Would you rather commission a faceup, or do it yourself?

I would like to do my own, i think I’ll buy a blank face to practice on, but to each their own for sure- but I think being an artist who can create work is easier than relying on a face up who may not have the same vision as you I guess

 

i would definitely commission someone (or get the factory faceup). I know my own limitations.

 

Unfortunately I can not make it myself . I am not even good at this . I will ask from an artist to make it for me even if I have to pay some money . And I really hope that the artist will make what exactly I want or something similar .

 

Definitely commission!

 

I collect mostly Fairyland, and I really tend to like the company faceups, so I usually stick with the default faceup. And takents definately are not in painting or drawing, so I would likely destroy the doll. I do see some really beautiful artist faceups though. There is some awesome talent out there.

 

I'm artsy, but I'm no painter. I'd rather commission a faceup from an artist, invest some money so that I know for sure I'll be happy. That being said, I'm neither painting my own faceup nor commissioning one for my new doll because I tend to really like that company's faceups.

 

I usually like the faceups made by companies so I'm mainly buying "finished" dolls. Even if I didn't like them, I wouldn't have any talent for doing my own faceup. So I'd rather commission someone. But I have to admit, I'm extremely envious of people who can do their own faceups.

 

I tried doing one on my own once, and while I think it turned out pretty good for a first time and even sold it for $100, I would never do it for a doll that I didn't plan on selling. Professional faceup artists have put in the cost to get good quality tools and supplies, plus have experience that I don't have or plan to get. I just love telling an artist my vision and seeing it come to life.

 

Commission but sadly I'm too scared to mail off my doll heads. Also saving up for them on top of dolls and such. I would rather get a doll with a face up from the company then decide later if I want to change it

 

I did my own face up once and while it came out alright, I wasn't really satisfied with it. In general, i like drawing, but painting has always been a struggle for me. I can draw out how I want a doll's face up to look but translating that onto the physical object is out of my ability. If I were to get another blank doll, I'd commission someone to do the face up.

 

I always do my own face-ups; making them look exactly how I want and being able to customise them myself is half the reason why I got into BJDs in the first place.

 

I'd love to do a face up myself as have so many ideas but I'm a bit nervous (even though I have all the gear needed). At the moment I go for company face ups but would consider commissioned face ups too.

 

Definitely commission for me! I'd love to be able to do faceups and whatnot on my own, but my hands shake horribly and I'd be way to worried about messing something up. I've found amazing artists for my dolls and enjoy sending my dolls to different artists for different looks so all of them look super unique which I really enjoy!

 

Even thought I have no experience yet I'm planning to do it myself because I know exactly how I want it to look and it will be so satisfying to know it was my own hard work, even if it doesn't end up quite how I want

 

I like my face-ups by commission or by the company purchased from. I can paint but not face-up paint. I think it takes a true artist to create a face-up. And I have no business doing something I know I will mess up.

 

100 % commission! I would be too worried to mess it up if I do it myself.

 

Most of my dolls I've painted myself. I enjoy the process of doing faceups myself even if I'm not very good at it. I can usually capture the vibe I'm going for despite the skillfull technique not quite being there.

 

Comission 100%
I would rather trust an artist with exp instead. I would need to spend time that often I dont have

 

I would rather do it myself. It's one of my biggest joys of the hobby, and I'm so picky, I'd hate to put another artist through working with me, lmao.

 

i have MANY blank heads somehow and with all thats going on in the world currently have been too nervous to send off heads for faceups...so i guess ill have to learn to do it myself eventually if i want some of these guys to not stay blank.

 

I do the faceups myself since I enjoy the process and it's also an important part of the hobby for me. My faceups are pretty meh and very basic, but I like them. I don't yet have a doll where the face up is not my own and extremely damaged or heavily faded, but I don't think I'll be commissioning. Although in my case, this isn't really by choice since most of the companies or artists that did the faceup are either defunct or not taking commissions anymore. the pains of secondhand dolls.

 

I rather get the factory faceup or do it myself. When I get my first BJD I was planning on doing it myself, because I'll have to dye the head first to match whatever body I get.
I have painted Viynl dolls before, so I think I have an idea on how to do it. Been also watching faceup videos as well and already looking for the supplies.

 

I’ve commissioned the same artist to paint 2 of my boys and I’m extremely happy with their work
I tried it myself but I don’t have the skill nor the patience and I’m one of those people who gives up if I’m not immediately good at something lol

 

I'll do it myself. I have the materials and tools from my other hobbies. Even though I'm brand new to doing faceups, I can study makeup tutorials and other artists' work to get an idea if there's a specific look I want to achieve.

