1. It has come to the attention of forum staff that Dollshe Craft has ceased communications with dealers and customers, has failed to provide promised refunds for the excessive waits, and now has wait times surpassing 5 years in some cases. Forum staff are also concerned as there are claims being put forth that Dollshe plans to close down their doll making company. Due to the instability of the company, the lack of communication, the lack of promised refunds, and the wait times now surpassing 5 years, we strongly urge members to research the current state of this company very carefully and thoroughly before deciding to place an order. For more information please see the Dollshe waiting room. Do not assume this cannot happen to you or that your order will be different.
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  2. Dollshe Craft and all dolls created by Dollshe, including any dolls created under his new or future companies, including Club Coco BJD are now banned from Den of Angels. Dollshe and the sculptor may not advertise his products on this forum. Sales may not be discussed, no news threads may be posted regarding new releases. This ban does not impact any dolls by Dollshe ordered by November 8, 2023. Any dolls ordered after November 8, 2023, regardless of the date the sculpt was released, are banned from this forum as are any dolls released under his new or future companies including but not limited to Club Coco BJD. This ban does not apply to other company dolls cast by Dollshe as part of a casting agreement between him and the actual sculpt or company and those dolls may still be discussed on the forum. Please come to Ask the Moderators if you have any questions.
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Lessons learned

Sep 10, 2019

    1. Give things ago. Try make a wig, eyes or clothes, they might not turn out as well as bought ones but you learnt something new. And you might like making them.
       
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    2. That I will never again attempt a faceup. I had a very bad reaction to MSC and had to go to the hospital in an ambulance the day after. Long story short, I’m okay now, but I will never try that again (and my faceup sort of sucked too).
       
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    3. More things. I've learned a lot in this hobby. :D
      • Iron BJD and similar contests are a lot of fun, but expect to spend a lot of time making the thrown-together garment into something workable afterward.

      • I like body blushing. The more extensive the better, so long as the color doesn't hit the unfortunate realm of sunburn.

      • If the 'usual' aesthetic for your company/sculpt/hobby group doesn't suit, hare off after what you want. It'll be worth it in the long run.

      • If you can sew it at doll scale, you can sew it at human scale, and vice versa. My FID guy has become a trial arena for testing techniques I want to learn.
       
      • x 1
    4. Wow, I'm sorry to hear that happened to you! I'm glad you're okay now though:3nodding:

      As for things I've learned:
      • Airbrushing is a fickle technique that takes a lot of troubleshooting and patience to work with. It's especially not something to play around with when you're impatient/short-fused.
      • There are other sealants out there that are just as good (if not better) to use than MSC. And they can be used along with MSC as well. To a degree anyways.
      • Acrylic paint is temperamental. And a pain to work with. One little mistake (a line too long/thick, out of place, a misplaced splotch created with the slip of a hand, etc.), and you have to start from scratch. Watercolor paint from a tube is easier to work with, and easy to clean up after if mistakes are made.
      • brand of watercolor pencils being used is key. Some brands create spectacular results, while others are just plain hard to work with (here's looking at you, prismacolor).
      • Pattern making for sewing is confusing. I think I need to take sewing lessons to better figure this one out.
      • Have some kind of plan when doing a faceup. Trying to create one from a feeling or vague mental image will only result in a wiped faceup.
      • Wigmaking is fun, but also daunting. Yarn is a great material to start off with, as it's cheap and easy to acquire. Latex is a great material to use when making the cap, and hot glue (cold setting) can be used for quick and easy wigs.
      I'm sure there's more, but this is a good start:kitty2
       
      • x 1
    5. Yep! you can buy it from the Volks Website! It dries faster, it doesn't leave a lingering smell for hours, and I've never had any strange reactions with it on resin!

