What kind of collector are you?

I guess... half and half? Three of my dolls are fullsets, two are customs and one has a company faceup but has a different company's body. I am definitely not a collector that crafts things for their dolls, I don't do faceups or make clothes for them, I commission for faceups, and some clothes. Other clothes and accessories I just buy to fit the doll's character. I'm also not the type of collector who buys dolls for OCs, I just buy dolls that I like aesthetically, not to fit a pre-existing character. I figure out their character once I get the doll.

 

I‘ve ordered all of my dolls blank except for my one fullset boy abd two of my secondhand dolls. They came with a face up and i wiped it immediately haha. I just love doing faceups, crafting and sewing for them. I only have one fullset doll, which i just ordered so i can get the skin colour that was only available for fullset. But i also wiped his faceup and did my own one. :,)

 

I'm very heavy on the "OCs/shelling characters" side of the hobby. I have detailed character sheets for each doll, and a separate worldbuilding document describing their world and lore, and my crew all lives in the same shared world. The character sheet informs everything -- their appearance, clothing style, the poses I put them in, how they interact with each other, the kinds of photos I take of them. I can't help it, any new doll I buy will have a character and I'll make it fit into that shared world.

I have pretty strong vision of what each doll will look like (based on their character), so I prefer to get a blank doll and customize every part of them. But I've bought a company faceup for one doll, and another secondhand doll came with a faceup that I really liked so I kept it -- for both of them, the faceup suited the character. I'm not interested in buying fullset dolls -- that's someone else's vision of the doll and most of the time it doesn't fit mine.

Secondhand/new doesn't really matter to me, but lately I've been ordering my dolls new (not sure why, but that's what it is). I don't mind the preorder wait because it gives me plenty of time to figure out the character and buy/make stuff suitable for them, so when the doll arrives home they're presentable right away and look like their character.

I've been enjoying the crafting side too -- I paint faceups/blushing, sew clothes, occasionally make props. I started doing all of this because of BJDs, and I love that this hobby also touches other crafty/arty hobbies. It keeps me stimulated and learning new things! But I'm also happy to buy things that I can't or don't want to make myself.

But my #1 activity in this hobby is playing with my dolls. Photography too -- if I'm posing my crew I will always take pics of them to share on my blog and social media. Giving "life" to my characters through posing and photography... this gives me the most pleasure, it's the whole point of me owning BJDs at all. (Photography is the other thing I've learned because of BJDs - image composition, visual storytelling, photo editing, how to handle a DSLR camera...)

And I'm a small collection doll owner... or I'm trying to be. I know this is easier said than done, but I'd like to keep my doll collection in single digits, if possible!

 

I'm hundred percent a mix! However I've only bought full sets for smaller 1/6 dolls and probably will stay that way as a lot of the 1/4 ones I either Cant afford or they're not my cup of tea lol. Even with full sets or company faceups I love to change their outfits and wigs all the time and most of my blank dolls I've done their faceups! It's fun to have a little bit of everything in my collection lol

 

...manage? Like, having a plan? I am the stereotypical magpie. I see shiny, I collect. Have a gander at the background:


I do like my full sets, but it frequently depends upon the budget, and if I like the outfit. Lately, I've been preferring company face-ups, but that's because I'm lazy/I work a lot of hours, and face-ups aren't getting done as much as I'd like.
I have learned from hard experience not to buy certain things:
1. Having a specific plan is a recipe for disaster for me. I purchased a couple dolls with a very specific plan for them, and each one ended up being a disappointment.
2. No pleather.
3. Don't buy an outfit (if I'm not getting the full set) until the doll is in hand. I don't trust listed measurements anymore.
4. No anime faces unless I'm paying for a face-up. Anime face-ups are very technical, and I'm still learning the basics.
5. Sorry, Impldoll. I love you, but you need to put down the PearlEx powder and back away slowly. (I only pay for face-ups from certain companies.)

