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Keeping Factory Faceups

Aug 23, 2017

    1. Hello all!
      I have a problem. ^^; So every time I fall in love with a bjd, I also fall in love with the default, factory faceup. I never want to do my own faceup or have another done because I end up falling in love with the look and character that comes with the doll. It's a real problem because I would LOVE to do my own faceup I'm just scared I'll mess him/her up and ever get back the look I fell in love with :frownyblush: I always want what they show in the pictures because they always look so beautiful! :chibi I would really love to do my own faceup and get good at that skill but I never have the courage to permanently change any of my babies :pout: Am I the only one like this? Is there some temporary faceup technique I can work with at first?
      Thank you so much!! <3:aangel:<3
       
    2. To be honest, when I first started this hobby I either got the default face up or immediately sent my dolls to someone to paint for me. It got expensive really fast and I could never get exactly what I wanted, so I said, "Hey, I'm majoring in Fine Arts, it can't be that bad, right?"

      I looked in the second-hand market place for inexpensive heads (looking for yellowed or damaged) and also practiced on dolls of vinyl/plastic (repaints.)

      Back then I didn't know that there were legitimate practice heads that I could purchase for practice! An example is this one sold on Alice's Collection.

      It's important to look for reputable dealers so that you can buy the right products!

      After I felt comfortable enough with my technique I started painting my dolls and my friend's dolls. But really, I do recommend you a practice head. Also, it wouldn't hurt to buy brushes and paints and start practicing your strokes on paper!
       
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    3. My problem is usually the opposite - I find it hard to find factory faceups I like! But now I have one that has the default faceup so I'm putting off changing it for at least a few years.

      My advice is that if you want to get good at faceups before wiping the default ones, get a practice head! Either a cheap one on the Marketplace here, which will let you chose one at the right size, or look for a new one that's on sale or low price. I know Doll Family has a 20$ head available that is specifically intended as a practice head. It's an extra floating head, but it's also an investment, so you might find it worth it!
       
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    4. Thank you so much!! :D this really helped lol I'm getting an art degree as well so I hope it'll be easier x) I just love my babies so much I don't want to change them xD
       
    5. lol nice! x) thank you so much for this advice it really helped <3 I will defiantly try to find nice cheap practice heads now :3
       
    6. Well, personally I think it's a nice thing that you find the faceups on your dolls perfect for them, if it were the case for me then I would just simply keep those faceups as long as they last in good condition, and change them only if you change your mind with the passing of time, or till the faceups are too worn out. So it's a good idea to get a cheap head to practice in the meanwhile :)
      To me what happened is that I liked dolls that I could love their bare sculpts, love them so much bare that the half of them have no faceups yet :p and the ones I have gave faceups I've tried to just enhance their features (so they have turned very simple, kinda plain? :p Don't care I love them!
       
    7. Aww sweet!! :) that's super cute I love it <3 I guess everyone has their personal preference :)
       
    8. A fair few of my crew still have their stock faceups... If I like the way the default looks, I just don't feel any particular driving need to change it simply for the sake of doing so. Nor am I likely to experience any "dolly-angst" over that choice.

      To put it bluntly, you're allowed to like what you like, OP. Even if the Peanut Gallery puts proverbial hand to metaphorical forehead and calls it -~OMG!UNCREATIVE~- to have dolls with company faces. Your dolls, your choice.

      Also... inexpensive 'practice heads' for learning to do faceups are totally A Thing. They'll give you something to practice on without having to wipe any of your regular crew... and since they don't cost a lot, it's less of an issue if you end up staining one along the way.
       
    9. Good point-- I'll defiantly get some practice heads :3 thank you!! :)
       
    10. Yes, I think this hobby it's all about personal preference, anything goes :)
       
    11. Aw yay! <3 lol everyone here is so nice I thought I would get bombarded with "omg you're so uncreative" :XD: Thank you for your input!! :D <3
       
    12. I generally don't get factory faceups just because they're often expensive and not what I want for my characters (and sometimes the quality just isn't up to par). That being said, I did get a head on the MP once that had a limited faceup; I had planned to wipe it when he got home and do a faceup more like what I had been envisioning, but when he actually got here I really adored the faceup and even changed the character to make it fit. So some company faceups are really gorgeous and totally worth it, but they're not usually for me.

      I absolutely don't think there's any problem with keeping company faceups if that's what you like. There are plenty of other ways to customize your doll (eyes, hair, clothes, etc.), and even if you only get fullsets and don't change anything, you're allowed to enjoy your dolls however you want! I definitely agree with those that suggested practice heads for practicing faceups. No need to worry about messing up the faceups your dolls already have!
       
    13. You can always keep the faceup as long as it lasts and do your own or commission one if the current one gets scratched and worn, Or, buy your doll blank and see how it turns out, if you dont like it, there are quite a few artists out there who will copy a company faceup. Commissioning someone usually costs about the same as paying extra for a company faceup.
       
    14. Yes thank you I will defiantly get some heads to practice on ^^
       
    15. Ok thank you for your input!! :D
       
    16. Well, you know, having a company faceup isn't a bad thing! I'm super picky about faceups matching my characters, and I usually find company faceups too perfect, too feminine, too fantasy, too something or other to fit, and so I do them myself and have since the beginning. Even when I have bought dolls with company faceups, I usually end up wiping them or changing them somehow. But if you love the factory faceup, I see no issue with getting them. Not everyone does their own faceups or commissions them, and honestly, if everyone did their own, then a lot of faceup artists would be out of their jobs.

      That all being said, if you do want to learn, I encourage it. I would get a practice head or two to learn on so you can get your skills where you like them before wiping the dolls you already love. Maybe even get a full blank doll to learn body blushing and tattoos/scars/etc too? I bought my first doll without a faceup, and while my skills as a newbie were pretty terrible, even with an art degree, the time I spent learning really helped me bond with my boy. It's kind of like looking back at middle school photos of yourself and laughing at all the "fashion" disasters you thought were cool at the time. Once you get better at faceups, you look back at the old ones and see how far you've come. :)
       
    17. I have loved art my whole life- and have been drawing, coloring, painting Barbie and doll faces, painting D&D minis; I'm good with color and shading; so my first few dolls had no faceups. I figured I could do it myself and save a lot of money. I thought it would be a piece of cake. I watched tutorials, bought supplies... and my first few tries were horrible! I bought some new makeup brushes so I'll give it another go soon.
      Later, I ordered a Doll Love YoSD with a face-up, and was totally smitten as soon as I opened her. If the face-up is not too expensive, I will get it, and maybe tweak it as needed in the future.
      Practice is definitely needed, especially if you want a natural-looking face (I do.)
       
    18. Aww thank you for this! Yeah I want to make my own bjds for my characters cause I'm picky lol xD but I love the characters that come with the factory faceup :D the companies always do such a good job with that! ^^
       
    19. I've been into art my whole life as well-- I want to make my own bjds for my characters though cause I'm picky haha xD yes I will defiantly practice!! <3 thank you!
       
    20. I can't do face-ups period. I make clothes. So yeah, I do tend to get company face-ups as they so often are fine for what I want. I get creative in a lot of other ways :D