      What I meant was that acrylic paints are unforgiving because they dry permanent and cant be removed with water. When I first started the hobby, I was told to buy acrylic paint. I would use it to make the black liner on the upper lid. Often, my hand would twitch JUST THE SLIGHTEST (just like how it happens to me in real life when I do makeup lol) and suddenly my doll looked like a dude from the band KISS. I would try to wipe it, but it would just smear and dry even faster. I'd try to remove it with water or an eraser, but nothing would remove it. I would end up needing to remove it with alcohol, which would ruin the sealant underneath my mistake. Even if I resealed the face, the one spot I made the mistake at would look a different color than the rest of my faceup, and I'd end up having to start over. I later found out that I could use guache instead and that it could be removed with water. That was SOOOOOO much easier when I'd make a mistake!
       
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    6. Be careful when restringing. Pay attention or your hand and arm will live in a sling for a few weeks.
      Just because you found out one new thing doesn't mean there isn't mountains more.
      Always have extra, no matter what you are doing, whether it be simple or complex.
       
      • x 1
    7. If it helps, professional sewing students aren't taught patternmaking until like the 3rd year. In particular, it's not so much just making a pattern, but fitting it to a person (or doll) which takes a lot of experience to master; & the more sewing you do from other people's patterns, the more you understand the basic shapes.

      So don't worry ^_^ It's a hard skill, so keep practicing it - you'll get there.
       
      • x 1
    8. All of these are my personal lessons, so they’re not one-size fits all.

      -just get the doll you wanted. Yes, that expensive one that you feel bad about the price of. You’ve been in this hobby 5 years. You know you like dolls. You have the money. Just buy the darned doll.

      -if you don’t like it, selling isn’t an ordeal. Get out there and sell dolls that don’t please you. If it’s not what you want, don’t keep it.

      -if it’s kind of what you want, go mod it. Modding is great. Go absolutely nuts with it. If it looks bad then the mod isn’t done!

      -don’t settle for “well, she looks kind of like x and I think I like her” —no. If you want, say, Twigling ingenue, then that’s the doll you go find. You will sell so many inge-nots try long to learn this.

      -sometimes, start over. I did this for trauma reasons, but if it’s not working, and you love the hobby but don’t like your dolls, just start over. Get new faceups, get new dolls. Whatever you have to do.

      -your friends all think your dolls are the coolest thing ever. You should probably talk about them more. Your ex is not the only one who’ll ever think they’re cool.

      -and seriously, modding. Modding is the best.
       
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    9. I have learned stringing is one of the single most infuriating borderline impossible endeavors I have ever attempted aside from that horrible crunch machine at the gym lol. And that I'm far to scared of breathing in sealant to ever try to do a faceup myself.
       
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      • The Dolly Doctor at Tenshi no Sato is magical, better to leave things to him.
      • The pain of carrying three dolls on your back for 18 continuous hours stays for 2-3 days, do not recommend.
      • Take a friend with you to take outdoor pictures and have them be just out of frame to catch the doll in case of wind or anything knocking them down.
      • Waiting to buy things is a careful balance, wait long enough to know that you really want it but not too long that it's out of reach when you decide that you really need it in your life.
      • Do not pass on something that you think you might kick yourself for later, it costs a lot in money now but it'll cost a lot more in time/sanity (and in all likelihood, money too) to hunt it down later
      • Even if you think that something might not work, if you have the chance to try it then try it, you might surprise yourself with the result
       
      #30 Chibi_Rat, Sep 9, 2020
      Last edited: Jan 5, 2021
      • x 1
    10. I remember literally breaking down into tears when I struggled with stringing my first BJD. I even bought those scissor clamp things to help, but it ended up scratching up the edges of my doll. :( The whole experience was borderline traumatizing, lol. I never attempted to take apart a BJD again after that.
       
    11. All same scale dolls don't take same size eyes. I bought way too small eyes for most my dolls for way too long. I guess it is the same kind of illusion that gets a woman to buy too small cup size for her bra, I could see the eyes gapped from side but never purchased bigger eyes until that once I did, and there was no going back ever since.
       
      • x 1