Things I Learned Doing My First Faceup.

[MelWong]

1: You will, at the last minute, forget to buy something vital. Like glue for gluing the eyelashes on.

2: You will get used to the smell of brush cleaner and coating spray remarkably fast.

3: The brushes you want to keep dry for pastel work will somehow get wet, the brushes you brush acrylic paint on with keep mysteriously drying up.

4: A Mr. Clean Magic Sponge can be your best friend.

5: Except when it isn't, and instead of diffusing the pastel into the primer layer, decides to scrape the entire primer layer off the face of the doll instead, leaving a bare spot that necessitates a stripping and repainting.

6: Repeat #2.

7: Techniques that worked when you used them in other pursuits, such as wet-on-wet blending and drybrush, WILL NOT WORK due to the specialized nature of doll heads being too small for the former and too large for the latter.

8: A doll can look remarkably different bereft of its face paint. It can also look incredibly different with a new bunch of facepaint.

9: Sculptors who think partly open mouths with little teeth are cute should DIE DIE DIE DIE. Does anyone know how insanely tedious it is to try and pick out a pair of teeth, 1mm each, in a narrow pursed doll mouth?

10: Paint that you're familiar with in texture and property will mysteriously not work the way you expect it to on a doll head, viz. translucency, pigment load and drying time. Obviously, artist acrylics are out, and Vallejo minis paints are in. If the Vallejo stuff doesn't work either, then expensive doll resin obviously has strange paint-warping properties.

- Mel

[Brightfires]

[chuckles] The first one is definitely an adventure... but it does get better.

My Elf Shiwoo, Teacup, was the first one of this crew that I did my own face-up on. I was lucky enough to get him right on the first try. 'Made me over-confident when I went to do the next one. It took half a dozen tries to get my second faceless doll (Daisy, CP Dark Human Soo) to look like anything but an over-blushed clown. I'm *still* trying to get the Alabaster Prince right. o_O

Anyway, I used Vallejo miniature acrylics and Prismacolor chalk pastels over a couple of primer coats of MSC, and they worked just fine. It wasn't all that different from painting a primed Warhammer vehicle or one of the big dragons as far as handling the paint went... but getting even eyebrows and nice, fine lower lashes are the devil. >_<

And applying upper lashes...
That's the devil, too...

You always end up with the darn things stuck to the ends of your fingers.

[Taco]

I hate applying eyelashes--I always manage to mangle them :P

[MelWong]

I bought some Liquitex paints and I'm regretting it right now, the pigment load is crap. My painted eyebrows were turning out translucent a lot of the time.

I'm probably going to wait until I get my Christmas money and sink into Vallejo since I've used it before and it's the right consistency out of bottle for what I want to be doing.

Plus I'd like to experiment a bit with Games Workshop inks - I haven't seen nicer inks elsewhere, and their translucency AND intense color load might mean some interesting things for lips and eyeliner.

My Elena looks pretty good besides the messy eyebrows, but I still think she would do better with painted eyebrows, instead of drawn ones. And I know my brush control would be up to painting eyelashes ... if it wasn't for the paint failing on me.

I'll probably strip it and try again with pure pastel/pencil techniques just to see how that goes.

- Mel

[Tro-chan]

Heh, here's some to add:
#11: No matter how much you clean, how careful you are, you will get at least two dark smudges and a bit of fuzz in the sealer

#12: Newspapering the work area is good for all art except for dolls. See above about dark smudges.

#13: Doll resin has myserious quantum properties, especially the head. The tiny surface area will use up a staggering ammount of paint, pastel, sealer and gloss. Scientists should study this effect as a possible solution to the polution problem ;)

Good luck with the re-do, but I'd recogmend testing the inks on a hidden spot. Some of them can stain and bleed pretty badly.

[Voodoo]

#8 Yes, just painted up my Mars. Didn't realise until he arrived that he had teeth area. He now has a bare suggestion of rather crooked teeth that I will never take a picture of.

[ArcaneMuse]

#4 and #5 were the ones that cause me trouble my first face-up. The Magic Eraser Sponge was a godsend one minute and totally evil the next.

Another thing I learned-very thin pointy brushes only work well for so long. It's always good to have an extra one on hand. (Especially, if you're like me and have to do those damn eyebrows over and over before they look the same.)

