So you got a doll... now what?

@Arashi Uchiha Thank you. I'm enjoying learning to navigate the DOA site. So much information! I'm waiting for my Jaeii head to come back from his face up. I purchased a light pink blond wig for my Sunho and tried to cut it myself to the shape I imagined. One side was great, the other side not so much. Learning curve as to how the wig is sewn/made. The wig my Sunho is wearing in the photo was my second try. Have a good day!

 

Store it in a box until you get everything else associated with him/her?
I don't store any of my dolls in boxes. I have them all where I can see them every day and grab whoever I want to work on.
First buy a display case?
Most of mine are behind glass doors in various cabinets in my hobby room. I don't have room for real display cases.
First buy wigs and/or clothes?
I currently have about six bald dolls. And some of my dolls are in temporary clothes, or naked, until I'm inspired to make them an outfit.
I tend to go on sprees - last year it was footware, now all of them (except the newest) have shoes. This month it was wigs - I have seven or eight wigs coming in.
Make a name? Or do you already have a name in mind?
Most of them have a name before they arrive, but sometimes I come across a sculpt I love on the second-hand market, and I'll buy the doll without having thought of a character or name. Often these are the "OMG-I-never-thought-I-would-find-one-of-these" type dolls that I haven't dared to dream about.
Do you imagine up an idea on customization? Or many ideas?
Many ideas, and I often need some time before the plan comes together...
Do you buy more dolls so that yours has a family/friend?
Yes. Most of mine have friends. I prefer photographing them in groups.
Do you make or section off an area?
Not really.
Buy furniture? Accessories? Pets?
Some accessories. My dolls don't have pets, but some of them do have stuffed toys.

 

Whenever I get a doll the first thing I do is give them a faceup and a name. Then I make them a wig and eventually clothes. Then, I make furniture and accessories. I do everything myself because I waited so long for the doll, I don't want to wait for more things! Once I give them the basics, I usually order more (like better quality wigs and more complex clothes)

 

like others are saying im more likely to store in a box until i get at least the clothes for my doll! in the mean time i can come up with the nam if i havent already and maybe even make accesories and a diorama! i feel weird if i display their unclothed bodies, i mean how would you feel haha

 

Whenever I get a new doll I spend a lot of time looking at it and playing with it. Usually I take the doll out and look at it a lot for the first few days trying to get an idea of the style I would like for the doll. Often I will have a few things laying around that I can toss onto the doll just so that they are not naked or without a wig. Usually after I start working on body blushing or tattoos I get a good idea of the style I would like. I am usually not too concerned with names or props at first those usually just come with time for me. I tend to hold the doll a lot or having sitting on a table nearby for a least a few weeks after getting the doll. I luckily don’t really like seeing my neighbors or having the windows open so sunlight is not usually a problem.

 

Usually the first thing I do is unstring, hot-glue suede, and then re-string them. It helps me bond with a doll and I like figuring out how new bodies are engineered. I try to buy dolls within the same size ranges so all of my accessories can be used interchangeably.

If it's a doll that is a new size (hello IH SID), I'll usually store them until I have eyes/wigs/clothes for them. For my new girls, however, I already have plenty of clothes ang wigs so I spend a while dressing them up and taking photos. The first SD girl was hard to acquire and I had to spend a long time building up a wardrobe. When you already have all of it, that makes buying a new doll scarily easy to justify, haha!

 

I have a journal where I plan out all bjd associated ventures - as soon as I order a doll I work to figure out exactly what I want in terms of clothing/faceup/name
I tend to order clothing before the doll arrives in the hopes that they won't be naked for too long lol, but it's usually not a major issue if it arrives after, bc I usually send heads for faceups immediately after recieving them.
I do tend to keep them boxed up until they're fully complete, but they live in their boxes most of the time anyway!

 

I have a collection of dolls; however, I have only one BJD, an Iplehouse BID. I do different things for different dolls. Here is what I did for her.

