Influence of Face-Ups on Sculpts

You can always take apoxie sculpt to create a closed eye version! All it takes is some apoxie clay, gloves, sandpaper for smoothing out imperfections, and a respirator (as you sand). Lots of people have made closed or open eye versions!

A faceup can have a huge impact, but with the same faceup, wig, and styling they might still read as the same character. Especially if they have any identifying facial features like moles or freckles.

 

A friend of mine has different sculpts for different expressions/versions of the same character! One is an Iplehouse Violet, and the other is a Souldoll D.Joelle.
I'd argue they both work pretty well with each other, but the "other" head (the D.Joelle) definitely partly works because of the faceup. The rest works because the rough face shape is just close enough you can ignore the nose is for example a bit wider.

ADAW 42/52 Zerberus got nothing on these bitches

(Souldoll -> Iplehouse -> Iplehouse (same mold, just vampire version)

 

There's proof right there of the magic of faceups--I wouldn't have ever thought those two sculpts could look much alike, but it works very well!

On the other hand, I've also seen a doll that stood out to me, checked the sculpt and found out I own the exact same sculpt, but they're painted so differently that I didn't recognize it.

So, yes, a faceup can make a a sculpt look very different!

 

Hmm... I think it could go either way. Personally, there are sculpts that I really love (e.g. Unoa Lusis, Supia Rosy), which I have seen with many different types of faceups from different owners, and loved them every time. On the other hand, I have seen other sculpts (e.g. Impldoll Carlee) which I fell in love with based on the company photo's... but when I saw the sculpt without faceup I liked it a lot less. So if you can find photos of the same doll from different owners (perhaps in Doll Profiles?) that might help you decide.

EDIT: I'm realizing now that I answered the opposite question from what you asked But I think if I love Impldoll Carlee with the company faceup but not without, that's good evidence that the faceup makes a lot of difference. So a different sculpt with the styling you like might be just fine!

 

So I will be the first person to admit that many, many times I purchased a doll because I fell in love with the face-up. I think someone called it sculpt blindness? Then I get the doll, and I see the sculpt underneath the face-up, and I'm like - oh. That's... not what I was expecting. Now, I show faces to other collectors and ask what they think. They'll point out things I don't see when I'm staring at a particularly gorgeous face-up. I've also decided I didn't like a blank sculpt, only to see a gorgeous face-up on it, and be like "WELL NOW I HAVE TO HAVE IT!"
For me, a face-up is everything. It can change the way a sculpt looks - it can make me dislike a sculpt, or fall in love with one I thought I didn't like.
Does that make sense?

I need to see blank pictures and face-up pictures now. Many, many times I think I want a doll, only to realize I'm in in love with a face-up, lol.

 

You're definitely not the only one who thinks about this! It's pretty high on my list of considerations when I buy a doll. I have actually experimented a lot with contouring to accentuate the features I like in my dolls, since I prefer not to mod. So far it's worked very well, to the point that sometimes I forget it's just the faceup and not the sculpt. So I feel like you could apply the same concept, maybe find a middle ground where you contour both sculpts to look more similar to each other.

 

Faceup has a lot to do with personality and style. But I also think the sculpt limits the expression and emotions you can show. Overall, though, I think there's a lot to play with to get your desired look.

 

I recently got in an in-stock full doll I bought -specifically- for the body (it's DV's Chaos wolftaur for reference). Prior to him coming in, I was hesitant about the head sculpt because in pictures it just doesn't do it for me. Both blank pictures, and the company faceup just don't hit me right (it's one of the reasons I didn't preorder him back when they opened it for the last time). But holding the sculpt in my hands, and seeing how the shadows play and what the sculpt actually looks like - I love his little mouth. I can see a soft smile there that I know can be enhanced with the right artist and he'll be perfect!

The point of all this is a faceup (including/especially a "bad" faceup) can make a huge difference in how the doll is perceived! I definitely think if you got two sculpts that share enough similar features and sent em off to the same person (or did yourself of course!), people would be hard-pressed to tell the difference unless you specifically told them they were different sculpts.

 

When I was new to the hobby someone told me to always check for pictures of a sculpt blank to see what it looks like without the company makeup etc. It was some of the most solid dolly advice that I’ve ever received. So many times I’ve loved the look of a doll in the company pictures… love them only to then see them blank and get a sort of “meh” feeling.

I guess it depends though because there are a few dolls I have bought just because I’ve loved the company faceup… impldoll eudora i’m looking at you

 

When I got my Souldoll apple I was disappointed because of the difference between the face up in photos and the one on my doll for years I didn't know what bothered me it was that in my monitor the colour tones of the face up were more brownish while on my doll more reddish otherwise it was the same face up and the same sculpt but it made such a difference, my reaction to the sculpt it was meh .. from that time on I am very very careful to see many blank pics from all sides, and pics with several face ups in several styles because I fell once for it and not want to be regretful again.

 

I'm not sure this is exactly the answer you're looking for, but your topic reminded me of several situations I had with my own dolls.

I've purchased at least two dolls with faceups I really did not like, but somehow the head sculpts still managed to intrigue and charm me enough to buy them. I commissioned new faceups for them, and they exceeded my expectations. BUT I've also bought dolls whose sculpts would never have interested me if it weren't for their stunning faceups. Somehow the completed dolls were perfect for me.

Plus I had one doll with a factory faceup that I really liked, but I traded her for a different doll. I missed her more than I thought I would, and purchased another, also with a factory faceup. The second one simply didn't feel anything like the first. I sold her almost immediately.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

So here's a perfect example. I have said all over this forum that I don't like PashaPasha dolls.
But that particular doll? With that face-up? Gorgeous. I love her.