Here I hope you will find some helpful information about sculpting dolls and figures.

Whatkind of clay do I use? I generally use ProSculpt for all of my dolls, I find it blends the best, as well I don't get moonies in my clay when using this brand.

How to keep the clay clean? When I'm sculpting, first of all I make sure the area is clean, I work on a glass cutting board. I wipe it down, along with my tools, then I make sure my hands are washed and clean. Then, just before I pick up my clay to sculpt, I use an old peice of clay, and roll around in my hands to lift of any lint or dirt that may be there.  Also, its important to not wear cloths with fibres that can come off and end up in the clay, like a sweater. My preferred clothing to wear when sculpting is a white t-shirt.

How do I get the clay smooth before baking? Before baking I always use smoothing oil over every piece, and then let it sit for a few minutes before turning the oven on, this way I can get rid of any fingerprints, as well as soften the creases and lines I've made in the doll.

Whats a good type of blushing medium? For blushing my dolls, I prefer using the heat set paints, I use the premixed brand available from Secrist. I find its easy to apply, just pop off the lid and use. Alway use it in light layers, it does not look good if you use too much at a time, better to do a thin layer and bake, then apply more and bake again.

What types of tools do I use, and why? I use many different tools, but among my favorite are the clay shapers, also called color shapers. These are so helpful for so many areas of sculpting, they allow better control of the clay. I also like a special dental tool that I use the most, it has a scoop at one end, and a flattened point at the other.(item on far right) I find this the perfect tool as it is useful for pretty much every area I sculpt.

 

 

How do I measure out clay for sculpting the mini OOAK babies?  I have found that weighing the clay is the most efficent and consitent way to make sure the babies come out the size that I want. I have prepared a bit of a formula for measuring my clay, however, keep in mind, this is only a guide, as everyone likes to make their babies differently. I prefer a chubby baby, so I may use more clay than you would like, so for example, for a 6 inch baby, I use approximatly 11 grams of clay for each arm, and 19 grams of clay for each leg. Then for every 1/2 inch difference in length I would either add or subtract appr. 4 grams to each limb. Since I use foil in my heads, I don't weigh out the clay, and just use the body and limbs as a guide as to how large to make the head. I hope this has been helpful to you.

How to make sure limbs look the same? When I am sculpting the arms and legs I always work on both at the same time. So, if I'm making the arms, I roll out both arms, then start shaping the hand on one, then do the same step on the other, then back to the first and measure out the fingers, then on to the second and repeat the step. I do this for the arms, legs, ears and face to ensure everything is as symetrical as it can be.

Can't seem to ever finish your baby? I have found this is a common problem among many sculptors, and I use a little excersise to get past this. I will often take a day to do a "timed sculpt", I don't do this for items that I plan to sell, but more just as an excersise. I will give myself a certain amout of time to complete an entire doll, if it usually takes you 3 days to make one, then cut that down to 8 hours and make sure its done at the end of the time. I like to keep in mind that I will be keeping the doll, so I only focus on the time given, and quite often come out with a better doll than I would have normally. This excersise helps to show that all the fussing and changing we do on dolls, is often just a waste of time, and not neccesary. The more that you touch the clay, the warmer and softer it becomes, which makes it harder to sculpt, so my rule is that I touch it the least amount possibly.

How do I bake my peices? I use a small tabletop convection oven and just love it? I use a thermometer in my oven every time I cure my peices, and watch for fluctuations in temperature to make sure my clay is cured properly every time. I also do not lay my peices down on anything to bake, this way, they do not end up with flat spots, or fuzzies attached to them from the poly fill used to lay the peices on. I use a cork block for baking, and use the wire armature in my limbs and head to poke into the cork so each peice stands up while baking, ensuring a smooth finished peice. The brand of convection oven I use is "Deni".

Where do I get the clothes for my babies? I get my clothes from many different sources, I guess the biggest one would be "ebay", there you can find many different types and sizes to fit pretty much any OOAK baby. I also am lucky to have a talented Mom who makes a lot of my little crocheted outfits. As well I have a friend who makes some of the sweetest little outfits you can imagine.

Where do I get the cloth bodies from? The little cloth bodies I use on my dolls can be purchased from me on the website, they were designed by myself and sewn by LF Creations. These took a lot of tweeking to get right, but now I'm happy to offer these great little bodies.

What do I use in the bodies to weight them? I use a small amount of poly fibre in my dolls to fill out the little bum area, then I add micro glass beads to weight them. I have used the plastic ones as well, but I find the tiny glass ones feel more realistic in the smaller OOAK babies.

How do I apply hair to my babies? I sculpt the entire head along with the ears and neck, then bake. Then I roll out a very thin layer of clay, I then lay it over the head where I would like the hair to be, and smooth it onto the head. I apply a generous amount of smoothing oil to the added clay and rub it in and let it sit for a moment to soften the clay. Then I cut my mohair and pull tiny bits at a time to lay onto the head very gently. After I have all the hair added to the head I use the palm of my hand to push the hair into the clay very gently, don't use your fingers or you will make indents in the clay. Then I put the head back onto the cork and bake it one more time.

What type of eyes do I use? I prefer to use the flat back glass eyes available through Kemper Dolls. These are a bit more expensive than many glass eyes out there, but I like the realism they bring to the dolls. I also prefer using flat back eyes opposed to the round glass eyes, as I personally find them easier to sculpt with.

Do I use pictures when sculpting the babies? Yes I do, I usually use 9 different pictures for each baby, and use a little from each to create a unique OOAK baby. If I am making a crying baby for instance, I  use pictures of different babies crying from as many angles as I can, and sculpt from all of them.

Where do I get the mini bottles and soothers from? I make all my own mini glass bottles and soothers, and hope to have them available for purchase on my website very soon. They are also available on ebay usually.

 

I will be constantly adding to the page in the future, but if you have a question, I would love to hear from you, and try to answer it.