Aalish III

In January 2012, I started on a new version of Aalish, my first ball-jointed doll.

For information about the previous versions, please see: the old thread.

In this new thread, I will be sharing my progress on this third version of my first BJD.
I am following Martha Armstrong-Hand's method of making a BJD, more closely.
Since I make a daily post to my weblog about making my BJD, I will only post
links to the major process points in this thread.

01 Ideas and Planning
01 Ideas and Planning Summary
02 Drawing
02 Drawing Final Working Drawing
03 Armature
03 Armature Finished Armature
04 Modeling
04 Modeling: Turnaround of Oil-Clay Figure
04 Modeling: Getting Ready To Mold
05 Molding Design
05 Molding Design Principles of Mold Design
05 Molding Design Plaster
05 Molding Design Moulage
05 Molding Design Silicone Rubber
06 Waste Molds
06 Waste Molds Summary
07 Carving Wax
07 Carving Wax DIY Wax Pen
08 Joint Design
08 Joint Design Plaster Mold Making a 40mm Ball
08 Joint Design Working with Carving Wax
08 Joint Design First Test-Stringing the Carving Wax Doll
08 Joint Design Test-Stringing a WIP Carving Wax BJD Tutorial

While I am not following Martha's method slavishly, I do believe that the variations or deviations
I am making, are still in the Spirit of her process, and will yield the same or similar results.

Basically, her process involves:
1. Developing ideas for a BJD, and planning, which includes at least the size and the materials for the BJD.
2. Making a full-size working drawing from ideas for a ball-jointed doll (including allowances for overall shrinkage of all materials).
3. Constructing an armature, using the full-size working drawing as a blueprint.
4. Modeling the figure in oil-clay over the wire armature, supported on a modeling stand.
5. Molding the oil-clay figure.
6. Casting carving wax in the first set of molds.
7. Refining the carving wax. (This step includes ball-joint design and stringing design.)
8. Making the second, and final set of molds for production.

It is at this point that doll-makers who wish to cast resin BJDs in silicone rubber molds, would do that.
Otherwise, the second set of molds would be made of plaster, for casting porcelain slip, or doll composition slip.

9. Casting the final BJD doll parts.
10..... Final castings are finished, assembled (tensioned), painted (face-up, blushing), wigged, clothed, and so forth.

As of this post, I have been working for eight months on this third version of my first BJD, since I decided to start over from scratch, using oil-clay.

I try to work on my doll a little bit every day.
(^_^)

 

Thank you, glimmer. I began again from scratch, and did a little bit of work on my doll every day, and now I have a new doll that is almost ready for molding.

(^_^)

 

Thank you, dedemoi. I am trying as best as I can to learn about making a ball-jointed doll, and to share what I learn with others.

(^_^)

 

I finished the series on Mold Design and started making Waste Molds. More details here.

 

I finished making hot-melt moulage Waste Molds and started Carving Wax. More details here.

 

I finished making Carving Wax and started Joint Design. More details here.

 

Working with Carving Wax

You're welcome. It is my effort to journal my daily progress. I find it helpful to do it.

I suggest that you make some carving wax, in order to discover how amazing it is, as a design material. I have posted various carving wax recipes here and on my blog.

A wax pen is a tool for working with wax. You do not NEED a wax pen. You can substitute a jeweler's alcohol lamp and metal wax working tools for a wax pen.

I am also new to using a wax pen. I also have an alcohol lamp and metal wax working tools.

The advantage that a wax pen has over the alcohol lamp and metal wax working tools is that it is heated with electricity, so once I get the temperature adjusted, I no longer have to stop what I am doing and heat a tool over the flame of the alcohol lamp.

A commercially made, professional wax pen costs about $150.00 (USD). A replacement handle for that wax pen costs about $70.00 (USD). I made my own wax pen with an inexpensive Weller SP-23 25 Watt soldering iron and parts from the hardware store, for about $30.00 (USD)... (The soldering iron costs about $17.00, and the parts for the soldering iron temperature controller cost about $13.00.) It was a very easy project to make, and well worth the cost of the materials, and the small amount of time it took to make it.

With my DIY wax pen, I am able to adjust the temperature of the soldering iron so that it just melts the carving wax, without smoking. This is very important for me. A soldering iron without the temperature controller always goes up to the high temperature needed for melting solder (about 700 degrees F.) which is much too hot for working with carving wax.

Why would I want to melt the carving wax? One of the properties of carving wax is that it can be welded to other pieces of carving wax. So I can make carving wax balls, and weld them to carving wax limbs when I am designing the jointing for the BJD. If I get it wrong the first time, I can cut the carving wax balls off the limbs, and redo them. Carving wax is tough enough to be tensioned with round elastic doll cord, so you can test-string your WIP doll before molding it. Carving wax is reusable.

Interesting that you should mention that. I have seen some references on the Internet to a video that she made, describing her porcelain BJD making process. Basically, she refines her carving wax doll parts with a wax pen, carving tools that fit the form, and finer and finer grades of sandpaper (from 80 grit in the beginning, up to 240 grit, and even as fine as 600 grit).

