Introduction: The Art of Material and Clay Dolls

Equally usual I am making a tutorial for something considering I was completely unable to find one when I was first starting. Also as usual this is my very hackneyed improvised solution for something people take probably perfected long before me. The style I want to mimic is a porcelain doll style. While I honey harlequin/jester Mardi Gras dolls, they involve a head completely covered in a hood/jester chapeau with only the face visible, which isn't what I'm going for.

Here is the all-time video I accept found of this item old-fashioned style. The creator is making a tutorial for her generally pre-made kit on etsy, but I used my own materials and simply referenced information technology as the courage of my process. In that location is a part two to the video which should prove up in your recommends (or on the creator's aqueduct if information technology doesn't).

Nearly likely the reason I couldn't notice many tutorials is because no ane makes these babies anymore. Fabric and dirt dolls made in a similar mode take been fabricated for centuries and all over the earth. The most familiar to you is probably porcelain infant dolls, or their newer plastic versions.

I currently have ii "finished" dolls. Corwin is the play tricks doll, my first one, and the ferret doll is currently unnamed and at this fourth dimension her clothes are even so in progress.

I will update as I finish her and as I make more! So if you accept questions I'll happily answer them and include them in the side by side version!

Supplies

Materials:

Clay (I use Super Sculpey)

Tin foil

Paints

Thick craft wire

Quilt cotton fiber or like fabric

Superglue

Tools:

Sculpting tools

Paintbrushes/water/pallet

Needlenose pliers

Wire cutters

Sewing needle/thread

Thimble recommended

Sewing machine recommended

Step 1: Sculpting

Look, you lot really don't have to be an incredible sculptor for this. Everything I know I learned from Ace of Dirt on YouTube. I'd suggest finding one of his videos for more techniques and inspiration.

Curlicue upwardly can foil and sculpt information technology into a smaller version of the gauge shape, then cover it with a thin layer of clay. So but play with information technology 'till you're satisfied I suppose. All of my dolls and so far have been animals with tails, but the tails definitely add a layer of difficulty.

Important things to think:

1) EVERY limb needs to have a channel carved into the cease. This is how nosotros will attach the material body to the dirt pieces. This channel should be small and non then deep that information technology threatens the integrity of the piece. I apply a toothpick.

2) The wider the hands are compared to the arms, the harder information technology will be to sew the arms and afterwards design wearing apparel to apparel the doll. The start ane/4 inch of the wrist after the channel MUST be the aforementioned width.

three) Beware small pieces like claws sticking out. Every time I wearing apparel Corwin I alive in fear of breaking some other one of his claws (nine/16 accept lost the boxing).

4) Don't be afraid to sculpt dress into your blueprint. Shoes volition be a lot easier to sculpt than to make from scratch, just retrieve to calibration them up accordingly, you want the shoes to be bigger than the feet would be or else your doll volition look like information technology has tiny feet. Also accessories like bracelets, rings, and gloves should exist added in here if you want them.

Step ii: Paint and Varnish

I use acrylics because that'southward what I have on hand, but anything that works on the clay volition work. Endeavor to avert too many layers of thick pigment or whatever chunks, as it makes those sections more probable to pare and scissure.

Before I varnish the dirt I string them up with wire. I accept a specific knot I use, but it doesn't actually matter as long as the pieces are connected and the wire ends in a loop. Later I string all the pieces to a wire apparel hanger and so they stay nice and split and hang the hanger up to spray.

Step 3: Patterning the Body

Ugh. Expect. Just draw something and try stuffing it without the clay pieces. Most dolls of the fourth dimension had very simple forms. They were ii.five dimensions: second outlines of people with stuffing in between. Especially if you're making a boxy masculine figure, you won't need any fancy curves or darts. Well-nigh older dolls don't even have 3D legs the mode I make them.

My (most contempo and best) design includes:

ane back body slice

2 mirrored half body pieces (the seam in the center makes the afterward steps easier). I practise this for the front piece because the tail prevents me from doing it on the back. If your doll doesn't have a tail feel free to make this the dorsum piece instead.

2 rectangular arm pieces (retrieve to factor in the size of your clay hands when determining the length of the arms. The width should be the diameter of the wrist plus .5 inches for seam allowance. Don't worry about the hands being wider than the wrists)

four mirrored leg pieces (these are sewn/stuffed separately so added on perpendicularly to the rest of the body. It will make sense I promise)

If you're making a human doll, your legs will exist very unlike from mine. However I however recommend my technique for the hip articulation, it allows the dolls to sit easier. In that case design the legs much like the artillery, as straight sticks.

How much detail you put into shaping the body depends on how you lot plan to dress the doll. For loose, baggier clothes like Corwin's or a long skirt you tin can become abroad with simpler shapes. If you plan on having tighter clothing or more of the fabric showing consider putting more idea into realistic anatomy. It depends on the style you're going for of course.

Step 4: Connecting the Wrists and Ankles

Hither is where that channel carved into the dirt comes in handy.

Run up the first 1/iv inch of the first arm pattern together, correct sides against each other. This should fit comfortably around the base of the sculpted wrist. Line upward the end of the arm slightly past the cease of the wrist, with the rest of the arm fabric roofing the hand.

Take your wire and begin tightly wrapping it effectually the channel in the clay, sandwiching the cloth securely between the wire and the sculpted channel. After wrapping it all the way around, cut the wire so it will wrap about some other 1/4 of the way effectually and carefully just firmly pull it tight. Dab a skillful bit of superglue effectually the wire and turn the arm fabric right-side out so information technology dries in place.

