so what are these things. idk i guess theyre art dolls? i kinda started making them a few years ago when i was 15 cause i was bored. its by far not a new concept but there arent many videos on how to make one online besides those monster high customs (wich are also cool) and a few abt BJDs... so i came up with a method myself.
i dont post/talk much abt them idk why... probably cause i hate taking pics of them. also its more of a side hobby to me and in recent years ive sorta lost interest in this style. but every time i do post them people seem to be very interested in how i make them. so i made this page.
if you actually make one be sure to tag or send it to me i would love to see! also while i obviously dont take credit for something as vague as making a doll, if you did use my tutorial thingie it would be nice if you could mention that somewhere since it took work to come up with it but yea go ham as long as you dont completely copy any of my dudes. (altho now theyre all hidden away in a box and i couldnt care less about them anymore.)
how to make one
materials:
Honestly it really depends on what you want to make specifically. But these are the ones i use most of the time. you can get these in craft stores or online duh.
- clay, i mostly use this
or this one. the first one is good for sculpting heads but very bad for bodies cause its very bridle. but it takes paint very well and can be smoothed out with water but yea also kinda messy. second one i think everyone knows super sculpey... its easy to use but harder to paint. really depends on your preference really. any clay works. i bet something like epoxy sculpt would work very well but i never tried it since its so hard to get here
- wire, pretty simple. just some basic craft wire like this one.
- hot glue, always helpful for any craft lol
- cardboard, paper, aluminum foil. self explanatory... these are for making the body frame so itll be covered up anyway.
- paint, i use holbein acryla gouache but its very expensive. cheaper brands totally work as well. normal acrylics probably work too i just prefer gouache tbh.
- fabric, obviously for the clothes. since dolls are so small you can use an old shirt
- some kind of hair, ive used many things for this before... yarn, cat hair, wigs, needle felting wool, fake fur, anything works.
- other stuff, for accessories you can use beads, buttons or whatever you have
you could easily make one in a week if youre dedicated but i always procrastinate a ton so it sometimes ends up taking months. its a bit exhausting
process:
again... it varies. im just gonna try and explain the method thats most beginner friendly lol.
you can see the base structure for the body in these images (click to enlarge).
first of all you should make the head (its shown in the videos so i wont explain any further). after that you can base the body proportions on that. it helps making a true to size sketch first (i made the head to big in the second img lol). after that you can make the hands and feet with clay and stick a piece of wire in them. then you make the body out of cardboard, tin foil and hot glue. the first img explains it pretty well.
legs and arms are made by wrapping paper with hot glue around the wire. after that you should make the clothes. get him dressed before you attach the hands, feet and head. and thats it basically. im kind of assuming you already have some experience with crafting stuff... cause this is a somewhat advanced project. if youre a complete newbie in sculpting, sewing etc maybe try making a more chibi like character like a clown first its way easier and you dont have to use the cardboard body only wire and stuffing is enough.
in general characters who show little skin are best and easiest to make. at least have the joints covered with something to hide the wire. also these dolls are somewhat fragile so i advice keeping them on a shelf and not posing them too often since wire breaks over time. you can handle them tho like.. its fine just dont drop them.
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