Imperfect/Asymmetrical Sculpts (ﾟヘﾟ)？

I personally don't mind because most people have asymmetrical features if you really state at them.

 

If you're looking at a blank sculpt head on it's easy to find "faults" since there's nothing else to look at, but a faceup would be able to cover most any up.

Like if the eyes don't line up horizontally just bring down the lashes when you're painting.

Lips are bigger on the right side of the face? Just bring the lip color on the left side past the lip line.

It's just like with regularly makeup. Certain features can be accentuated or hidden depending on what technique you use.

 

I had a Dollmore Torrie that had some asymmetrical features. And my Kaye Wiggs Nelly had asymmetry in her lips, and she's one of the most expensive dolls I've ever owned. I don't think it detracted from my enjoyment of the dolls.

I really like the lips on that last sculpt you posted. Like a smirk shape to the lips. Very cool.

 

I honestly really like asymmetrical sculpts! Like xellos pointed out, most people have asymmetrical faces too! I think it can add charm, especially with expressions.

 

I have four of the same sculpt from Real Missing Link, the asymmetric jawline has been corrected on one, but not on the others and you really have to look closely to figure out which one has been sanded.

If real people were symmetrical, they'd look strange. Someone did a set of photos a few years back where they made the people's faces completely symmetrical, and while they were mostly still recognizeable, they looked slightly strange and subtley artificial. I think some asymetry helps make dolls attractive.

Teddy

 

I never really noticed those asymmetrical details but turns out that most of the dolls I like are not perfectly symmetrical. I think those small imperfections are evidence of the doll being hand sculpted
On a side note, I generally prefer to photograph my dolls at an angle rather than dead on. So asymmetry wouldn’t really be noticeable anyways. Who knew dolls could have a “good side” too LOL

 

Asymmetry in BJD sculpts is not a "fault". Until a few years ago when 3D computer modelling became very popular among doll sculptors, all heads and bodies molds were sculpted by hand and so they were by nature just as asymmetrical as all human beings are. Perfect symmetry often creates feelings of the "uncanny valley"-kind and can make a face less interesting and just a little too pretty to be truly beautiful. That is why some of the better 3D artists intentionally add asymmetric features to their models afterwards. I personally prefer the slight asymmetry as well.

 

In my opinion it certainly makes them look more lifelike. My own face is asymmetrical. With the correct faceup a slightly asymmetrical face looks more like a biologically probably thing than a clearly artificial work of art. Both ways have an appeal though.

 

Never really paid attention in such thing. Maybe because the faceup fixes it in a way. If I was the one doing the faceup and it did bothered me I would try fixing it, for example, making the eye sockets bigger or alternating the mouth’s shape.

 

I think it's normal, the same as everyone else is saying-- every human has an asymmetrical face, so it would only make sense that dolls would too, especially if they were sculpted by hand.

Honestly, I'm curious to know if there are any sculpts out there that are intentionally made to look particularly asymmetrical-- amputees, scarring, inhuman, etc. sculpts with uneven features would be really cool to see now that I think about it IMO. Does anyone know if there are dolls like that out in the world?

 

I really don’t mind unless it’s overly different~ I own Lan and she’s just now getting her face up after over a year, but the eyes have never really been obvious to me!

 

When it comes to asymmetrical sculpts it definitely isn’t a quality issue, many companies have purposefully asymmetrical sculpts as human faces aren’t symmetrical and it adds character to the sculpt, from the “cheaper” doll leaves to the more “expensive” switch. Especially if the sculptor of the BJD is physically sculpting a doll to cast vs 3D modeling there is more likely to be asymmetry. Some 3D modelers will also intentionally create asymmetry in the doll’s face. However, liking more symmetrical dolls is a personal preference and there are definitely dolls out there with more symmetrical features, you just need to find what works for you!

 

Volks' Cecil Scarface comes to mind. There was at least one other company that had a "wink" headmold, with one eye closed and the other open.

 

Wow, he does look cool. I love the scar and grumpy-looking expression, that's so unique!

 

I don't mind asymmetry on doll sculpts but I don't necessarily look for it either. I don't mind perfect symmetry or some amount of asymmetry, it is not something I particularly care for either way, although I know one extreme of either bothers some people. As it has been mentioned before, humans are imperfect themselves; most of these dolls are still being sculpted by hand by the artists making them, so a lot of them will be less symmetrical than others. I clearly recall when I first got my Limhwa Limho Mano, a lot of people on some forums were coitizing artist Ji‐Youn Jung's work on him, because all her previous dolls were so "pretty" and not as flawed. I think she took it very personally, from what her USA-dealer said about it at the time (she made it sound as if the comments were intentionally cruel, and not constructive criticism toward the artist). I didn't really mind the asymmetry, although the skewed nose did confuse me for a while. I own some dolls that are more symmetrical and some that are less so, but Mano was always really interesting to me, because he looked so "alive" with all the asymmetrical features the artist gave him. I did modify mine to death, but it wasn't due to him being asymmetrical (I want him to look more like the character he is based on, and have the largest lips possible for his face-size).

I own a few SoulDoll sculpts, while I don't own one that's particularly known to be asymmetrical, I have seen some people complaining about certain sculpts being too asymmetrical from them. SoulDoll have always been willing to take blank photos of their sculpts whenever I purchased from them, it's not hard to see if any of them are asymmetrical before purchasing. I don't really understand wanting perfection from a handmade item, or artwork. It seems so odd to me to expect perfection from a customizable item, even if it's expensive. Even luxury items can have flaws, more so when they are handmade. I do tend to favor doing modifications (on toys), however, so maybe I'm just weird. (:

 

Rinku (Ringdoll) came to mind. He’s got quite a sneer and also has asymmetrical piercings. The asymmetry is kinda neat and it looks like photos taken from one side can even show a neutral expression.

DF-A Max and DF-H Nox both have an asymmetrical smirk (which is my current interest).

Almost forgot about I.O.S. Infernale with the tongue.

 

I'll be echoing what others have already said about subtle asymmetry being good, if utilized properly. I mean, sometimes we may not immediately recognize ourselves in photographs if we are used to how we see ourselves on the mirror (which is, to say, only a mirror image). In fact, I tend to prefer sculpts that have intentional asymmetry in the form of small smirks (Granado Michael, Iplehouse Scarlet, LoongSoul ZhuZhao, and an upcoming DF-H Takumi Kazama, who tops it up with one eye closed, not winking). It's quite a blast to photograph those kinds of sculpts, because their expression changes depending on the angle. Then there's my newest girl, a Momo Studio Lulu, who is really organic-looking up close, owing to how she was hand-sculpted by her artist without any 3D software.

 

I prefer a little asymmetry in mine. Anything else is just too doll-like for me and sometimes I even do faceups slightly asymmetrical for a little more realism. Part of that also comes from how the company sculpts heads. Heads that are hand sculpted from clay are naturally not going to be as perfectly symmetrical as one created through a computer program then printed.

 

OMG, Nox is really handsome!! I never expected to see a doll like that. And whoa, Infernale definitely has the most unique mouth I've ever seen sculpted on a doll. What a cool expression!