Will you make a tutorial on how to make an art doll?

Yes! I made a tutorial in 2010 on how to make a simple art doll with wings. It is on the internet, but I would like you to do your own research to find it. I am going to start making a series of small tutorials on how to do simple tips and tricks in the near future - if you have suggestions for what you would like to see then please send me an email. They will be posted on this website as I make them under the "Tutorials" section.

 

 

How did you learn to make art dolls?

When I was in University I saw someone elses art dolls on the internet and really wanted to make one. They were so imaginative, but not really my style. I wanted to make my own type, and I already could see the basic materials from the photos (fake fur and clay) so I bought some fimo and just started experimenting! My first try had an air-drying clay and wire to hold the body together and it wasn't very good. It broke quickly and was clumpy and ugly, but it started a sort of madness in me. I spent hours and hours, days, weeks and months researching how to make art dolls. I sent emails to artists, I went to the library and ordered books, I read animators blogs, sculptors blogs, I followed their links. I watched "making ofs" at the end of films like the Corpse Bride, The Dark Crystal and Wallace and Gromit. I read books about films, I read Jim Hensons biography, all about Aardman and Dream Works. I found DVDs on subjects I didn't think would be useful at all which turned out to be exactly what I needed to know! I went down rabbit holes and off on tangents, and three years later I got to where I am now. It's been a fun journey, it's been hard thinking of new ways of doing things, and I'm still researching, still looking for new ideas, tips, tricks, methods and instructions.

 

 

 

Do you know any good courses I can take to learn how to make art dolls?

No. I studied Illustration at University, a four year course which covered a huge band of subjects. The entire first year was just called "General Foundation Art and Design", where you learn very quickly how to do a lot of things. Depending on your University they will have more support for different disciplines. My Uni was very fine art orientated, so we focused a lot on drawing - composition, colour theory, how to "see". From that General Course you meet and talk to other people in their second year (specialisation year where they pick a discipline) and you will learn which course suits you most. It wasn't until my THIRD year that I really worked out what I wanted to do, and by then I had really picked the wrong course for it, but I managed to work mixed sculptural media into my final piece somehow! I don't think sculpture would be right as the people I knew who did it did a lot of very large bronzes and things like that. You would probably need to look for courses in prop making, special effects and traditional stop-motion animation. But DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!! I can't stress that enough, you will come to different conclusions that I did, we could easily live in completely different parts of the world and your local (ie countries) education system is more than likely to be totally different to the UKs.

 

How long does it take to make a doll?

It can take anywhere from a day to a month to finish a doll, depending on how complex it is. It also depends on whether I have the materials in stock or not, as I live in the middle of nowhere so I have to order everything online. A doll with no wings made from things I have readily available will usually take a day. A doll with a new technique or process I haven't tried before, with materials I don't have can easily take up to a month, mainly because of delivery times and experimenting to get the right system.

 

 

Do you use glass eyes or just paint the clay?

I paint them on. I take a mould of one or two marbles then fill the mould with fast-cure resin. I then have a perfect, smooth dome to use as an eye blank, and I have loads of different sizes for different dolls. I squish them into the raw clay and sculpt around them, then just paint the pupil and iris on once the head is baked. You CAN buy glass eyes though, you can get them on eBay, GlassEyes.com (UK) or Van Dykes (US).

 

 

Will you make this character from this film/tv programme/book?

No, I do not make trademarked or copyrighted characters. This includes Pokemon, Naruto characters, My Little Pony characters, any character from films, books and tv programmes and characters and designs from video games.

 

 

What do you sculpt with?

I sculpt with fimo soft using dental tools, although more recently I've been using wax for things that will be cast.

 

Where do you get your fur from?

Mohair Bear Making Supplies

 

 

How do you attach the clay to the fur?

With glue! It really is that simple. This is by FAR the question I get asked the most and it really does have the simplest answer. I used to use hot glue but now I use bostik multi-purpose.

 

How do you dye fur/feathers?

For real furs, like fox pelts, rabbit, goat hair, feathers etc:

You can use any standard clothes dye, Dylon, RIT or Veniard for feathers. Follow the instructions on the packet but basically... Wash your item with dish soap. You need to bring about 500ml of water to the boil, add 2tbsp of white vinegar and 1/2tsp dye. Wait until the dye dissolves then add the fur/feathers. Stir for a while... With feathers keep an eye on the quill, when the quill is the colour you want then they are ready. Take it out, rinse it well under a cool tap and when the water runs clear then it's done. Dry with a hairdryer or leave to dry naturally between sheets of newspaper or paper towel.

For fake fur:

You can't dye fake fur typically, but you can STAIN it. There are lots of tutorials out there on how to stain fake fur, but my personal method is to fill my airbrush with watered down acrylic paint (good high quality stuff) then pass it over the fur very lightly. While it's drying I brush the fur in all directions with something similar to a nailbrush. It depends how long the fur is, if it's quite short it gets less brushing. If the colour isn't strong enough then I do it again. And again... And again, until it looks how I want.