The Face-up is Everything. Or is it?

* Does a face-up matter when it comes to buying a doll?

For me, face-ups are usually important. I like to know what I'm getting up-front, so commissioning face-ups or doing them myself is not as good as seeing a face-up I love that comes with a doll.

However--I have bought dolls that did not come with face-ups. Obviously, the sculpt matters, too! I do like to see a photo of an unpainted head when I buy a doll, but sometimes I'll just have to figure that if I like the face-up and what I can see of the sculpt under the paint, then it should be OK (since I don't intend on getting rid of the face-up anyway).

* If it does, why? If not, explain!

A face-up can really affect how a doll looks. It's part of the doll. Usually I will buy a doll if I like the face-up AND everything else (the sculpt, basically). There are rare times when I have liked the doll and disliked the face-up. In that case, I'll try and get the doll without the face-up.

* Do you let a face-up artist do their thing?

I haven't ever commissioned a face-up, although I've thought about it a lot. I would pick an artist who I knew had a style that would match what I'm wanting and would give general directions, but I know that they have their own way of doing things and I will trust in that. It's impossible to have something come out exactly how you envision something. I know this because I'm an artist myself and I can't even make things from my own head come out exactly as I wish! But I can get close enough to be happy, and that's the key.

* More importantly, do you trust them well enough?

You have to find an artist you trust.
BUT
That's one of the reasons I have been doing my own face-ups. I have a vision and it's easier to do it myself than try to describe it to someone else. The times I'd considered commissioning someone were when I really, really thought they were amazing and knew I'd love whatever they did!

* Or do you lay everything down to a T?

You can do this... it can help the artist. But don't expect too much. You have to have some leeway for the artist's skill and talent. If the artist you choose is the right one, you should get something even better than you thought you'd get...

* Is it fun doing your own face-ups?

I don't find it particularly FUN. It's good for bonding and for learning, though. So, I don't mind doing them too much.

 

A face-up only matters to me when I'm not sure how much I love a particular sculpt.
Of course the sculpt is the most important thing to me when buying a doll then comes a beautiful face-up that can compliment it and bring it out even more.
That being said, a great face-up can sway my opinion on a sculpt because I get to see it in a way I hadn't thought of before, even if I won't buy the doll with that particular face-up.
Simply put I think face-ups can be important when I'm choosing a doll because it can show unseen potential of certain sculpts.

 

The face up really doesn't matter much to me. Though I do prefer to buy dolls that come with some sort of standard face-up as I can see more potential in a doll with face-up versus without it. The color of resin can sometimes kind of just melt against it's self in pictures and make it hard to see the features of a sculpt, but giving different parts some color can help shape the feature for pictures and really show how pronounced they are. And that helps me to decide on getting a doll or not by a lot!

So basically, I'll buy a doll without a face up so long as I can see a picture of it with a face-up before purchase (owner picture or company picture), to make sure I'm seeing the real features of the doll. That being said, in a few cases I've actually been able to see the features of a doll better without a face-up, but it really depends on how the pictures were taken.

Put shortly: Face-ups aren't everything to me, the sculpt is.

 

I do look past faceups to the sculpt, but I also love a good default faceup. I've bought dolls who had defaults that I loved. I've bought a doll with the idea that I might have to tweak the default faceup, but it turned out that I loved the default in person. I bought one doll that had already received a custom faceup and mods, and I had previously considered getting that sculpt blank because the default didn't suit me. Finally, I bought my most recent doll blank and did my own faceup to get a very specific look that I wanted. There wasn't really anything wrong with that doll's default, but I wanted a different expression.

Painting my boy's face was more fun than I'd expected, but it's not something that I want to do every time. A default that I like or a company I trust to do custom work for me can be an awesome bonus. Not liking a default faceup won't keep me away from a sculpt that I really love though.

