Polymer Doll Making, Craft and Sculpting Character Art Doll.

Brief description of sculpting techniques for how to create figures and sculpt dolls. The figures created by starting from the bottom till the top part of doll body. Sculpting each piece of the body, then plugging and sticking together.

Kneading polymer clay, roll the clay on acrylic sheet (kneading pad) to soften the clay and malleable before making doll.

If polymer clay is relatively new, you can simply move the clay back and forth your hands to soften it.

If the clay is firmer, you can run it through a pasta machine several times to soften it.

If your clay is drastically dry due to age of clay, need to use a few drops of oil or clay softener to condition it.

Before mixing your polymer clays, identify which colour you would like to create and prepare the clays needed for the recipe.

The example in this video is colors combination to create a light pink color by using fuchsia pink and white clay mixed together, then will get a light pink clay.

Example for how to create a cream color by mixing 3 colors of polymer clay; peach, beige and white colors mixed together. If you want dark skin, add more peach or brown color.

This example is mixing the clay to make denim color by using blue, purple, white, and black. Jeans do not need to be mixed well, then the color will come out like denim.

The clay should be kept at room temperature.

Not store the clay in hot place or too cold.

Start making doll legs by using 1-2 mm wire, depending on the doll size.

The foil should be covered with another layer of wire for strength and saving clay.

After foiled doll legs, then covered with polymer clay.

Sculpting doll's legs and feet, then smooth surface.

Then bake the doll's legs to dry the clay surface before doing next step.

(at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes)

Rolling and flattening polymer clay into a thinnest flat sheet and long.

Cut the clay into strip to wrap around the doll's ankle.

Smooth the clay, make it the same surface with socks and feet.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

Flattening the chunks of white clay into sheets.

Cut the flat clay into long strips.

Before wrapping around the feet, we do tongue of sneaker first.

Press a small piece of white clay on instep of doll's foot.

Wrap the white strip clay around the foot.

Sculpt the clay into a sneaker shape.

Cut the clay into small strips and can stretch the clay to be longer.

Put line by line on sneakers, make the length of 3 lines equally.

Dot the eyelets by dotting tool.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

Make a shoe stripe in white and red.

Flattening the chunks of white clay into long thin sheet.

Cut the clay into long strip.

And flatting the red clay into long thin sheet as well.

Cut the red clay to be small strip and put together with the white thin sheet.

Cut the unwanted clay, the red strip will be smaller than white strip.

Stretch the clay by pulling the top clay with the left hand.

The right hand stretched the clay down by using clay roller.

Stretch the clay to make the stripe smaller.

Then, we get the red-white stripe for sneaker.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

The body of the doll should has the wrapped foil inside of the body.

This will save your polymer clay and make your doll hard and solid.

Except when you make a tiny doll, you will then use purely polymer not foil.

Wrap the clay on the thighs of legs first.

Takes another clay wrap cover the hip part and also the body part.

Then, use the steel tool drills two holes of the body In order to connect both legs to the body.

Smooth the clay and shape it nicely.

Before we continued the body part, we will oven this part first.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

Make a skirt for doll before sculpt doll's body.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

The body is inside the outfit and it will not be seen.

Wrap the body with clay sheet.

The size of upper body doen not need to be in a good shape as it's invisible.

So, make the body shape to be a straight bar.

After finished the body, prepare for the head and nect part...

by prepare a wire to be a connector between head and body.

Use a steel tool to make a hole from top to body part in order to put a wire into the body part.

Put a wire into the body that already made a hle.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

The doll head must have aluminum foil filled inside.

Make foil into a sphere for the doll's head.

Sculpt the doll's head into an oval shape.

Press the clay in the eye area and push the clay form small curved nose.

Gently spread the clay and gradually shape up the doll face.

Use dotting tool to help spreading and pushing the clay from back to forth of doll face in order to have chubby cheeks.

Making doll's mouth by slitting the clay with sharp cutter.

Sculpt a small piece of clay on the lower lip.

Push up the upper lip by silicone brush.

Completed with pure petroleum jelly for smooth surface.

Followed by water, then baked it for dried surface.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

Drill the doll's head at the neck position.

Put the polymer clay glue into the hole that is drilled.

Add more clay into the hole.

Connect doll's body and head by pierce the wire into the doll's head.

The wire must be reached the foil.

Cut the clay as stripe, then wrapped around the wire to form a doll's neck.

Add more clay until the shoulder of doll.

Smooth the clay and baked it to dry.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

Make a shirt with collar by using white color clay.

Flattening the brown clay into wider and long sheet for ruffle dress.

Wide enough to be wrapped around the doll.

Stretch the clay at the end of doll's dress like flared skirt.

Then, fold the clay for the other side of dress.

Stick the dress on doll's body.

Then, baked it to dry the surface of doll's dress.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

Use gold or cream colors clay for making strip.

Make two strips and stick on the front gown with glue.

Paint two strips with gold acrylic color after baked.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

If the doll will hold anything, must finish it first.

Make that thing to dry before being stick to the doll.

This lesson, the doll hold a camera, so sculpt it before stick.

And also painting camera before stick it on the doll, it's easier to paint.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

Sculpt two doll arms without having to make sleeves.

Knead the pair skin color clay, roll and sculpt into shape of doll's arms.

Sculpt the doll's hands, make only the thumb.

Or if you want to complete 5 inches, you can.

Consider the proportion of the doll's arm if it's too short or long.

Stick the doll's arm with the doll's body, use baked glue to help tighten.

Stick the camera on doll's hand.

Before making sleeve, baked the doll for dry.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

Flattening the chunks of clay into sheets.

Be careful for air bubbles when you flatten the clay.

