Repaints like this are exactly why I want to have “before” shots for as many customs as I can when I finally get my site going. Scrolling through the pics, the doll’s pretty, I like her, but there’s something about the eyes that bugs me a little, maybe they’re open a bit too wide. And then you see the shot of the doll before all the work, and wow. Cindy did some fine work, there. And not only does the overly-open feeling get explained, but you can see just how much she actually managed to fix.

And sometimes you don’t even need a full repaint to get a huge difference in the feel. Times like that, maybe “before” pictures are even more important.

Not that I’m ever going to be anywhere near her caliber, or Laurie Leigh’s, or my own personal favorite, American Jezebel’s. In fact, looking at their stuff, I’m sometimes left wondering why I even bother trying. But honestly, I just like it, and unlike some other things, I have not yet self-hated my way out of being able to do it. Hopefully, I won’t. Even more hopefully, the muses might creep back and learn to whisper a little louder than the bad voices do. Hopefully. Gotta have hope. Sometimes its all you have.