 

I fell in love with the Doll leaves Vivian doll because of her FU. When she arrived I was a little disappointed as (for me) she looked totally different. As the FU was not available as part of her purchase I now have to try and do the FU the same way. I am sure I will be able to do similar but for this doll it was important to me.

 

I no longer buy dolls with default faceups because I'm usually disappointed with it. It either isn't unique enough or doesn't fit my character. I do my own.

In the past, I have had two dolls sent off for faceups, before I felt qualified to do my own.

• Does a face-up matter when it comes to buying a doll? buying, no. I usually don't like defaults.
• If it does, why? If not, explain! I have 17 dolls and only 2 have default faceups. Usually, they don't fit my character or I just think they look bland.

Do you let a face-up artist do their thing? I'm really picky about faceups. So...it has to look like MY character, or I'm not pleased, even if the face up is gorgeous

• More importantly, do you trust them well enough? Not enough to just hand it over and say "oh, have fun, surprise me!"
• Or do you lay everything down to a T? I try to, but there are a lot of details I see in my head, but am unable to convey to the artist
• Is it fun doing your own face-ups? I love it and do all of my own, since I'm better at doing it myself than trying to tell somebody else exactly what I envision

 

As far as I am concerned, the faceup is a way to bring out the best features of the sculpt. I either buy my dolls intending to change the faceup, or I get them blank. It does matter in the long run what faceup they end up with, but I can love a doll with an ugly faceup because I know it's not permanent, and I know the doll will be beautiful one day when it has the proper face. But if I don't like the sculpt, I will never like the doll, no matter how good the faceup is.

When I am commissioning someone for the first couple times I give very specific instructions, but I build up trust with artists through repeated commissions, as I get to know what they are like and they learn my preferences. In the end, I usually just start to give guidelines to the artist, such as a color scheme, or a theme or idea for them to work with. Sadly, my two favorite artists are no longer taking commissions. So I have to learn to trust someone new now.

 

• Does a face-up matter when it comes to buying a doll?

No. One of my rules is that if I don't like a doll blank then I don't even consider it. I've seen some dolls I've loved but then seen them blank and disliked them a lot. I'm not going to buy a doll I don't like just because I like the way it looks with a certain face-up. Most of the face-ups I like are custom anyway.
Other factors are: Price. Dolls are less expensive blank. Also I try to do my own as often as I can. They don't come out perfect, but I love practicing and working on them. It also takes the pressure off me being obsessive about what happens to them. Because I know that if the face-up is ever messed up I can redo it myself.

• If it does, why? If not, explain!

I've seen a lot of dolls with custom face-ups I like, but then I see the sculpt and it's a doll I just don't like. I don't like the idea of buying a sculpt when what makes me like it is a face-up that's not permanent at all and can be chipped/worn/ruined/etc in some way no matter how careful I am with it.

And...

• Do you let a face-up artist do their thing?

If it's an artist I get to choose/commission then yes. I've sent two of my girls to Xhanthi so far and each time given her my general idea and let her go at it. The dolls where I have definite ideas I try to do myself, because I am trying to get better at face-ups.
I also trust a few companies face-ups just by what I've seen myself and in images and reviews.

• More importantly, do you trust them well enough?

I wouldn't send my doll to them if I didn't.

• Or do you lay everything down to a T?

I haven't yet. Maybe I will at some point, but I'm careful to pick an artist who's style meshes with what I like. Give them a general idea of what I want and then trust them to do it.

• Is it fun doing your own face-ups?

Yes! Challenging too. The only part that's not fun is wither wiping the current face-up, cleaning it, and spraying MSC. I love the painting part though. The prep work is just so tedious and cuts into me playing around with faces more.

 

•Does a face-up matter when it comes to buying a doll?
Not really. Most of the dolls I buy/plan on getting are based off original characters of mine, so I try to find molds that fit their spesific faceshape/expression. But sometimes when I'm unsure if a mold will fit or not I look at different faceups done by different owners, and if I then see a faceup that brings the mold to life the way I want, it will convince me to get that mold since I then know it can bring the expression I want.

