Where to start with learning to do own faceups

Are there tutorials with dd heads?

What tools do I need?

Some Dollybird Volumes show how some DD Faceup Artists create their faceups but all the instructions are written in Japanese. There are pictures, but I'm not sure how helpful they are. Out of the three volumes I own, Volume 19 and 23 show two different face up artists. I can't remember who it was for volume 19, but DOLCHU was featured in volume 21.

found a good tutorial here

 

http://www.eternalwinter.org/blog/dollfie-dream/painting-dollfie-dreams/

 

I just can figure out what the protecting coat thing is; They never mention names.

found a good tutorial here

 

http://www.eternalwinter.org/blog/dollfie-dream/painting-dollfie-dreams/

 

I just can figure out what the protecting coat thing is; They never mention names.

 

The sealant used in the tutorial is MSC (mr super clear matt) and it's mentioned more times in the tutorial (that's only a way of many to do faceups , and the user it's not a newbie with faceups because comes from years of collecting and painting bjds so don't expect to have first faceups so good, usually is best to buy a stained/ruined cheap head and practice on that.

 

There are various topics in the forum about which sealants to use, usually the best for DDs are Mr Super Clear (MSC abbreviated) matt normal or uv cut and the Volks ZoukeiMura , other sealants normally used on resin's bjds are often dangerous for vinyl so can't be used on DD heads

Also, if you're going to be using MSC, be sure to use safety measures! It's highly recommended to use a respirator when spraying.

 

Here's some more general info. Good to read;

http://www.nonaptime.com/2012/09/mr-super-clear/

 

You're gonna want to ignore the "alternatives" part though, since that refers to resin dolls and not vinyl.

 

And I agree that your first ever face-up certainly won't look much like the tutorial one. And that's okay! These things take a lot of practice, especially such fine little lines like that.

 

When it comes to a practice head, I'd also say it's a good idea to have. If you're just practicing face-ups, you can always just remove what you did and try again until you're happy with it. As long as you're using the proper materials, of course.

You definitely want to invest in a half-mask respirator if you are spraying MSC or any other sealant. The long term health effects from these sprays are really, really bad. I usually wear a respirator, spray outdoors, and then a few minutes later bring the head into a bathroom with the fan running to cure for 30min or so. You can let heads cure outdoors if you don't have a well ventilated room.

 

As for materials and techniques, check the BJD faceups on youtube- it's all the same as DD but the stylistic approach is a bit different. For your first faceups watercolor pencil is probably going to work better than paint.

found a good tutorial here

 

http://www.eternalwinter.org/blog/dollfie-dream/painting-dollfie-dreams/

 

I just can figure out what the protecting coat thing is; They never mention names.

 

The sealant used in the tutorial is MSC (mr super clear matt) and it's mentioned more times in the tutorial (that's only a way of many to do faceups , and the user it's not a newbie with faceups because comes from years of collecting and painting bjds so don't expect to have first faceups so good, usually is best to buy a stained/ruined cheap head and practice on that.

 

There are various topics in the forum about which sealants to use, usually the best for DDs are Mr Super Clear (MSC abbreviated) matt normal or uv cut and the Volks ZoukeiMura , other sealants normally used on resin's bjds are often dangerous for vinyl so can't be used on DD heads

 

Where is a good place to get ruined heads?

Oh thanks for the info guys! I've been thinking about making a custom doll, but I've been pretty terrified to look into it, as I'm not so great with paints and fine details...but using pastels actually sounds a bit easier, and I like the really soft effect.

Is there any alternatives to msc? Just wondering what to look for if my craft store doesn't have it.