Thursday, February 2, 2012

Tiny sculpts









My friend Colleen, (A Dollmaking Journey) asked me about the size of this doll. She is about 7" from the tip of her toes to the top of her head.  I love tiny dolls, but staying small and getting detail  with paper clay can be a bit of a challenge.  I use a mix of La Doll (very firm) and Premier (much softer) for the basic sculpt.  I then remove excess by sanding, and/or a scalpel.  Then I build areas using straight La Doll because it's very stiff and holds its shape. For example, for the lips, I add back a very tiny snake shaped piece of Premier and work it into place with a small,damp, filbert paintbrush.
You need to keep the hands small and delicate. I found the perfect tools for tiny fingernails.  I've tried quite a few kinds, but this miniature set from AMC creatures, available on Etsy are fantastic, http://www.etsy.com/shop/AMCreatures.  The set includes 3 sizes that work great for the thumb through the pinky.

6 comments:

Richelle Nicole said...

I love your little ballerina! She is just gorgeous! I had spotted those tools on etsy and thought about getting them, I think I'll have to now. ;) I'm new to dollmaking and loving every minute of it!

Susan said...

Thanks Rinni! Welcome to dollmaking, it's a great way to combine all your creative talents, and you'll make a lot of new friends!!!

colleen said...

susan...I just really love her...she is "Perfect" and tiny...I have a couple of tools by that guy, but I think these are tinier....a great find! And is that a cake? omygosh..so pretty....

Ruthie Redden said...

Dear Susan, thank you for your lovely comment on Faerietale blog, so glad you find it an inspiration as I do love sharing all the wonderful creations I come across. Lovely to meet you & to discover your own beautiful creations too! Ruthie ;-)

A Magical Whimsy said...

Hi, Susan
Oh! I see you ARE in Cloth and Clay too! Fabulous!
Cheers!
Teresa in California
BTW, your ballerinas are so precious!

A Magical Whimsy said...

Thank you for stopping by to follow my blog. I am Teresa Swanson in the Cloth and Clay site if you want to find me there too.
Have a great rest of the day!
I adore your ballerinas!