•Do you let a face-up artist do their thing?
I've never sendt my heads to a faceup artist... But I have been thinking about it. And if I ever were to, I would show them images of what I wanted and mention what's most important to me. But as long as they get down the key elements I would love for them to put their own touches to it too.

•More importantly, do you trust them well enough?
I would look through the faceup artists' previous work and if I liked their style I would let them do what they wanted as long as they, as said, got down the key elements.

•Is it fun doing your own face-ups?
I don't know! I haven't tried yet, but I imagine it will be very fun! I have all I need, so I just need to get my MSC spray now so I can finally try for myself.

 

Interesting question. I would not really know the potential of a doll until I have seen many photo's of it. IN general, stock company photo's rarely do the doll justice and it may be a bit too much photo enhancement, both in colour and design, just as in fashion magazines. They are after all trying to make a sale. (as a side note, I am so tired of company photo's showing the doll with hair over it's so i cannot see the sculpt well or the eyes).

I have eventually wiped most of the default faceups, usually creating a less "makeup" look on the younger ones. I have never used an artist and have done other people's dolls for them. I love the creative process.

I think though, that it takes time to discover the full potential and personality of the doll. I have never been into buying a doll for a character I have in mind. I either like the sculpt or the potential first and then let the doll bring me ideas as I sew and create for them. But before I buy, I research as much as I can about the doll, the posing issues, look at the many different styles and faceups that owners have given. So I think the face ups are important to see the potential in a sculpt, but it is not my deciding criteria. On the other hand, many a beautiful faceup has indeed inspired me to change perhaps a face I have previously worked on.

 

• Does a face-up matter when it comes to buying a doll?

Only when it determines if I'm going to pay for the faceup or not, perhaps if it's limited and the only limited thing about it is the faceup. But otherwise, no. The most important part about the doll I buy is the sculpt itself.

• If it does, why? If not, explain!

Unless I've decided I like the default or offered limited faceup, I'm going to be buying the doll blank, and the faceup has nothing to do with it. For me there's no point in buying a whole doll just for the faceup anyway. If you don't like the doll blank, under all the paint it's still the same doll you don't like.


And...

• Do you let a face-up artist do their thing?

For the most part. I like seeing how a face-up artist can bring out the features of a sculpt, so I'm willing to let them do their thing.

• More importantly, do you trust them well enough?

Yes. I choose artists that appeal to my sense of style, so I don't have any fear that they'll do a good job at depicting what I want.

• Or do you lay everything down to a T?

The only instruction I give is if the character has specific markings, such as a tattoo, scar or other identifying feature that would have to be included. I also tend to give some direction in regards to what sort of character they are to help determine the overall look (such as they're a happy sort of person, or they always look angry)

• Is it fun doing your own face-ups?

Yup, or I wouldn't have opened a commissions thread :3. For the same reasons I enjoy seeing what other people do with a sculpt, I enjoy attempting to do the same for myself. I've come to see it as very relaxing.

 

How the face-up affects buying a doll....

I can only answer as it pertains to me. No right/wrong to these excellent questions. Or even one straiaght answer for myself. It has been case by case. Example:

I first fell in love with the bjd dolls because of some amazing photography I saw on deviantArt.
A partaicular doll did it...she was a Binli
Her personality = all the legs on this "stool" -- mold, face-up, hair, sets, clothes, photography/
It would be like trying to take apart the ingredients of a baked cake to try to say what mattered most.

But I understand and like these questions,
as they pertain to final purchase decisions,, which can be hard.

I found a Binli doll on an eBay auction!!! soon after adoring that dA doll.
I would NEVER have bought her if I hadn't seen her as some wonderfully talented person brought her to life on deviantArt. The eBay seller was not a doll person, clearly! The photo was a serious detraction from being able to discern the mold or anything about her. Heavy eyelashes blocking view of her eyes, and a face-up that was a turn off to me.

