Sunday, November 27, 2011

Simple jointed doll

I wanted to make a few dolls for Christmas gifts, I thought I'd try a short cut and use some molds for the bodies. I ordered some plaster molds that are made to be used with Hearty Clay.  I must be doing something wrong because it was a mess.  I printed out the on-line directions and called the site for some extra guidance.  In addition to the on-line tips, they recommended applying several coats of Mop & Glow to the outer edges of the molds, which I did. Despite all my efforts, the Hearty Clay kept sticking to the molds.  When I tried to remove it with a little water, I lost the details, and you can't use anything abrasive, because the molds get scratched very easily.

In the end, I realized it was much quicker to just use the molds as guides and sculpt my own body parts.  I've used flexible molds with Hearty clay for miniature foods with great success, but the plaster ones don't work for me.  Another experiment gone wrong......  Has anyone tried them?

I had a lot of fun making a bead jointed wood/clay rabbit that I used for my Alice doll.  I'm going to try a simpler variation to make a little jointed ballerina doll.   I've been experimenting with a couple faces.  Now everything is sanded and ready to prime and paint.

3 comments:

Colleen Colquhoun Athens said...

susan!! hmmm. how about ladoll? can you use talc on the molds? yes ...its probably a good idea to use the molds as a guide for proportion....in some instances, a mold is more trouble than its worth.
Your doll with the ballerina feet looks precious...cant wait to see her completed....I love your clothing ideas...Love Colleen

Susan said...

Hi Colleen,
After I gave up on Hearty Clay I did try LaDoll with talc...didn't work either. I think I agree, you can use them for proportion but they can be more trouble than they're worth...thanks for the advice. I'm waiting to see your finished mermaid..she's so precious.

Anonymous said...

Where did you buy the molds?
Thank you in advance...