First Faceup! Minor Fail...

[durianbom]

Hello!! Today (as a present to my mom) I did my first ever FACEUP!!! It's a minor fail but I'm proud as heck of it!! Once she gets a body I'm gonna show her off like there's no tomorrow. Her name is Ran. She is supposed to resemble my mom in a few ways. There are more pics at my website http://kotorara.blogspot.com.



Thank you for looking!

[landwhale]

You started off really well. I'm not sure which part you're having difficulty with. It just looks like getting a finer brush might help. You might also consider starting off with watercolor pencils. The pencils don't work well for small heads because of the size but on a big head it should be fine.

The first head is always a test lol. You'll get better. Did you cut the eye holes out yourself?

[durianbom]

You started off really well. I'm not sure which part you're having difficulty with. It just looks like getting a finer brush might help. You might also consider starting off with watercolor pencils. The pencils don't work well for small heads because of the size but on a big head it should be fine.

The first head is always a test lol. You'll get better. Did you cut the eye holes out yourself?

Thanks. The brushes is where I stumbled funds-wise because the "pro-quality mink hair made in Guatamala $xx per brush" were just too much, and I didn't really know how exactly how to use watercolor pencils on a head. I guess it's just like drawing, I might just pick some up!
Actually I was kinda excited about painting the head I got my perfectionist cuz to rough one eye so I could copy on the other eye and shape the other a little, so I can't take all the credit...

[landwhale]

Lol, I've done the do one eye on my friend to teach her makeup before. It's kinda funny. Real makeup on a real person is easier than painting faceups though.

For brushes you don't need mink hair. Mine is a $3 (with tax included already) red sable brush. My finer brush reserved only on BJD lashes was 5 dollars but I got two for one deal....though i guess it was really free since my bf bought them for me.

You don't need expensive brushes. Go to your art store and any brush that comes to a good tip at size 0 or under is good. Just make sure you wash your brush clean after use to keep it in good shape.

[Yanagi-sen]

You might also consider starting off with watercolor pencils. The pencils don't work well for small heads because of the size but on a big head it should be fine.

I beg to differ... the only face ups I've done so far have been for 1/6... so a head the size of a grape. The watercolor pencils are wonderful, they just have to be VERY sharp!

durianbom: It's a great first attempt. My one comment might be that the eyebrows look like the ones old ladies draw on. ^_~ I don't know if you are done yet or if she is still in progress, but using a watercolor pencil or tiny brush to add some fine lines/hairs to the eyebrows make them look more realistic. (and can disguise uneven lines, since it slightly breaks up said lines)

The first few face ups are always a little rough... I'm lucky enough that I was able to watch Kiki-chan do several face ups, so I got to see all her tricks before attempting to do my own. ^_^

[durianbom]

durianbom: It's a great first attempt. My one comment might be that the eyebrows look like the ones old ladies draw on. ^_~ I don't know if you are done yet or if she is still in progress, but using a watercolor pencil or tiny brush to add some fine lines/hairs to the eyebrows make them look more realistic. (and can disguise uneven lines, since it slightly breaks up said lines)

The first few face ups are always a little rough... I'm lucky enough that I was able to watch Kiki-chan do several face ups, so I got to see all her tricks before attempting to do my own. ^_^

Thank you....I think . I will eventually fix her brows after I pick up some pencils and I hope to get better. She was still fun to paint though! I promise to practice !

[landwhale]

Ah, thanks for the info Yanagi. I've only ever used paint on the small ones and only bought watercolor pencils recently. THey weren't super sharp new so I just kind of...thought they would only be suitable for bigger heads. Currently I've only used one color on heads, and that is the light brown to sketch out placement before I paint.

But yes, Durianbom, if you get pencils it might be cheaper to pick up only the colors you would use instead of a whole set to start. Using the watercolor pencils is just like drawing on the head. SImply seal with a spray sealant after to keep the pencil from washing off and smearing.

[cirquemom]

There are some good tutorials over on Junky Spot. One thing I would suggest trying are the chalk pastels (make sure you don't get oil pastels). Simply take one, run a sharp knife down the edge of it until you get little pile of fine powdered color, then use a brush, q-tip, make-up applicator, etc. to apply the color. I like to use it to kind of sketch out what I want to do.
Looks pretty good for a first attempt, though!
You got the eyebrows nice and even, which for me is the hardest part (they never match when I do them). Also are you going to put in eyelashes (that is a whole nother adventure, lol).

And the hardest part is just taking the first step to actually do it!

Also- did you cut the eyeholes in? If you take a little bit of sandpaper and run it around the rims it will smooth it out.

Love to see her with her eyes in!

[durianbom]

=
And the hardest part is just taking the first step to actually do it!

Also- did you cut the eyeholes in? If you take a little bit of sandpaper and run it around the rims it will smooth it out.

Love to see her with her eyes in!

Thank you for all the tips!! I did use sandpaper, but I think It got the wrong grit, It was really weak. I might just redo the face and use a rotory tool though...
I can't wait to see her with eyes either! They're going to be brown!

[landwhale]

you has a rotary tool?

Looks at sand paper. Looks at rotary tool.

Lol....Use the rotary tool to smooth out easy to reach places and the sand paper for corners.