Store it in a box until you get everything else associated with him/her?
No, I put her on a stand immediately
First buy a display case?
No she is in my china closet, where my smaller dolls live.
First buy wigs and/or clothes?
She came with a wig and I purchased clothes for her in advance.
Make a name? Or do you already have a name in mind?
She had an Iplehouse name but I gave her a new one.
Do you imagine up an idea on customization? Or many ideas?
I am not sure what you mean here.
Do you buy more dolls so that yours has a family/friend?
There are other dolls her size (not BJDs) so she has sisters.
Do you make or section off an area?
No, she lives in the china closet
Buy furniture? Accessories? Pets?
I have furniture and toys for dolls her size. Her sisters share with her.

 

When I ordered Chaeri's current shell I couldn't wait for her to arrive. I started working on her almost the moment I pulled her out of the box. I dressed her in a simple shift I had ready and worked on her faceup. I measured her, drafted patterns, made her clothes and wigs and shoes and I haven't really stopped.

I do not keep her in a box, and you do NOT want to hear my thoughts on display cases for BJDs. You do you, but Riri would never want to sit in what she would call "doll jail".

 

I usually buy dolls blank, so the first thing I do is to give it a face-up. If I don't have a clear idea for what I want it to look like I will still make a temporary one as I find that it helps me visualize the final result.
I have been in the hobby for a long time so I have accumulated a variety of wigs, eyes, clothes, shoes etc. so I will start by trying things on and see what works. How long it takes varies, sometimes I find the right ones among wigs and eyes right away, more often I find something that is kind of in the right direction and then I know what to look for when shopping later. And in one case a doll has been stuck with a rather poor quality "temporary" wig for years, because I just can't seem to find one that would work better. So how long it takes for the doll to be finished varies, but the process starts right away. Somewhere in there a name usually pops up as well.
When it comes to clothes, accessories and furniture I make most of it myself, so those things tend to happen little by little when I have time. It's a constant work in progress, even my oldest dolls still gets new things every now and then.

All my dolls have their own characters and most of the time they are not set before the doll arrives. All my dolls have backstories that have something to do with each other in one way or another, some are related, but most are just friends or simply move in the same social circles.

 

My new dolls are almost always based on preconceived characters that I sought to shell, so my ideas for them are usually set long before they even arrive, including their name. I’ll also have an idea of how they’ll be styled and where they’ll be displayed, with wig and eyes usually at the ready. By the time they arrive, I’ll have already amassed a collection of ideas and inspiration photos to guide me. The first thing that happens is a face-up, then I’ll work on making their wig (if they require an original one) and begin on their wardrobe. I’m obviously heavily into pre-planning. It’s a big part of the fun for me.

 

The face up comes first. Once that’s done, then I work on making/finding a wig and clothes. I like to take my dolls out and generally just have them around, none of them are “finished” yet.

 

Once you get a doll, what do you do?
I film my unboxings for my own sentimentality and it’s fun to rewatch them. I spray them down with msc ASAP and the other girls are always present for their new sisters arrival. I also have an outfit next to her so she can get dressed and meet the girls.
First buy wigs and/or clothes?
Aiko:
- wig (after arrival)
- bra and underwear (after arrival)
- eyes (before arrival)
- clothes shoes and socks (before arrival)

Nezuko:
- wig (after arrival)
-eyes (stuck with default)
- underwear and bra (after arrival)
- outfit shoes and socks (ordered with)

Yumi:
- wig (ordered with)
- eyes (stuck with default)
- underwear (after arrival)
- outfit, shoes and socks (ordered with)

Hoshi:
- wig (default)
- eyes (default)
- underwear (after arrival)
- outfit shoes and socks (after arrival)

Treacle:
-Wig- (before arrival)
-Eyes- (???)
-Underwear and bra (underwear is Before arrival)
- outfit (After arrival)

Make a name? Or do you already have a name in mind?
Names chosen before purchase of the doll.
All have some kind of symbolic meaning besides Nezuko and Treacle.

First buy a display case?
None are displayed. They are like cuddly angels to me. I always forget they are artist dolls. And definitely forget their monetary value.

Do you buy more dolls so that yours has a family/friend?
They are all a grouping. I did order Yumi after Aiko as a sister for her (Aiko was my first doll). And then Nezuko the week after.

Buy furniture? Accessories? Pets?
They have plush toys they receive and you can kind of tell which ones they like and ones they don’t. Idk.