[Brightfires]

Like someone else said up-thread, be sure to test those inks on the inside of the head-cap or somewhere else hidden. And use several base-coat layers of your MSC... As pigment-heavy as GW's inks are, I could see them becoming a staining hazard if the resin isn't coated to within an inch of its life.

[Coleva]

I'm far, far too paranoid to attempt a face up myself. Those of you who do have my sincere admiration.

[Janne]

I really appreciated what I learned at the Volks make-up class!!!

The most important things I learned were to thin the paint just right (it takes me a lot of experimentation) and that a long brush can make those tiny little lines better than a short small brush. (It's all in the wrist. And the thinness of the paint.)

Also, pastels are your friends. (At least on Volks resin. I have to coat other resins first before the pastels will stick.)

[hoshinokachi264]

i learned that you never ever use krylon for a faceup sealant O_O;;;; and i deffinitly agree about the pastels thing, there what i mainly use.

i also learned about taping the eyelashes so that i can reuse them multiple times, i wonder if any one else has done that?

i also use watercolor pencils. they look really good for eyebrows, i also learned you have to wet them first XP, i am still working on them for eyelashes though.

[silk]

1. I've learned that I'm too impatient doing a face-up myself. All I see are the errors I've made.. so I decided to let someone else do it for me.

2. Blushing with pastels has to be done with care, otherwise it'll become grainy. Especially with dark colors as black and dark brown.

3. layer, coat, layer, coat, layer, coat... etc. Can't have enough layers!

[MelWong]

I just blushed Tomoe-chan (my Volks Elena) up, and gave her a manicure and pedicure, and I've learned a few more things about the process.

Namely: Restringing a doll will seem to go well, up to and until you put the hands or feet on, and then you realized you've swapped/messed up a part.

Paint and pastel that is impossible to get off a faceup for correction purposes will now scrape off the body with the slightest glance. Naturally this means there will be bare spots here and there after the restringing. (It's okay, she's my guinea pig Super Dollfie, and I keep her dressed fully anyhow. I'll have to try another body blushing at some point.)

There will be a seamline in the pudenda (or scrotum, for male dolls), and sanding the seam line down will be an exercise in eye-watering imagery. Especially when you have to, uh, redefine the cleft of her womanhood after all that sanding. With more sandpaper.

- Mel

[Dark-Hunter]

This thread made me laugh.
I was all set to get into doing face-ups, bought all the things I needed for airbrushing... but somehow, still managed to forget stuff.

But unlike a few posters... eyelashes seem to be the one thing I can get right. :)

[Stella Maris]

Oh yeah. Faceup frustration. I hear ya. Eyelashes are hell, until you discover Tacky Glue. A Maz Ing.
I bow down to Mikey, who taught me so many invaluable lessons at the Volks Dolpa Makeup class. Can't wait for the next one. Oh boy.
Volks tools and materials are pretty perfect too, except for the eye putty, which is annoying.

[Renzi]

I learned that once you get the face-up perfect, he'll face-plant with glasses on. Yay for black marks.

[takira]

- sleep-eyed dolls really need eyelashes put in to look good, and if you liked them before you embarked on this adventure, you'll be modding eyes wide open in no time after about fifteen, twenty minutes of fighting and wearing a ton of tacky glue

- CHECK YOUR HANDS for paint/pastel/etc before you pick up your almost-finished head and smooge a bit of eyebrow-color right across its cheek

- eyebrows are not symmetrical

- lips are not symmetrical

- the longer you try to make any of the above symmetrical, the worse they will become, until your doll is giving you a >_0 look

- the harder you squint at your paintbrush, the wobblier your fine little lines will become

- when you finally get the brush juuuuust exactly how you want to apply paint and touch it to resin, the paint will have dried on the brush

- related to the latter three points above: Better is the enemy of Good. You can ruin a really nice faceup trying to make it Perfect. Know when to set the thing down and take a few steps back.

And finally...

- faceups are transient. They can and will be redone. There is nothing you can do to a resin head with your acrylic paints and pastels that is really and truly the end of the world. Don't fear the head--if anything, the head should fear you. ;)

[Napoleonchan]

my faceup adventures have taught me:

-if you can wait a month to touch your doll again, glycerin is FANTASTIC! it makes the paint flow so perfectly, and blend so smoothly, but it will take so long to dry that you'll get dust in the paint before you can seal it. I waited a week to seal my first glycerin + paint faceup, and the msc went flaky because it wasnt dry. my second I waited 5 weeks and it was okay.

