I have been sculpting dolls with air-dry clay for years now. It is my favorite medium to sculpt fine details and create intricate characters. But I know some people have reservations about air-dry clay. Will it be strong enough? Can I resume sculpting after my sculpture has dried? There are so many questions! So today, I will try to answer them all. Keep on reading and learn how to use air-dry clay to sculpt dolls.
Read MoreI was in my local art supplies store purchasing my favorite La Doll clay and noticed a pack of Fimo air-dry clay. It turns out you can use a microwave to dry it out faster. The clay is fairly cheap, about 4 euros, but comes in a small package. I decided to try it out and see how it compares to other air-dry clays when sculpting dolls.
Read MoreTo commemorate the start of Autumn, I decided to make a new tutorial for you! This Fly Agaric mushroom doll is one of my best-selling dolls on Etsy. So I figured it would be interesting to show the process. I’ve been working on my Youtube channel more, so you’re getting a video tutorial for this too. Keep on reading, and let’s make some dolls together.
Read MoreIn between all the art dolls and porcelain dolls, I love to create cute plushies that feature a sculpted face. I’ve been making these plush dolls and selling them in my Etsy shop for years now. To speed up the process, I found a technique that lets me cast individual faces, so I won’t need to sculpt them every time. How great is that?! Today I want to show you how to make one-part silicone molds and how to use them in the doll-making process.
Read MoreOver the years of making dolls and sharing my experience, I got quite a few questions asking how to get better at sculpting dolls. Most of those people are dreaming about making this hobby into a paid job eventually. Without stating the obvious, I’ll list what helped me get better at sculpting art dolls.
Read MoreI’ve talked about my favorite clays in multiple articles already. And I mostly stick to them, “La Doll”, “Premier”, and “Premix” can always be found at my studio. But from time to time, a new clay catches my eye, and I have to try it. I was in my local art supply shop and saw “Hearty” clay. The packaging said it was super lightweight, and it was made by the same company (Padico), which made all of my favorite clays mentioned above. Of course, I had to try it! So today, I want to share my thoughts on the “Hearty” air-dry clay.
Read MoreReplicating and casting doll parts can significantly speed up the process, especially if you’re working with ball-jointed dolls. Even for one-of-a-kind art dolls, molds can be tremendously helpful. I remember I had a few different hand molds, so I wouldn’t need to sculpt hands for every new doll. But casting porcelain or resin dolls usually comes with many investments, so today, I want to show you an easy, inexpensive way of casting doll parts with air-dry slips.
Read MoreAs a doll artist, I love to dabble in different techniques and doll styles. You could say my range of dolls is quite eclectic, but I have some method to the madness, haha. My one-of-a-kind porcelain dolls can take months to create, so in between all that hard work, I like to sprinkle in some cute, easy to do plush dolls. They give me space to be silly, experimental and creative at the same time. So today, I’d like to show you how I make these plush dolls!
Read MoreIf you worked with air-dry clay before, you probably noticed that sometimes it can be easily damaged. Especially if you’re sculpting very delicate pieces. I’ve been using air-dry clay for almost ten years now, and along the way, I picked up a few techniques that can help strengthen it. Keep on reading if you have this problem with your sculptures!
Read MoreUsually, when sculpting dolls, the face seems the most complicated part to sculpt. And I get why - the facial features will be defining the character of your doll - making mistakes can be frightening for sure! If you want to sculpt a more realistic human face, the proportions are very important to consider. So today, I want to make your sculpting journey easier and talk about facial proportions.
Read MoreIf you follow my blog closely you might already know my two favourite air-dry clays La Doll and Premier. But what happens when you mix them together? Apparently, doll artist Hannie Sarris actually had this idea and the mixture was so good that the company developed an official clay based on her concept - La Doll Premix. I’ve decided to test it out. Maybe it’ll be my new favourite?
Read MoreMaking costumes is one of my favorite parts of doll making. Seeing how the doll comes alive with the right garment is incredibly rewarding. When I have an idea for a particular doll, it’s the costume that reveals the concept for the viewer. In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps I take to create costumes for my dolls. Maybe it’ll be helpful if you don’t know where to start!
Read MoreAbout a year ago, I wrote an article about sculpting hands and my favourite techniques. This time I want to bring up another difficult part of the doll's body - feet. The complicated nature of this body part usually causes difficulties when sculpting and detailing. I’ll try to break the process into a few manageable parts and touch on materials, tips and tricks that will help you along the way!
Read MoreI love how many possibilities and different techniques there are for sculpting with air-dry clay. Over the years of sculpting dolls, I feel like I’ve figured out this material pretty much completely. I enjoy detailing intricate bodies and faces, in my opinion, good quality air-dry clay is one of the easiest materials to work with. Today I want to share some observations and techniques about carving and sanding air-dry clay. Using them, you can achieve a satin-smooth finish for your dolls and carve out even the tiniest details like fingers and toes!
Read MoreAfter sculpting and painting the doll, most of us, doll makers, proceed to attach the hair and create intricate hairstyles for our dolls. I’ve already covered how to create a simple wig for your doll, so today I want to explore different options of fiber and how to prepare it for wig making.
Read MoreAt the end of November, I’m always feeling like an elf or a Santa’s helper, haha. In my Etsy shop, which consists mostly of plush dolls, it’s the busiest season of the whole year. Squishy and fluffy dolls can become wonderful stocking stuffers, little gifts for grandma or even tree ornaments. From sparkly angels to festive snowmen - created to spread the Christmas cheer. Over the years, I’ve shared a few tutorials and techniques to help you create a plush doll for yourself. In this article, I want to put all of them together and bring you the ultimate guide on how to create a Christmas plushie for yourself!
Read MoreDetailing and embellishing costumes is one of my favourite parts of creating dolls. I could sit for hours and embroider tiny ornaments, attach beads and sparkly elements to the dapper dresses. Embroidery can elevate your creations to the next level since you’re creating one-of-a-kind garments for your dolls. Sure, you can purchase pre-embroidered fabrics but nothing enhances the doll as custom embellishments made just for that particular creation. So today I want to talk about my favourite embroidery stitches and share some tutorials so you could easily apply them to your dolls!
Read MoreFor the last year or two, I’ve been fascinated by sculpting tiny hands and feet, trying to achieve a realistic look of them. It wasn’t always like this, my preferences changed over the years and my dolls changed as well. There have been a lot of different stages, from creepy dolls to melancholic slender creatures. At this point, I’m exploring how detailing can change the character of the doll. So in this article, I want to delve into the topic of detailing, sculpting at a very small scale and how to achieve that realistic look when creating art dolls.
Read More
