Hello lovelies!
Well, you guessed it! This one is all about my latest BJD (Ball-Jointed Doll), and I cannot wait to get into it, so let's get started!
Don't you just love that face?!
So as always, the face is where I started.
Here is my arsenal of tools and things. I don't always use all of them, but I have them close at hand, just in case. Starting from the left: A craft knife with extra blades, some manicure tools (I'm not too sure what they are called, but they came as a set from eBay), Some ball styluses in different sizes, a needle tool (basically a metal tooth-pick), some wooden, and rubber sculpting tools, and, finally some paint brushes.
Oh, I almost forgot! I also have some tiny tweezers...
For the head armature, I used some aluminum foil and some paper tape (the floral kind). I had my Aluminum tape tape on hand to, but I didn't end up using it.
The foil ball for the inside of the head needs to be about two thirds the size of the head that you want to make, and it is best if you do this on a stick so that you have something to hold on to, as well as a guide hole for the neck..
Also, because we want the head hollow at the end of the day, I didn't compact the ball too tightly, as this would make it really tough to get out afterwards.
Next I wrapped the whole lot in my paper tape.
Remember to flatten the face side of the head.
This is just to show you how much bigger this face is, compared to the ones that I usually sculpt.
For this face I am using glass eyes (I got them from here http://www.artdolls.com/shop-now/eyes/mini-baby-glass-eyes-8mm.html).
I put the eyes on the clay and added some more clay over the top, making sure there was no air pockets in the clay. At first, they eyes and the face looks really scary and creepy and even a little angry, but for the moment, the most important thing is to get the clay in place and not to worry too much about the fine details.
Next I added more clay to the cheeks and forehead. remember to look at the face from all angles, making sure that it all looks good.
There you can also see that for the moment, I have not got any clay on the back of the head yet. There are a few reasons for me doing it this ways, but the most important is that the clay at the back ends to get really dirty from the constant touching etc, so I leave it until last...
Once the cheeks are looking good, I add some clay for the nose, and finally the lips.
When I am happy with the face, I add the back of the head, and the ears. I have a few reference pictures of ears that I have just found on the internet, and so I have those handy for the basic shape, and once that is in place, I can point them or what ever else.
I have also cut the top of the head off, as this is where I will be having the skull cap which is the "lid" to the hole through which the entire thing will be strung together.
This is how I bake my pieces. I have a little toaster oven with an oven thermometer, and some poly-fill (stuffing for toys).
Because the clay bakes at such a relatively low temperature, the poly-fill doesn't melt or anything, and it helps to prevent flat spots forming on the clay as it bakes.
And that is all there is to the sculpting of this face.
I did however make another face, this one without the glass eyes. Here's how I did the second one:
I again started with the armature, made in much the same way as the first one. I then covered the whole thing with clay, including the back, just to show that it is entirely possible to do so.
I then mapped oit the landmarks of the face: A lind dowm the centre if the face, once through the middle of the eyes, one at the bottom/ tip of the nose, and once through the middle of the mouth.
I also added some more clay to the forehead and chin areas.
After smoothing it all in, I also added some more clay for the nose, and smoothed that in also.
With the clay for the nose in place, I noticed that the one cheek was less full than the other, so I added more clay there too. Once all the clay is where it should be, we can start to focus on refining the details.
I made the nostrils with my needle tool, and refined the lips with the use of my wooden tools as well as some of the rubber/ silicone ones... Wile I was working in the eyes, I noticed that her brow was a little lacking so I added more clay in between the eyes. To make the eyes, I first drew the shape of them lightly onto the clay and then, using a combination of my wooden tools and my nail tools, I press the clay in and make it slightly curved/ rounded, giving the illusion of an eyeball. Don't forget about adding in the eye lids, as it makes quite a difference...
The hardest part for me is trying to maintain symmetry, but sometimes it's okay to have the two sides be a little different. Don't forget to cut out a hole on the top of the head before baking!
Now the next part is basically the same for both heads, so don't be alarmed if the pictured head is first one then the other!
Here you can see the difference in the size. Like I said, the one with the glass eyes is a little bit smaller than the other, but that doesn't matter at the end of the day...
First things first! I removed the head from the stick. And then, CAREFULLY!, remove the foil and tape from inside the head, leaving a cavity.
Here I cleaned up the hole and used dome TLS to re-enforce the inside of the head as well as the edges of the hole.
Next I took some cornstach and dusted around the edge of the hole. Thos prevents the raw clay from sticking to the baked head.
Then I took a ball of raw clay and pressed it into the hole to make a little lid. Once I had the lid shaped how I wanted it on the outside, I pulled it out and put an S hook into it.
An 'S' hook is exactly what is sounsd like. Basically its a bit of wire bent into the shape of an 'S'. This is where the elastic will be hooked onto when the doll is strung together.
I also used a second but of wire to be extra safe. I pushed the second but of straight wire into the bottom loop of the s that is buried in the clay. The idea is that this will help the hook stay in the clay and reduce the chance of it just pulling straight out.
And there you have it! Two little faces, ready for action!
In the next post I will show you how I made the rest of the dolls' bodies and how I made their wigs. Trust me it was a whole lot easier than you think and a bucket load of fun!!!
So,
Until next time,
ACL
PS Here is a link to my Patreon page. I would be so grateful if you could support me and my art, but if you don't want to, or can't, that is perfectly okay too! XO https://www.patreon.com/annacl