-maybe its just me and I'm doing something wrong, but it seems that my home painted faceups come off so much quicker and easier than any company faceup I've ever seen, whether I'm trying to get them off or keep them on. it doesnt seem to matter either whether I put more msc on than a head should ever need or just enough to keep the paint on.

and the smudge thing is entirely too true, though it's usually one tiny persistent little thing, which is why Atsutane has two beauty marks, and Lucca has a scar on his eyebrow.

[Stella Maris]

It occurs to me that after spending my entire life as a portrait painter and a professional film makeup artist, surviving years of painting classes, I thought, eh, painting dorries, piece of cake. Ho boy was I wrong. It's not symmetry, I abohor symmetry, it's the fact that you can't really blend. When you paint on canvas or paper, or humans, you tend to rough in with color, then go back and blend. Having to commit to every stroke was mind blowing. It's only after the Volks class and Dollfairs amazing BJD workshop where I was lucky enough to have artists like Morbiddollz, Belladonna, Paul Pham and SDink for teachers, that I feel like I am controlling the medium not vice versa. I'm still not perfect but at least I like the results that I get. I tend to have a very specific style, and I have been able to inflict it on my dolls. Finally.;)

[aichaku]

i learnt that i can't do it. :p so i'm glad others are talented and i can send my dolls to them.

[april]

Yeah, I'm a professional artist, too--using acrylics and airbrush all the time... doesn't mean anything as far as faceups go! (--well, it helps a little bit, but not as much as you'd think!)

Everyone still needs to practice using the materials, getting paint consistency right, getting the brush strokes right, etc.

Hmmm... but all I want to do is a few of my own blank heads... sometimes I think it's better to pay for the work of people who really know what they are doing!!! *_*

[Stella Maris]

:D I love this thread! There is nothing wrong with sending dolls off for a professional faceup, it's wonderful! You get to own a piece of an artist's work and experience thier vision of your sculpt.
However if you want to do your own faceups the only way to do it is to practice. The materials were so unfamiliar to me, I had to get used to them over time. My dolls suffered some pretty scary moments! Eyebrows made me want to shoot myself.
Not everyone is a painter, nor do they have to be. If every actor could do thier own makeup I'd be out of a job!

[MelWong]

It's not symmetry, I abohor symmetry, it's the fact that you can't really blend. When you paint on canvas or paper, or humans, you tend to rough in with color, then go back and blend. Having to commit to every stroke was mind blowing.

That's what I'm having to get used to, myself. But it's fun learning, isn't it?

At least it is for me.

- Mel

[Stella Maris]

Yes it really is. I feel as if I get better with each try.

[girdethsvoice]

I've got my first head coming, just this week. I probably have most of what I need, but I doubt I'll be able to use glycerin with my paints, as our place is amazingly dusty.
I'm trying to think how to set up for it. I'll have to go through my brushes to see if I've got anything sensible for liners, my bias is toward filberts.
Does anybody use interefernece colors in acrylics?
I've also been wondering whether to attempt a mild use of acrylic interference paints I have already, and whether the ZM sealer coat allows that effect to work or not. Seems to me I've seen faceups using that, but it could be they were using metallic makeup powders.

[MelWong]

I used Liquitex slow-dry blending medium with mixed results. I suspect it's the crappy pigment load in the paints I was using (Liquitex student-grade), but the lines kept coming out translucent. I got pissed-off enough that I used it straight from the tube, and it still didn't adhere well, due to being too thick in texture. I'm probably going to order some of the Volks acrylics and give it a try, or use Vallejo's miniatures paint, as I've worked with the latter and it's got an intense pigment load and is textured like heavy cream out of the dropper bottle - mixes down to milky-consistency very easily and well.

Mind, I've only used those on 28mm pewter minis, so I'm not sure how it will look on a doll, but I tend to do only the linework in paint and blush the rest in anyway, so I guess I'll give it a go.

I tried using interference, and I find it actually looks better as a translucent layer over a base color (like pastel-blushed eyeshadow or used as translucent lip gloss) than as the base makeup color, probably because people makeup doesn't come that densely shimmery. In either case it didn't work for Tomoe-chan's look so I stripped it off. (But it's fine, she's my practice girl.)

