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

I'd rather do them myself if I can (though I love when I buy second-hand dolls that already have them). The first blank head I got was sent off to an artist not too far from me (who did an amazing job), but after that one, I decided I wanted to do them myself.

I'm a pretty bullheaded person when it comes to making things--I'm normally firm that if I'm capable of doing/making it myself, there's absolutely no reason for me to pay someone else to do it, even if it costs me more in the long run to get the supplies. My face-up skills have reached a "good enough for me" level, so I do them when I manage to convince myself a doll has been blank for too long.

 

I can't do face-ups. I can't do my own makeup very well. So much as I'd LOVE to do my own somehow (wave a magic wand?) I have no choice but to send them out (or get company face ups). I don't mind. I DO sew thank goodness...

 

id rather do the face up myself because I can envision what expression/ face i like my doll to have.

 

Do it myself. It's fun, I get to learn, and I know what I want. The sense of accomplishment after a face up is a plus, too. ^^
Also, I'm too paranoid thinking about shipping a doll head somewhere, not necessarily because I don't trust the commissioned artist, but because I'm just paranoid about shipping in general. u__u

 

I like to do it myself, it's fun and i enjoy it, i could practice and get better with the time, also i'm scared about sending the head outside, because of shipping and costums too.

 

You have a choice. Try it. If you mess up it can be wiped off and you can start again. If you are truly not happy THEN send off. You have nothing to lose if you were going to have it commissioned in the first place. Or buy a practice head.

 

I have no experience with making a face up as i don't know from where i could get the things needed, or what i need . Yet i wouldn't let another person whom i don't know, do my face up for me as im fearing for my doll to be stolen. I do though let the company give me their default face- up and then in future reference buy a blank head and practice on it

 

I prefer to do faceups myself. I'm still very much a novice, but it's become an important part of the bonding process for me. Plus, I usually don't have a clear idea of how I want my dolls to look, so I wouldn't know what to tell the faceup artist! Once I've sat down with the blank head, I just experiment and see what happens.

 

I wouldn't trust myself to do a faceup, too scared of doing something wrong and ending up with a ruined doll -.-

 

I've been trying for over 40 years w/my OWN makeup - I do adequately for belly-dance gigs but I REALLY can't do it. There comes a time in one's life, dear, where you admit that you just cannot do everything, & delegate. As I said, I'm an expert seamstress/costumer. So I'll stick w/that.

 

I've sort of forced myself to learn how to do faceups. Hopefully, time will improve my skills.
Like it was stated before, I'm kind of afraid of shipping my dolls out. Just thinking of losing my doll's head in the mail mortifies me.

 

I've been learning how to do faceups. I bought my dolls with faceups because I was happy with the company default. After buying a couple dolls without faceups through the mp I thought it was easier for me to learn then to send them off. I feel like sending them away is a risk. A risk for damage, being lost in the mail..or even theft. Those are risks I'm not willing to take with my dolls. Although I'm still learning and I'm not nearly at a level I would prefer, I'm happy with the results. I feel more of a connection to the dolls I've customized myself than the dolls that have the company default. Eventually, I plan to give all of my dolls a faceup. Right now I'm waiting until I've gotten my money's worth out of the company defaults. I don't plan on paying for a faceup ever again.

 

Now that I have done three or four I would rather do my own than have default faceups or send them out. I don't know that I will wipe the faces of those defaults that I have as I'm happy with the minor changes that I made on them, but I will probably order blank dolls from now on.

 

I got into BJD to make clothing them. I would like to learn how to make wigs and I would LOVE to get good at face ups! For now, I am lucky to have a talented friend!

 

I would love to do face ups but sadly I'm not there yet. The thought kind of freaks me out.

 

I will always, always send them off to a professional. In my very beginning days in the hobby I gave my hand a go at doing them on my own, but the frustration, time and money just were never worth it. I know some folks find it a bonding process with their dolls, but it only made me irritated at them and myself for my own lack of skill. I do love drawing and digital painting, but actual painting on a canvas has never, ever been my forte and I suppose this carries over to other surfaces. I don't like the mess and I lack the patience. It's much more satisfying to know they're in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing.

 

I am waaay to terrified to do my own and don't feel as though I would do them justice. I have always sent mine out. I can paint and do my own makeup..... but the whole trying to do the even eyebrows.. no thanks!

I love how you can describe what you want and then its still a surprise when it comes back.... I have never been dissapointed

 

I'm finally getting my first doll after following people in the hobby for years! She's a Haru Adori and I cna't wait for her to get here, but the thing is I'm wondering about her faceup. I think it'd be kinda fun to do it myself, since I have some of the supplies from a workshop I went to some months back but admittedly they are very cheap and I have no practice. Also since it's my first doll I kinda want her to look good so I'm considering commissioning it.
My question is for a first doll do you prefer to go pro or stay personal? What did you guys do?