The actual work is practice, practice, and more practice: adding, subtracting and smoothing repeatedly.
~Martha Armstrong-Hand.

Martha Armstrong-Hand recommends modeling the original doll with oil-clay. Actually, I believe she used Chavant. The thing is, oil-clay is relatively soft. It must be modeled over a wire armature, supported by a modeling stand.

Oil-clay is a wonderful modeling material that is incredibly responsive to the touch. Forms may be built-up rapidly in oil-clay. However, oil-clay is too soft to refine it to a high finish. It is also too soft to test-string. These are the two main reasons for translating the oil-clay doll figure into carving wax.

The ONLY way to know when the oil-clay doll figure is ready to be taken off the modeling stand, and cut up for molding, is to have some experience with both oil-clay and carving wax. There are some things that are much easier to do with oil-clay, than with carving wax, and vice versa.

You can add to carving wax, but it is much easier to build-up basic forms with oil-clay. In other words, carving wax is not a good primary modeling material. On the other hand, carving wax can be taken to a very high finish, so you do not want to spend too much time trying to smooth the oil-clay doll figure before it is taken off the modeling stand and molded. After taking the oil-clay off the modeling stand, it is cut apart, in order to make molding easier. Just taking the oil-clay figure off the modeling stand, cutting it apart, then molding it, leaves marks.

So when you gain some experience working with carving wax, then as you are working on the oil-clay figure, you will just know that doing something in oil-clay is easier than doing the same thing in carving wax, so you do it in oil-clay. Likewise, you avoid doing certain things in oil-clay, because you know that you will get much better results after the doll parts have been cast in carving wax.

So, even though you are still modeling your doll, I suggest that you make some carving wax, and play with it before you actually need to.
I did: http://atelierpoupee.blogspot.com/2010/09/carving-wax-02.html

I try to document what I do, the best that I can. It is not always easy to take step-by-step photos of everything I do, for each post. The best that I can hope for is that I can capture the process over a series of posts. So when one post doesn't do it, try looking at the whole series of posts, and maybe it will make sense?

Silicone rubber waste molds, for casting carving wax, are probably the most expensive and involved way to translate your original oil-clay doll figure (or whatever modeling material you are using) into carving wax. If you are chopping up old silicone rubber molds, to make the waste molds, then you will be adding fresh silicone rubber over the chopped-up pieces in order to bind them together to make the mold. To force the fresh silicone rubber in between the chpped-up pieces, you will need to use a pressure pot, which requires an air compressor. So not only is the molding material expensive, but you also need some relatively expensive equipment as well.

Martha Armstrong-Hand uses Plaster of Paris (#1 Industrial Molding Plaster, or #1 Pottery Plaster) to make the waste molds of the original oil-clay doll figure, in order to cast the carving wax doll parts. Compared to silicone rubber, plaster is very inexpensive. Also, with plaster, you do not need any fancy equipment. Mixing bowls, a source of good clean water, and some newspaper lined trash bags are pretty much all you need. Never put plaster (dry, wet, or set) in the drain pipes. Always add plaster to water. Plaster molds are soaked in water before molten wax is poured into them. Wax and water do not mix.

I recently finished molding all my oil-clay doll figure parts in hot-melt moulage molds. Molten carving wax does not stick to moulage. Hot-melt moulage is reusable. See my blog for details.

Finally, if you have any questions, just ask. Believe me, it took awhile for me to get my head wrapped around Martha's Method. When I first started this journey, I did not know much about Martha's Method. Now, I am a big fan of her method.

(^_^)

 

Working with Carving Wax

Actually, I am figuring it out as I go along. When I cut off the spares from the carving wax castings, I tried several different things. If I remember correctly, the way that worked the best for me was to heat my paring knife over an alcohol flame until it was nice and warm, then to use the warm blade to cut the spare. I did not cut through it in one go. I cut all the way around, then repeated that until the spare was cut. I also tried cutting with an X-Acto knife, a small hobby saw, and my wax pen.

The best way to learn about working with carving wax is to make some and work with it. This is what Martha Armstrong-Hand recommends doing. She says to practice first on a place that will not be seen, such as the back of the head, or on a piece of scrap, like a spare. Once you get good at it, then work towards areas of the doll that have a higher visibility. She said that most beginners want to start with the features of the face. Not a good idea.

Questions are okay, if they are questions based on practice. There is no way in the world I can tell you how to do it. I do not know myself. I am figuring it out as I go along. Often times I do quite a bit of experimenting to find out what works for me. It is not unusual for me to get stuck. Making sculpture is all about problem solving.

As far as working with carving wax, this is how it is done:

The actual work is practice, practice, and more practice: adding, subtracting and smoothing repeatedly.
~Martha Armstrong-Hand.

I find it easiest to work with a carving wax doll part by holding the carving wax doll part in my left hand, and holding whatever tool I am using in my right hand, because I am right-handed. To take a picture, I must put these things down in order to use my camera. Even with both hands, I take lousy photos. I try to do the best that I can.