I liked the Volks Zoukeimura brushes, because they hold a good point and aren't tiny enough that the paint dries before I can get a decent line. Another good alternative would be the small miniatures liner brushes - I know that you can get a decent 18/0 from Reaper, although I personally don't go that fine this time of year - lack of humidity mummifies the paint on small brushes before I can get it on the doll.

ZM sealer coat does actually work with the interference, by the by (I use that stuff too) but for a more vivid effect you might want to put a small amount of gloss varnish on the places you've used interference media on, as the matte surface can detract from glitter and shimmer and pearlescent effects a great deal. It also does add a certain "wakefulness" to eyes, and it looks rather good on lips.

- Mel

[digikym]

Eyelash glue can be a real pain in the ass, but I've found that if you dip the eyelash into acetone or Windsor and Newton Brush Cleaner, you can get the glue off very easily -- and it doesn't harm the small hairs of the eyelash.

[MelWong]

Eyelash glue can be a real pain in the ass, but I've found that if you dip the eyelash into acetone or Windsor and Newton Brush Cleaner, you can get the glue off very easily -- and it doesn't harm the small hairs of the eyelash.

Windsor and Newton brush cleaner is a godsend.

- Mel

[lemonsky]

One thing I learned: After you're completely done and you've sealed with MSC and everything.. even if there is a tiiiny smudge that annoys you, DO NOT FOR THE LOVE OF SANITY TRY TO RUB IT AWAY. You will end up with a white patch on your lovely finished faceup lol. ^^;

[Meow]

the thing i learned doing my first faceup is... i can't do it XD
my hands shacks! just can't draw detail line orz

[Kuru]

I learnt that eyebrows were designed by Satan himself. *sigh* That, and eyelashes cause so much frustration I sometimes have to put the doll down, walk away and calm down for a while!

[Kearsy]

I am still trying to get lower lashes right on mine, but I'm getting much better on eyebrows.

Now I just need to figure out why, no matter how much I think I have evenly coated the glue for the lashes, one corner always comes off. Ugh.

[kfunk]

I've learned that painting lower lashes sucks! I cannot do it? How do professionals get those amazing, fine, tapered lines?!?!?!?!

[Nineivre]

haha! i agree with no.3 whole-heartedly! i've decided to save up to send the poor head to a professional face-up person ;__;

[dustlilac]

I found out I suck at mixing colors. The pastels that I pick to use as is, end up ungodly shades of puke or Pepto-Bismol pink. When I try to mix colors I get undertaker grays where burgundy should be. When I think I've got a nice shade, it does not look the same when I go to apply it very lightly.

I don't know what's wrong with me, it seems like everyone else does not have trouble with this since I've never seen any tips or discussions. *_* I've never had this much trouble when painting so it's either that I'm not used to dealing with translucency, or I'm being way too picky about getting a specific shade... either way I definitely need to read more about color theory :doh

[lemonsky]

Oh another thing: You will forget to do bottom lashes or at least one part of the faceup and will realise AW CRAP WTFDAMMIT later, only when you've sealed and glossed everything. >_>;

[Sameyu]

I'm scared now...

[Nuku]

One thing I learned from doing my first face up was, Freckles are a lot harder then they look.

[byouyuuken]

2: You will get used to the smell of brush cleaner and coating spray remarkably fast.

6: Repeat #2.


So damned true it freaks me out and makes me think one day I'd eventually get lung cancer =_=.

[justkatie179]

I was reminded VERY quickly after my first attempt to play with a faceup why I sent them away to others in the first place. I had an overblushed doll, and very confidently thought I could fix it myself (HA) after reading extensive tutorials on the brushes, paint cleaner, etc. After very gently using my piece of magic sponge to wipe away the blush, I noticed I took half the bottom eyelashes off in the process. Okay, I can fix that. Not. Anyway, now I remember why I flunked art class as a kid. So thank you to all you lovely, talented artists who paint my dolls, since I would be truly s.o.l. without you!!!

[Taco]

I've got another one--lighting. Make sure to work somewhere with decent light. All the light in my apartment sucks, so I'll think something looks fine until I take it outside to spray it and then go "oh my god, what the heck color is that!?". The last faceup I did I ended up dragging all my faceup stuff over to my parents' where there's better light. Even with extra lamps it's still bad at my place. Though the bathroom might have promise--it's just cold and small, lol.

