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First doll w/ or w/o a face-up?

Feb 11, 2011

    1. [I still do not know where topics go sorry xD]

      Though for your first bjd did you get it with or with out a face-up?
      Do you think people who are new to bjds should get a face-up first, then try to do a face-up on maybe the second doll, or after a while?
      What do you think?:)
       
    2. Personally I think first with a face-up > 3 <
       
    3. I got my first doll without a face-up and did his face-up myself. I had no prior experience with it, but I think it turned out pretty well, and I'm very happy with the results. I think I like him more because I got to do his face-up myself, rather than having a company face-up done for me. ^^

      What they want in their doll's appearance can make a big difference, too. Not all doll companies offer custom face-ups, so for some, it makes more sense to get the doll without and then send it off to a favorite face-up artist.

      I think it really comes down to how comfortable a new owner is with their own artistic abilities. If I didn't already draw and paint, I probably would not have felt comfortable trying it myself.
       
    4. My first doll I got without a face up, since I could neither afford nor wanted to have someone else do it for me. I'm studying at an art school anyway so I figured if I couldn't do my own doll's face then its probably time to look for a new career LOL.

      Whether they feel like they can do a pretty good job on the face up already, or if they're just too lazy to do it or if they can afford to have someone else do it, it really depends on their own preference.
       
    5. I got my first doll with a face-up but in my newbieness while trying to remove her old pair of eyes I accidentally chipped part of the face-up around the eye and touched it up and used a not-so-great sealant that melted her face-up off.

      So I ended up having to give her a face-up and I gotta say, I love her way more for that lol
       
    6. I think it's up to preference, I bought my first without and made several attempts at her faceup until a slot with a good artist was available. She's what I envisioned and I think it suits her nicely. I'm glad I didn't go company because they made her sweet and innocent and my doll is anything but lol.
       
    7. I had the same question when I was ordering my first dolls.

      I ordered mine with faceup because the idea of doing it myself terrified me. That was about 2 years ago, I just plucked up the courage the other day to wipe a face and try doing it myself. I was so nervous, but it was fun.

      tl;dr
      go with and if you don't like it, wipe it and do it yourself :)
       
    8. I will probably get my first doll with a face up, since I don't trust my artistic skills that much.
       
    9. Also I did get mine with a face-up, just because I'm scared that I will mess up and end up hating his face x3
       
    10. I don't have my first doll yet *gazes forlornly at bank account* but when I do, I'll probably go without a faceup. I'm not much of an artist, but I know if I take my time I can get things how I want, and, well, he will probably be my only doll for a while so I really want to make him my own from the get-go.
       
    11. My first doll was without faceup. It took me nearly six months to try my hand at doing his face, and it was then that I realized how difficult it was. While I find doing faceups strengthens the "bond" with your doll, I do think it's good to have a few dolls with factory faceups. For me, it helps me understand how a faceup is done better than just looking at pictures on the internet.
       
    12. I got my first off the marketplace, and he had a factory face-up. I was initially going to wipe it and try it myself, but was advised not to. I didn't, and boy am I glad I didn't, haha. I got my second doll blank and did his face myself. It came out alright, I think, but I really need practice. Using the first doll as a reference was useful.

      I think, when it comes to advice, it boils down to comfort level, if you like the factory face-up, and if it fits the character (if you're buying them as a specific character).
       
    13. I do think it's a matter of what you want - if you feel you can do it, then get a blank doll. If you don't think you can, or just loved the doll with the faceup it came with, and feel like the company has good enough artists to replicate it well enough, then do that. I fall into that second catergory here - I could do my own faceup if I wanted, but the dolls had such the perfect look in their promo pics, and DoD seems really good with their products, so I decided to trust them. ;D
       
    14. That's really up to how quickly you want to get into the thick of things. My first and second came with company faceups, my third came as a kit so had to be strung and faceupped, and it's been a mix of both ever since. Faceups are intimidating at first, but they are removable so if you're using the correct materials the risk factor is very low!

      I think another question you have to ask is, do you like the doll's default faceup? Not many companies offer custom faceups. I don't think you'll get a bad faceup from a company really, but you might not like the style of it.
       
    15. I plan to learn how to do faceups, but will most likely order my first doll with faceup. I'm almost 100% certain which doll I'll get (Iplehouse Erzulie). I think she looks perfect in the company pictures, and I'm sure it would take me a lot of practice to get anywhere close. I'm also a little nervous at the thought of opening the box and seeing a blank face! I'd rather get a floating head later on, a nice sculpt but one that I'm not too attached to, to use for practicing faceups on.
       
    16. I got my first doll with faceup, since it was free LOL but yeah, as I never seen a BJD in real before prior to getting my first doll I thought getting the first with faceup will make good reference material for my own attempts in faceups. My second and subsequent dolls though, came blank and I used them to practice my faceup. I agree sometimes doing faceup for your doll will aid in bonding, in my case though, I still love my first doll (with default faceup) as much as I love the others with faceups done by me (even though the faceups I did were crappy lol).
       
    17. It really depends on you the owner. Some people will always get company/commissioned face ups because.... well, that's their choice (either a lack of skill or a lack of interest). If you want to get into doing your own, the choice to get the first doll with or without is a personal choice. There are tons of photos on the forums that showcase the details of face ups so you can get a feel for the particular style you want to try for, so you shouldn't feel a need to have one in your hands. :)

      As for me, my first doll was a second-hand head and while I decided on a body I had a ton of left over supplies from art class... Plus I had every intention of changing my dolls' face ups regularly, and that adds up quickly if you commission it. Something to think about. :)
       
    18. I'd say with faceup is most advisable. If you have experience painting 3D objects, have a friend who is experienced with faceups or have a specific artist in mind to commission then ordering blank is okay, but generally it's nice to have a complete, painted doll as a first. This is because to be realistic the vast majority of 'first faceups' will look amateur-ish and pretty ugly compared to the work of an experienced artist. Having a nice faceup makes it easier to bond with the doll and know that it's the right one for you (it can be disheartening to realise that your doll doesn't look as good as the promo pics when you painted it yourself) and it gives you a point of reference if you buy a blank doll in the future and decide to try doing the faceup yourself.
       
    19. I got mine with the company's face up
      I am not ready to throw myself into it all because I'm new and unprepared
      Not going to do anything until I have to hehe
       
    20. I think it depends on the person - what their goals for customizing dolls are (maybe they're more interesting in sewing clothes for their doll, rather than doing face-ups), their level of comfort with doing their own face-ups, and a myriad of other decisions.

      Personally, part of the reason I became interested in BJDs was the ability to do custom face-ups myself, and I've always loved drawing, so my first doll arrived without a face-up. It's a choice I've never regretted; I love being able to do my own face-ups, and change them on my whim. :) It also makes me a lot less paranoid about chipping or damaging a face-up, because if worst comes to worst, I'll just redo it.