Corpse Bride Dolls
Meet Emily and Victor I am a big fan of Corpse Bride, and have always wanted to make these dolls. I have also done Jack from The Nightmare before Christmas in the past – you can see his images in my gallery. So here we go… The armature is made using twisted wire, proportions are matched to a print out of the dolls. Note in the image the text is flipped. That is because for some reason the dolls on the cover of the DVD have been flipped. I guess they wanted Victor on the left?...
Read MoreCompleted Doll
Completed Doll Base I decided this doll will have a frame around her.To ensure it was nice and light I have made it out of Balsa wood. This it the amazing light wood that plane model makers use, so can be found in most model stores. From there I used crackle paint to give it a rough paint look. And her flower was attached with a wood and clay structure. I then decorated the flower base with a mix of moss and sand attached with super glue. Finished Last step is to add a touch of Glaze to...
Read MoreCreating the Costume
Creating the Costume Panties This doll will have a little skirt on, so before I get to that I am going to add some lace panties.These are made by first roughing out the shape on a piece of paper, and then cutting out the lace to suit. From there I test it on the doll and trim as need be. Attach the panties Once you are happy with the shape they can be glued on.For this doll I have just used a dab of Fabri-tac glue on each hip. That is enough to keep it in place, and no extra glue is...
Read MoreEyelashes
Adding the Eyelashes Eyelashes Eyelashes can be a frustrating process. But its one of those things that the more you do, the easier it gets. But here are the steps I take, and any tips I have to make it easier.Here she is all ready for her eyelashes. Step 1 Start by adding a thin line of glue to her eyelids, the same process is done whether she has her eyes open or closed.The glue I am using is Crafter’s Pick Ultimate Glue. It is a nice strong tacky glue that has a great cement...
Read MoreFinishing the Sculpting
Finishing the Sculpting Feet and Hands Hands and feet can be either sculptured on the doll, or you may find it a bit easier to sculpt the hands and feet off the doll and then attach before baking.I wont go too much into this, as I have already added tutorials on this matter, but the best tip I can give is really get the right shape at the start, then cut and shape fingers and then add details. Trying to put in details while the shape isn’t quite right will mean you just end up...
Read MoreSculpting the Doll
Sculpting the Doll Part Baking The easiest way to sculpt is to part bake. I have always had mixed thoughts on this matter. Because, while it does help by allowing you to not squish parts already done, it can also give you false sense of the clay being cooked (which its not) and perhaps cause you to put extra pressure on lightly cooked piece and cause it to crack.But I think if you keep it in your head that the piece is only lightly cooked, then it is the best way to go, especially...
Read MoreMixing the clay
Mixing the Clay I have decided to try a mixture of 12 parts Living Doll Light Clay and 1 part Sculpey Mold Maker Mix the clay To mix clay you can either mix it with a food processor or by hand I use a mixture of both (excuse the pun) I start by cleaning out the food processor and every part that the clay could touch, and let it drip dry. The last thing you want is to add fluff and dust to your clay, so make sure it it perfectly clean. Place both types of clay into the food processor and...
Read MoreMaking of the Flower
I have completed the flower and I must say I am over the moon with it. The only thing I am worried about is the time it is taking me. We are doing a bit of renovations on the house, so painting the dinning room has been taking up my time (what little I have left while being a mum to my 1 year old and 3.5 year old boys). But the room is all painted and now I will concentrate on this piece, a couple of other pieces I have in the making, and also my competition piece for the Freeman’s Bay...
Read MoreArmature
Working on the armature As mentioned in my last post, I am going to completely change the method of armature creation I have previously used for the foil and tape method. I will put a step by step comparison of the two with pros and cons once I have completed this doll and will know for sure what I like about each method and which I prefer. But here is a run down of the armature for Anemone Step 1 – Bend the Armature Wire Using 18g wire I have created three parts, the legs, the arms...
Read MoreAnemone is born
The idea comes to life Okay I have been thinking about this sculpt and what she will be I have always wanted to do a fairy sitting on a flower, so the flower suspended above the base on its stalk. In the spirit of Mark Dennis I would like to capture a lot of movement in the piece. So I have decided to call her Anemone (pronounced a nem mo ne) which is a beautiful white flower perfect for sitting on, and is also a Greek Nymph meaning daughter of the wind or Windflower. This wind aspect will...
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