Mistakes You've Made in the Hobby?

I'd say my biggest mistakes in the hobby have been purchases. My plans have vastly changed and I've learned that certain sizes and styles of doll don't work for me like I thought they would. I'm currently in the process of listing everything for sale and starting fresh!

 

I've ordered doll parts in overly good faith that have ended up being terrible resin matches, paid too much for accessories through dealers (my god do I wish I had known how easy buying straight from taobao was), forgotten to add things to an order resulting in twice the shipping fees... Not enough patience is always the biggest mistake in my case usually, I've definitely had to learn to force myself to take a step back from the wantwantwant tunnelvision moments. But we live and learn, no matter how hard we try we all make tons of mistakes. In this hobby where you never get to see things in person before buying, I think it's also important to accept that how you feel about your purchases might change once you get to handle them and it's not a mistake or fault per se.

 

Big mistakes, thankfully not many, mainly related to not being unaware of what, and how big, I wanted my collection to be. At one point, I had so many ideas for dolls but no way to make them all true so I felt there was no point in collecting if I couldn't shell all the characters. It took me a long time and some frustration to understand what I wanted.
Small to medium-sized mistakes, a whole bunch, like trying too many bodies for my MSD hybrid, not learning to restring my dolls properly, bad wig attempts, buying cheaper things instead of saving up for good quality, etc.

 

My biggest mistake was contracting acquisition syndrome. It is a battle that must be fought each day in this hobby

 

Sounds like I'm going to have to learn about how easy it is to buy from taobao...

I haven't done all that much so far, but I would say my biggest thing is not keeping my hands clean while handling my doll. I knew light could affect the resin but never thought about oil/dirt on my hands. I don't really count the trial and error of clothes-making as mistakes, for the most part.

 

I would say my biggest mistake was worrying too much about the "right" brands for faceup materials.

I have done faceups on almost all of the dolls in my collection, and usually order dolls blank because I enjoy the process. I also use a cheapo pack of chalk pastels that I bought ages ago, and prefer a decent quality watercolor over acrylic for eyeliner. I'm happy with the results, and that's all that matters!

 

I think my biggest mistake was also buying dolls that i could have gotten for much cheaper and with a company with a better reputation at the same time…
I failed to do enough research on company’s and reviews just far to late, but luckily I’ve now learned

 

For me, buying wigs and clothes and shoes. Not all the time, but since I can't try them on my dolls (I miss going to Fabric Friends - she used to let you try them on your dolls, but I think they closed their storefront) some wigs have been too big/too small/look not so great on this or that sculpt. Same with clothes or shoes - too small/too big/doesn't suit my doll. I've had this issue with all kinds of companies/2nd hand stores. But I plan to try to sell those I am not keeping.

Another mistake, buying from sellers who aren't honest. I've basically learn that if I don't buy it from a company/vetted 2nd hand store/or here, I shouldn't buy it at all unless I know and trust that person. Going on two years now and one particular mistake still burns.

And if always having a doll on layaway is a mistake, then I am guilty of that too.

 

Dyeing my dolls inside. For the sake of your kitchen, do it outside. With rit dye more, I felt it was easier to spill over by going too hot. I dye poly feels less temperamental, but it left a haze on everything in the vicinity. I'm gonna have to repaint my kitchen my dude...

 

I've made a lot of mistakes when learning what I liked in the hoby, what sizes and companies I liked, buying dolls I didn't like that much but got them bc they were cheap :/
PLENTY of faceup mishaps, (once soaked a mouth peice in rubbing alcohol over night (it was fine, thankfully)), dying disasters, can never make good eyeballs for the life of me

 

My very biggest mistake is something that I actually only rectified recently (I've been doing faceups in this hobby for over 6 freaking years) and it's not being careful with moisture and MSC.

I used primarily gouache, and for some reason it didn't occur to me how important it is to make sure that shit is DRY dry. I frequently sealed gouache that seemed dry and was dry to the touch, but was almost definitely not dry all the way through. I also painted on my gouache relatively thick, which likely made that problem even worse.

I managed to avoid consequences for a good 5 years or so, but recently a ton of my faceups just started crumbling off. I was freaking out trying to figure out why, but then it clicked and I felt like a total dumbass. Now I'm overcompensating and I've not only switched to acrylic, but I try to let it dry overnight before sealing.

