Is it a good idea to buy a doll part for resin color references?

nice. i havent had the space to try dyeing a doll myself, but while looking into it, if you are planning to hybrid (which it kinda sounds like it from context?) make sure to test both the separate types of resin for how long they should boil.

also sometimes it can be fun to check out the dyed bjd tag on Instagram cause sometimes people will post about their brews or just neat to see what people do

 

I've done this! I would prefer to spend $20 on some hands or ears instead of $400 on a body that won't work, I normally will add them on to an order for clothes from somewhere with free shipping over a certain amount.

I do consult reference pictures but a lot of the time they are wildly out of date or don't exist for the match I need.

So far it's helped me hybrid 2 dolls and I've found another hybrid I was thinking of won't work at all. Variations in batches is a concern but at least I know I will be in the ball park of correct undertones and lightness; a good faceup can correct small differences.

I also try to stick to option parts I will get use out of like animal ear parts that I can use for photoshoots. Also all of my dolls are 1/3 scale so I tend to go for hands or heel feet which can be blushed if they don't match.

 

I think in my specific case it's still worth it as I could still use the parts even if they don't match exactly. I also have a variety of dolls already and chances are the parts will work for one of them. And buying a few hand parts is still less expensive than buying a full body for a match I'm not sure about.
Also the companies I am considering (Dreaming Doll and Withdoll) are rather fast for doll companies so I don't really worry about the color changing that much.

But I think we have different reasons why we were contemplating buying parts. As I understand you aren't looking for a resin match but to just get an idea of which resin tone would match your character best. So I imagine for your case it would definitely work if you just look at lots of owner pictures in different lighting conditions. Because tan is very difficult to photograph accurately. The reds frequently get eaten by the camera.

 

I've done this myself, but only for less expensive pieces. For example, I bought Minifee feet in "white" and "normal" and hands in "tan." While being aware that resin batches can change, I just wanted a general idea of the colors (and Fairyland does seem pretty consistent).

So in my opinion it depends on the company and how much use you could get out of the part. For me, the feet were a good investment because I can use them to make shoes while waiting for a full doll.

Also, if I were to do so again, I would probably make it part of a larger order because then it wouldn't be so expensive to ship.

 

Seeing this, dark brown is definitely the right shade!
Light brown tan would still be okay too I think, but dark brown is better. Real skin someone mentioned would not work, it's an olive light tan. More cappuccino-esque.
Someone had mentioned Granado, their bronze would also work well. It's a bit lighter/more yellow leaning.

 

It looks like there's lots of good advice in this thread and you are well on your way with this project : D

A last piece of info before I go back to my own projects: Dyeing can be a bit uneven sometimes and doll bodies are more expensive, with less variety of sculpts, and have many more pieces than doll heads. Heads that have come out a different color than intended in a dye bath can be adjusted quite a bit during the faceup process. It seems like less work to color match a too-light head to a darker body than the other way around.

Whatever you choose, good luck with the project and may everything work out well!

 

I like the idea, though I agree with the general concenus it counts on exactly what your wanting to accomplish in the long run. I think it at least gives you in person experience information to work with.

For example i have crobi dolls and a loongsoul doll. The feel of crobi’s resin is more plasticy where my longsoul’s resin feels softer at the touch. And the thickness/weight is very different between the two companies in dolls of similar sizes. This type of info isn’t something I’ve seen talked about here much, but I find for me it weighs into wether I would get a another loongsoul doll (i dislike the floating joint caps their bodies have).

And I imagine I would have fun repurposing the body parts into projects I come up with (I am tempted to mod a fraken doll from random parts someday).

 

I think it's a great idea personally! I once bought pukipuki hands to see how the tan resin looks!

 

I have tried ordering just hands, but now I have a random pair of hands....... somewhere..... lol I think it depends on how picky you are about having a very exact color.

I am kind of loosey goosey. I have an airbrush and a big dye pot and I like crafting, so I find it easier to find an aesthetic I like and fix the color myself. Though sooner or later I might just make the dolls I want from scratch lol. I have been wanting some boy bodies that no one makes lately.

 

It may make you lose passion for your doll, cause dark skintone are so different between company to company, they even cant make the same color for themself like SOOM. They got different light tan for the head and the body.

 

Oh, I see. I tried it before, but it's a 3d print haed I made so the resin is different from company dolls. But it doesn't work out for me. I will suggest you try paint spray or dye a cheaper one first for test. Wish you good luck!