Aesthetics Another first(ish) faceup

This is pretty impressive for a "first(ish)" face-up!
I find that in order to get the colour I want with pastel, I almost have to overshoot the shade a little (i.e. go to a darker shade) to get what I want after I blend. I've heard that layering on colour on top of what's already been sealed might help to build up colour. But I'm pretty new to this myself. I hope this helps!

 

I agree I also think this is an amazing job for a first(ish) face up. It's kind of hard to find tutorials on just pastels seeing as most people use airbrushes but I would say apply more than needed and then blur it because then more should stay on. I also feel that getting a softer blending brush would help. Still great job.

 

You've done a wonderful job. This is a first-ish face up and it already looks this good? I'm impressed. I really like his little red nose.
As for smoother pastels application, I can suggest a few things from a personal experience. While a softer brush might help, I find that mixing pastels with white pearl powder makes blending a lot easier.

 

It's beautiful for a first job. I love the red under the eye. This looks stunning. I wear red make up very often. I couldn't imagine that a first face up could be so good. But in the corner of the eyes for me the rose red shadow is a bit too dark and harsh... I can't speak about how you can make a better face up, coz I don't have a doll yet, but I am working with pastels on paper often. To get softer but also not to big shadows, I dab my brush into a bit of cotton. In my opinion it works better than using tissues. Please don't nail me down to this, because resin will work different than paper, but maybe it's worth a try.

 

This looks really lovely! There's a gap on his chin though and looks like a hair stuck to his cheek, as well as the lip bottom line being uneven for some criticism

 

In order to reduce blotchiness, like mentioned above, get a color a little bolder than you think you would need, dab some on with a brush, and then blend it with a q-tip. Cotton swabs have saved my faceupping life recently haha, it makes cheek/forehead/chin application so much easier.

 

You've done a fantastic job on the eyebrows, it's the first thing I tend to look at. The faceup looks great.

 

No, it's this: http://www.amazon.com/Mica-Pearl-White-0-9oz-25g/dp/B005VEDQ24/
Or, alternatively, you can search for "pearl white mica powder" on ebay.

 

You may also want to try looking into a different brand of pastels. I'm not sure what you're currently using but I've heard that Rembrandt brand pastels give a nice rich color without having to do so much layering. This does look great though, I like your choice in color and the red near the eyes. It really makes a bold look.

 

Great for a firstish attempt! ^^ Placement looks great and everything is in order. Gloss application on the lips is nice and smooth; just how I like it *u*

It may be your spraying technique that could use some work if you're still suffering from splotchy pastels after converting to a qtipped method. I use this method myself with Mungyo pastels and haven't had issues; though darker pastels have been known to be difficult to get smooth with many brands. For this style of face up I don't think you should be having any trouble once using a qtip

Work on your lines and edges; they [understandably] are not confident and the edges are uneven and sloppy. Try to get a good taper to all of your lines, including lip lines and eyebrow lines. It'll take away that 'crudeness' you describe. For eyeliner, it's possible to do a couple of swipes just to ensure that the edge of the color is smooth and confident. Try also to put conscious design into your lines. I see that you've attempted the triangle technique for lashes on one side but wholly abandoned it on the other. That kind of inconsistency is fine if you're not aiming for an immaculate style, but you have relatively few lines here and your face up has a very clean feeling, so it's very noticeable.

In terms of materials, I don't believe that having high quality materials makes much of a difference at the learner's stage; it certainly does later on, but for practice purposes student grade pastels should be fine. If nothing else, they'll give you the patience of really working on your blending techniques!

Can't wait to see what you pull out next

 

^^ It is a bit of a leap to adapt to the 3D surface, isn't it? I found it was a bit of a jump too, but I'm sure you'll get a hang of it in no time. That all just comes with experience ; you'll eventually learn to expect the reaction of materials on the doll ^^

I usually wait about 20-25 minutes after the msc appears matte, just for the fumes to dissipate and to make sure that the layer is fully dry. I do feel like 5-10 mins is a bit too quick, even for a light layer.

XD I actually start my eyelashes and brows in the middle, and then move outward from there. But the premise is similar to your proposed one. Working on both at the same time, I do find that it's easier to spot errors. So I hope it works for you.

 

Wow this doll is great are the eyes also painted on i wonder? If not those are interesting eyes

 

Like everyone else has said so far, I think you've done a pretty good job. I personally like how Canary's eyebrows turned out. They're even and in quite a nice shape. The colours also match his hair, so the look is quite natural. I also like his lips, they've got a nice, even colour. I liked that you've contoured the area around his eyes, which helps the natural face structure stand out. The work you've done for his left eye (fourth picture) is very good as well.

As for building up colour, I think part of it has to do with getting an even coverage of the sealant but it also depends on the sort of colour you're applying to the doll. I personally use a actual makeup brush for applying eyeshadow (should be a relatively flat brush with a rounded tip) for applying the blushing and my chalk pastels are regular starter grade pastels. I know some people use ultra soft pastels with higher pigmentation, which can help. I find it also helps to scrape your pastel on paper towel, that way you can blend it into the paper and make sure that the pastel on your brush is not grainy. That's generally what helps me get a even coat of colour on my dolls. (I would post a pic to show you what I mean, but unfortunately, they're not resin dolls.)