 

When I order a doll, I usually have already decided the character (name, story, etc.) and the style it is going to have so, if I haven't already, I check online for one basic outfit, one wig and one pair of eyes to suit that image but I don't buy them yet. I also start looking for a face-up artist that can make my vision complete.
When the doll arrives, I check if everything is in order and the sculpt is exactly what I thought it would be. If I feel I can bond with it and it will fit with the rest of the crew, I will go on with everything listed previously.
While the head is with the face-up artist, I order and hopefully receive the rest of the stuff so when the head comes back, I can succesfully see the doll completed and then make the proper presentations to the rest of the resin family.

 

When i get a new doll i normally take pics of them and play around with them

 

Playing and goofing around with my new resin mate. Test how posable he and try to find some kind of clothes for him. I mostly keep the sculptname. It's not really important to have a real name, because they are mostly not characters, just nice dolls.

 

Store it in a box until you get everything else associated with him/her?
I have to take them out immediately because I just want to play with them ASAP.

First buy a display case?
I don't have a display case, they just live on my shelves.

First buy wigs and/or clothes?
I like having wigs, eyes, and clothes prepared before they even arrive. And clothes are something I'm pretty much always shopping for.

Make a name? Or do you already have a name in mind?
I typically come up with a name while I'm waiting for them just so that I have something to call them other than their sculpt name but it'll typically change when I start to develop their personality.

Do you imagine up an idea on customization? Or many ideas?
Most of the time I get dolls with faceups already so I don't plan on customization. However, when it comes to blank dolls, I need to have an idea for them before I purchase them.

Do you buy more dolls so that yours has a family/friend?
I'm guilty of this. I keep going this doll needs a girlfriend or this one needs a sister. But finances usually keep me in check.

Do you make or section off an area?
I had a space dedicated as a work room before I even got my first doll so it transformed into my work/doll room.

Buy furniture? Accessories? Pets?
I love scale props, especially stuff for tinies and YoSDs so I tend to shop for those when I get the doll. Mostly because I need to double check if an item would fit them properly. I'd love to get a pet for one of them but finding one in scale that's not out of my price range is difficult.

 

Once you get a doll, what do you do?
First thing I do is access damages and since I mainly fix up project dolls I also like to see what I'll need for supplies and test any chemicals on the headcap before I jump into a project!

Store it in a box until you get everything else associated with him/her?
All dolls get the bucket treatment because I buy second hand

First buy a display case?
Maybe if I had the room!

First buy wigs and/or clothes?
I'm slowly building up stuff I need to buy because I have a lot of nude and bald dolls right now!! Right now my goal is to get a set for all the permanent additions!

Make a name? Or do you already have a name in mind?
The names will come to me once I get started on faceups and aesthetics!

Do you imagine up an idea on customization? Or many ideas?
Right now I want all my dolls to be fantasy inspired which can range from a fairy dust farmer to a fae or a god! Right now I'm just accessing faces and seeing what works best!

Do you buy more dolls so that yours has a family/friend?
Nope! I buy more dolls because I have a problem )

Do you make or section off an area?
Right now my dolls have a small bookshelf and most are stacked unstrung in tubs while I clean them or they awake being dyed! Those assembled chill on the boxes if they don't fit in a storage box.

Buy furniture? Accessories? Pets?
Not yet but hopefully soon!

 

I do different thing with different dolls.
The newest doll came with a fantastic face up and I also purchased a custom wig from the seller. I got him accessories and custom eyes before he arrived. I did make a space for him on my desk, a few weeks before he was due to arrive. Will get furniture and buy and make clothes after he arrives. No plans on getting him a friend/family. He has some toys. (Maybe things are different because he is my grail)
Other dolls I usually wait till they arrive before I buy anything, and will set up their space after they arrive. May consider getting them a friend.

All names are usually given after the doll arrives and I guess settles in. It is just easier to do that when you are looking directly at the actual doll not just a picture.

 

For my first doll the seller kindly offered to sell me the wig and eyes the doll was wearing. It also came with a beautiful face-up so I didn't have to worry about that. First thing I ordered was a wig and dress for her to wear even though she didn’t have a body yet!

Now I have a few starter outfits to choose from so dolls don’t sit naked!

Typically I work on getting a doll eyes and a wig first. Only one of my dolls came without face-up but I still got her some eyes and a wig before doing her face