From the face-up I can also decide on which eyes would be best, which serves as the basis for the wig and outfit that bests fits the doll. Plus, it gives me time to really study the face sculpt and figure any nuances with it, which helps develop the personality of the doll to me. It's very much a meditative process that starts with the face!

 

Company face-up or commissioned face-ups!

I'm interested in learning how to faceup myself, but unfortunately it's just not possible in a logistical sense. And i just know if i actually did it myself, I'd be itching to redo time i look at it.

 

I prefer to do it myself, mostly because doing faceups is something I've been practicing and enjoy doing. Also because I am cheap, and I would lose my mind if I scratched an expensive faceup, whereas if it's a faceup I did myself, I can just touch it up or wipe the face with no remorse.

 

I like the idea of doing it myself and I have done one face up and some blushing. However, I do love the work of face up artists and maybe be open to commissioning someone down the line. I struggle with finding time to do faceups so my dolls tend to stay blank which makes me sad. But I do worry about sending it off to someone both because I don’t know them and don’t always trust the mail system haha

 

personally, id rather do it myself. because then it assures me i'll like it/ make it to my liking.

 

Im always in the camp of doing it myself. Not only do I enjoy it, but it saves money, gives me more control of the final product, and I can ensure the safety of my doll. If I buy a doll second hand that has a faceup, though, I'll probably leave it on if I like it. This is the case for both second hand dolls I own.

 

Company faceup, but would also be interested in commisions as I admire several artists work.

 

Commission or company face-up. I tried to do my own face-ups for awhile but I really didn't like it. I got OK at it but never good enough for my satisfaction so I quite doing them.

 

I’d do it myself for a few reasons:

1. Waiting time - unless this is a doll I already own for a while I’d have serious problem to give away something I waited so long for! The whole sending and shipping is also a bit troublesome.

2. Funds, obviously. If I cannot pay for the company face-up (given I like it) then it’s even less probable I will pay for a separate face-up service.

3. I am a beginner in this hobby and look forward to do my own face-up - I need some creativity in my life and I am already paying for wigs, eyes and clothes. Art supplies are the most accessible.

If I ever have some spare funds and enough dolls I will have no problem parting with them for a while + I will find some local artists, I might consider commisioning a face-up.

 

Ideally I would do it myself. But I've never done it before, so I know the first ones will be UGLY. I am planning on getting a practice head though.

The answer is kind of mixed: get company faceups where it works, then get commissioned faceups until I learn it myself, then hopefully be able to do it myself.

 

I prefer to do them myself just because I’m picky. Since most of my doll plans are shelling OCs that I’ve previously drawn I feel like it’s easier to preserve my art style across formats if I‘m also the faceup artist.

 

I do them myself. I know I am not that good at it but it's so much fun to paint them.

 

Self, because when I started following bjds in 2002, way before I got my first one, there was always bad news about rip off artists. Or an artist would start out great, get overbooked or bogged down with life, give up and have to be nagged into shipping heads back. So I learned to do it myself, trial and error. The only one that has a company face up is my Dragon Doll Xixi (Jiji). She was a prank gift from friends so I had no say in her looks. She was so cute and sassy, I didn't want to ever strip and redo her. Her face is still good as new after 10 years. At this point, I'm too picky to hire someone.

 

If I'm not feeling lazy or in love with a company face-up I prefer to do it myself. I've only ever commissioned one face-up for an OT doll and I was like a worried mother almost the entire time he was gone. Don't know if I could go through that again lol.

 

I will definitely do it myself, this is what made me interested in BJD's back in the day. Being able to create the whole doll from a blank model. I may not be as talented as artist who make make-ups, mine will surely not be that precise and perfect, but all the fun is in trying and changing it by myself

 

Hi Satoru,
Recently I had this question on my mind, I will be happy to answer
I would definitely hire someone to do it for me.
The reason behind this decision is that I am afraid too much that I will destroy the face if I try new things on it, the fact that I have never done it before makes me avoid this for the moment.
In the future if I have a guidance from a professional, I could do it but only if I would be certain that the quality of work would be good.
Thus, maybe I would experiment with some random cheap dolls and their face-ups but working on my dolls it will take time before I decide to do it.
Kind regards,
Ioannis

 

There is no way on this earth I would even attempt a faceup. I simply don't have the skill or the patience. Commission or company all the way.

