Planning your doll family? Did you have a plan? How did it work out?

I just turn my most important characters into dolls, that's not exactly planning, is it?
That involved loads of researching and cooling into models and sizes

 

I just look for dolls I like, see how they grow on me, and then decide if I want them or not. ^^
I'll add a character to them later. :P

 

In a way, yes. XD; I went on another hunt for BJDs that I might want later in the future and I found a few and already I'm thinking of personalities and looks for them. No names, since I rather think of them when they're either arriving or here. And my first BJD isn't even done yet! XDD But I guess it's good to plan ahead and then later when you do get to a point of wanting to get another BJD, you can see what ones you wanted and do more research on other dolls before officially settling on them. Or at least that's how I see it. At least I'm not the only one. My friend is already planning out her family as I type now XDD

 

I usually buy dolls that fit my story characters. Occasionally there is a doll, however, that creates strong images and story snippets in my mind, and after that it's obvious I'll be adding that particular doll to my doll plan list

I try to stick to this plan, however, and that is why I have certain criteria that have to be met before I add the doll on my list - it has to have a character, a background, and a name (and preferrably a connection to my previous dolls). Thanks to this system, I've managed to avoid most of the extempore purchases - there have been some cases where the criteria are met only vaguely, but I have still managed to stick to my plan rather well :3

 

I think I'd just start off with my first doll and see how things go from there. Like if there's a doll I really like, I'll see how big s/he is in comparison and figure out if that'd be a good brother/sister or partner. Maybe just a friend. If I have my first doll and then a partner and I find a doll that happens to seem like s/he'd might be a good child, then (assuming I'll buy him/her) I might go through and decide whether or not my couple is "ready" for the child.

 

I've planned all the dolls I own, but not all at once. Like alot of people I initially thought I'd just get one doll...then it was three...and well it keeps getting bigger lol. I've kind of gotten to the point where I have one more I plan to buy and after that I want another girl...not sure what kind yet.
But, I did get a Juri head from a friend that I did an experimental face up on and now I'm considering a body for him...

 

I'm planning my dolls, but I know life can verify it. I don't care about it actually

 

I usually have original characters in mind when I put a doll on my wishlist. There are a couple of molds I fell for on their own, though, and they're on there while I contemplate a character for them. (MNF muscular boy body, someday you shall be miiine! After you have a character, anyway.)

 

Reading this post I've noticed that I'm drawing my family plan mostly on the go but on two ways.

My first aim was to have a doll of each size. By the way I own a minifee, a lati yellow and a pukipuki, next one is meant to be a yo-sd, almost decided by a Pipos Noel but still thinking. I go slowly...

As time passed by and I discovered other dolls in person or by pics I decided that my favourite size is around 40cm and I wish I could have one of every dollhouse I like because I find them so cute, easy to dress and not so difficult to carry.

Anywhere from here, who knows? I'll only save and try to keep my family boundaries under control xD

 

I just decide on how many I want per size and fill in the slots from there with dolls I like. Characters for the dolls come later.

 

This is exactly where I stand as far as planning for dolls goes, as well. Finding the right molds for my characters can be hell, though, and saving the money for the dolls is even harder, especially right now.

 

As of now, I'm planning my dolls based on characters I have made for a story. But, I'm still new to the hobby and in the near future will be buying my very first doll. The only plan set in stone is to buy my first doll to represent a developing character, my second doll will be for that character's lover, and a third doll for the child they adopt. I have other ideas, but they may change over time as I get further into the hobby. Also, once I get my first, it will be a while before I get the second and third, plenty of time for future doll ideas to change.

 

When I bought my first BJD, it was because I stumbled across a Volks showroom while studying abroad in Japan, and since I had been collecting traditional 日本人形 (you know, those geisha or maiko dolls dressed in kimonos), I thought it would be fun to get a more modern-style doll to offset my collection, which is how I ended up with a Volks SD13 Mimi. So I guess that originally, I was looking for diversity.

Since I learned about the wider world of Den of Angels, I also bought a floating Silvia head from Iplehouse to practice doing face-ups on, because the thought of messing up the default Volks face-up was too intimidating, but still wanted to explore other areas of the BJD hobby, and Iplehouse has beautiful models. I was a little surprised when the head arrived, because the size and the weight/color of the resin, and the style of sculpts (a more realistic look vs. a more stylized, "animé" look) was more obvious than say, placing one realistic Volks sculpt and one more stylized Volks sculpt side by side, as I had seen in the showroom.

It will probably be a long time before I can ever afford another doll, which I suppose is a good thing because I still can't decide what I would get next. I guess you could say I have a few alternate "plans" for a BJD family.

The first plan would be a like-attracts-like match: Either to get a more mature boy for my Volks SD13 Mimi, which I am leaning toward the Volks boys, since I already know the sizes of their heads would look good together, and it would make me feel better to get a match.