I fill a hole by melting the carving wax hole, then adding carving wax to fill it. Sometimes I drip carving wax into the hole to fill it, and other times I add a solid chunk of carving wax to the hole, then melt it in with my wax pen. It depends on how large the hole is. I always over-fill it, so there is carving wax that must be scraped off, to get back down to the original surface. Then the surface is smoothed with various grades of sandpaper. This is done repeatedly, over and over, until you get the surface you want. The only way to learn how to do it is to practice. You cannot learn how to do it by reading. Make some carving wax, cast it into a mold, then practice on it. It will remain a mystery until you do.

This post is about as close to a step-by-step carving wax tutorial as I have up on my blog right now:
http://atelierpoupee.blogspot.com/2012/11/07-carving-wax-n-4.html
Does that help?

(^_^)

 

No, I have not made any final plaster molds for my doll yet.
I translated the original oil-clay doll figure into carving wax doll parts using hot-pour moulage molds.
I am currently working on the carving wax castings.
I try to do a little bit of work on my doll every day.

Learning To Be A Doll Artist by Martha Armstrong-Hand, is currently unavailable.
If you do not have a copy of LTBADA, and are interested in her method, please see this:
Martha Armstrong-Hand's Method @ Woodland Earth Studio

(^_^)

 

Making plaster ball molds and casting carving wax


I made a series of posts about molding a 40mm ping-pong ball in plaster and casting 40mm carving wax balls.
This series of posts goes from No 32 to No 35 in the Joint Design stage of the BJD making process.
Following the mold making posts are some posts about working with carving wax.

(^_^)

 

Oil-clay is too soft to use to design joints, or test string a BJD, so the oil-clay figure is molded, then carving wax doll parts are cast.
Carving wax is used for designing the doll joints, test stringing the doll, and for refining the doll parts to use as patterns for the final molds.
A wax pen is usually used for working with carving wax. The method is adding, subtracting, and smoothing repeatedly.

08 Joint Desing Working with Carving Wax

 

Aalish v.3 WIP Photo

A work-in-progress photo of Aalish.

( Click on the photo to read the blog post. )

 

Thank you Miss_Pygmalion. Every time I get around to modeling a figure in clay, I try to learn a wee bit more about Artistic Anatomy, and how to make the forms believable. I am a huge fan of sculptors like Harriet Whitney Frishmuth (1880-1980), Bessie Potter Vonnoh (1872-1955), Malvina Hoffman (1885-1966), Edward Francis McCartan (1879-1947), and others.

Even though I first discovered BJDs in 2010, to this date, I still do not own a resin ABJD from any company in Asia. Perhaps that is one reason?

Thank you, glimmer. The last ~3 years have been an exciting journey of learning and discovery. One of the biggest discoveries has been carving wax, a design material used by Martha Armstrong-Hand (1920-2004) in her sculpture studio. I have also immersed myself in the doll-making process she descibed in her book, Learning To Be A Doll Artist (1999), which is, unfortunately, out-of-print, and for the most part, unavailable. Progress can be made with some hard work, perseverance, and a little luck. I try to do a little bit of work on my doll every day. Believe it or not, it all adds up over time.

(^_^)

Martha Armstrong-Hand's Method @ Woodland Earth Studio is a description of her doll-making process, as outlined in the Table of Contents of her book, Learning To Be A Doll Artist (1999).

 

Thank you, Jphobia !!! I have just finished cutting the legs at the knees, in order to start working on the knee joints. The knees were a weak point in my old Carving Wax Test Doll. I hope I can do better in this version?

(^_^)

 

A WIP photo.

The cast carving wax doll parts are being cut at the joints.

(^_^)

 

Thank you, Alewife.
I have cut her feet off, and I am currently working on the ankle joints.

(^_^)

 

Yeah, so here is another semi-annual update to my WIP BJD....


This is a photo of the first test-stringing of my Carving Wax Doll.

My byline is:
I try to do a little bit of work on my doll every day.

Hey !!! It works for me.

(^_^)

P.S. This is the third version of my first BJD.
Originally modeled in oil-clay over a wire armature.
Removed from the modeling stand and cut apart.
Molds were made over the oil-clay doll parts.
Carving wax was cast into the molds.
Joints are being designed using the carving wax doll parts.

 

Thank you so much !!! That really means a lot to me.

Thank you for your kind words.

These encouraging comments keep me going.

(^_^)

 

Thank you SO much !!!

I have just finished shortening the left carving wax arm.
The results are very pleasing to me.
The right carving wax arm will be next.
The carving wax doll is currently loosley test-strung with 3mm elastic.
I have had her standing on her own, but not without me hovering over her.

(^_^)

 

This is just a little photo update.

I am following Martha Armstrong-Hand's Method of making a slip-cast BJD.
I am currently in the carving wax, joint design phase of the process.
Carving Wax is The Bomb !!!
I try to do a little bit of work on my doll every day.

(^_^)

 

I have been filling in low spots with my wax pen,
shaving off excess filler with my paring knife,
and sanding my carving wax BJD with 60-grit sandpaper.

I posted a Test-Stringing a Carving Wax WIP BJD Tutorial.

(^_^)