For my anthro character dolls the legs are digitigrade and rather wide, so they can be sewn a good 2/3 of the manner around as long equally there'southward still a hole large enough to get the foot through. If y'all're making a man with nOrMaL legs so your process volition be exactly like the arms.

The adjacent stride is to add the wires. First cut 4 wires to length, I e'er go for more than I think I'll need. Bend the finish of the wire into a flat circle the size of the wrist/talocrural joint and just glue 'er on.

Step five: Assembling the Body and Legs

Adjacent I finished off the rest of the legs. Starting time turn the fabric right-side out, which hopefully you lot left enough of a gap for. Next you volition desire to snip a tiny hole in the side of the hip where you desire it to attach to the "pelvis" and thread the leg wire out through it. Bend the wire inside the leg at a correct angle so it sticks directly out of the hole.

The second motion-picture show is an example of what the leg will look like after it's stuffed. Stuff fairly firmly from the gap in the seam. Tip: curlicue a bit of stuffing into a dense ball, and so grab it with your pliers. Insert the pliers into the hole and release the stuffing inside. This is a very effective fashion to stuff small firm pieces. When you're almost done, kickoff sewing upward the gap with an invisible run up. Stuff the last piffling bit and end off the seam.

Don't worry also much near the seam since most cloth-and-clays are fully clothed. If it is going to be seen however, have extra care to get in pretty.

For the artillery, I employ an invisible stitch all the way downward the length of the open seam, stuffing it every bit I go until I have a solid tube. Seal off the end of the tube with a blanket sew, tightly sandwiching the wire.

The arms are the showtime matter that will exist attached to the trunk. Pin the ii halves of the split piece together for now. Layer the two body pieces, correct sides together, on top of each other.

Here's the fun office. Insert the arms from the inside and line them up with the shoulders, then pivot in place. (Drawing needs to be added here for clarification). The wires should stick right outwards and the arms should cross between the trunk pieces. Sew the arms to the shoulders and a little chip in a higher place them, leaving a pigsty for the neck. Next, open upwardly the pinned vertical seam and thread the arms through the slit before pinning it back up to the best of your abilities. Pin effectually the edges of the two body pieces and sew. The arms should stick out the open seam and you should exist able to remove the pin and turn the whole thing right-side out.

If you are also adding a tail:

Mark and cut an "Ten" shaped hole at the modest of the dorsum, the tail piece should only barely fit through. Adjacent, open up that center seam again, which should be on the front if you're making a tail, to admission this "X" cut from the inside. Button the tail piece through and use the aforementioned method nosotros used for the hands and feet to attach information technology via the carved channel. Add extra glue around the ends of the cutting to prevent the fabric from fraying.

Step 6: Attaching Everything Together

First off: if you are adding a tail:

Marking and cut an "Ten" shaped pigsty at the small of the back, the tail slice should just barely fit through. Next, open up that center seam over again, which should be on the front if yous're making a tail, to admission this "Ten" cut from the inside. Button the tail piece through and use the same method we used for the hands and anxiety to attach information technology via the carved channel. Add together extra glue around the ends of the cut to prevent the textile from fraying.

Next I attach the legs. Depending on how you patterned it the hips will expect differently, but essentially you just cutting a small pigsty at the pelvis to fit the leg wire through. This will probably accept to exist higher upwards than y'all expect. Insert the wire a piffling bit into the pigsty (making sure everything is facing the correct manner!), and then sew and gum around the hole merely like we did on the leg. Pull the wire the rest of the fashion through so the leg is pressed against the side, banding the wire at a 90 caste angle at the pelvis so it fits. Next, sew the leg on. You'll desire to stitch direct on the point where the wire is as much as y'all can, this preserves the mobility of the joint. It volition be difficult depending on how thicc the thighs are, then discover a long needle and some pliers if you can. Attach both legs in this manner.

The caput will be added similarly to a tail. Plow the top of the doll inside out this time (fig. iv) to insert the head through the cervix hole. I recommend marking on the base of operations of the head where the front and dorsum are, as well as on the cloth on the neck, as lining things upwards can be tricky. Yous may have to suit how far up the sewing on the shoulders comes during this pace. Once the caput fits dainty and snug, use wire to attach it via the carved aqueduct merely similar the hands and feet.

Information technology should be looking like a real doll now! we're just missing some stuffing. Before that all the same, we have to requite them a spine. You lot should take four wires sticking out of your doll through the center seam: 2 artillery and two legs. Twist the two arm wires together then they form a direct line from shoulder to shoulder and cut the backlog. Yous'll have to estimate how far autonomously they will be once it's stuffed. Adjacent, twist the ii leg wires together in the center of the pelvis and go along twisting them to form a thick spine wire that sticks upward (fig. five). Bend this thick wire effectually the center of the arm wires (again estimating how far it will be when stuffed) and clamp it airtight. Add glue at all wire joints for support.

Nosotros're near there! Just stuff the chest cavity using the pliers method and sew 'er up with an invisible run up, and nosotros're done!

Step vii: Your Naked Finished Doll

They're all finished! But expect, they're not decent!

There are much meliorate doll dress tutorials out there than I could ever write, and so go exploring and find inspiration for your specific ideas! Maybe I'll even link a few in hereafter edits as I come up across them, who knows? Have fun!

If you brand this Instructable please postal service your photos! I'd love to come across them! Or tag me @het_look_made_a_hat on Instagram (or but check it out if yous desire more pictures of my progress!)

1 Person Fabricated This Project!

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