Fold the clay on the side that will stick to the upper arm.

Stretch the sleeves slightly.

Slice the clay for thinness, so that the clay on the shoulders of the doll is not too thick.

Stick tightly, do not see the arms inside the sleeve.

Push the clay inside to stick to the doll's arm.

Sculpt another dress sleeve.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

There are two colors hood, blue and purple.

Have to make the blue hood first because it is under the purple one.

Strip for hood edge, the clay must be thin, because stick the other layer on blue hood.

Otherwice, will look not nice because it's too thick.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

After completed the blue hood, continue with the purple hood.

This purple color comes from a mixture of two clay colors: violet and fuchsia pink.

It's depend on the pattern of each institution how is the hood look like.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

Make up the doll, starting in the eyes first by using dark brown acrylic color.

Or light brown or black depending on the doll's face.

Put a dark brown color in the eye socket.

After finished, then draw the eyebrows and eyelashes.

When the color in the eye sockets is dry, put a white and black clay for making doll's eyes.

Doll hair making

Should have a bit of clay on the back of the neck, otherwise, you will see a hole in the neck.

After finished the hair at doll's neck, started sculpting doll's hair at back first.

Then do the hair on the other side of the doll.

After that, see what part of doll's hair is less.

If less, then add more clay in the missing part of hair.

Also check if any excess clay to be cut off.

Design and arrange the doll's hair to be beauty.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

This dress has details about the institution's brooch.

Decorate the details dress according to the institute's gown.

And make two strips on each sleeves

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

Painting the doll's lips with acrylic color after baking the doll in the final step.

The heat causes the acrylic paint to spread out, the mouth will look sloppy.

Therefore, recommend to paint the acrylic colors after baked the final step.

Put small pieces of clay one by one into doll's mouth.

Blowing at the doll's mouth only for a short time by Dryer about 1-2 minutes.

Use Dryer instead of Oven.

Making doll lips with polymer clay.

When sculpting the doll's face, should make smaller lips.

If not make it smaller, the doll's lips will become too thick.

Thin base molding for dolls standing on the base.

Sculpt the thin base by using light pink color clay (for this tutorial).

Sculpt the clay into a round and flat shape.

You also can use cookie cutter to cut the clay sheet.

The size of base is depdending on the varied sizes of dolls.

After finished the thin base, stick the doll on the base and bake together.

After finished thin base, setting the doll on the base.

Apply baking glue under the doll's feet.

Put a bit more clay spread out under the doll's feet.

If using only baking glue without clay under doll's feet, It is not as tight as putting more clay.

Cut the length of the wire (under feet), do not longer than the thin base.

Drop the glue into the wire and under doll's feet.

Then stick the doll on the thin base which already done in light pink color.

Press the doll down to the center of base and press firmly.

Then, baked the doll.  This is the final step of baking doll.

This step is final step of doll completed, so have to bake the doll in high temperature about 125-130degree Celsius for 20-25 minutes.

Making a thick base, using foam inside the clay.

The clay that is cover the foam, use Air Dry Clay in this tutorial.

Put the acrylic colors into air dry clay.

Knead the clay and acrylic colors together.

Roll the clay larger in order to cover the foam.

Apply Latex glue before wrapping, then wrapped it.

Remove the air bubbles on the side of base by drilled the clay and your hands.

After finished, continue to do a strip.

The length of the strip must be wrapped around the base.

No need to put glue all over. Just enough for the strip to stick to the base.

Make a bow or other shape to cover the connected clay of strip.

You can adapt or create your own idea for making your base after learned this lesson.

This Air Dry Clay is dried by itself at room temperature, don't bake it for dry.

Use the same Air Dry Clay that is made of a thick base.

Mixed together with acrylic paints

Use silicone molds for making the letters, English alphabet.

Or you can sculpt the letters by your hands.

Press the clay into each alphabet of molds as required.

Take the letters out from the molds and leave them on the fabric.

So that the clay piece will not stick to the table surface.

Wait for the letter to dry, but do not let it dry so hard.

Apply Latex glue to stick the letters on the strip of base.

This Air Dry Clay is dried by itself at room temperature, don't bake it for dry.

Setting the dolls on base by apply super glue on the thick base.

Apply super glue on top of base on the area that your dolls going to stand.

Be careful of the glue that will mess off.

Put the dolls on the base in the desired position.

Finished and waiting the super glue is dry.

After finished sculpting each clay piece, you must baked in order to dry surface of claly every time at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

For a flared dress like Graduate's dress or wedding dress, when you oven, you have to use a blowl with a fine fabric and the put a doll inside.

Put the doll in a vertical way so your doll will not press itself.

Dry the surface of clay piece at low temperature about 110 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.

When you finished completely your doll sculpting, the temperature of final baking 125-130 degree Celsius for 20-25 minutes.

Suggest to oven at low termperature first for the clay parts which never been oven before, but the other parts already oven.

To make that parts become harder first.

Then final baking by high temperature at 125 degree Celsius for 20-25 minutes.

During the process of doll making and using low temperature for dry the clay pieces.

Do not touch or press it so hard. Otherwise, you may break it and it is hard to fix the doll.

For some parts which is very small like teeth, that you place it after you oven the whold doll.

You can use a hair dryer instead of oven to make that part hard and solid.

To remove the excess clay from the doll by using sandpaper.

After the oven and found that it's not yet right shape,

Add more clay by using that same clay color on the missing area.

Then, smooth it into the same surface.

In case that the doll put his arms out, recommend to put a wire insert into the doll's body.

Wrap the bubble in many layers around the dolls without space inside.

The buble can support the doll's weight, then can reduce the defect.