 

I have a few fullsets. But, I only get them if there are extra resin pieces I want or the doll is a unique size and hard to dress. Most of my dolls came blank and nude. I also like to buy heads from the market place and find bodies for them later. It can take me a year or more to put a doll together but its very satisfying.

I'm also... not very likely to create a doll from a character I have in my head. They are so nebulous in looks that I don't see them in dolls. However, I do make up personalities and backstories for the dolls once I see them.

 

I love sewing and tolerate, but don't really enjoy, doing faceups (mostly because it requires a lot of cleanup and equipment, and the right weather to spray sealant). So I prefer to buy a doll with one already or commission an artist.

 

I don't usually do fullsets because I have this idea in my mind for a certain doll sculpt and it doesn't usually fit the image from the company at all, specially when I'm trying to shell my own characters. My first doll came completely blank and bald and it was scary at first, but I need the liberty to make the doll look like what I need it to be. That said, I have purchased a couple dolls in fullset because there was no other way to have them (they were limited), but I have tweaked them to fit my concept.
Face-ups I don't do myself, but I have dabbled in making wigs for one of my dolls and I'm mostly happy with the results. I have also sewed for them a bit, but my results are far from perfect so I prefer to buy already-made clothing if possible.

 

@aihre
I would love to see some of your stories. It sounds like you're a pretty similar type of collector to me, you just articulate it better. Telling your own story, giving life... This resonates very strongly and positively with me.
To show another world... This is a very strong motivation.
It's somewhat therapeutic for me. By creating my own world, I give myself something that I lack in the real world.

 

Thank you. I sometimes read your Wordpress blog (using browser translation) - I admire your photographs and storytelling a lot, so I'm touched that you want to know more about my dolls. ^^ This is my BJD blog, it has all my photos. But most of my stories are still in my head, I find it hard to share about the worldbuilding/backstory on my blog, and my doll photos usually are more figurative instead of narrative/story. But I try to always stay true to the characters.

I love what you said about showing another world -- I also strive to do it.

 

When I first got started, I bought one doll with her fullset dress (though the wig and shoes were no longer available) and she remains the only doll i didn't get as basic. (I bought a couple of others at the same time, but they've all moved on, but that doll is one of my faves and she's my DoA user icon!)

I've always planned to make my dolls their clothes and do faceups myself, but it's turned out that I lack an awful lot of time to do it and I'd rather they have Some clothing than wait forever for me to make The Right Clothing, so I've bought some things over time. Still planning to try faceups if I ever find the time, just because I got the dolls already and the idea of sending them out again makes me nervous. (Also, that way if I'm not satisfied with the first attempt, I have wasted no money and I can just try again!)

 

I have a couple full-set dolls, but I just ended up folding up their whole ensemble including the wigs and shoes. The full-set usually doesn't fit my everyday style for them. I tend to just put my dolls in normal street wear. One of the sets is a very classic Lolita, it's really pretty, but just looks too dressy. The doll was a display model and she came that way. My other full-set it post apocalyptic, and while I love the style it doesn't fit in with my current storyline.

I really prefer customizing them myself. This way I can dress the dolls how I want. I have them all very casual. I like to get blank dolls because I enjoy doing my own face-ups, although I believe my face-ups fall within the average range, nothing spectacular, they are decent enough that sometimes I can't remember if it's a company face-up or one of my own, but they are definitely not an artistic expression.

I also like to create my own clothes, I make all my dolls a simple outfit for when they arrive home, dresses for the girls and a simple shirt with shorts or trousers for the boys. I also made school outfits for all my 60cm dolls, the photo story I am currently working on takes place in a school.

I really wish I could sew better and make elaborate outfits especially for my 70+ cm dolls, it seems everyone of those guys comes in a different body size, and they are so difficult to shop for. I try to look on their company sites for clothes, but I don't always see something I want out of what is currently being offered. I need to buckle down and experiment more with my sewing.

