Face-up Fantasy #03 – Face-up practise

There are some new updates from my Face-up practise on my Dollfie Dream DDH-06! Some WIP also as some finished results. Please enjoy my little journey to hopefully improve my Face-up skills with Dollfie Dream! I still have to improve so much more! But at least they are not as awkward as before?

Little Lady

Like said in my prior postings I wanted to create some better gradient for the eyeliner and lashes. As the last results were not too bad at all. I know there is still some room for improvement though!

This time instead of a brush I used my aquarelle pencils again for the lashes.

Step by step

First I sealed the head to protect it from staining due to the paint. After that I used a brighter color to create some sort of scribble on the head. Layer after layer I added some depth to the “eyeliner”. In the end I used a black aquarelle pencil to get the final result done.

So to actually improve “gradient” I used some pastel chalk and a soft brush to blush the edges of my design. It was a first try and I was pretty much ok and surprised how well it worked. Despite the fact that I never used it before and that it was this simple. Although I have no idea if anyone actually does this? Haha 🙂

It was not perfect but a good first try and maybe a little improvement.

The shock came afterwards

After the head laid some days in my room I noticed something was off. So I went inspecting it and I was truly shocked that it was totally shiny! So in panic I checked all my other dolls but they were all fine – what a relief.

In the end I thought It might had been the painfully heat that went on for a few days. Later I should experience something else…

Second try

Some days later I found enough motivation again to give the DDH-06 another try. In enthusiasm the head would be more “useful” in the end than before. Everything went well I used the same techniques and materials as before. Aquarelle pencils, pastel chalk etc. and my sealer to go. This time I tried to be even more patient and add a lot more layers than before. Because the pencil’s need some layers to be “thick” enough. The result was pretty good in my opinion (and better than the mess before) and I was happy that I took some extra time to make it.

Frustration

But just some days later it happened again! The head slowly began to get shiny. It downright stuck to the tissue paper I laid it down after it had dried. Due to this I was both sad and angry at the time. The thing is to this day I still don’t know the reason for this a 100%! The only thing I might imagine could have caused this problem is the sealer, or something went wrong when sealing the head.

Even though the head looked fine first and the effect started a week after or so. Also the times of sealing the head did not matter (I guess) as on my “first try” I only used a few layers and on the next one several more.

Purity Seal?

In the future I want to try out different kinds of sealer for my Dollfie Dream Face-up practice. I know sealing is a difficult topic. Some people swear by some products when others say that they don’t ever work properly. Maybe purity seal is just not good for the vinyl from the Dollfie Dream dolls. Anyways before this incident I did not have any problems with this! Especially not with my BJD dolls. I don’t know if the first head paintings would have gone also shiny, as I removed the Face-up (from the DD dolls) always shortly after finishing it.

Even though it was such a pity and I was in very low spirits for several days and questioning everything, I am sure I learned a lot. As you learn the most out of mistakes, right? So chin up and go ahead! 🙂 I am happy and relieved that I am motivated again to work on the head again in the future. After getting an alternative sealer of course!

If you have any advice or tips for the Face-ups don’t hesitate to write it down in the comments!

Other results

These are some results from way before. I finished them before the new blog, but now they are too much out of date that they won’t get any own blog entry. Instead I will show them here!

Haha Yes one actually had no eyebrows! 🙂 And they were both painted with brushes only. Which might be my next step to go and mixing the pencils with the brushes.