The next plan is to diversify within bloodlines: To explore dolls of various sizes. Maybe a Mini-SD, or a Yo-SD, to have someone else to make clothes for, since my current doll already has so many wigs that she can very easily metamorph into whatever image she wants to be.

Then I debate whether or not to continue with my plans of "diversifying" all my dolls, like the original BJD purchase: Now that I have traditional Japanese dolls, and a Japanese BJD, I could look into getting an Iplehouse body for my floating head, or look into getting a little Pipos doll or an Iplehouse model in a very dark resin, or something that just stands out on its own.

The floating head would be lonely without a body. But having two very different body sculpts (especially a smaller one that looks more mature) might get confusing. I also can't help but thinking of Noah bringing two of a kind onto the arc. I have two traditional dolls that are made by the same sculptor, so I am inclined to want two BJDs by the same manufacturer. After I have a complete set, then maybe I'll worry about branching out to other manufacturers.

I once read a Japanese story that explained how you determine what is beautiful. The Japanese way of telling whether or not an object is beautiful, it said, is to place the object where it can be surrounded by other beautiful items, and if it blends in, it is also beautiful. I suppose that the Western way of determining beauty would be seeing whether something stands out.

 

All my dolls are a characters from one story I'm writting. Well, it's not a real story, pretty much it is just a journal written by a members of one really weird circus - El Circo Oscuro.
As the members are coming, so are coming dolls. The interesting thing is that always it's the doll that come first. In 99% of cases it's like: "Wow, that's a gorgeous doll, she'd be perfect for blah blah blah."
As soon as I start to like that doll, her name, her backstory, her character aspects just appear in my head.
The only thing I got a problem with is a order in which I want to buy dolls (I'm still in beginning of building El Circo >.>).

So yeah, it's a weird way of planning but it's the only one that works for me

 

I plan by wich ones i like and I also fill in characters. I base all my characters Of people I know. from another site or in real life. Then i get and modiify. though some mostly limiteds that I like and i just fit into my family easily. I love makeing lists and planning. after planning the hard part for me is following thorugh and do it. Once i get started i do it quickly.

 

I planned my doll family by finding dolls to match my existing character family. I'd much prefer to have dolls of my characters than a bunch of random dolls that I have to make characters for.

 

i could have sworn that i had posted here, oh well...

i once had a plan, needless to say that fell through. none of my dolls are OC's so i don't really have a set criteria for the dolls i buy. at the moment i'm collecting all the dolls that i've really wanted and then i suppose i'll go from there.

 

well, I started without a plan, then made a plan, and am now considering chucking said plan straight out the proverbial window.

I got my girl Victoria (IH Iris) on a bit of a whim: I wanted a BJD, I had the money, I liked her best out of all the sculpts I saw because she looked happily mischievious, so I bought her. Then a month later in November I took on NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month: 50,000 words, 30 days) and Victoria became my main character. I got stuck and ran out of time, but I had an interesting cast of characters created in that story.
Then I started thinking that I'd really like to have a resin representation of my favorite manga character, Tsuruga Ren from Skip Beat!. Nine months later, thanks to Iplehouse, I brought home an IH Tedros for my boy. It wouldn't be right for him not to have his dream girl, right? So I'm saving up for Mogami Kyoko, the main character from Skip Beat! - I haven't quite decided on a sculpt yet.
Then If I'm getting Kyoko for Ren, I should get Victoria's beau right? So I add him to the list. Oh, and I see really neat mods people do...well I don't want to change my main quartet....and maybe I should get some characters from Victoria's story....

You can see where this is going. I'm a "family plan"-er, sort of. The only downside is that I really only like 60+cm dolls, so I'm going to run out of room if I'm not careful. I honestly only intended to get one or two dolls!

 

At first I had never "planned" my family. I just ordered the first doll that spoke out to me, that was 'the one' haha.
After that I knew I wanted SOOMs May'10 doll because of my 18th birthday/graduation. C:
The third came as a surprise because I just got such a deal for her, and wanted more tinies.

Now though, I've got a little plan haha. I need another MSD so that my boy can have a friend. And then before that, I'm getting an SD. B&G Sapphira because it is the perfect mold for my #1 OC. And because he is the #1 and my character twin/opposite, he will be my SD baby. >w< My others will be just as important but, he will hold a special place n.n

After that though I have no idea what my plan is, aside from "get all the soom tinies you can". XD

 

I've been thinking lots about this
I always buy a doll (whatever sort) because I like the style/face
That's the main thing

My bjd family won't have a story because I just will buy what I like and they will be 'my family' - dressed as I would like my own kids to dress (ie *I* can choose!!) and pretty 'normal'
Probably boring to some - but I just go for what will give me pleasure