Advice and Help about my terrible photography and editing?

Your photo is out of focus, I think that is the main problem. Looking at it, it looks as though the camera has focused on the near edge of the collar, which is the only sharpish thing there. If you have autofocus points that you can see in the viewfinder, make sure the active one is over the nearest eye (this is a general rule of thumb that can be broken, but it is a good starting point).

If you photo looked clearer when using flash, there is probably some motion blur at play here too. So, in low light, your aperture is staying open for so long to let enough light in that any little shake in your hands is causing a blur. The photo is also quite grainy, which is another problem with low light. The two solutions to this are to increase the intensity of your light by using artificial light or moving your doll to a more brightly lit area (avoid bright, direct sunlight, not that we get much of that round here, as it is unflattering to skin tones and causes harsh shadows). Alternatively, use a tripod or other supoprt that means your camera doesn't move at all for the duration of the exposure.

To emphasise the mouth and eyes and de-emphasise the hair, just move down a bit. You are currently shooting at the top of her head. Try shooting at the level of her eyes.

Good luck.

 

I would like to add on about flash - if you're using a DSLR and don't have one already, a shoe-mount flash is always a GREAT investment.
The on-camera flash is pointed directly at your subject which creates harsh shadows and awkward lighting.

With a shoe-mounted flash, this enhances your skills indoor because you can bounce it off of anything around you, which causes quite the difference in how your final shot comes out. You can even bounce it off of the floor (with the correct angle of course) though it may make things look creepier XD but hey, some dolls go great with such a setting!

Here is an example I got while playing around the other day of how flash can change a doll's image in the photo, as well as the atmosphere. Pay attentions to the colors and doll's expressions.

This one I had the flash at a 45 degree angle bouncing off of the wall behind me. It's "direct" in a sense as it still lights the whole scene, the difference being that it doesn't create awkward shadows. Same can be achieved to an extent by bouncing off the ceiling.


For this one, I point the flash slightly down and to my right. Notice the shadows, and the major change in the faces - particularly Lyrik - the 1/3 in the middle. Her face seemed overly serious in the first, but subtle and calm in this one.


My main advice for flashes - PLAY with it. Play with bouncing off of different angles. You can even make your own items for it to bounce off of.
It also helps with your ISO - you can turn it back down to reduce grain for indoor shots, while still getting decent light.