10 Tips For Customizing Dolls

Ok, maybe a day late on my weekly post, but better late than never, right?  ;)

Anyway, this past week, as I worked on several new customs, I spent some time thinking about when I was a new customizer and what kinds of advice or tips I might impart on others trying to get a start on their first doll.  I compiled a list as I worked, and the following is what I have come up with (at least so far!)

1. Practice!  It may sound obvious, but it really is important.  I found out the hard way the value of practice and realized that without it I will never be able to grow beyond slapping paint on the face and calling her done.  Draw faces in a sketch book.  Find resources online (Google image search!) for faces and eyes you want to be able to reproduce.  Look at the shading in the eyes, the shape of the eye, the tilt and angle of the eyebrow, the shape of the iris, and the relation of the eyelid to the iris...  And practice!

2. Patience!  I wanted to be perfect at repainting my first try, but I wasn't.  Some of the repaints I still do I find myself losing patience because it isn't working out the way I want.  I have to remind myself that patience and practice will get me the results I am looking for...  Most of the time!

3. Buy a doll to practice on and commit to saving her for one purpose: testing a new paint, technique, body mod, etc.  I was unsure how different the Monster High dolls I use would be from Barbie, so i invested in a $12 Frankie from the cheaper swim line to use for this very reason.  I learned about removing the head, the hair, what types of paint stick to the plastic, what the shading techniques would look like on the texture of the skin, how to use clays and glues on the plastic, etc.  This was invaluable and gave me the confidence to move onto another doll.  And another.  And another...

4. Look for inspiration and keep a journal or folder of resource photos.  As mentioned in #1, I look online for visual references for different things, eyes and faces being one of them.  For example, when I was making Pin-Up Ghoul Frankie, I wanted her to have just the right face...  Sweet, a little seductive, but still innocent, so I dug around online and found a great drawing that I used on which to model her features:

I wish I could cite the source, and if anyone recognizes the illustration, I'd love to add it here. (Found!  It is by Baron von Lind)  You'll find inspiration everywhere, not just online, so keep your camera phone handy, too!

5. Use the best materials you can afford.  I have used the cheaper paints on my dolls for years, but I found that the pigments aren't as strong and they have a chalky texture to them sometimes which can lead to lumps/bumps in your painted features.  I switched to Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic and I'll never go back to anything else.  See it HERE on Dick Blick's website.  The small 2oz bottles last A LONG TIME since you use such a small amount from the bottles.  Michael's used to carry it and would put it on sale every few months, but my local store clearanced them out so I just get them from Blick when I need a replacement.  You will notice a huge difference in the quality of the paint in the colors and the creamy texture.  Same goes for watercolor pencils and pastels for shading.  I used a very cheap set of the pencils from Hobby Lobby and couldn't figure out why they weren't looking or blending very well.  I broke down and bought a small Prismacolor set...  WOW, the difference was amazing!

6. Ask questions!  There are a lot of forums out there for customizers, and if you are stuck and need advice, lean on others.  We all had to start somewhere, and I have found that the customizer community can be a welcoming and warm place for all who are interested.

7. BUT...  There will be critics.  Plan for it.  There will be some random hater that will attack your custom for one reason or another.  Don't let it get you down, and don't retaliate either.  Try to be professional in your correspondence with others, especially online whether you know someone or not.  Someone else, a future customer perhaps, could read your words and judge you on what you say.  Don't risk your reputation.  Remember, nothing online is EVER private.

8. Learn from criticism.  If I took nothing else away from art school it is that criticism WILL make your work stronger.  It forces you to look at your work in a different way, even if you think something is perfect.  Maybe the red on the lips IS too dark...  Re-evaluate your work and learn to be a critic yourself.

9. Be your own cheerleader!  Yes, you need to learn from criticism.  But you also have to be your own PR person, too.  Maybe those lips are the right shade, and even after reconsidering it, you believe it is as close to your ideal design as you can imagine.  GREAT!  Flaunt it.  Post on Flickr, Tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook...  Wherever you want to be able to show off your latest pride and joy!

10. Practice!  I cannot say this enough.  If I have gone a week or so without painting a face I get rusty.  Practice, practice, practice!

Ok, so for now I think this is a great start.  But I reserve the right to tweak this list and add to it.  Suggestions?  Questions?  Let me know!  Have a Dollicious Week! 

~Betsy, Dollicious Customs

My first entry!  Do many first blogs begin this way?  I'm unsure, but I need to start somewhere, so I guess I will start with my own beginnings and how I arrived at the career path I have chosen today.

I was raised in small town America, mainly in rural communities.  I have loved dolls and everything doll related since birth, and even began to "customize" my Barbies at a very early age.  My Mother might not have seen my marker-stained and mohawk styled doll as a custom, but everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Anyway, I had tons of dolls of every shape style and form, but I loved Barbie most of all.  She was everything and every woman and that made her fantastic.  I would sew clothing for my dolls, restyle their hair, and create elaborate houses in which they would live out their fascinating lives.

In my late teens I found online communities of artists who didn't just sew the clothing but would scalp and reroot their hair and remove and repaint their faces.  Some artists were even modifying the bodies, creating fantastical mythical creatures such as mermaids and faeries.  I was enthralled!  And I wanted to learn more and do it all!

I found doll customization to be the most satisfying "hobby" I had ever known.  Coming from a family of seamstresses, painters, and crafters that was saying quite a bit.  But I secretly dreamed of turning that passion into my career...  Yet I didn't know how I was going to achieve that goal.

I worked full time in the mental healthcare field and attended school part time for several years before I really became serious and took the plunge into art school full time.  It was scary at first, but the techniques I learned in sculpture, painting, and graphic arts classes made all the worry worth it in the end!  I have since graduated with my degree in fine arts.

I am the proud owner and artist of Dollicious Customs, my very own doll customization business and I work full time (or more!) each week on custom dolls and cast products for dolls.  I am finally able to do what I love and I thoroughly enjoy going to work every day.

Finally, to the point of my blog!  I wanted to start this blog so I can share my knowledge with other customizers, both seasoned and novice.  I intend to review products for customs (art supplies, dolls, etc.), merchants from Etsy and other sites that I have purchased items from, and post tutorials for techniques I have learned or developed over the years.  I am really looking forward to starting this and my goal is to post at least once per week.

Until next blog, Keep Calm and Custom On!