2013: Year of the Face-Up

The eyes in question.

...I really have to do something about those eyes. It didn't bother me when she was on her original cheap knock-off body or when she was a floating head, but now with a proper body and clothes the look is downright disturbing. Maybe this will be the year I finally get it together and start repainting faces.





It's been about a year now since the Monster High dolls got me back into the doll hobby, or rather got me into it for real. As soon as I read about them I loved the idea, the characters and the articulated bodies, and I wished I'd had dolls like that as a kid! Ghoulia became my favorite, almost entirely due to her bio, but the doll itself made me pretty disappointed. I thought I could do a better job of making her look like herself. Then a friend got me the basic Ghoulia for Christmas, and so I started sketching.

I googled around for tutorials and tips on what paints and brushes to use. I watched BJD faceup videos on YouTube and tried to figure out what might apply to 1/6 scale vinyl heads too. I located the only reseller of MSC in the country and got the second-to-last can. I learned about respirators and the dangers of aerosols, and realized I had to get the proper safety equipment before I even wiped the Bratz head I bought to practice on. My doll budget/month is pretty limited, so amassing the required tools and materials would take a while, and I'm not good at postponing satisfaction - particularly not when I'd just discovered how much fun doll stuff there is out there nowadays! Going to the hardware store to try on respirators doesn't sound like much fun in comparison, and so I've been putting it off.

This year I will probably have a little bit more money - not much, just a little - and maybe I'll be able to budget both for new and exciting doll stuff, as well as a respirator and maybe some tiny, thin brushes. It would probably be a good idea to finally get the face-uping off the ground, because truth is I don't find buying dolls as fun in the long run. Sewing is fun of course; you accomplish something and get to feel a bit creative, but it can only do so much for the character of a doll when you're stuck with the factory face. It's extra frustrating because painting is something I'm much more comfortable with, and I just know I could make the dolls look exactly the way I want them to - if only... There are a few dolls I have specific plans for, new faces to match their personality, but before I can get them done they're just hanging in some sort of Character Limbo and I'm not even sure how I feel about them yet.

So that's something that needs to happen this year. That's my New Year's resolution, re: dolls - less buying stuff for instant gratification, more working towards something that will be more rewarding in long run. We'll se how that goes.