When I started out in the bjd hobby I knew what I could find off YouTube I knew of DoA which is a good hub of information, but had no one who could invite me.
So here are some things I have learned
1. Keep touching of the face to a
minimum especially if the doll has a face up.
The oils from your hands can damage the face up so it is recommended if you have to handle the head for any reason you should wash your hands or wear gloves.
2. Don't buy a doll because of it's price! Buy a doll because you like it and see potential in the sculpt, I highly recommend looking at the doll blank and owners pictures where possible. Another mistake which is easy for newbies to make is to buy a doll because they like the face up or what they are wearing in the company photos, unless you are buying a fullset don't let these things influence your decision to buy the doll.
3. Research reputable dealers, if you don't want to end up with a knock off (a recast).
bjdcollectasy is great for this, there are reputable eBay sellers but I would check first there are some great bjd groups on facebook if you want to check if the dealer is legit.
4. Don't rule out companies like resinsoul or bobobie because of what other people say. They are known as "cheap" companies but they offer pretty much any resin colour you want, and have excellent customer service. A doll is what you make it if you see potential and you like the sculpt then that is all that matters.
5. Don't rule out creating a hybrid, this can (but not always) save you money and if you like a dolls head sculpt but not the body most companies will let you purchase them seperatly this opens up your customization options even futher. But not all comapnies resins will match so be sure to do your research if having the resin match is really important to you you can always get body blushing done to help match the body and head. Also some people will yellow bit's of the doll purposefully to match it better.
6. Don't rule out modding. Modding can be a great way to customize a sculpt to your liking. Eye opening, eye closing, piercings, sanding eye wells are all common mods. If you are brave enough you can try these mods yourself or you can find a modder to do the job for you. Facebook pages, DoA and other bjd forums are great places to find modders.
(I will be talking more indepth about my expirences with modding in a future post)
7. Sometimes a doll may come unstrung or floppy if this is the case you will need to
restring them there are many videos on YouTube on how to do this. If the doll becomes kicky you can wire and/or suede the doll this will help with poseablity.
(I will be making a more indepth post about wiring and sueading)
8. Not all clothes will fit your doll it helps to
contact the seller with your dolls measurements before buying clothes for your bjd's.
9. Try your best to get yourself on
DoA, you might have heard about the elitism on DoA but as long as you keep your head down you can pretty much avoid it and it has a tonne of useful information.
10. Finally the doll hobby can be a very opinionated hobby, like all hobbies you do get the entitled snobs who think their way is the only way.
If you are happy with your doll that is all that matters.
See you in the next post! Remember if you have any questions just ask :)
