The Creation Process

Making A One Of A Kind (ooak) Polymer Clay Baby Doll

Polymer clay is wonderful stuff, it's very blendable and can be shaped easily. It is also a very clean clay so can be used in the home without making a mess. You don't need an expensive kiln to cure it, a regular household oven will do. Once cured it is very resilient, not brittle like many clays, and can be carved, sanded and painted. It is available in a huge array of colours, Fimo and Sculpey make a vast selection of shades, but for dollmakers there are clays made specifically for this purpose, in relevant shades of flesh colour.

Every baby I make starts out as a block of Prosculpt, I use the 'baby' shade. I've tried many other brands of polymer clay but prefer this one as it's easy to blend but not too soft, and when baked it's very durable. Click on the photo to go to my favourite prosculpt supplier.

First I need to make a head form..many artists use pre made forms but I prefer to use polystyrene eggs or hand made foil forms as the basis for my doll heads. Once the form is ready it's time to knead the clay to make is easy to blend and to remove any cracks, when it's nice and soft I roll out large flat sections and cover the head form. I use a pasta machine to do this, sounds strange I know but it gives great even sheets of clay that are perfect for covering the form

When it's all covered it's time to place the eyes. This is tricky and can take a while to get just right. Glass eyes give a lovely realistic shinyness, but there are many acrylic eyes available that are also very realistic, I like the Secrist range. If I'm making a sleeping doll it still needs eyes, you can buy blank eyes for this purpose. Positioning the eyes behind the eyelids gives the correct shape and avoids unsightly 'hollow' eyes.
Once the eyes are in place I add the nose and upper lip, then the eyelids and cheeks, brows and chin, and the lower lip. Next come the ears and when it's all in place it's time to blend and smooth, I use baby oil for this and it works really well.

Once the surface is blended it's time to add details; eye creases, sucky lips, nostrils etc. It's all these little details that add realism. When I'm happy with everything it's time to add the hair. To do this I soften the clay in the scalp area, again using baby oil. By gradually working it in it is possible to create a sticky area upon which to apply the hair. Mohair, washed and dyed has the softness of baby hair, I use the best quality mohair I can find. I cut tiny sections and place them piece by piece onto the scalp, starting from the forehead and working around the hairline, then circling in to the crown. Each piece is dragged slightly as I place it to adhere it to the clay and give a realistic rooted effect. The head is then baked in the oven for the required length of time.
Next the limbs are made in a similar way, I use foil as a base for my larger dolls limbs, with the small ones I don't use any armatures. Again, the beauty is in the detail and I spend a long time getting it just right.

When all the pieces are baked I paint them using genesis heat set paints. I love these paints as by layering colours it is possible to achieve a very realistic skin tone without the shinyness associated with other painting methods. First I apply a very thin red wash, then bake. Next a pinkier flesh colour is dabbed using a sponge to create a speckly blotchy effect, then baked. Next, more blushing on cheeks, knees, toes, nose, brows, then back in the oven again. Finally, the nails are pinked and tipped with white, and then baked for the last time. When cooled, the lips and nails are glazed, and the doll is put together. For my larger dolls I use disc jointed bodies, the smaller ones are hand made. I buy preemie baby clothes for lifesize babies, for the tiny ones I hit the sewing machine!
The end result is not just a doll, but a replica baby, a one of a kind sculpt made with time and love for you to enjoy!