Aesthetics Faceup practice

I'm a bit of a faceup noob myself, but what I've found to be helpful is to learn how to make smart use of layering. Especially with little details like the lips, teeth, and eyefolds. Instead of going right at trying to make a color stand out, put a little color down and continue to layer after spraying. As you build up more layers, it seems like the colors start to go on smoother because you're painting/pasteling right on your sealant instead of the resin. I really, really love the way you did the eyebrows and eyelashes. Those are my biggest problem areas because they take so much finesse...

 

I think the faceup looks great!

You say the colors look "messy and strange" - I'm not 100% sure what you mean, but I think the "messiest" part of this faceup is the white highlights on the eyelids. They pop a LOT, and if they're not perfect they're gonna look messy. So I would suggest touching those up to either get a really clean edge, or to blend the white more smoothly into the normal skin tone.

 

Are you most frustrated with your line work (lids and inner mouth) being imperfect? Or is there something else troubling you? Overall the face-up does have a very beautiful impression and it's obvious you have a strong understanding of this aesthetic style, even if you are still working on the execution of it. I think that refined line work is an extremely difficult thing to perfect and unfortunately the best advice might just be practice practice practice! However I think it's worth mentioning that at number 10 you've done enough face-ups to have learned a little about yourself and what works and doesn't work for you. If you are having a problem where you are not satisfied with the refinement of the face-up details you are able to execute even with practice I suggest that maybe it's time to begin experimenting with different media (brushes and paints) or techniques because there is probably a method that will come absolutely naturally to you. Always pick the tools that are best for you so that you don't have to fight against your materials to communicate your ideas.
I was once very frustrated with the details of my face-ups and I found my style and method by doing things (within reason) that were not learned from tutorials or my readings on common techniques, but were found gradually by experimenting to best harness my strengths while forgiving my weaknesses (like my hand tremors).
I'm sorry I can't give you more specific advice but I hope that my encouragement is helpful in its own way. I'm confident that you will find a way to be very happy with your face-ups if you will allow yourself room to experiment and find your perfect tools or style.

 

What kind of sealant are you using?

It's my impression that MSC is no longer beloved of the community, since they changed their formula. I've tried a few different sealants at this point, and I think my favorite has been Testors, but Citadel is good too.

However, I don't see any obviously sealant related issues on your faceup. Are you having trouble getting an even gradient with pastels? When I have sealant problems, it usually looks like a spotted texture that appears on the doll after being sprayed, and inconsistent texture on the skin that I may not notice until I'm working (i.e. a little smooth spot that won't take any pastel).

If you aren't spraying very much sealant, then spray more! You should spray a lot, probably a lot more than you think. And if you are having trouble with precision or messing up your past work, then spray more frequently, and let the sealant dry longer

 

@Iwachan well, whatever problems with the pastel colors you are abe to see with your naked eye isn't showing up in pictures. In pictures it looks very lovely! But the sealant you use can completely change the working surface of the face-up so I do think it's a good idea to try another sealant if you think you are happy working on this one.
@Marjie Well I think people used to be a little uncertain whether or not other sealants were safe (years ago) but now that they've been shown to be and people have selection it seems a wider variety is commonly used. I've used several and I still love MSC.