Aesthetics First Faceup! (Doll Leaves Ida)

I'm not too terribly sure about the technicalities of faceups, but maybe try to reseal the head and try pastel on those tricky areas again? Sealant protects the work, but also gives a little "tooth" for paint and pastel to adhere to, so that may help those places hold color.

As for the rest of it, I think you did a really great job, especially for your first try! The only real comment I can make is that she does look very pink because of the amount of pink blush on very light skin, but that's probably just because the pink is really obvious against her forehead, and it'd most likely look just fine with a wig.

I can't wait to see what else you do as your improve! You seem to have a knack for faceups, especially in the eyebrows. Those are super hard, but you managed these really well!

 

Hey there! Good job for a first try. Advice i would give to your questions:

• I plan to add eyelashes, and gloss to her lips, but I currently have neither of these things; these will have to wait.
  In case you didn't know, simple PVA glue will work wonders for attaching lashes! And Tamiya gloss is one of the best things i use for gloss. Semi or full gloss for lips and eyewells.
• There is a spot on her cheek (below the outer corner of her eye) which I can't seem to force colour onto; if anyone knows how I can fix that, let me know!
  Hm, maybe that area didn't get enough sealant? I'd say make sure sealant is evenly coated on the doll for a start as the sealant offers tooth to hold the colour. Also try using a firmer brush to appy the pastel. And if it's in an area where you want bold colour you can always use gouache and paint it on.
• The same goes with trying to add colour to her lips. The centre gathers colour quite well but the actual fleshy parts of her lips refuse to take pastels...am I using the wrong tool/medium??
  Again here, if you're using a flimsy or loose brush there isn't enough strength in it to push the colour onto the tooth. Try switching to a firmer, almost hard, brush and rub it a little harder too.
• I would like to make her eyebrows and freckles more consistent. I feel as though there is probably a better way to create the shape in her eyebrows...
  For freckles, maybe dilute some gouache and dip your brush (or a toothbrush) into it and flick it on by rubbing your finger across the bristles. This adds a natural fall and doesn't look so "placed".
  As for eyebrows, i always build the shape first in pastels and then slowly build up each hair with gouache on a really fine brush or extra sharp watercolour pencil (not wet).
• I need to work on a way to make my pencil-work smoother and less shaky...
  With pencil always make sure your pencil is sharp to make it precise. And if you aren't already using them, watercolour pencils work much smoother on resin (just don't wet them!).
  
  But overall you've done a great go at it. You have lovely eyebrow shape and where you've placed your blush is great!
  Other advice i would say is, i would use paints on the eye (where you have the black) as it goes on sooo much smoother and fills much better.
  If you'd like more help, feel free to message me ^-^ This is just some brief advice.

 

When I do face-ups, for the lips I would use a dry cotton bud dipped into pastel powder (shaved pastel) and then dab it on the lips. Then lightly brush away loose powder and then clean up the around the lips with a kneadable eraser.

 

I'm very glad to hear that you tried and it all worked out so well! I would love to see your results.
And if you ever face an issue or need any more advice, feel free to drop me a message and i'll help however i can~

 

Oh WOW! Such an improvement so fast! Well done!

Maybe fix some brown-ish pastel in with the pink to dumb it down a little to take out the pink-ness?

Same with the acrylic, don't be scared to mix colours and get just the right shade.

As for eyebrows, if you're going for more realistic i have found that pastelling in the basic shape of the brows with a lighter colour than then are going to be then slowly layering lines of acrylic for each eyebrow hair makes it look so much more natural. and if you change the shades you're using it creates real depth.

If you're on a budget and don't want to pay so much shipping then why not get some cheap human lashes and make your own? You just use some PVA to line off where you want them (like how long) and cut there.

And yes! Gloss will really make things pop!

But still fantastic job!

 

you've done a really nice job keeping things symmetric on both sides of her face- especially the eyebrows!

 

Her eyebrows look great! I'm not sure if it's part of the look you're going for, but her eyelashes are a bit yellow. If you're planning to glue on lighter eyelashes then it's going to be tough matching them in pencil, but grays might help keep things natural. If you're using dark eyelashes though, I'd simply suggest making them pop a little with some brown pencil/paint.