When do you prefer to think of a character?

I kind of have an idea before they arrive, but I like to buy different wigs and clothing styles in preparation, as the character always changes immensely. Often, I just have this vague thought of, "I want a solemn, beautiful Asian girl who can model for me..." and I find a girl that fits that and create a character and name. More recently, it's been, "A man who's lightly muscled, obviously masculine, and realistic..." Which is where my MNM head comes in.

 

Well, for the doll that I am waiting for, the second I saw her face, I knew exactly what character she would fit in. Before I saw her, I only had an idea of a character (female assassin) but her character has grown greatly from then.

 

i'm still trying to figure her out...

 

Both ^-^

All of my dolls have characters pre-made except for one. She's my suprising girl, a complete mystery. I think she's kinda like myself in a way. ^-^

 

I picked before, but its kind of both. Now this is talking about other kinds of dolls since I don't have a bjd yet, but my recent purchases I knew the character of the dolls before I bought them. I researched them for months before I spent a penny. I made sure they would fit the character I had in mind for them. Now I am researching for my first bjd and trying to find one that will fit my character. I think I have found one but I am still looking around just to be 100% sure so I will be completely happy with my purchase.

 

I like to think up a doll's character before I buy them. Ideally, I'd have a pretty specific character for a doll before buying it, and I do in fact have a couple of specific characters that I'm looking to make as dolls. But I also have a little "mental list" of more nebulous characters that I might like to bring home one day that I don't expect to develop fully until when/if I happen across the right doll.

If I fall hard enough for a face though, having a character planned isn't as important to me. I bought my Yo solely because she was cute, with no thought to who she might be (we're still figuring that out, lol). That's what I did with my Nono too, and she developed into a really fun character. ^^

 

For the most part, I purchase dolls based on a character that I have already created. Though, there was one impulse purchase (my Crobidoll Yeon-Ho) where there was absolutely no character created ahead of time. But in the end, it worked out with a character that I was in the process of creating. So the character wasn't really based on the sculpt of the doll. The doll and the character managed to click together nicely.

 

Character first... sometimes loooooooooooooooooooooooooong before the doll.... always character first.. then I look at dolls and go "you look like so and so" or I know I want a doll of someone in particular and I set out to find a mould that looks like that person... xD

 

Both, sort of.

But I'm not so sure I'm a "character" person. It never seems to work out.

There's one idea that's been floating around for a while but I can't find the right container for it.

 

I think about character first, then go look for a doll that suit it. then doll comes - and that character go through some changes to suit the doll better.
but withoiut chracter I won't even llook at a doll twice, so it comes first.

 

I choose "after getting the dolls".
because I have no specific character in my mind.

 

I choose "after getting the dolls" too.
I'll look forward to see my doll discloses the habit ^_^

 

I've been thinking about this for awhile.
Should I get a doll that I like and then make up a character/personality for them or try and make a character up and then find a doll that suits them the best?

I tried making up a character first and that went pretty well but then, when I was looking around at all the different dolls, I'd pick a doll and then the character would start to change to fit that doll or I'd see a doll that I liked (and that didn't fit my other character) and I would start to plan what he/she would be like (their story, personality, etc.) and not even mean to be doing it.

Grrr...I guess this is to help me with getting my first doll.
I'm trying to look around for a doll that jumps out at me, not just one that I think looks nice.
I want to be able to go "That's the one, I've got to have it" and then 5 minutes later still be in the same state of mind.

I just don't want to make a mistake and spend quite a bit of money on it and then go "Oh, that was fun but it's not really what I wanted. Time to move on to something else (either another doll or a different hobby)"
I know I have the bad habit of getting bored with things very easily, so I need to get the decision right.

Anyways, opinions please;
How did you know that you had to get that doll (either first or afterwards)?
Did you make a character and then fit the doll around them or vice-versa?
Have you ever picked a doll and then realised it wasn't the one?
Etc, etc.

 

I am currently waiting for my first two to arrive; however, I noticed that I picked the ones that stood out to me most and started to build their personality around what I felt from their picture. I am shopping for clothing currently, and it is difficult because every time I see something that I like, I have to stop myself and think, "is this really what I can see her wearing?" For me, I chose the doll that called out to me, but the personality already was there.

 

I did not create characters for the dolls yet.... I do not have one yet either XD

All my OCs where thought while drawing, or whne I thought of something I would like to see in a character....

The only thing that I really did to them, was making them easier to make a doll of them XP
Well... at least for those that would become dolls

 

If you mean that you must OWN the doll before a character comes along, then I create characters before getting the doll. If you mean that when you see a doll, then create a character for which you buy said doll, then I have to say I create them after. All my characters are an amalgam of what I feel about the dolls that affect me most, and my longstanding interests/floating concepts.

In other words, I fall in love with a sculpt and the impressions I gather from that sculpt kind of guide me to a character that has quietly and secretly lived in my head for some time. It is a strange process, when I really sit back and think about it. *L* But I find that this 'backward' way of working causes me to really appreciate my dolls as 'people', to fall in love with their manner of teaching me who THEY are, rather than my forcing a personality onto them.

 

For Jinx, I created her before I got her. I think it all depends on certain situations you're in and how your mindset is at the time if you decide to create the doll's character before or after. :/

 

I usually choose after getting the doll, simply because I'm not really sure if their in person look/feel. Some exceptions though are mostly dolls based off of characters, or if I look at a doll and just see a character. Most times though, it's been after getting the doll.

 

all my characters i have had for....almost 10 years or something crazy like that? so i definitely know before i buy the doll who they will be. there has to be something about the doll that reminds me of said character. sometimes, though, when i find a doll that really speaks to me and then i have a character that looks like that doll, i will be more critical of the character and work on making them more complex as i prepare to purchase the doll of my choice.

sometimes the doll will also help refine the character, and sometimes i even change the character design or something. what a complex process ^_^

 

It's actually both. Somewhat. I did buy Sard on a whim (And he is as good as they get). Then he ended up getting a character. and now the list of dolls to get are to embody the "related" characters. Catch is, the "related" characters end up being more developed, as such it becomes super hard to find a doll to embody them... and the longer it takes - the harder it becomes lol ^^