[Beatrix]

I learned that my eyesight is going south.. and that I needed very strong glasses just to paint the face..
I also learned that I love painting my own faces.. I bond with the character as it comes to life before my eyes.. :heart
Oh and another thing.. paints turn out looking different once applied to the Resin (shading.. blush etc).. it did not occur to me that they might look different once applied. Now I take that into account and try to counteract the base color...

[nolee]

the expensive paint I got for mine just WOULD NOT WORK. Ugh.

:/
I ended up only using pastels and colored pencils xD

[MysCy]

- If you can't get your hands on Mr. Super Clear then something similar will work equally as well, just make sure you read the label before buying it. Don't buy it unless it says 'flat' or 'matte' or more than likely it will end up being a semi gloss -_- (or one time it ended up being a pale grey/blue surface paint...yeah I still don't know how I managed that one).

- Nothing will be perfectly symmetrical, hell the sculpt isn't even perfectly symmetrical. If it looks fine to you and to someone else then don't fiddle with it anymore otherwise you'll probably end up needing to redo the whole thing.

- A magnifying glass mounted to something is very useful when doing faceups on minis/tinys.

- Less is more. You can always go back and apply more pastel or paint to something but you can't always take it off without having to redo the whole thing.

- Lu-Wen is the bane of my existance. I'm working on his 4th faceup and it still looks like crap.


Just remember that a faceup is easy to fix if you mess it up...if worse comes to worse then send it out to get done, there is no shame in that! Better you pay for a good faceup than settle for one you did yourself that looks like someone gave a 3 year old a crayon and let them loose on your doll's head ^_^

[Stella Maris]

Ha ha I saw my LuWen and said Honey, you are gonna get shipped out for a faceup! Mostly because I don't want to open his eyes myself, and I want his eyes more open.

[lemonsky]

I have another one - being cheap with your MSC will cause the pastels to spread unevenly and will make you want to rip your hair out.

DON'T BE CHEAP WITH THE MSC. SPRAY IT ON EVENLY.

[kathrynmary]

i havent done a face up yet, not sure i ever will. i love to look at how creative people are and it amazes me.

[MelWong]

i havent done a face up yet, not sure i ever will. i love to look at how creative people are and it amazes me.

I know I started a huge thread (this one!) bitching about my experiences with faceups, but it's frankly not too hard. Inexperience will lead to occasional screwups, but you do learn from them.

I mean, I've had my Elena for a few months and right now she's in pieces as I mod her eyes a little less O_O-looking.

If you're intimidated by the prospect of potentially damaging an expensive doll, you can get a cheap vinyl head, seal it with MSC, and practice on it, too.

- Mel

[MelWong]

Something to add. By now this isn't my first faceup, but still. >.<

You will make the prettiest brows and eyelashes you've ever done on this face, and then drop the head and chip the blushing off a cheek and need a redo.

- Mel

[Lien]

Pastels and watercolor pencils are more forgiving than acrylics.

Have a mirror nearby so you can look at the doll in it. It works surprisingly well, especially for setting the eyes.

The sticky side of the eyelashes is never on the side you need it to be on.

Just because the doll mold looks like it is smiling/frowning does not mean it will have the same expression after you paint it.

MSC and Testors will always make your hands feel very weird and smell bad no matter how much you wash them, and they sometimes work like Nair.

[Gypsy Eyes]

I have a few I'd like to share form personal experience:

Blending and mixing colours can be DISASTEROUS sometimes and you only realize how wrong the color is AFTER you take it out to seal it.

There will Always be a tiny fleck of SOMETHING on the doll when you seal it. No matter how many times you clean it off. Or it appears AFTER you have sealed the doll and ends up glaring at you and annoying you every time you look at the face.

Don't work on a faceup if you are tired, or sick. that can lead to all sorts of nasty results!

Pet hair is the BANE of a faceup artists existence! *_*

My biggest one:

The face up is NEVER symmetrical on both sides! It is guaranteed that one side of the face (eyebrow, liner, etc) Will turn out incredible and the other side...usually fails. And you end up spending hours on one side of the face that only took you minutes on the other side, by then wrecking it and having to start all over again. (I am notorious for this!)

