Service
How much does a faceup cost?
Please see the Price & Service List on this site for a complete listing of available services with pricing. Cost depends on service.
When are you open?
I open every other month. You can find the next open date right in the menu on this site.
Do you offer tattoos?
Yes! I usually do organic minimalist designs with emphasis on line and dot.
Can I just DM or email you a request without using the form?
No. I only consider requests with completed forms.
How many years have you been painting BJD?
I started painting these dolls in 2008, but I’ve been working on them professionally since 2017, and this became my full-time job in 2018.
Can you color match? Yes!
Is there anything you will absolutely not accept requests for? I will not accept micromanaging requests because the results are never good. And I can’t accept torso blushing on any very fragile resin dolls (like LLT; heads are fine of course). I also do not ever copy other styles or work, so requests for hyper realism for example would be turned down.
What should I do if a faceup is damaged on arrival? First, if there’s any exterior damage to the package, take a photo! Then take lots of photos once you open the doll. We’ll need them to deal with insurance. Second, contact me right away! I’ll absolutely help you.
What can I expect in the 50% preview? Why do you send one preview at 50%? Can I get more photos as you work?
To provide the best service I can, I try to avoid interruptions to my workflow. This includes unnecessary check-ins. I’ve tried various ways of doing this, and 50% is what works best for me and my clients over-all. It shows enough shapes and colors to provide a general idea, but it’s early enough in the process that I can change some things without totally ruining the balance of the face.
What is a regular?
Regular clients are those who return to me routinely, wether it’s one order annually or several. These clients are every artist’s ‘bread and butter’ and becoming a regular is the best way to ensure that an artist can learn your preferences and offer you the best service over time.
Are there any companies/sculptors you especially like working on?
Yes! Some of my favorites: Dollshe, Iplehouse, LLT, Dust of Dolls, lillycat, DoD, twigling, merrydollround, magicmirror, oasisdoll, rainman/elfdoll, rosengarden, Volks, soom, switch, R.Dean, EslynsDolls Telesthesia, Another Secret, Anna.
Can I get a layaway/split payments? No, payment is due upfront because this is a job with overhead expenses. I do offer a benefit of payment on completion for steady regulars, but this is a privilege that depends on reliability over time.
Is there a waitlist?
I may offer a waitlist option if I get too many requests in one period, but not always.
Can you repair a faceup or blushing by another artist?
No, I only provide original work.
Can I just get a manicure or mod?
No, but you’re welcome to add extra services with a faceup request.
What’s your guarantee? I guarantee the quality of my work and service. This does not mean you can take your doll mountain climbing and expect a free repair if you drop it, haha! But I want you to be able to enjoy your doll for years to come, and I’ll always do everything I can to ensure that’s possible.
Can you repaint my barbie/monster high/etc? Not at this time, though I think repaints are cool!
Will you paint a modded doll? Yes! Please send a photo of the mod with your request so that I can see if finishing and matching work will be necessary.
Can you retouch/repair your own older work? I’m happy to do this, but wether or not it’s possible will depend on the damage. Usually a repair will be visible so keep that in mind. Take a clear photo and let me know what happened (was the doll dropped? did you touch it too often with bare hands and wear off the finish? Is it stained or marked? Did it suffer heat or freezing damage?) and I’ll assess your particular situation.
Art/Faceups
Can you teach me to do a faceup?
Sorry, but I don’t offer classes.
What’s the difference between artist’s soft pastels and hard pastels or hobby pastels?
Check out Dakota Pastels for a very reliable hardness rating system. Artists soft pastels are pure high grade pigment in proprietary binders. Hard pastels have waxes, etc to add structure (great for drawing, not great for faceups). Hobby pastels are fun craft supplies that have a ton of cheap binder (like chalk) in them to lower cost, so the colors behave unreliably with sealant, etc.
What materials do you use?
Acrylic, pastel, watercolor, gouache. There’s a full list of brands on the Terms & Info page.
Do you have a favorite sealant?
My absolute favorite is airbrushed sealant as it gives me maximum control and is actually archival and water-based, making it non-toxic and less prone to temperature damage. Volks makes the best aerosol cans.
Can I do my own faceup with color pencils/marker/nail polish/makeup to save money?
Not unless you want to pay someone else to fix the damage. Please use appropriate materials.
BJD
How do I store a bjd safely?
The absolute best method is a secure cabinet or drawer with adequate padding and distance to prevent parts/dolls from touching. Protect dolls from heat, humidity, light, and extreme cold: both resin itself and painting are sensitive to these things. Do not leave dolls in dark clothing, wigs, etc. If you store your dolls in their boxes, ensure that any painted parts are wrapped in undyed tissue or fabric to prevent staining or scuffing from foam. The biggest cause of scratching on paint is from resin parts rubbing against each other. If you store heads separate from bodies, get a christmas ornament box with dividers, a sock organizer, or a picnic mug organizer to store the heads in safely. The biggest cause of breakage and chipping is falls, so be sure you always have your doll secured where small parts can’t suddenly come into contact with hard surfaces.
How do I handle a painted bjd safely?
See above regarding care against falls. Make sure to color lock clothing and wigs (check with your wig maker to see if they color lock) to prevent staining. Do not touch painted areas with your bare hands; this absolutely will ‘eat’ any painted surface, and faster than you’d think, by dissolving the bonds that allow the sealant to do its job. Wear cotton gloves to touch any painted part. When you’re posing the doll, be careful not to scrape parts against each other (it’s very easy to scratch dolls this way.
What is a recast? A recast is an illegal bootleg, typically made of inferior material in order to scam unknowing buyers and undercut legitimate artisans. It’s an ongoing problem in the resin art doll world. If a price seems too good to be true on ebay/aliE/etsy, check with the legitimate community or simply avoid it. It’s probably a scam. If you think you’ve been victim to such a scam, reach out to someone who can help you verify (even the original artist) so that you can pursue appropriate resolutions. Whatever you do, don’t sell a recast or try to pass it off as something it isn’t (then you’re breaking the law as well).
Where do you get your dolls? My model dolls are made by dollshecraft.com, iplehouse.com, twigling.com @dollslandoz on instagram, @eslyndolls on instagram. If you’re new, I recommend either doing serious research for a few months to years before taking the plunge, or sticking to very predictable buying experiences at first (iplehouse and sartoriaj are great about shipping in a few months normally, for example).
Komorebi Dolls 