 

Doing it myself brings me joy... I think that if I'm not entirely blown away by a company faceup, I'd rather try my own hand at it. There's also a lot of artists I admire the work of, but I still love the idea of practicing and loving my own work on a doll.

I'm currently relearning to do faceups, with the hopes of renewing my creativity. I recently stripped all the everything from my only doll, deciding to go a different look. From red fox to silver fox... Symmetrical eyebrows are my down fall! But meh, I'm having fun. And that's the point, right? :P

 

I have yet to commission a face up but I would prefer that to painting it myself. I have a blank head that I am considering if I see an opening, when I can afford it.

 

I like doing faceups myself but I'd like to get one commissioned someday. I constantly redo faceups and nitpick my own work so it'd be nice to have someone else's work on a doll I own. I'd probably be terrified of damaging it though.

 

I have never commissioned any face up because I am afraid of sending my dolls through the postal service,. As I don't have any commissioner I like near, I started doing it myself. But the truth is that I got most of my dolls with face up. I"m not as good as I would like painting.

 

I felt this way too! I actually got a 3D resin printer so that I could produce faces and parts to practice on and do mods with before impacting any of my purchased dolls.

I know not everyone can own their own printer, but I highly recommend getting some practice heads for cheap (they dont have to be ones you love, you could even use something like monster high or other small widely available dolls even though they aren't resin) and learning with them first. It really helped me get comfortable without risking anything I didnt want to damage.

 

Hi homemademonsters,
Thanks for your comment.
Really happy to hear about your 3d printer. Is this method going well for you?
I would love to have one as well!

 

I really do like doing my own, but I'm not quite ready to buy a doll without a face up. I practice on my other off topic dolls. But soon, I'm going to jump in!

 

I would rather do it myself if I had better skills, but since I don't, commissioning an artist is my only option for the time being.

 

I wish I could do it myself
however, I may be able to draw but I'm not the best with drawing/painting on 3D surfaces nor with wet mediums so best to leave it to the professionals

I'd love to try someday though

 

I can do art and would love to learn and to make face ups for my dolls myself, as it would make it way easier to match it with the picture in my head. However, I am too scared to touch their faces as I am afraid that I will somehow not use MSClear properly or mess up in any other way and potentially ruin the doll So I would rather trust another person with experience for now

 

Oh my gosh, commissioned. I am absolutely horrible at faceups‍♀️

 

In the past I got dolls already with a faceup and I commissioned a faceup once but I would like to try doing my own now that I have more confidence in my artistic ability

 

I’ve always thought about commissioning a faceup since I admire a lot of artists works, but I’m impatient and get nervous about shipping things so I like to do them myself. Even if my skill level isn’t where I would like to be I know I can get the look I want myself and improve my skills at the same time. One of these days I’ll probably commission an artist I like but not any time soon at least.

 

My faceup skills are minimal. Even if I wanted to improve my abilities, I'm not in a location where I can safely spray. I commission others to paint my dolls.

 

I send it for commissions.
I can't really do faceups that well at all, and different dolls i want different styles on

 

I prefer to do my faceups. I enjoy having the creative freedom and having something to do when I am bored. I also find that faceups can be pricey and can't really afford them. I think I do a pretty good job with faceups because I draw and I enjoy makeup.

 

I used to like to commission them although the last time I did so was probably in 2021 after that I started having some dolls with company faceups as I really liked the ones Impldoll are doing. I also didn’t have as many dolls coming in as I did at one point.

In that time my confidence in painting my own dolls improved and I realized I enjoyed it more than I did when I had first been trying my own faceups a few years back and I started to develop my own style. I love doing makeup etc in general and actually doing faceups weirdly helped me improve on some of my own makeup skills.
I have been trying to become less of a perfectionist about art in general and slowly building my confidence again.

 

I like doing it myself. I'm an artist and it's fun to try out this kind of thing, even if I'm still learning the ways and getting used to the medium. I would definitely commission someone if I had something specific in mind that is out of what I can do or my personal style, though.

 

I really like doing my own face ups! I’m an art teacher so I’ve dabbled in so many different mediums that I’m always willing to try new things. I also bought my dolls secondhand so I think that takes some of the pressure of the fear of messing up off. (My little Monica Jeremy is keeping his company face up for now though- he’s perfect!!)

 

I'd rather do it myself unless I was REALLY struggling to get the look I wanted. Faceups are the most fun part to me!