[chai_fiend]

haha i like this thread. many things i've experienced both the good and the bad... :/

i've learned to not rush the cleansing process. if you want to get rid of the old faceup, don't just reach for the acetone and scrub. that wasn't a good idea.

the faceup process trying is a trying one, but it's a fun journey.

[MieAga]

If you hate a face up you are doing and you walk away. It will always look better when to look at in a few hours.

If you love a face up and you walk away, half the time there will be something wrong with it once you look at it again. LOL!

[Aquido]

I learned that inevitably, you will not realize you have put on too much shading with pastels, until you have already supercleared over it LMAO

[Aruri]

1. when using pastels build up layers of color SLOWLY don't try to rush it or doll in question will end up looking like a clown

2. do test spots for color build up, sometimes a color will look awesome with one or two layers but end up looking like the doll turned orage by the end.

3. buy or mix a decenly large quantity of skintones around you doll's skintone when blushing. if you don't you could end up with a doll that had a browner torso and pinker arms and oranger legs.... :o

4. don't rely too heavily on watercolor pencil because dolls are textured (at least w/ MSC) and the color builds up on top of the bumps and not in the ridges.

[Smaug]

1. The materials you already have at home may be perfect for painting on paper but look crap on your doll. You will definitely have to buy the same things in different brands...

2. No brush is small enough. When you go shopping for the previously mentioned things you will find a thinner one. And that's still not small enough :sweat

3. You actually CAN do lip lines with an eraser on pastel if you are desperate enough.

4. Acrylic thinner is your friend. Without it the paint dries so fast, you don't have enough time to put down the brush and go for the wet Q-tip for correction. This results in instant-restarting the whole thing.

5. Mr. Topcoat actually smells nice. And you know you shouldn't smell it...

6. When you are satisfied with the whole thing, made the last couple seals......the gloss will take off all the color on the lips and you can redo them completely....

7.....which actually isn't that bad, because it will look better....

8....but you will be afraid to apply gloss again....


I can't wait to try my second faceup and see what can go wrong with that. Still, painting your doll is fun :D

[Gilshallos]

I've learned that painting lower lashes sucks! I cannot do it? How do professionals get those amazing, fine, tapered lines?!?!?!?!

If you ever figure it out, please let me know! I've mastered eyebrows, but painting lower eyelashes sends me right 'round the bloody bend! *_* I've redone poor Liri's eyelashes at least a dozen times now and still can't get them looking even or anything other than silly. Sigh. The rest of her face is coming along quite nicely but it is almost down to the point where the only thing left are her eyelashes...

[Tabris]

I learned that inevitably, you will not realize you have put on too much shading with pastels, until you have already supercleared over it LMAO

That's definitely my problem!
I think it's because building it up gradually, I don't notice the actual changes. So I think it's good, and seal it. Then later on I'll look at it, and it's just ridiculous. :tantrum

[MelWong]

Eyelashes? I like using a not-too-tiny brush, about a 1 or a 0. I dilute my paint to translucency so it runs thinly, and then dip the tip of the brush in it. I then test the stroke on a piece of paper.

How I usually do it is try to use just the first few hairs of the brush, holding it perpendicular to the sealed resin. I usually steady my elbows against the table and my painting hand against the doll head using my pinky and flick upwards and across.

- Mel

[Glyndon]

9: Sculptors who think partly open mouths with little teeth are cute should DIE DIE DIE DIE. Does anyone know how insanely tedious it is to try and pick out a pair of teeth, 1mm each, in a narrow pursed doll mouth?

- Mel


Oh, but they are so worth it! I am a sucker for mouth-breathers.

What did I learn doing face-ups?

It's better to strip off a face-up, no matter how long it took or how low on MSC you are, if you are in any way unsatisfied with the results. Even the smallest flaw will grow until that's the only thing you see (even if no one else can see it).

