Have you ever "finished" or "completed" a doll, and what does that mean to you?

For me I'd say two are complete. My realpuki obi has one outfit and he doesn't need any more. After I gave him a new faceup, he was done! And now he's my little purse buddy. I also a have a pukifee boy who has three outfits and a homemade wig. I don't have much desire to sew him more clothes cuz I just love the ones I already made him.

My girl dolls are always getting something new and are constant wips. I guess my boy dolls are simple. I have an idea for a boy minifee and he'd also probably have one outfit My girl dolls are lot more complex both in looks and character and I doubt most will ever be truly finished lol

 

To me, a "finished" doll means they have a face-up, eyes, a wig, and an outfit.

I am less fussy about a face-up and outfit not being "perfect" but I do very much care that the eyes and wig are just right for the doll. Especially the eyes. Even if a doll has a perfect everything else, they really don't feel done to me without "perfect" eyes.

 

For me a "finished" doll means it has
- body/face/hands combo I find perfect
- a faceup I want to keep
- a pair of glass eyes in the colour I want for them
- a wig I like on them
- clothes they can wear and/or that have been made for them specifically
- some shoes
- have had their picture taken/I've done a photoshoot with them to document them

I guess "finished" is more like "play ready" for me as I keep adding accessories and changing outfits a lot, but I'm also not happy with *any* eyes or wig to count them done. I also can't accept a doll that has to run around in socks to be finished, how are they going to survive in the world shoeless

 

For me a finished doll means it has a faceup I like, eyes and a wig, and at least one outfit and pair of shoes that match the character's preference. Lately I've also been finding that if the doll doesn't have an outfit for at least summer and winter, it doesn't feel complete, so that's at least two outfits...

Like cobaltconduct said, my dolls need to be "play-ready" to feel complete. They might go through multiple faceups and outfits whenever I feel like they need to be refreshed, so the first outfit is mainly to make sure they're not sitting around the room naked.

 

Complete, seems so final to me. To me it means getting everything picture perfect and setting the doll on the shelf forever just to look at and admire. Like a work of art. I do have plenty of other dolls that are complete in the manner, but I can't ever see doing this with my BJD's.

I see BJD's more as dolls instead of works of art. I move them around, change their clothes, and even the wigs and faceups. The characters are set, and the dolls do have their own identity. They are all fully dressed, faceups, body blush, piercing's and tattoos for some, but even those things can change, just like they do on real people. In some way they are more 'alive' then the dolls I have around my room on display.

I supposed setting the character of the doll into place and having the doll fully dressed and picture/play perfect could be a form of completion. In that case all of my BJD's are usually ready for pictures/play within a month of getting home to me. Sometimes the right hair and eyes takes a bit more time.

I like that my BJD's are always evolving and growing into their own characters rather then just being stagnant dolls on my shelves. I think when they stop changing I would probably feel it would be time to break from the hobby. I would feel like I wasn't enjoying them as much, if I am not constantly doing things with them.

 

this made me laugh for real

Shoes are the one thing I can give a pass for them not being finished. I’m so picky with doll shoes and would rather they be shoeless than have shoes I am not happy with

Granted I almost always order shoes for a doll when I add a new doll to a collection anymore, preferably from the company they came from so they’re guaranteed to fit. I have a very old Volks MSD that I bought in 2010 that still has never had shoes because I have never managed to find any that fit her. Her feet are really wide.

The second hand doll I have on the way came with everything she had before (stuff I all love and plan to keep for her) but I didn’t see any mention of shoes. I’m actually okay with her character being barefoot.

Maybe it’s because I personally hate wearing shoes, but I can definitely enjoy a shoeless doll

 

Face up, all their body parts, eyes and wig that looks ok, something to wear that looks ok
I always have styling ideas in mind when I adopt a new doll but as I've collected clothes I've come to enjoy changing their looks more often, so I don't have specific aesthetic goals for them anymore, as long as they look happy on the shelf they feel whole.
Everything else will come when the time is right. Except maybe shoes doll shoe shopping sucks and anyway my dolls stay in house

 

I agree that 'complete' is very subjective. For me it's mostly about the character, and having enough finishing touches to feel done. Where I look at them and go, yeah, that's correct. Having the right faceup, wig, eyes, and something (anything) to wear are finishing touches, but if the character isn't speaking to me, or the story or name isn't flushed out and chosen then the rest doesn't matter. I've had dolls who looked fully finished but they had no name, no character, or voice for me, and therefore felt the most unfinished. I've also had dolls who sat with no faceup and nothing but a borrowed wig and incorrect eyes feel so alive and complete.

I suppose to have a doll be complete is to look at them and not feel the need to change anything about them. It's always fine to add new outfits or accessories, but when a doll is perfect as is? *chef's kiss*

 

My definition of "complete" is fairly loose, as my characters frequently grow and evolve as I play with them and think about them, resulting in periods where their appearance feels final and others where they feel in flux. That said, I do have a tentative checklist for completion status: faceup, eyes, wig, outfit, and shoes I am happy to keep for the foreseeable future. If a character has something special about them, like a second "canon" appearance (Eden) or a modification or a tattoo (Marcie, Ingrid), then those things also count toward whether or not a doll is complete. I'm a little looser on whether or not shoes are a necessity for completion, but I strongly prefer shoes whenever possible.

Ongoing maintenance tasks, such as restringing or sueding a doll, does not count toward completion since these must be periodically redone regardless of character evolution.