I tried making wigs, but I just am not happy with them, so I do prefer to buy my wigs, I am okay with restyling them and even trimming them. I must not be much of a wig connoisseur, because I can't really tell much of a difference between my more expensive wigs, and my cheaper wigs. If the wig fits the doll, it's the style I wanted, and the doll looks cute in it, then it's good enough to me.

I also always buy shoes and eyes. I insist they all have shoes, but most of them only have a single pair of shoes each. Although I have a lot of spare eyes. Eyes just kind of pile up, I'm not even sure how. This is a mystery.

 

I prefer to buy blank dolls. And I either have a faceup commission or do faceup myself. I like to buy handmade dresses and accessories for them.

 

I very seldom do fullsets, mostly cause my favourite artist doesn’t offer faceups or clothes with their dolls at all. For most of my time in this hobby I’ve also commissioned faceups, but recently I’ve started doing my own, and I’m never going back to commissioning. Not only is it so much cheaper, but if one chips, oh well, it can be redone. If I change a character it can get redone. I can have a doll painted the weekend I get her, rather than waiting months for the artist to have a slot, do the work, and then mail back the doll. Also if I didn’t like a faceup I’d paid for I just did my best to try to like it, and never got it redone—now if I don’t like how a head turned out, it gets wiped and I start over as much as I want to.

 

I've had a few fullset dolls in the past, but I generally find that I don't bond well to fullsets and move them on relatively quickly. As strange as it sounds, my dolls tend to decide their own characters/identities and I just go by what feels "right" for them based on vibes over time. Dolls that come with fullsets tend to hinder this process for me, which makes it harder for me to enjoy them.

I think the other part of it is that fullsets are often so expensive and I'm always hesitant to actually use the pieces and risk damaging them, which makes me hesitant to play with the actual doll as well. If I'm not going to enjoy working on or customizing my doll, then it really does become a waste of money and space to keep them. Once that idea worms into my head, it's impossible for me to get out and then I become desperate to sell ASAP.

 

I am not into fullsets. I like some, but I don't see myself keeping default clothes and looks. I find them super practical because sometimes finding the perfect wig/eyes/hands etc can be a pain.

However, I enjoy doing research and knowing more bout BJDs. Been in the hobby for more than a decade and I still learn new stuff! It's so exciting.

I started making hybrids just "recently"(couple of years ago). I believe it gives me more accuracy when bringing my characters to life. But there's tons of waiting, saving, lurking into websites and second hand markets.

I like to make my own face-ups, I've been practicing a lot during the last year and I am pretty happy with my improvement. Also, started to sew (again) and really enjoying. Nothing too complicated. My clothes still have a few flaws but at least is wearable

 

I love to collect Luts dolls! They’re my favourite have been for a few years now. I am looking into volks too in the future.

But my favourite thing is collecting heads as they’re just a little cheaper and working on them till I get a body sorted. ♥️

 

I'm in the exploratory stage where I'm just trying one of everything

 

I'm still figuring out what kind of collector I am, really!

I started off with minifees and went into it thinking 'okay, yeah, I'm specifically collecting 1/4 scale dolls from this particular line.'
That was only about a year ago, but I already have a few 1/6 dolls and one 1/3 as well, from three other different companies.

So far I've always bought secondhand, typically with company faceups, but ideally not with the company clothes/wigs/eyes/etc. I prefer to figure out my dolls' looks myself!
I am an artist, so I'm gonna start attempting to learn how to do faceups myself, because I'd love to just do whatever I want without having to worry about shipping my dolls' faces off to someone for months at a time. But I'm not about to mess around with my favorite dolls' faces anytime soon!

I'm also a sort of . . . idk, childlike collector? Ahaha, I don't know. Basically, my dolls typically aren't just sitting over on their shelf looking pretty. I like to play with them, take pictures of them, carry them around the house with me, have them hang out with me while I watch movies and whatnot. I've mentioned it various times elsewhere, but my little DZ MiYou lives on my bed and I hold him and cuddle him in the evening while unwinding and listening to shows I've seen a billion times and whatnot.
They're my little buddies and I just love having them with me!