Finish one doll? Or complete your doll collection? What comes first?

First off what a great question, thanks for posting this topic

I like to finish off one doll at a time. Of course that's not always possible, so I tend to have a few works in progress at a time or at least ideas for future dolls. Sometimes certain dolls are just too good to pass up so there have been a few unplanned members of my doll family but they all fit together nicely.

Having unfinished dolls irritates me. I like to get them finished and move on to the next project, lol.

Sometimes I find the ones that I really plan for don't seem to work out and the impulse buys are the ones that stay the longest.

 

I don't have specific characters to fill so I don't see my hobby as "completing a collection" at all. I have one BJD and one on the way, and I have several other doll types as well, but I only buy the ones I'm falling for and the moment I feel that they are neglected or I'm not able to take photoshoots of them all or buy them clothes I'm not happy at all. It happened one time and I ended up selling the girls that I just felt that I didn't bond with that much. Now, with my two BJDs and three other kind of dolls I feel that I can give them equally attention and I'm not overwhelmed. I'm really enjoying the hobby when I can take pictures of them, buying the clothing and other accessories or making them stuff. It's not about the number or "completing" anything- like someone pointed out before- I never consider myself finished. My dolls always like to change clothes, wigs or eyes for that matter. For me, it is just about enjoying the hobby and the dolls I already have

 

i try to complete one before i buy another, or at least only have two or three that need completing at one go. at the moment i only have two that need finishing.

 

I do both. I have a majority if my dolls now, I'm reinventing one because I found a doll that fits him better. I have two dolls that I'm still feeling out what their personalities are like.

Now the main thing is finding clothes that fit their style, that has been the hardest part for me. Most clothing designers tend to stick within a certain trend, goth, punk rock, emo, etc. When I need more boho eclectic type clothes.

 

I have a rule: Only buy one doll a year and ónly when I have the cash. There are several reasons why I have this rule.

The first and most important reason is because it helps to keep my spending in check.
The second reason is that one of the things I enjoy móst about this hobby is hunting for the dolls that I want; I want to make sure I can still do that in the future without having to buy dolls that weren't originally on my wishlist. (check my list, there are still many characters I have that need a body)
And the last reason is because I like my other dolls to be finished before I buy another one. I think it's an important part of the 'bonding process' if there is such a thing. To spend an entire year working on the new doll makes him/her special. I see how beautiful (s)he, how lovely (s)he looks in his/her new clothes and how the doll slowly turns into the character I envisioned.

There is a buying-rush in this hobby that can make you (general, just like all other 'yous') feel less satisfied and content with the things you have at home. You get too focussed on the dolls you don't have yet and you start to compare your collection with that of others. I believe that taking it slow will make that risk smaller.
Why get so nervous that your collection isn't complete yet? This hobby isn't about to run away, there will be plenty of time to get your characters home! Quality, I think, is more important than quantity.

 

I do a bit of both-- try to get the ones I'm looking for as well as build their characters up.

 

I had dreamed of having E-an from DoD for about 2 years. I came into some money a few months ago and i ordered her with her face-up, wigs, outfits, shoes, etc. my original intent was to just have E-an and periodically buy clothes or wigs for her.

but then my husband said we might have enough for me to buy another doll. so i started really looking around and i fell in love with LF Ante. so i bought her with no face up or clothes or anything. and now i have all these big plans to learn to sew (ya right!) and make clothes for both my dolls.

but to be honest, do we ever "finish" a doll? i think you can if you have money to purchase dolls when you find them. but if you are strapped for cash, i think you would most likely be creating different characters for the dolls you DO have.

 

I think i'd fall under the "finish the doll" except i don't do just one doll...I'm saving up for number two right now, and once i have him then i'll work on getting him all the stuff he needs, then work on things for him and Lestat. I find more fun in pairs and have been treating the two dolls as one doll in my head. I certainly don't play with Lestat nearly as much as i'd like to because i feel he is not complete, even though he has stunning eyes, a stunning wig, and handsome clothes. So once i get money Antebellum is the first thing i'm buying. Hopefully one of the outfits/wigs i have will fit him, at least till i can buy his crazy expensive clothing. XD

 

I'm a one doll at a time kind of owner. I focus on one doll's clothing and such first. I enjoy the dolls better that way. I think my head would explode if I worked on many dolls at once. I obsess over one enough, I don't think my brain could handle many.

 

For me, I vary - sometimes I can end up buying pretty rapidly, but for me, 'complete' would be faceup, correct eyes, and wig. I'm a person who does not like to change a doll's eyes once they're 'perfect'; same with wigs - however I do swap around different styles, but same colour. As all my dolls are dressed casually, clothing is easily acquired and shared around.

I don't like having floating heads, or blank dolls - I usually work on 'completing' one before I think of getting another.

 

I sort of slowly go back and forth between adding to the collection and completing those who are already here. I usually do eyes and wigs right away when I get a new bjd, but a lot of the time they do get stuck in leftover clothing for a while.

