I apologize if this has been asked before, I couldn't seem to find anything in the searches on this. I'm working on shelling a couple characters at the moment; I've found dolls that look somewhat like some of my characters, but not completely like them, so I was wondering...how long has it taken you to find the perfect shell for a character? Or is it a never ending process of "compromising/settling" and reshelling?
I only did this once for a doll that's on the way now. I actually just chose the best fit I could find when I wanted to buy a new doll. Best shape of the face was what I went for. I chose within a week. Then again I think the head was perfect. XD
I have some character that was perfect from the start, that I don't ever think about reshelling. I also have characters that I reshell at least 3 times before I satisfied with the doll XD;;; I do have a character that have same - head but style/body/face up are changing over times too. It's hard to give a definite answer on how this is for me, I think being impulsive got to do with a lot of the changes that's happening. XD
I have several characters that were created based on my existing dolls that I've gone back and forth about choosing the right shell for them. Rourke's sister is proving a bit difficult for me. Where as her best friend has been decided for over a year now. I've had the characters for a couple years now.
For my first doll, I considered maybe 4-5 different sculpts (over the course of like 6 months) before choosing. I'm waiting on him, so I don't know if he'll really be what I have in mind - I don't think I'll need to re-shell him, tho. As for future dolls, I've actually got a rough idea of which sculpts suit their characters, but I'm pretty sure others are going to need some re-shelling before I think they really match their character, or at least it'll take me a long while to find to find the perfect sculpt.
It depends, for one character it took months, and even then I was not 100% sure, it looked like my character but a little too childish, so I actually ended up buying a second head (that had not been released when I first ordered the doll) to use as a more mature version of her, while keeping the one I initially went for as a younger version, but if I waited a little longer I would have just gone for the more mature version. For another character it only took me a few days to find a sculpt that just happened to be perfect for him, and now I've just been saving up to buy him... Personally I wouldn't settle for something that doesn't feel exactly right, especially since I don't like the idea of reshelling as I also get attached to the dolls/sculpts, not just the characters... So if a sculpt seems close but not perfect, I learned from my previous "mistake" and now I would rather wait.
That depends a lot. Usually I don't have the specific physical features down, but I know who the character is and why it acts like it does. So when I am looking for a head I look for heads that can match the feelings I get from the character. Sometimes it takes just a few days to find it and other times I've searched for years. It took me years to find the dolls to be my gods and then even longer to buy the heads because they were limited.
When I first laid eyes on, say, Doll Chateau Zenobia, she made a character in my mind. No other doll could ever be that character. I knew instantly. Some other characters (Jo, Frost, Rina) have all been respelled once or twice, when I just realized their original shell didn’t work. My new rule is to not buy unless it’s perfect, even if perfect doesn’t exist yet..
It really depends. I figured out my last two right away, but I really have a lot easier time shelling boys. I have a girl character I have been trying to shell for about seven years now and have never found a doll that reminds me of her to date.
The vast majority of my collection I "got right" the first time. But I have one stubborn straggler that took over 12 years to finally "stick" to a sculpt. And I'm only...97% sure its the right sculpt this time...
And it's not just faces that give people trouble. My boy Eli was set for his head right from the start. But then he went through four different bodies in three years before finally finding perfection for his character. The problem was his body hadn't existed for those previous three years. But when I saw the DollZone B60-005, I knew that was exactly what he needed.
I have had some where I chose the doll before I even fully finished writing the character so the character ended up being written around the doll. Other times, it has taken me anywhere from a couple of weeks to months to even years! And sometimes I do buy the best option available, but reshell later if something more fitting comes along. For example, Hailey was first shelled as a Mystic Kids Miri, and at the time, it was perfect for her. She was 14 and still looked young. But as she grew up, got married, planned to be a mother, she needed a more mature sculpt, and I ended up reshelling her as a Loongsoul Michelle.
