Faceups How can I practice faceups?

There are many companies that sell much cheaper heads! If you scroll through Alice's Collections, there are already quite a few options. Some companies also make so called "practice heads" - they are normal resin heads, just cheaper (usually around $20) and maybe a bit less detailed. If you search DoA for "practice head" you should find quite a few threads that discuss those. You can also always peep into second hand options.

 

Alice's sometimes has Doll Family A practice heads but they haven't been in stock for a while, I guess the company hasn't casted any for a bit. You can also take a look at other dealer's in-stock sections for affordable heads with no pre-order waiting time for alternatives, Legenddoll and Denver Doll Emporium usually have some affordable options in stock.

 

Adding to this: please be careful when looking up "practice heads" outside of BJD places.
Recaster (i.e. the guys producing illegal bootlegs) loved to label their heads as such back on Ebay to trick people into buying them. Not sure they still do that, but just as a general warning.

Unfortunately the cheap ones by Doll Family do not seem to be distributed anymore, which is a shame cause it was the cheapest 1/3 head available and usually in stock on Alice's Collection.
However, some companies still have decently priced 1/4 heads available (AC has this one in stock atm for example: Doll Parts, MYOU Doll - BJD, BJD Doll, Ball Jointed Dolls - Alice's Collections). Not under 40$, but I'd argue still a good value especially because the head is pretty cute to boot. Sometimes people fall in love with their "practice" head and promote it to full doll later on Could imagine this one to be a likely candidate for that.

I'd also advise you not to go lower than 1/4 size. It only becomes more difficult the smaller the doll is, and 1/4 is pretty much the sweet spot for size/cost while still allowing you a pleasant painting experience.

 

I’d vouch for also maybe getting a Resinsoul or Bobobie head, since they’re on the cheaper end but still very cute. Imo investing in an actual doll is the better option. (like Ara said: unless you really enjoy 1/6ths, if you’re just looking to practice or dip your toes in go for a 1/4, but also if you’re practicing on MH their heads are more comparable to 1/6 range imo. Kinda just up to you) Sounds scary but there’s plenty of affordable options. I recc’d resinsoul because i know they sell their heads separately so they can be pretty cheap, but MyouDoll is also a very cute affordable doll brand, or even DF-H.

Otherwise my advice is truly to not really be beholden to the “it’s X much money, i’m going to ruin it” mindset, unless you’re like… going in on subtractive mods. You can always wipe a faceup and start over - that’s the point of practice heads anyway, they’re just kind of marketed as such since afaik (i don’t have any) they’re usually like B casts or just an unpopular head or something?

If you’re still really stuck on the price factor but want to paint resin, you could also put up a WTB (later on when you get MP or in your local doll group/insta/etc) for a project doll. This is usually just someone’s older doll that may be damaged, yellowed, previously dyed, whatever, but usually people sell them for pretty cheap because they’re just that- projects. That way, just by fixing it back up, you’ll be learning said skills you want to learn anyway when it comes to customizing, and you don’t have the mental block of ruining a “new” thing.

 

Dollmore also have random box heads in 1/3 and 1/4 sizes for $45 USD at the moment too

 

Regarding airbrushing the sealant - you'll need to wear a mask and ventilate the same as with a spray sealant, it's less toxic but breathing in the aerosol particles is just as bad. I'd also recommend either using an acrylic thinner or no thinning at all as water tends to mess up the sealant texture or give an uneven coverage. If you search for "brush on sealant" in the customisation forum you'll find quote a bit of good info on how to use it with resin

 

You don't have to use watercolor pencils on resin, you can use acrylics as well. Some people like using pencils because they don't like doing linework with acrylics due to a number of reasons. However, if you're already comfortable using acrylic paint on PVC head sculpts, there's absolutely no reason to want to switch to pencils for working on resin. As for thinning the acrylics, I do recommend using mediums and water at the ratios that are recommended by whichever brand of mediums/acrylics you're using. If you use thinner/slow-dry by themselves with the acrylics and no water, the paint won't dry properly, even if you seal the work with MSC, it will still remain tacky for all eternity. I've been painting with only acrylics and no pastels for a while now, on both PVC and resin, and had no issues using water and thinners/other-acrylic-mediums. You have to use water however, using a ton of the mediums and no water just leaves never-drying-tacky paint behind.

Lastly, you do want to use a ventilated area for anything that will become airborne, more so if you're going to be using an airbrush. Breathing anything that comes out of that, and isn't plain old water, can be harmful not only to you, but any other living being around you as you use the airbrush. Good luck! (:

 

Most people who paint BJD prefer or favor pastels. They are easy to work with and quite user friendly even when you've never done any toy repainting. Acrylics are not hard to use for shading or blushing, but it does take some user error and practice to get anywhere decent results, which you would probably achieve faster with pastel. However, I am a weirdo, I prefer not having to use aerosol fixative every five seconds. As a traditional trained artist, I also favor acrylic paint over most other media. It is a personal preference, and you'll probably won't find a lot on doing BJD face ups using only acrylics as it is not a popular thing. However, it can be done and outside BJD, acrylic only painting (or other types of paints) has been done on resin toy customizing since the begining of dawn. Just make sure to use tried tools and materials, there's really no wrong way to approach how to customize doll, as long as you're using supplies that won't damage the plastic in the long run.(:

 

The problem isn't toxicity, but the particles themselves. The air brush will break the sealent into very tiny droplets that can get into your lungs and cause mechanical damage there. Please take care of your self and do some research before using an air brush. The thread linked by idrisfynn in post #9 is a good place to start.