Is it "Okay" for a prof. doll artist to order Default Face~up..?

why would a doll artist HAVE to get default face up? if they like it they like it tis all there is to it. shouldn't be a rule for it >.>

 

I know some people have the mindset that if you can do your own faceup, you should, for originality.

For me, I do my own faceup out of lack of funds and just cos I don't think it's worth the money. But as it is, I try to replicate the look anyway, since it's the one I most probably fell in love with.

I doubt people will be talking behind your back for doing it, since it's not a big deal or so.

 

In a way, that's come up for me twice. I have done face up commissions, and several of the resin kids at home have default face ups that I won't touch. What can I say, two of the three are LE fullsets (one is a Lati Aida; I like the Red Line faces too!) and the other one is just a lovely default. When I buy new dolls I'll usually get them without a face up, but sometimes they just call to you. Do what makes you happy!

The other time it comes up is with clothes. I sell and help design doll clothes that my wife makes, but am keeping the Aida outfit, not just to keep the fullset together, but because he's amazing in it. Not everything has to be your own work.

 

Why shouldn't an artist be allowed to get a default faceup?

You're an artist, so you obviously appreciate art, and the doll's faceup is another sort of art. You just happen to be able to do something similar.

I think everyone would understand if you liked the look of a faceup and were just as satisfied with the look of it as with one you did yourself. You'll have MANY more opportunities to do other faceups, I'm sure.

 

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with default faceups, and some of them I like very much. I bought my Elfdoll Special Lydia partly because I liked the default faceup a lot. Same for my Tensiya Saint.

The faceup artists who work for the doll companies are often, though not always, quite good at what they do, so it's just another form of art, to me.

 

I think it's fine. Doll artists shouldn't always have to do their own dolls if they don't want to. It's not a crime to find the work of another artist appealing. In fact, you probably know all about the ups and downs of being a professional face up artist, and how demanding/rude a customer can be.

They appreciate your business, just like you like it when someone commissions you to make one of their dolls something special. And you can relate to each other much more than the average artist/customer can.

Example: Other artist: "I'm having a problem with [insert problem here]."
You: "I usually do [your solution] if I'm faced with a problem like that. It's worked every time, for me!"
Other artist: "Really? I never knew that! I'll try that!"

Besides, every artist has his or her own style, and perhaps a certain character design is beyond the scope of what you know you can do well. Or perhaps you tried several times and failed, and saw something very similar in the thread of another artist.

It's your doll, and what you do with him/her is nobody's business.

 

I think it's perfectly okay for a doll artist to go for a default faceup. Sure, one of the awesome things about these dolls is how they're designed to be customised, but if the original look is the one you fell in love with I don't see any problem with getting the company to do it. I see it more as an artist appreciating another's work rather than a cop out of not doing a face up.

 

Isn't there a little saying about the shoemaker's children?

At craft shows, you may hear customers walk away with a sniff "I could do that" but they rarely do.

So that's one aspect; are your own dolls's faceups a lower priority than commissions or on spec. work that may well pay your bills?


If you love another artist's work enough to want to own it, why not?
After all, the sculpt is also another artist's work that you wish to own.

Is no printmaker allowed to have an Escher engraving on the wall?

Go for it, and enjoy the beautiful dolls you get as well as the beautiful dolls you paint!

Ann in CT

 

Well said!

 

I think that I'll have to echo what's already been said: There's nothing wrong with a doll artist getting a default face-up if that's what (s)he really wants to do. If they like that particular style and can't/don't feel right copying it themselves, then so be it. It is their doll, after all.

Playing Devil's Advocate for a moment, though, the only way I could see it becoming a problem is if all of their dolls end up having default or company face-ups; they wouldn't really have much to show for their skills starting out if they didn't do at least one or two of their own dolls first. And I don't know about anyone else, but I'd be a bit wary of sending my doll off to get a face-up without seeing a sample of the artist's work beforehand. =/

 

QFE. wise woman

I'm not much of a debater I suppose X3

 

I don't do commisions, but I do the face-ups on my dolls and my close friends dolls. I enjoy doing face-ups, but if there is a company face-up I love, I'll pay to have it done. Keep in mind, the people who paint for the company are artists too, so it's not like doing that is more low-brow than a commission. It doesn't matter whether or not my dolls come to me with make-up, because eventually, it'll fade and I'll do it myself.

 

Hehe, one of the things about being an artist, of any kind, is that you can usually recognize good works by others. Lots of artists buy pieces from other artists who use the same medium they do. There's nothing wrong at all with appreciating someone else's work and liking it enough to buy (especially if they use a different style or have put a different slant on something than you would). : )

 

I think it's fine! Some of the doll companies have wonderful default faceups (Lati was a good example) and they bring out a particular look in the doll that may not be the way the doll would look if you did the faceup yourself. I'm sure you can recognize and enjoy fine faceups, and appreciate the artist's work.

Carolyn

 

I think it's totally okay!
If the artist likes the default style available, why shouldn't they go for it?
It's not like getting a doll painted by another person is 'disgraceful' or lessens their worth as a face-up artist. :/

...just as long as they don't claim to have painted it themselves. Then that's tactless.

 

It's good because they always have the option to remove it if desired. On one hand, you get the doll faster/save some money if you do not choose the face-up option and you can start off with a blank canvas, so to speak. On the other, I'm sure many people get inspiration from the face-up that comes with the doll (to either do better or to get better at painting).

 

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Being able to do your own face ups is a great talent and I would think a lot of hard work. That doesn't mean you have to do your own just to please others opinions of what you should do. I think you should get the faceup you want on your doll after all if a default faceup is what you want then doing it yourself wont make you happy.

 

I think of it in the way that, as an artist, I still buy other people's work. Just because I know how to paint and draw and do all that, doesn't mean that my walls should only be covered by my work. If you like something, or you like a certain artist's work, go for it! There's nothing wrong with supporting other artists. :3

 

I agree with this, like whoa.

Also, collecting dolls shouldn't be all about 'omg customize! omg originality!' - Sometimes it's nice just to enjoy the doll as the artist set it out into the world