright with me.

 

It takes a lot of creativity in terms of finding/making the right parts of an outfit or character to recreate one made for something else, like film, TV, books or comics. Especially in terms of dolls, where things have to be scaled down.

However, does it take more creativity than creating an original character? Of course not. Coming up with a coherent and believable character in terms of outward appearence is just, i believe, more demanding.

Anyway, my feelings are, if you create a tribute doll thats a good tribute, then it's wonderful and I don't doubt you put a lot of creativity and hard work, but I wouldn't do it myself, since my favorite process is developing the character as a whole. (However, being a cosplayer, I DO think that it's fun to "dress up" as a character, and dress up your doll, but I'd never make a permanent doll out of someone elses).

 

I sew cosplay for a lot of my dolls, not anime though. Its all movie or book related. I have made Raistlin, Frodo, Sam, pippen, Merry, Aragorn, Legolas, Elrond, Galadriel, Arwen, Boromir, Obi-wan, Anakin, Jack Sparrow and Link from Legends of Zelda. I like the challenge of trying to recreate it as accurately as possible. And I have sold many as well, mostly on commission. Aragorn seems to be the most popular. Its a great style of outfit for elf/fantasy/adventure type dolls.

But its just like the doll character dressing up. They are not permanently Legolas. Its not a Legolas doll. Its my Chris dressed /as/ Legolas, ect.

And I had no idea you were Mercedes. That's pretty freakin awesome! *gets all fan-like*

 

Completely, wildly off-topic but Buff -- I will be fangirling your avatar hardcore right now. Oh yes, yes I will.

To me, a fanart/tribute doll is every bit as creatively demanding as an original character; in some ways, it's almost moreso. There's a level of creativity and intense effort involved in getting all the little details Exactly Right(tm). I have one (and a second in the works) and I went totally neurotic over getting Shirou's hair and eyes as close to correct as possible. You'd think white fur wig and green eyes would be easy, but ohhhhhhhh noooooo. If it wasn't for my very very talented seamstress friend ukelala his outfit probably wouldn't be as utterly precise as it is; a lot of work went into that outfit. I love having a supersized jointed action figure of one of my favorite characters to play with.

In the end, it's about personal preference. My dolls are split right down the middle into 'fan' characters and 'original' characters, and that works for me.

*obligatory Mercedes fangirl moment goes here*

 

I think coming up with a fresh, new character is more creatively demanding than remaking someone else's. The hard work of coming up with the character idea/design in the first place, is already done for you.