[ravendolls]

What's nice about painting bjd... you don't need a kiln firing between every step! I love it... theoretically (at least) you can have a painted head in an hour or two... not a week! ^_^ And while colors can change when hit with sealer... at least it's not so dramatic a change as can happen in a kiln, where your greens can turn orange in places if the temp's too high or something. D-:


Raven

[Mich]

What have I learnt?
1) I LOVE doing face ups and bringing dolls to life.
2) I find that I can easily use pencils and pastels, and build the layers up carefully, and they are far more easy to control and remove and look less harsh than paint.
3) Sometimes you have an idea for a face up, but the doll seems to have other ideas, and face ups can just naturally develope.
4) Start with the eyebrows first then it is easier to go on to the eyeliner and eyelashes, and mouth last.
5) Spray your brushes with surgical spirit, it will keep then nice and lean, and evaporate quickly.
6) If you do get a bit of fluff in your sealer, just use a small pin to carefully dig it out, and re-seal.
&) Tooth picks are your friends to help apply and put on eyelashes. let the glue cure a little bit too, before you apply them to the eyes, then it will be less messy.

[chai_fiend]

mich- what is this surgical spirit you speak of? in all my years of painting i have never heard of this. is there a brand you recommend and is it easy to fine in art supply stores?

[MaddPuss]

Here's one. It doesn't really matter how careful you are with the pasteling of the lips. The testors/msc WILL make it run and your doll that you've worked on for the past two hours will look like he was noming on lipstick. ;-;

[Mich]

mich- what is this surgical spirit you speak of? in all my years of painting i have never heard of this. is there a brand you recommend and is it easy to fine in art supply stores?
No well, it's more of a pharmacutical product, but I find that especially when using pastels, it not only cleans the brush, but disinfects it too,and you don't have to wait ages for a brush to dry.( I just like to be really hygenic with my brushes, both make up and pastel).:)
So a Pharmacy or ebay would sell it.
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0026549.html

[Naurhen]

This thread makes me excited and scared to even attempt my own face-up. For awhile, at least, I think I will leave the art prospect to the pro's.

[Mich]

Don't feel like that. Everyone has to start somewhere, and it is removable.

[Poppy]

I have never done this..and STILL darent!!!!

[laeticia]

Thank you for all the tips and suggestions. I am excited and a bit intimidated to try this!

[xxashleaxx]

Haha good things to know for when I try my first face-up.

[DanceCat]

Thanks Floppy Panda! At least now I know what I'm in for because I plan to do all my own faceups.

:angry :dance :tantrum

[Rawrninja]

I've learned quite a bit from making poor Kaelin my guinea pig.

1. Testors Dullcote is incredibly finicky. Sometimes it will play nice and other times it will be gummy, sticky, and look yellow even if the weather/humidity is the same. This can happen from the same can. MSC is infinitely nicer to work with and well worth the extra money.

2. Invest in decent pastels. They will have more pigment and will blend much better than the cheap kind. You'll also use less and they'll last longer.

3. I cannot paint lower lashes to save my soul. They wind up too thick and look like a 5 year old did it. Watercolor pencils are my savior and are much more forgiving. I still have lots of room for improvement, but they're passable.

4. Pastels and a white pointed eraser are the key to great eyebrows.

5. Do your faceup in plenty of light. It's much easier to see how much pastel/paint you're applying. Natural light works best. I've heard great things about Ott lights, but have never tried one.

6. Kneaded erasers are great for lifting off excess pastels before sealing.

7. Masking tape is a good way to cheat and put on eyelashes.

[Chibi_Fluffy]

Always make sure you got everything you need!!!

I was just starting and when I went to find my pastels... I was sure they were dry... and they are not XP

So now I got to go out to buy some so I can finish the face-up XP

[animemadness]

well im going to attempt my first face up soon,next week prob,i think i have everything,
acrylic paint,
acrylic thinner
testers dullcote
glue
rembrant pastels
gloss
brushes
anything else ive forgot?????
i hope i dont ruin my dolly head,i have a magic eraser and rubbing alcohol at hand if i need to wipe off and start again

[MelWong]

well im going to attempt my first face up soon,next week prob,i think i have everything,
acrylic paint,
acrylic thinner
testers dullcote
glue
rembrant pastels
gloss
brushes
anything else ive forgot?????
i hope i dont ruin my dolly head,i have a magic eraser and rubbing alcohol at hand if i need to wipe off and start again

You've got everything you need. The biggest thing besides materials is a willingness to screw up and learn from it, and most BJD owners have lots of that.

I'm actually quite gratified this thread is still going; when I think of what I knew then (next to nothing) and what I do know now (loads more), I'm quite happy that this hobby brings me so much joy and also spurs me on to learn so many things.

- Mel