This taught me a lot about how to look at a doll.

Recently, my heart was set on a mold I really wanted, but some little details about the face-up bothered me. They wanted more money from their sale because of that face-up... so I decided to wait for another to come along. I found one tonight with acceptable face and better price. yipee!

About the mold...I would compare this to a haircut. If a hair style needs thick course hair to work, and I have wispy, fine hair, doesn't matter how professional the stylist, I won't be able to look like a picture of that haircut. In that way, the mold will have a basic say in what the face-up can do...no matter how talented the artist.

Some molds have a mouth I love, or a chin, and of course the size and placement of eyes are huge factors for what the potential of the doll may be. I love the Luts Soo because of her high forehead, big eyes, pointy chin. I can see making her up in all kinds of ways. But it would be at least hard, if not impossible, to make her a realistic doll like some of the amazing molds out there.

When choosing, I like to see what people have done with a doll -- scanning through dA, Flickr, here ... and see a BARE image of the mold before I pick which ones I am going to invest so much in. Not just money, but time, love and effort.

If a face-up really resonates with me, it will make the decision easy. I will want it. But, I'm a portrait artist, and women's faces have been my bread and butter. And portraits. So I'd really love for all my dolls to eventually have face-ups that have been done by me. But I haven't had a chance yet to find out if my 2-dimensional talent will transfer to my satisfaction to doll faces. I haven't owned dolls for very long, and this year has been a super humid, rainy time for all the months I've waited to get started.

Quality with the protective spray coats, and the material used on them, is major important to me concerning their face-ups...when I get to begin my own art/creativity.

I HOPE I love doing my own face-ups. If, I don't, I will still love the dolls. I'll just have to paint them on two-dimensional paper, as portraits of them, so I can still wrap them in my creativity and make them feel a deeper part of me.

Commissioning details? If my doll has a name and personality already strong in my imagination for her/him, I'd give details to the artist. If I just love the work of a particular artist, I'd probably choose a general style within their gallery options and say make her/him wonderful like these, or THAT doll. Which brings to mind the question of people copying or repeating too closely someone else's doll.
[Off topic for this thread.]

Some face-ups will be a little extra work to clean off immediately, some will be good for a while until I get settled on the essense of the doll for me and then I will want to remake her/his face. Maybe some I will fall in love with and hope it will never get scratched on damaged and always remain that way for me.

I suspect I will be tempted to try new face-ups, after many photographs, just to see, on all my dolls...Curiosity is a huge motivation in my creativity. Honestly, I would be thrilled to get to work on dolls for other people one day. I've painted hundreds of faces on paper and it is my passion. That is probably why I have bought so many dolls already. I expect painting/designing them is going to be a big part of the pleasure for me.

I've acutually bought some dolls just because the mold is so plain, or in some way a challenge to see what I can do with it through all the customization options we have. I hope I'm going to enjoy the face-up/customization of dolls! At least as much as I've loved choosing and buying them, for all sorts of reasons.

A great price, in some cases, was all it took for me. In spite of having a large number of dolls in a short time, I love each one and see each of them as completely different. My decision to buy each one was always a unique set of details.

 

It depends. If I plan to keep the face-up then yes. If I dislike the face-up then it doesn't matter, it's whether I see potential in the mold or not.

