Shopping Face-up - Artists based in Europe

https://instagram.com/_nano_dino?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://instagram.com/mdamefollow?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://instagram.com/lacoteriedelalune?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://instagram.com/theugliestwife?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://instagram.com/paulianne.dolls?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Hi, here are the ones I seleted because I like their style (I'm into realistic faceups)

 

Just as a warning, since you mentioned more or less 100 EUR: to my knowledge at least Pauli and ugliestwife ask more than that, not sure about the others on the list

 

Oh yes, sorry, I looked only at style and location when I searched.

 

I really enjoyed Echoundine's work and it's in your price range Open - :: [EU based] • .:: e c h o e s . f a c e u p ::. • | Den of Angels I had a really good experience with her. But, as she warns in her page, she will only do stuff in her own style, so if you are looking for something that is wildly different (for example, full of pastel colors, fantasy stuff), it may not be the safest choice. But she is super nice, so in doubt, I would not hesitate to message her.

 

Doing so is both for the safety of the artist and the client.
If I am forced to paint something I am not familiar with or actively dislike, I cannot provide you with something that is of the same high quality like works I have done in my own style. It also makes the whole commission very miserable when you know you were only commissioned as a painting slave because you were available/cheap enough, not because the client actually likes your work. Doing custom work fully based on the vision of the client is already daunting enough, we all would rather work on our own projects, but if you know they don't even like your style it's especially bad. Additionally it can cause problems with other artists when they know you were asked to purposely copy them.
So for the client that means they not only have to deal with receiving an inferior product, they also might get us into trouble with other members of the community.

You should always commission an artist because you like their work, and because their vision fits what you have in mind. If you want a goth make-up look, you go to the artist who mostly paints that. You do not go to the artist that only does natural sweet looks, just because they happen to be local/cheaper/available.
Shopping around by who is available and then trying to force them into doing something they are not accustomed/willing to do just ends in a disaster for everyone involved.
It's like going into a steak house and ordering sushi. They might be able to whip something up for you, but they'll be annoyed and you'll complain your sushi sucks compared to the one the sushi restaurant down the street offers

 

@IonM8 : I think that some things may have been lost in translation, but what I meant is this: since each artist has a style that they do best, it is best to go to one who best matches your vision, as it guarantees the best results. It has nothing with the artist thinking that your vision should be their property and certainly not the artist paying you for their own work. Or am I misunderstanding?

For example, the artist I mentioned does that rose-taupe color palette and kind of semi-realistic look, with a bit of an "ethereal/undead feel (because of the waxy/sickly skin texture thing) and she does it wonderfully well. I have not seen work of hers depicting fantasy faceups, with for example bold blues or pastels. If I ever wanted a fantasy, joyful, pastel faceup, I would not ask her because 1) she will refuse 2) it's not her specialty, so even if she accepts, I'll probably be disappointed 3) if I ask her to copy another artist work and that she accepts, both of us could be in trouble with other people in this community, but as the artist, she would receive the most backlash.

Of course some artists are good in several styles, though I find that they each have a "signature" feel that they will find hard to shake off, if they ever wanted to. To the best of my knowledge and as she warns on her page, the artist I mentioned is not one of them: she is absolutely wonderful in her style which is probably why she sticks to it, so she can produce her best works in a constant manner and not churn out a bunch of mediocre works.

But what if she is the only artist available or with price within my range and I still want that fantasy, joyful, pastel faceup? Some people in a similar situation may be tempted to guilt-trip/annoy/insist that the artist does what they want or copy that other artist style. It definitely happened before.

If the artist accepts for whatever reason (not many clients, money, shyness, etc.), it will often lead to disappointment on both parts and wasted time and money. Moreover, the artist may find hurtful/rude that you picked them only because of location and price, and not because you like their work. Telling them that it is their job to make "your vision" come to life won't make it less hurtful/rude/hard to execute. Think of it like ordering a tattoo: if you want a colored japanese-style tattoo, would you feel safe asking it from someone who only does black and gray tribal, even it's wonderful tribal? (To get the steak-sushi metaphor ball rolling, I would probably be disappointed by any steak served in a sushi house, but I would be the only one to blame, since I was silly enough to order it in the first place. XD)

I like to think of it as a contract: you choose, as you said, with your own criterias, (price and location are dealbreakers for me too, so I understand those), but it may be worth looking at the artist portfolio to know if that artist even does what you ask for, which is what @Ara warns you about, I believe. For a contract to be successful, you will have to meet each other halfway.

Besides, when I commissioned the artist I mentioned, it helped me to convey my "vision" by telling her which works of her I liked best and which parts I wanted her to emulate on my faceup. It went something like this "I love the eye bags you did on this faceup, but I kind of want this taupe color palette on this other doll, perhaps a bit darker than the faceup you did on this doll, I didn't like the veins you did on X, but I want the shadows on Y, I don't really have an opinion about Z, so I defer to your expertise in that, etc." Good communication is also critical in getting a good result, so, if only for that, I can only encourage you to study the artist portfolio before even messaging them.

 

@IonM8 : If you are looking for someone who "like experimentation", it may be better for you to look for someone who has not been doing faceup for long, as that person may be less set in their ways. JJ3_dolls, based in Germany (who is in the customization services page on the Marketplace) is one such artist.

@solfiloux • Instagram photos and videos, based in France, is one artist that has a bit of range (as in I saw her doing pastel faceups and freckles among other things). I don't know if he/she is open to do something wildly different than her/his previous work, but she doesn't say anything about only doing certain things. Actually, as long as the artist doesn't say: "I only does this and this", I think you may try to ask politely if they would accept doing your project that need experimentation.

Innelda_Isher, from Russia and Tsuru, from Slovenia, are both experienced artists who do a lot of stuff and are in your price range. Actually, there are a lot of artists based in Europe in the DoA Marketplace.

 

@IonM8 : It really depends on what you want. I think it's important to ask yourself: are you okay with having different dolls? Are you going to photograph them together? Are you more a "uniform collection" type of person or a "variety is the spice of life" kinda person? Do you want your dolls to appear similar, because they belong to the same "family" or "universe"? Some people always commission the same artist because they want their dolls to be similar. Some other people want to have different dolls (and the faceup does a lot IMO. The same sculpt under different faceup may as well be two different heads).

If you choose to have the same artist handle everything, you will definitely save up on postal fees if you send everything at once, provided that the artist does that work to your satisfaction. But if you are dissatisfied or if there is a problem, you may have thrice the problem. You could also send the heads one after the other, or one as a test, then if everything is fine, the two others in one package after the first one.

Different artists will definitely yield different results, though I believe that some styles can still be photographed together. For my own collection, I try to aim for different artists, so that I have a bit of variety, but I want a bit of the same "feel", what I would describe as a kind of "vintage" look. Of course, I am no King Midas either, so if I like the factory faceup (as it is the case for my Maskcatdoll, and I have four of them, all with the factory faceup XD), I will try to keep it as long as possible before looking for another artist.

For example, here are a close up of one of my girls with the factory faceup, one of my boys with the artist faceup and a picture of them together. The skin texture and lips are done very differently, the color palette is definitely not the same, and it's clear as day that the faceups were done by two different artists but they still look good together I think, because of that "feel". I was going for a "very different siblings" kinda feel, so different persons and personalities, but kinda similar-ish.



Maskcatdoll Yael Face-Day of arrival by Lyam, on Flickr

Aëtës-portrait by Lyam, on Flickr

Siblings argument by Lyam, on Flickr

IMO, it is easier to first decide on the "final look" you want for your collection and start planning from there. It goes for faceup, number of dolls, accessories, clothes, etc.