ball-jointed dolls & accessories
Faceups
When you purchase a doll from me I can offer to paint faceup as well.
Before ordering a faceup from me please make sure that you like my style. I'm open to any suggestions within the range of my abilities but my strong point is a realistic style.
What I can do: realistic eyebrows, moles, skin texture, facial hair, wrinkles, and so on.
The best references are photos of humans, though the photos of other dolls are also allowed.
Human Faceups
Anthro Faceups
Details you should provide about the desired faceup
It should be a short description of your character along with several photos: lips like here, eyebrows like here, etc. You may send me a story of your character so I can understand the task better, but not more than one page in MS Word))
When you choose your reference pictures, please take into account that the best references for me are humans, but dolls are also OK.
Also, please tell me the mold and manufacturer of the head so I can mention them in my faceup photos.
You may order a faceup to my likeness, without a detailed specifications, but only in case you like my style very much and you trust me completely.
If the head was previously modded please notify me about the mods done.
What you should know before sending me a head
I never, ever work with recast/bootleg/counterfeit dolls. I'm a doll artist, and I respect other doll artist's work.
I do a copies of faceups only if:
- you already ordered a faceup from me earlier and you want a twin character on another head,
- you send me a head with a damaged faceup and it needs restoration/repainting.
In all other cases I'll do a slight changes so as faceup would look a bit differently from a reference photo.
Please send the head in time, so as I can start working on it in the month for which the slot was taken.
Please use registered airmail or EMS only because other shipping services are somewhat difficult to receive or may require additional fees.
I recommend you to send me the wig and eyes you plan for the doll, if you have them already.
Responsibility
I accept blank, thoroughly cleaned heads. If you can't completely clean the head yourself and it has paint in some areas, I charge additional fee of $5.
I reserve the right to post the photos of a finished faceup of your doll on my portfolio and on public sources as examples of my work. I also reserve the right not to do this. My photos are my pleasure, your doll is your pleasure.
I'm not responsible for the damage done during shipping or lost mail. I always send the parcel with an international tracking number for you to follow its progress along the way. I strongly recommend you to do the same: please ask your post office employee how to do this properly. I also add insurance where possible, but it's up to you if you want the insurance or not: you may want to save your money and take your own risk.
How long does it take to do a faceup, and how I work?
After I receive the head, I reserve 1 month to complete the order, though it could be faster.
I don't show my work stage by stage, because not every customer can imagine how the complete faceup would look, and also because it takes much longer.
After I paint the head, I send you the preview photos. At this stage you can ask me to add some color, freckles/moles, to make eyebrows thicker, etc. The main rule: I can add the paint, but not remove it!
I make my alterations, seal the faceup with Mr. Super Clear, gloss the lips and eyelids, glue the eyelashes and send the final photos to you. If you approve the faceup, I ship it back to you within 5 business days (or 5 business days after you paid the shipping cost).
If I did everything to your specifications and you changed your mind about the faceup style or details, there are two ways:
- I redo the faceup, and you'll be charged a full price again,
- I remove the faceup, refund you 50% of the faceup cost and send you the blank head.
If there are mistakes in fulfilling your specifications which are my fault, I redo the faceup for no charge.
Please remember that the faceup is an artistic work and can't be measured exactly, so there could be interpretations, to a certain point.
Shipping and packaging
In most cases I ship the head back to you in the same box. I don't use face masks because they can rub the sides of the face or even the tip of the nose in some cases. I pack my faceups like this: cotton pads, a sheet of paper wrapped tightly around the head, a transparent film around the head. The rest of the shipping box is filled with papers to secure the head inside.
If I can't get in touch with the customer for 6 months, the head will be sold at the auction and the money shall be given to charity, excluding the cost of the faceup.
Materials
- Rembrandt and sometimes Mungyo soft pastels, known for their nice blending and colors lasting through the years,
- Artist grade acrylic paints of various brands (Vallejo Model Color, Amsterdam Royal Talens, etc.),
- Artist grade watercolor pencils/paints (Faber Castell Albrecht Duhrer pencils),
- Mr. Super Clear Matt Flat,
- Artist grade acrylic gloss,
All materials are safe to use on resin.
I also can do airbrushing, mostly if there is a color difference between a head and a desired body so the head has to be matched to the body.
In this case you have to provide a body piece (chest, hand/foot and so on).
I can also make a smaller subtractive and additive modifications on the provided heads.
Subtractive modifications are sanded thoroughly so there is a nice surface to make a faceup on it.
Additive modifications are done with Apoxie Sculpt epoxy putty, they're blushed or airbrushed to cover the color difference, and are NOT removable: you should carefully consider what you're asking to do.
I don't offer modifications as a standalone service: I provide them only together with faceup service.