I think I already explained it above ^^

• 
  
  When I do not have a particular style in mind, I let the artist do their thing. But I had already picked that particular artist out to paint my head for a reason, it is because I like their style and think it will be perfect for my doll, so I feel safe when I let them paint freely. There are many artists out there that I admire but it doesn't mean they are all suitable for my needs and that I will use them all. I still need to choose particular ones for my particular needs =)
  
  
  Yes, I trust all the artists that I use. 100% =)
  
  
  Most of the time I am pretty specific with my face-up sheet. Being vague is never a good thing. (of course, letting them paint freely is an exception in this case)
  
  
  Kind of but I am not good at it so, I send them out or just buy painted heads directly XD

 

Face ups aren't important to me to determine if I will buy a doll, though it is important to see what other people have done with their dolls just to see what can be done with it. Good research and all that! The underlying mold is the most important thing though! But really I would prefer to get a doll without a face up so that I can do one myself. If I bought a doll secondhand that had a face up I loved I certainly wouldn't be upset, but I would be much more likely to leave it rather than try to be creative myself. Partly because I'm just starting out with face ups so I would be afraid I wouldn't be able to get it as "perfect" as I already had it, and partly because I would feel like I was wasting a perfectly good face up.

I haven't commisioned anyone yet, but if I did I would probably let them do their thing with general guidelines.

I'm only starting out doing face ups, but it is fun. :3

 

I'm new at this so I generally go by the company's faceup as the doll's overall appearance and that's what I pay for. There's one doll I'm looking at maybe buying in the future that I would want a specially done custom faceup for, but it's easy to picture on the doll because the company makes her with very light makeup and I can easily imagine my own style over it.

 

Does a face-up matter when it comes to buying a doll?
No. i wantthe doll to be MY canvas and as such no factory face ups on the more expensive dolls!

If it does, why? If not, explain!
See above. One of the reasons i grew out of collecting Tonner was i was teired of begging the company to make certain dolls. With a BJDs I am no longer limitted so someone else's idea of artistic expression i do not have to beg for a certain skintone or sculpt. I use the tools of BJD and my favorite manufacturers to creat my own vision and that kind of control is priceless.

Is it fun doing your own face-ups?
I do not do my own face ups but I have an artist friend who is very good at listening and helping me realize my vision of what the doll should look like. She truely hears my vision and customizes the face up to suit that vision. I love that kind of control again, it is truely my vision although someone else dud the work. I would highly recommend using a face up artist unless you are a face up artist your self then you can do it all. I am especially fond of facial hair on dolls and she is very good at painting that. That way my male dolls look like fully vrown men and not adrogenous boys which for me is a turn off.

 

• Does a face-up matter when it comes to buying a doll?
• If it does, why? If not, explain!

Not really, unless it's perfect for the look in my head that the character has. Only one of my four guys has a company face up and that's because as soon as I saw it, I knew that was the perfect make-up for my drag queen.

And...

• Do you let a face-up artist do their thing?

Never used one...

• Is it fun doing your own face-ups?

Actually yes! I enjoyed doing it, even if they aren't the most perfect things imaginable. but they suit the characters well enough, and I can always do better later.

 

Does a face-up matter when it comes to buying a doll?
No, however, a bad faceup can turn me off as well, so I try to look up images on deviantart and other sites to get an idea of what the face COULD look like alternately.

If it does, why? If not, explain!
I am capable of doing my own faceups, so I don't have to worry about sending a head off to someone else to do it, or which of the possibly limited options to choose from.

Do you let a face-up artist do their thing?
Never worked with one, but I would say "yes", though give a few loose requests. No glossy lips please, lol.

Is it fun doing your own face-ups?
Yes! Once you vaguely know what you're doing, it's so satisfying to see what you had in mind come to life!

 

Does a face-up matter when it comes to buying a doll? I prefer to buy my dolls without a face-up because I will only be changing it later.
If it does, why? If not, explain! I think this because I prefer to have my dolls customized to my own unique ideas.
Do you let a face-up artist do their thing? Sometimes, but most of the time I have a pretty good idea what I want and how I want it done.
More importantly, do you trust them well enough? Depends on how well I like their artwork, but yes, I usually have general trust.
Or do you lay everything down to a T? Pretty much. ^^
Is it fun doing your own face-ups? I do enjoy it.

 

I think the faceup does make the doll. It gives the doll depth and character. Without it I think the dolls would be plain.