 

Oh yes! Back in 2009, when I'd ordered my first boy doll (Dragondoll Cheng), i'd initially gotten just the body, and had to wait on a head from another company (HZ). When the head finally arrived, it had several shade too light, and waaay too small, with a neck hole too narrow to fit on that body. I ended up getting the Cheng head separately, and selling the HZ head off. As it turned out though, the new head was lighter than the body and we had to blush match him.

 

I've never done a faceup so I don't know what it acts like on MSC, but gouache cracks even on traditional supports. You need to get the right consistency that's thick enough for coverage but not too thick.

I wonder if using water-based mediums like watercolor for faceups can cause problems if you live in a very hot and humid environment. Paper usually stays relatively protected but dolls are a lot more exposed. I wonder if you need extra sealant for stuff that can reactivate like watercolor.

 

Does accidentally ordering a doll count?

I was thinking about ordering another doll and there were five I was trying to decide on. One of them was the fullset Hawkley from Ringdoll.

Well I was browsing Ringdoll laying on my sofa with my pet parrot who loves my cellphone. Well I fell asleep and this little bird had free access to my phone. Well this little mischief maker went to work tapping his beak against the screen.

When I woke up I checked my emails and saw three order confirmations from Ringdoll.
In a panic I went to the website and saw my bird had ordered two full set Hawkleys and a full set Zhou Yun. I was able to cancel the Zhou Yun and one Hawkley. The other Hawkley had already gone through payment confirmation.

So I ended up purchasing a full set Hawkley because of my parrot.

 

Sooo many mistakes over the years. Just today I scratched my dolls faceup Luckily I have the supplies and skills to fix it but I’m still upset at myself.

 

Buying loads of "Victorian" style boots in different colours and sizes only to find they weren't worth the money when, a few years after purchase, the surface of the faux leather started cracking and pealing-off.

Honestly it's put me off buying bjd shoes. I am reluctant to waste my money on rip-off products that cost a high price despite using bad quality materials thaty aren't going to last. And the styles needed for my dolls don't seem to be available in actual leather which is the only way to be sure that the same thing won't happen again... so my dolls are severely lacking in appropriate footwear.

Teddy

 

As an older, ancient-BJD-hobbyist, I don't feel I have made too many mistakes. When I first discovered these dolls, I knew I had to do a lot of research before I got any of them, just due to the cost alone. Back then there were no budget friendly companies, and illegal copies weren't an issue (thankfully). That's not to toot my own horn or anything, I am terrible at many aspects of customizing, due to many varying factors (mostly I suck at sewing, miniature painting, and probably patience and making wigs!). However, some of the bigger mistakes I feel I did do, besides (still) sucking at painting miniatures, are I didn't get a few sculpts I wish I had, when they were available. I didn't intentionally not purchase them, I was just either not in the financial conditions to purchase them at the time they were available, or I wasn't aware they were being discontinued and missed my chance at getting them. Two of those sculpts I do own already, but I have heavily modified both (which I don't regret, I just wish I owned default unmodified versions, because I am a hoarder!).

Otherwise, I feel most things like doing a sh1tty job at face ups, and modifications have all been learning experiences that have helped me learn something new. Or gave me a different approach to how I go about certain things. I never used markers for face ups, or human make up/nail-polish, or things of that sort that a lot of newbies did in the dark ages (again, I did a lot of research before I got my first BJD). I'm not pro at anything that's toy customization, but I feel that as long as I can redo the work all over again, it's not a mistake but a learning experience. DX Not purchasing sculpts I'll never in a million years be able to own now, that was a huge mistake I'll never be able to undo (I'm a germaphobe, even if somehow out of the mercifulness of life, I was able to find them in decent condition, I wouldn't purchase them because I suck!). T___T;;

 

Your WHAT did WHAT

 

I haven't done many I think?
My biggest one was chipping my friends boy when I was taking pictures. I wasn't fast enough on catching him. Which I've gotten good at over the years. Can't trust that your doll won't try to yeet themselves.

Also clothes. I will now stay away from anything with vinyl/fake leather as I had to toss away a bunch due to deterioration.