I try to get two bjds looks completed for every one new one I bring into the house. Or at least 'upgrade' them in some way before letting a new one in. So if I'm getting someone new, I might decide to take the time while I'm waiting to do mods on someone or to make them a new jacket or some new accessory.

 

It depends, but preferably 1st. I don't like naked or unwigged dolls being kept in my room, I feel quite uncomfortable, like a stepmother to my dolls, if I buy another one while one of my previous dolls' image is unfinished. What is more, I'm likely to buy all the stuff I want my new girl to have BEFORE buying a doll itself...

 

Wow, resurrecting and old thread! It would be interseting to see if the people who responded back in 2009 still feel the same or if things have changed. I know I started out with the intention of only having one doll, I bought eyes, wigs, clothes for her and even started making clothes and wigs for her. Then I got my second and third, etc, and somewhere along the way my freelance work shot up so I have had less and less time to work on my dolls. Sitting at the computer for long hours wishing I had time to "play" I have covertly sneaked off to buy ... a few more dolls!

So dolls got bought and sold, and now I think I really do have all my dream dolls, in various states of completion and undress. I also have a box full of wigs, eyes and clothes that don't work with these dolls, having sold their former owners and also things accidentally acquired with second hand dolls. So my careful plans got derailed along the way!

Happily, I find all my dolls really beautiful just blank with no clothes, face-up etc. It doesn't bother me in the least. I've hatched a plan though, 2 of my 8 are complete, they will remain on display while the others go back in their boxes for now. Then I will take one out at a time and work on them so that they can join the other complete characters on display. I think this will restore order from the chaos and let me feel like I'm back in control? Fingers crossed!

 

What do you try and do first? Collect a vast amount of the dolls you really want and desire to "complete" your collection? Or work on one individual doll until everything about him/her is perfect and "complete"?
To be honest, I have this problem now too. I tend to get all my wish list doll and then maybe after completing my doll list , I would love to modified them and make clothes for them. However, I do not think that is right. So now I kind of limited my self to just get a limited of doll maybe 2-3 and then I should start doing my creation for them. I think there is no complete for a doll. I always want to buy stuff for my doll.

 

What do you try and do first? Collect a vast amount of the dolls you really want and desire to "complete" your collection? Or work on one individual doll until everything about him/her is perfect and "complete"?
For me it was getting every of my BJD complete or nearly complete (At least with faceup and basic things), but most of the time one/some after another/some others until I got the whole crew. Before I had them all I bought different bodies for some and, with blushing and stuff still pending, I went for the rest. Two of those last three (One for her sculpt and another for his faceup) meant a now or never and the third a nice discount if getting him by that time. If not, maybe I would have waited a while. Most of them are already given characters and in their storyline they got some changes I still have to make too. Therefore, I think in my case both things apply, firstly getting them together done or almost done individually and finally having to work on many of the whole to have each of them updated.

 

What do you try and do first? Collect a vast amount of the dolls you really want and desire to "complete" your collection? Or work on one individual doll until everything about him/her is perfect and "complete"?

I sort of suck at this, in a way xD;; All the dolls I own have been/are "really wants" but I seem to have the deplorable habit of being unable to get a doll I "need" in the correct order. By this I mean I like having my dolls arrive in a similar fashion to how their character is introduced in the story they're surrounded in.
I have finally grasped that I am utterly incapable of doing that OTL.
Once I get a doll, however, I don't have problems finishing it. But that's if the doll has a body... if they're just a head, then... they'll be a head for a while ;x;

 

Both, actually! For me, finishing my collection is of primary importance...but in-between the doll purchasing periods, which I restricted to a "one doll per year" plan, I find myself buying their signature clothes/wigs/eyes/accessories. So..it's a matter of pacing myself more than preference.

 

I don't have a vision of a "complete" doll. I just buy things I think will be cute. I swap out wigs, eyes, clothes, even faceups when I get bored with them. Nothing is set in stone for my dolls, but this is probably because I treat my dolls as actors, of a sort. One week they're dressing as this character the next week they're dressing as another character. *shrug* This allows me greater opportunity to swap stuff between dolls, so none of them are ever naked. :P

So, what do you think 2009 respondents? Has your opinion changed?

 

I'm definitely in the camp of 'trying to complete one doll before buying another, but argh time limited doll/bargain MUST HAVE' lolz. To me, complete is a faceup/wig/eyes and probably one set of clothes. Any extra anythings are either because I decided it didn't look right or they're super pretty XD

Maybe that's why I keep going for fullsets nowadays; because then I don't have to worry about completing them

 

I was literally JUST thinking about this. I have a MNF and an event head coming in at the moment (paying off the layaway currently - only four payments left!) and I saw that JunkySpot has a YoSD in stock that I really love and want. But I feel like I should get a body for the MNF event head before I get another doll. My partner thinks it is a good idea too, so that I don't have to keep swapping heads for the MNFs. But I don't know, because I love the YoSD, and have for ages, argh, so hard!