How often do you change your dolls faceup?

When I adopted Fumi I was in love with the sculpt but not the faceup. I got him and started to search for the prefect artist for my need. But all my other dolls have had the same face for a while from their previous owners. I don't intend ever change them. It's all personal preference.
I guess if I had a female doll she would get a lip color change often though.

 

Ones I've done myself may be re-done at any time, though it isn't like they're being re-done every year or anything I have several dolls I had wiped of default face-ups and re-done once in their time with me. I hope to keep those face-ups for as long as possible because I really like the work of those artists. Otherwise, one still has her default face-up which is ten years old, and one I bought second-hand has an artist face-up that I hope to never have to have re-done because I've always thought it was perfect.

 

Two of my dolls have had the same face up for almost five years, as they were done by an amateur friend and by the time I thought they could use a refresher, he was no longer really in the hobby and I don't want to bother him.

At some point, though, some of them might just get professional ones that will probably be stay there for eternity. The problem hasn't been the look so much as the technical skill involved.

 

I'm still learning how to do a good faceup, so right now it's like every two weeks. :P

 

Not often at all! Actually, I have a couple of dolls that I'd like to wipe & send away for new faceups, I just need the time and $ to get it done. But most of my dolls have the faceups they originally came with, or their first faceups if I bought them blank. I don't do them myself, so I've commissioned several artists here on DoA. Lots of really good artists make it hard to pick sometimes

 

I've been doing and re-doing both of my dolls' faces whenever I have the time and energy for it Neither of them are looking quite how I want them to yet and I am constantly wanting to try new techniques to improve my faceup skills. They're really fun and relaxing to do, imo! I kind of want to start offering free faceups to other people just to get to do more of them lol.

 

Zero times so far. I don't trust myself with a paint brush, and I have no money to buy a new faceup... Besides, it was the faceup I saw in those company pictures that made me fall in love with the sculpt in the first hand!

 

I was just wondering, because it seems that many of you don't want the company faceup and want to do your own faceups. Do you just do it once or do you redo faceup like you would change clothes?

I usually fall in love with the company faceup and I think the dolls tell their story to me over the first pics.

 

Most people tend to get a faceup they like, then just leave it unless something happens like it gets messed up. Faceups are laborious processes, so it's really not easy to change them a lot (you could though, if you really wanted to, I suppose). I personally know just what I want my characters to look like, so I send mine to a faceup artist to get the perfect look, and I'd never want to change the faceup~ I don't get company faceups for that reason; they don't fit my characters.

 

I definitely don't redo faceups as casually as I change an outfit, but I'm the first to admit I'm not an artist. Every faceup is a learning experience for me, so I tend to redo them because I think I have learned to do something better than I did it before.

 

I like doing my own faceups because I enjoy the process, and I'm constantly improving, so I tend to re-do one whenever I get the chance. I don't actually get the time or open table/desk space very often, though, and as @KiyoshiSenshi said it is a very laborious process, so I don't change them like makeup. In two years I've done six faceups on four dolls, and a seventh faceup is on my to-do list for the near future.

 

When I got my first three dolls, I got them with custom face ups from the companies I bought them from,
so I never had any plans on redoing them. When I got my first blank doll, I redid his face up every time I felt like I wanted
to change something, or like I thought I had improved somewhat. I've been an artist all my life, I have a background in traditional
media and though I have worked as a digital artist for most of my life until now, I found I could still grow as a traditional artist even if it
was in small steps because painting miniatures is very different from painting on large canvas. So, for me I painted and repainted
my dolls as often as I felt like it; mostly as often as I felt like I could improve on the previous face up I had given them. Nowadays,
I only repaint them when I feel like I need to modify their actual sculpts (I've gotten into additive modifications in the past few years).



- Enzyme

 

So far I only have three practice heads, so I tried to do face up everyday lol. That's is without any sealant. But now I found out if I want to improve my face up skill I do need to use sealant, that will definitely stop me doing face up frequently cos the process will be much slower.

For practice head maybe once per month (with sealant)? For proper head maybe once a year? If my doll comes with official company face up, I will leave it longer there. I guess two years unless face up got messed up.

 

Since I am someone who loves custom face-ups and am not a face-up artist, I don't change my dolls' face-ups unless they are severely damaged and stuff. The second reason I can't change them on a whim is because of $$$ since the artists that I like tends to be on the more expensive side and their work always deliver perfection so there is no reason to change

 

My dolls have artist face ups so they don't get changed. If I was an artist then I might change up my own face ups like people do when I felt a doll needed to evolve a bit..

 

I do my own faceups (except for Lakin's*) and it varies, but on average, I'd say maybe once a year. If the face gets damaged, the character grows or changes, they need something special for an event (like wedding makeup), or I just feel I've greatly improved my skills since their last faceup, they get redone. Maybe even if I'm just bored. Others have had the same faceup for several years, just because I like it and feel no reason to change it. If I am redoing a character faceup, I'll usually try to keep the main traits the same (base colors, eyebrow shape, any special markings like freckles, scars, moles), just do a better job, or in some cases change the makeup style (heavier eyeliner, lips from peachy to red, different eye shadow color/style).

*Lakin had a faceup by Buff when I got him secondhand and I loved it so much, I kept it. I did blush over it some to make it match a body better, and because of that I had to change his lip shade slightly to look right, but otherwise, the original faceup is intact. I will likely keep it that way until it gets damaged, or I have to have it redone due to severe yellowing. I'm undecided yet as to whether I'll try to get her to redo it or attempt it myself.

 

The length of time I keep a face-up depends on whether it is a company default or one I've done myself. I actually like and prefer most company face-ups and try to keep them intact as long as I can. However, it seems like most second hand dolls come with wiped/blank faces anymore. Since I tend to buy most of my crew second hand, I find myself doing more face-ups than I used to in the past. Since face-ups aren't my favorite tasks to do, I try to keep them intact as long as possible . . . . .but inevitably and sadly end up changing them frequently due to "screw-ups".

 

Interesting. Thanks for answering. I didn't know the faceup could get damaged so easily. Or is it just if you handle the doll much?

 

@Emma DD White The sealant can easily scratch or chip if the doll's face bumps against something sharp. Also sealant collects dust and oil more easily than plain resin, so the faceup can become dingy or faded over time, especially if you touch the doll's face much. And if it's not properly sealed, some of the colored layers can wipe off or smudge if you try to clean the face or handle it often.

However, if it's properly sealed, well cared for, and doesn't have any accidents, a faceup can last for many years.

 

Ok. Thanks for clearing that up.