 

For my first doll I did her face-up on my own. I actually still like it now, and I'm very happy I let myself imagine her looks, without my imagination being clouded by someone else's style.

for my second doll I got the company face-up, and I'm glad I did, since I had no idea what his personality would be like, it helped me find out what fit him best

So I guess it depends on how sure you are about how you want them to look.

 

My first doll came with a faceup from the company. But after I few months, I just had to paint him myself! I have painted all of my own faceups since then, and never commissioned anyone. Faceups are a lot of fun!

You could also consider the time that a commission takes, though. You already have to wait a long time for your doll to be made, so are you ready to send out her head and have to wait some more for the faceup? If you do it yourself, you can paint her immediately (assuming the weather is good).

 

oh that makes sense!

yeah that's kind of wanted to do a faceup myself, lol. but yeah the problem is that where i live the weather is staying way too hot. it's gonna be 100+ most of the week. humidity seems to be fine it's just the heat i don't think will work out for me lol

 

For my first doll, I got the face-up by someone else. I've never done a face-up nor do I have any artistic talent, so I my friend offered to the face-up for me.

 

I have ordered all my dolls blank since I had planned to do face-ups myself right off the bat.
Then again I'm already an artist, am used to handling brushes, pencils and paint, and had the supplies at home already as well.

Even if I weren't though, I'd probably order the first head blank and then give it a shot! It it looks real bad one can still send the head out for a face-up.

 

My first doll was painted by me, and most of my others since have been. I have only ordered dolls with faceups if they just happen to be more convenient that way (secondhand/in stock with a dealer/etc), and I have only ever commissioned four faceups for myself. I've painted at least a couple hundred myself (I tend to buy/sell/trade often and have worked on friends' dolls). Though some of the artist faceups are higher skill levels and simply stunning, they often just don't feel like MY character. Even if I still have room to improve my own work, I feel good knowing I painted my dolls myself to suit myself.

 

i painted my first doll myself it was a terrifyingly fun experience LOL. of course i was nervous, but in the end i had so much fun bringing to life the image in my head. i'm with the above poster in that it feels really good to go through the process of envisioning a faceup in your mind and then trying to create it yourself with your own hands. even though i have a long way to improve, i'm so glad i took the plunge of doing nicky's faceup myself. it's incredibly satisfying, gives me something to be proud of, and makes me love my dolls even more because i know they are uniquely mine ♡

 

For my first bjd, he already had the company faceup, I did get him secondhand and I really liked his face, so I have kept it. He's a wonderful boy, Souldoll chiron on human body. Just love him

 

I ordered my first doll with the company faceup. It was during an event so I was going to get the event head too and I decided I would rather practice faceups on that head while my first doll came 'ready to go'. I'm really glad I did that too because I'd never actually seen a BJD in real life before and it gave me something to look at while I practised doing my own. I also absolutely love my first doll's faceup that she came with too. I can't imagine her with a different face! My dolls now are a mix of company faceups and my own.

 

Before I always got company faceup or faceups done by other professional people because collectively faceup materials cost a LOT. Over the years I've managed to buy everything (sealant, pastels, etc) one by one, so I've been doing my own faceups for a while now! I think it's definitely more fun to be able to customise your own dollies

 

Personally, I'll probably always do it myself. The first doll I got, I proceeded to wash off the faceup, break out the pastels and watercolor pencils, hold my breath and just try for it. Turned out better than I expected it to, and I've done all of mine ever since. I'm actually excited to pull all my dolls, give them a good wash and redo them all since they have some wear and could use an upgrade. Just got new pastels for it too.
I know I'm not as good as some out there, really basic in comparison, but I know I'll get better if I keep at it. I LOVE how gorgeous some artists out there are, and love their styles; but there's something about doing it myself that for me, makes the dolls more "mine" and makes them fit my characters/image for them better.

 

My sasha doll came with a face up and I liked it so she still has it. But my obitsu gets a new face up when ever I make when a new dress.

 

I'd rather do it myself. I've been an artist for as long as I remember, plus I always love saving some money! I love doing faceups as well. It's so calming!

 

I'd rather commission a faceup...but I'm afraid to send a doll because the post is not trustable. I don't want one of my dolls to get lost in the mail...So if I want to commission a faceup, it will be to someone living nearby ^.^

 

The facts that I'm somewhat of an artist and enjoy doing faceups, and that I'm way too nervous to send a doll head in the mail insure I'll always do my own faceups, lol.

Joking aside, I do like it. I already have all the tools and some semblance of the skills, and it's really enjoyable to draw a personality out of a blank sculpt. :3

 

It depends for me. I usually did the faceup by myself if I have time. )

 

I would love to do a face-up myself one day. I have a practice head, and once I master one that's even just "okay" I'm not paying for others' face-ups any more. I have always thought people that do their own face-ups for their dolls give them such a special look, and I want to have that too, even if it's just fair or okay-looking.

