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Aesthetics First 3 Faceups Critique

May 18, 2023

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    1. Seeking some honest and constructive faceup critique, especially with tips or techniques!

      I had batched and painted 3 of my dolls at the same time back in 2018, mostly in an attempt to save money. I still have a couple of blank heads and am debating sending them to an artist vs. trying to paint them myself. Overall, I was satisfied in that I captured my characters, but don't feel like the faceups are good enough to bring my dolls out or photograph so would love feedback on how to improve.

      The blank heads - a Little Rebel Seven, Infinitidoll Alex, and Peakswood Bella the Moon

      [​IMG]

      Infinitidoll Alex
      The lower lashes were a mistake. I tried watercolor pencils and quickly realized that they are way too grainy looking. The white on the lids was also a mistake (and you'll see I repeated that in the next faceup too because I painted them together :doh). However, I am fairly pleased with his blush and how his lips look once everything was done.

      [​IMG]

      [​IMG]


      Done up on a temp body! Please excuse the blue eye putty haha...
      [​IMG]


      Little Rebel Seven
      I love his eyebrows and how thin the hairs were painted. The painted eyelids and lashes were okay, but I struggle with getting the pastels down in a way that isn't blotchy and uneven. The white I applied after to try and correct things didn't work out, neither did experimenting with white pencil for eyebrow highlights (too grainy).

      [​IMG]
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      And done up!
      [​IMG]

      Peakswood Bella the Moon
      I liked her eyeshadow the most, particularly once her lashes were glued on (double layered black and silver eyelashes.) Her blushing is messy, and there were some unfortunate smudges as well that I didn't catch before sealing. For her lower lashes, I think the issue was that my paint was too watered which made the strokes thick, and when I tried to fix this by painting over, it resulted in very messy eyelashes.

      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]

      Done up (sorry about the lighting)
      [​IMG]

      Thank you so much for your time and feedback!
       
      #1 Serraphym, May 18, 2023
      Last edited: May 18, 2023
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    2. Hey @Serraphym :aheartbea so I'm understanding right that these were your first three faceups ever?
      You have done a very good job on them! I think that whether you want to continue to practice or not is completely up to you. Some people are completely capable of it but just don't enjoy the process or like you were saying feel awkward about how their dolls look in comparison maybe to a doll painted by a very experienced artist.
      Honest and not flattery: your dolls look perfectly good already! Even if they looked especially sloppy, they would still be fit for you to photograph, but they don't look sloppy. They look all polished up when you put them together with their styling!

      There have been an unusual amount of "first Faceup" posts that I feel are setting the bar unrealistically high lately. I'm happy for these people, and it's not exactly shocking because some people learn well in theory before they practice but if you are a hands on learner you will improve vastly if you enjoy the process and keep at it a little more. Your work looks to me in the top half of quality of first time work, for sure.

      For any perspective, I think your first Faceup looks really similar to mine. And within the first ten I really was on my feet with it and although I kept improving all the time, I was able to feel pretty good about my work and enjoy my dolls a lot.

      I'm sorry this has been more encouragement that critique, which, if you want more of that I'm happy to come back with it, and others will be too I'm sure. My biggest tips on how to improve would be:
      Color diversity and layering. I would get a purple, some pinks, and a dark purple-blue-grey to add to what you are already using for these looks. From there bring in light purple and/ or light blue for more realism around the eyes.
      Other than that I think it's technique practice and blending. You have a strong foundation already!

      I just wanted to say I think you are doing great already and your dolls are totally photo ready! I hope you can celebrate yourself a little :aheartbea
       
      #2 AlisonVonderland, May 18, 2023
      Last edited: May 18, 2023
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    3. Thanks, and I appreciate it a lot! (Technically I've done a couple faceups before pre-2010, but I was a kid armed with dollar store acrylic then and shouldn't have been touching resin heads :XD:). I do dabble with drawing and watercolors though, so I think that helps with brush control.

      Noted about the color diversity in pastels - I'll go buy a few more in cooler shades if I paint my next doll. I'm not very great at color theory, but will take a look at how others have used the blues/purples around the eyes.

      Honestly, my enjoyment tends to be more about the ends than the means when it comes to customization, so while I don't love doing the faceups, I do see the value in being able to most accurately portray my own characters. I think the internal struggle probably comes from earlier days in the hobby when I met collectors in China, and felt there was a lot of judgment in those circles about less-than-perfect dolls, even if the DOA meetup folks I've met have always been super kind / supportive. Thank you for your words of encouragement!
       
      #3 Serraphym, May 18, 2023
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    4. No problem, there will always be different circles in the hobby. There will also always be people who are judgey for imperfections but at the end of the day (I think) we can just keep in mind the type of company we want to keep.
      I'm pretty sure you could look up color theory for portrait painters too. And that would be an extremely good reference. I'm a portrait painter as my background :XD: I am not surprised to hear you say that you are also an artist. I think the faceups show that. There is always some possibility that the facep process will get more enjoyable as it gets less frustrating, but even if it doesn't, you spend a lot more time looking at the painted doll vs actually painting it! So that seems fine :lol:
      Good luck! :aheartbea
       
      #4 AlisonVonderland, May 18, 2023
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    5. I think you already improved by the third head:XD: If you clarify your faceup goals, I think you can get more goal specific advices:)
      If you are all in for smokey and not-too-realistic faceup, I think you are on the right track. But if you want to create more luminosity, I suggest using cold colours (blue, purple, I like using cerulean blue whitch is warm blue) on cold colour areas on face (side of nose, lower wide mouth, around the eyes etc) and more flesh colours (reds & pinks) on warm areas (cheeks, ears, forehead, middle of nose bridge, tip of nose, forehead):hug:
       
      #5 Lady Maeve, May 18, 2023
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    6. Thank you! Ah, great point about faceup goals haha. I tend to like the more old school, not super realistic faceups which is a bit at odds with my art style. But, I do love the idea of creating more luminosity and depth. Thank you for sharing the colors you use! I'll definitely pick up some more pastel colors for the cooler areas
       
      #6 Serraphym, May 18, 2023
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