The Fear Factor - when did you lose it?

About a year. It took me a year to finally get the courage to paint my first doll--then the bug bit, and now new face-ups, wiping face-ups, touching up face-ups, gluing eyelashes, body tattooing, blushing and scars seems like a normal occurrance. I don't restring, but I do have my friend restring for me *lol* There are 2 dolls I really don't want to touch unless I absolutely have to--but other than that, aesthetic work on the others just makes them alot more fun and interesting ^^

 

I have no artistic capabilities that I'm aware of-- at all. So I'm fairly certain I *would* ruin a dolls face. So that fear is never going to fade.

I'm wary of restringing, but I have noticed that it's not as deep a fear as when I first got into the hobby. It's no longer never!, it's more not yet.

The head-removal fear faded at about 5 months. I'm definitely a slow starter! LOL!

Good question!

 

A week after receiving my first baby's head =_=;;
I first started sanding back of his head, just to get the feel of sanding down resin.
Then I tried to erase his faceup with sharp edged item, and ended up damaging his llower lip D: ...
Oh and I was never afraid of doing faceups myself =D
I loved and still love doing my dolls' faceups ^^

 

After having BJDs' in my life for what is now 7 months I would say other then changing eyes and wigs, still living in fear. Hoping Resin Con will remove fear of restringing and teach me sueding so I can help and protect my gang better.

 

Months before I got my girls I was scared, about stringing, face-ups, exct. But I'm an artist. I read up on stringing and how to do face-ups and was totally over any fear of customization probably a month before they came. I started playing around with customizing both my girls on the days they arrived ^^; Putting in eyes, pulling joints apart, exct. I did Shoko's face-up on day 2 of having her i believe XD ((because I couldn't day one because by the time I got her, opened her, dressed her up, and took pics it was night ^^; ))

As for Mistral, I'm taking off her old face-up that she came with ((I bought her second hand, she arrived yesterday )) and doing a new one as soon as I get some more Testors or MSC XD I'll probably re-do Shoko's then too.

But yeah, no fear as far as any sort of customizing goes for me. My sis on the other hand... I've been called numerous times to help restring Arisu and whatnot. I think she's just getting over her fear of customizing now XD;

 

I lost it when i accidently pulled my Seath's hand off and it ended up completely pulling all his stringing out xD i'm still a bit worried about faceups but sanding, i actually like my seams D:

 

Restringing never held any fears for me - I mean, it's only threading elastic after all, what's to fear? If I can string a lace-pattern bead necklace, I can string/restring a doll.

I still wouldn't do a faceup myself because I have very little skill with a brush and know I'd never be satisfied with the results if I did it myself, besides, there are some fab face-up artists out there who will do what I want for vry reasonable amounts.

Not long after I got Elfie (RML head), I took a Dremel to the back of her neck-socket because the shape of it wouldnt' allow her to tilt her head back and look up... It's not the smoothest result in the world but it's inside, so doesn't show, and it does what I wanted it to.

Teddy

 

I'm not sure I was ever scared of restringing, it just seemed to easy to me after watching the tutorial over on youtube, but I still have a little bit of faceup fear. Not that I don't want to try it, but I just imagine myself never being happy with the results. >.>;

 

It took me two weeks to work up the nerve to open up my Kazimir's head cap. I figures I would have to deal with the S-hook in the cap thing. I felt really stupid when it easily came off since it's held by two magnets!

I dread the day I have to restring him, I know his arms are too tight, it's irrational, I know it's not rocket science.
Since his faceup is by SDink there is no way I am messing with that until the day it's damaged. I am so protective of this big boy, my hands are getting dry from washing them before handling him!.
My next doll is coming as a kit, I won't have a choice but to sand and string her, the faceup I don't know yet. I have a practice head I am going to experiment with, I will decide wether or not I will paint the Unoa based on how that goes. I am not afraid of painting a blank head I can always send it to a faceup artist if I feel my efforts are not satisfactory.
I don't think it's the dollar value of the doll that makes me hesitant, it's the fact that I have bonded with it and would hate to see it damaged in any way.

 

It took me about 4 months before I did anything more than change eyes which I did immediately. Now I've done some stringing & enhancements but no sanding (doubt if I ever will as the dust would be terrible for me), mods or complete face-ups yet. I've been involved with BJDs for 10 months now.

 

Now I can take off heads and do faceups. I'm not sure how to restring though.

 

I just recently decided I should try and restring my boys.. after having Jinsung for a year and a half. :'D
I'm still terrified of doing any customization to them, though. I'm so afraid of ruining them >___>

 

Still petrified and will no doubt remain so..im not the slightest bit artisitic, i cant sew and i definately wouldnt risk breaking a nail by restringing..so i leave it to the experts and if i need anything changeing ill pay to have it done for me.

 

It was no problem for me, I just jumped right in. Figured it was the best way to learn, and It was for me.

 

I suppose I lost my initial fear after the first two months. Her eyelashes got damaged and I had to pull them out because they started looking really bad x.x; Not long after that I was messing around with her headcap/stringing and eyes. I also fashioned some very crude 'S hooks' for her hands. I intend to be getting some proper ones =D

As for faceups... >.o ... I'm trying to work up the nerve to wipe Naomi's and give it a bash. But my Mom gives me serious guilt when I even bring it up ^.^;; I think she's more nervous about it than I am...

 

One of the lousy hooks in my Hyuns feet broke and his leg flew of one day, so I had no choice but restring him... x'D That was maybe two months after he arrived. Then, when I realized it wasn't hard at all, I lost all fear for customizing, I think... The next week I sanded all his seams, and now I've bought a head without a face-up to a body from another company, so lets see how this work.. XD I'm not so scared, because I know that if I fail terribly at face-ups, there are many talented customizers here that can do it for me ^^

 

I've never been afraid of doing face-ups. I've done my dolls' face-up since I got Midori (My first doll) 2 years ago ^^; But I did fear to re-string them. I think I lost that fear when her elastics accidentally 'fell* into her. I panicked at first, but then I just tried it and found out it wasn't that hard ^^ I dunno if I'll ever customize some of my dolls more, though I'd like to make a Sheep doll (My char Angel). But I don't know if I'll ever do that!

 

Lol, that's the exact same situation for me!^^

 

I don't think I will ever attempt a faceup, or re-stringing. The best I can do is take off the head cap and change eyes on some of my dolls.

I had CTS in both hands and I just don't have the strength to pull off the doll's head on some of my dolls so I just don't. It does make it expensive as I need to send entire dolls out for face ups instead of just heads. That's why I love the new Luts body and head. That's so easy to do.

 

I like this thread. ^^ It's nice to know that I'm not the only one with customization worries.

I haven't restrung my first doll, but only because he's never needed it. I re-strung my girl within about a month of her arrival, though. My concern was that I'd pull the string so hard that I'd break her, but fortunately she's in once piece again now, no problems.

I'm not so much "scared" of re-doing their faceups as hesitant, because I know I won't like what I do. So if I were to try, they'd more than likely have to lay around faceless until I could send them off to someone for a faceup. I am practicing and hope to one day be good enough where I can do my dolls faceups myself. ^^