 

Commission because I am no good at doing faceups myself, also I feel like I can never really like my own art.. so even if I would have been alright I still would let someone else do it

 

I want to paint them myself. So I can practice doing face-ups too so I don't have to pay for a face-up.

 

I have tried doing faceups on my own, even have the tools, but never really got the knack of it... They're passable, but not as good as I'd like them to be. I know I'd get better with practice, but I simply don't have the time at this point. I have two small kids at home, so I have to prioritize and I've chosen to focus on my sewing (which I'm better at, anyways). I've got a Narae head getting a faceup at the moment from a faceup artist in my own country, and I'm excited to see how she will turn out.

 

I would do it myself, if I could, but I don't have the supplies, and can't get some of them here so I have to send out my heads for face ups.

 

For those I don't order company face-ups for, I'm going to do myself. I have the supplies, but next to no experience. It'll cost less in the long run, and I'll be able to have them look exactly how I want, and not have to entrust their heads to the mail!

 

Commission.
I probably wouldn't be very good at faceups, plus I'm too impatient ^^;
Also, there's the supplies and space issues ...where would I work on faceups in my small flat? ahah;

 

I feel like it would be really fun to do your own faceup and in the process you would get to bond with your doll and make that doll something special to you ^^ although I do feel like it would be challenging and take a lot of time, practice and money but still it would be worth it!

 

I'd rather commission
I don't have the skill or the patience to do face ups myself haha

 

Commissons allow you to get a fresh perspective and try a new style different from your own, but if you have something concrete in mind for how you want your doll to look, nothing quite beats doing it yourself.

 

Personally I'd like to commission someone because I'm not very good at painting/drawing. I much prefer sewing and making props for my dolls rather than face ups. However I don't usually have enough money to commission someone and when I do I'll spend it on something else. So one of these days I just have to get the rest of the supplies and do it.

 

I commission my faceups because I have neither the patience or attention to detail to do it myself. ;p

 

I'm too paranoid to commission someone to do a faceup unless they're within walking distance. Too many horror stories of stolen heads or bodies. I'd rather do it myself

 

If the doll is new & I like what the company did, I'll have them do the face up but otherwise I'll send the doll out. I may be creative but not in the world of face ups

 

I'm excited to be getting my first doll soon and know I'll be doing a completely custom face-up and body painting. Doing it all myself is part of the appeal of owning a bjd, for me. I draw/paint and have done horror dolls for a haunted house before so I know it'll be something I enjoy doing as well as a learning experience. XD also I would be terrified of shipping her off after getting her finally.

 

I'm no good at doing face up, so commission only. Want to learn how to blush though, I think it's a bit easier.

 

Commission. I'm new to this but in the past have tried sculpting and painting faces and I didn't like my outcomes and it was very frustrating. I would rather pay someone with experience that I know will make my ideas reality.

 

Commission, because of the toxicity of the solvents.

 

I do so appreciate those artists who do faceups. I'm just not good at it and don't have a lot of time with work to do it. I do have some paints and sculpting tools from past projects but I'm not up to par to do it for commissions so I can't keep up with all the supplies needed and time. And I'm impatient and get very frustrated when my projects look so unlike my idea because I messed up their faces!

 

I'm better at making their clothing but even with that I don't have a lot of time and there are way better clothes and jewelry designers for bjds. I usually commission those two because fir my dolls I just want one or two costumes for each of them so I commission really nice clothing for that purpose.

 

I suck at drawing/painting. So I doubt I'll be much better at faceups. I do see the advantage, however, as one owner on IG got a chip in her doll's face and was able to wipe it and re-do the faceup to camouflage it, which you can't do so easily with a commission.
I think I'll star by trying my hand at bodyblushing first though.

 

That's another thing I just started thinking about - sending out the doll for faceups. I world find the artist I like the work of, research reviews, and then insure my doll and hope for the best. It's worth it if I did the research and planning and all goes well to get the gave I want.

 

Don't forget the part where you miss your doll terribly for the weeks or months that he is gone.

 

Oh yeah. ...NNNNOOOOOO!

 

I adore doing my own face-ups, to the point that even if I get a free face-up from the company (or as part of a full-set deal), I'll wipe it off. Being able to do the face-up myself, and really make the doll into a unique character, is a large part of what I like about this hobby.

 

I'm currently in the concept stage of designing the faceup for my newest doll. In other words--I prefer to try my own hand at faceups. I have never done one before, but have watched multiple tutorials and have been drawing artistic representations of BJD faceps for the last year or so, as well as using pastels, and have been drawing regularly for the last sixteen years. So I'm really not nervous about seeing how my own attempt at a faceup would look. I'm a bit too concerned about sending out heads for faceups, even to respected artists, as I've had things easily go missing in the mail before and would hate to lose an expensive head that way.