Hey there this isn't really my first project, however I am labeling it as such because it's the first I really intend to finish. So hopefully I don't loose my drive. Haha. So this is 1/6 scale 11 inch (28cm) matureish male doll. I've always wanted a doll that would fit my overly feminine male OC but never found any dolls that fit him on the market. You see he'd have to be slim, but with wide hips, almost no muscle tone, and a face that's open, innocent, with a full lips, and a small nose. I So I figured it was time I give it a go again. I'm working with DAS paperclay and that's working out well for me. Though I definitely see an immediate downside. I intend to cast him, and if there'should interest sell him too, and using paperclay means I'll have to prime/seal him. Any suggestions btw on sealing/priming materials that would work well with paperclay and be very smooth are appreciated. I was planning on making extra/interchangeable part in case he looks confusing without genitals. Those will be separate. So you can make the doll any sex you want, and with different features. At least that's the idea/plan. So without any further adieu here he is. View attachment 757 View attachment 758 View attachment 759
Thank you. It's all good, I'll do more research and find a solution. Also I plan on posting update shots.
Update pics. Not a lot of progress. And I won't be able to get any supplies for a while so I'm working with what I have for now. I'm actually planning two more pairs of feet, and another two dolls. Not to mention the non-human body mods. Anyways here we go. View attachment 770 View attachment 771
Wow thank you, that's so nice to read. I love pretty lips and was sort feeling off about this face so reading that makes me think maybe I've just been staring at my own work too long. :3
If I were you, I would add a bit of forehead. At the side view it seems a bit too inclined. And there also should be a bit more volume above eyebrows, because some of it should be covered with hair.
Thanks for the tips. I welcome any critique. I've had to put this one on hold momentarily because I've run out of clay an all the alternatives were too expensive. So I've started working in polimer clay. That'll solve the problems I've been having of pieces breaking. Thanks again for your interest.
I really love the head design! Though I've only worked with clay for dollmaking, I've never casted any of them so I don't really know what primers are good... I was wondering the same thing myself! From what I've read it seems like some people use gesso and/or a spray paint surfacer before casting, but I've never tried either. I've also made a small doll from DAS clay before, and I get the impression that polymer clay is easier to work with for sculpting small things like the hand... is that what you are going to do? Anyway, nice progress so far!
Thank you so much. And oddly enough I'd never considered gesso. So that might be an option. At least as a temporary measure till I figure out what else to use. I hear motip automotive primer works but I can't find it here (canada). I have another doll also on the go made with polimer clay, and as much as i like it i find it hard to make small things because it gets so soft and warm. So im making the small things with DAS but with wires in the fingers. It's worked so far. I've also made some progress so hopefully I'll be posting some pics. It's all tiny fiddly work with joints and limb fitting but it's progress. Thanks again for the comment and kind words. :3
Okay so I've (mostly) finished my boy! I do intend to work on him a bit more, polish him up some, sand, prime.... ect. So I do plan on casting him in the near future in case anyone's interested just hit me up to let me know you'r interested when he's closer to finished, or whenever. I don't know how or if I'll be able to generate interest in this doll in particular, but I was mostly making it for me and my own purposes, but I would love to have someone else own and love my doll. *shrug* So here he is. http://s204.photobucket.com/user/Izenra_works/library/Extras/Cats%20stuff?sort=4&page=1
Part two. I forgot to mention that I have to fix up his hands to make them nicer, and still have to add ears... Though that should have been obvious... Haha... (I forgot about them)
Wow! he looks great ^^ I like that style of hip/leg joints. I'm also making a doll out of DAS paper clay. It's nice to see an almost finished doll made out of DAS. I was worried it wouldn't hold/be strong enough but it seems to work well enough. Looking forward to seeing more ^_^
Thank you the hips were definitely inspired by many doll artists out there so not my own design, but I'm making some of it my own. I do have to say that I would probably not work with paperclay again. It has it's good points, but a lot of drawbacks. It is very delicate, so watch how thin you make it, and fingers are an absolute NIGHTMARE with it, so you (imo) absolutely require some support for the fingers. And when testing the jointing it can easily break in the delicate sockets. So just watch out for some of those things. Though maybe some of my problems stemmed from working with a delicate material and such a small scale... Haha. I'll never know though. *shrug* OH and the surface is difficult to get sice and smooth, but I'm sure that's possible with a lot of elbow grease. If you've got any idea what kind of primer would work best with paperclay knowing that I'm going to be molding this in silicone I am all ears. I'm just about at that stage now, and I really want to make it smooth for molding and water/silicone proof. Thanks a bunch for your nice words, and commenting in general, it's always appreciated! ^u^
Ah I forgot to mention that I'm a Doll Newbie. I'm working on my first BJD so I really don't know what primer to use for casting. I have been reading as much as I can in the materials section of this forum. I'll post a link here if I find anything that could help. ^^
For how painful it is to sculpt little things like hands with paperclay, your doll's hands look great! I also really like the feet and the legs and the butt. Good job! Looking forward to see what primer you end up using and how the casting goes!
So this got me thinking about what brands *do* people use to prime and the most specific thing I've found so far has been in an FAQ on Batchix's website: http://batchix.g36.net/?page_id=337 This is Batchix's reply to a question in the comments section, but she said: "You’ll want to seal the paperclay with some kind of sandable primer. I like to use Krylon or Rustolium. You can use any color you want(I have gray and black, but it also comes in brown). After each coat, let it dry for a few hours, then sand up to a 400-600 grit. If any paper clay shows through, prime it again. When you get to the point that you’re not seeing any paperclay showing through the primer, sand your part up to about 1500 grit. That’ll give you a super smooth, awesome feeling surface to your cast! Alternatively you can seal it by coating it in a few layers of acrylic gloss- but you can’t really sand that and it gives you a messy cast… but if you’re in a big hurry or absolutely can’t find any kind of primer, it’ll work. But yes, always seal paperclay with something, especially for casting. It will absorb the silicone and will ruin both mold and original." By the way, I think people also use Mr. Surfacer, but I haven't tried any of these things myself...
This is great, thanks you've given me a lot to think about! I'll look into that stuff as soon as I can.
UPDATE! I decided I hated the old single jointed arms and that I needed to rework the joints to be double-jointed. I'm also working on the silhouette of the legs, and refining the surface. Another major part I'm working on is the hands, I hated the old ones, and I'm trying to make them out of polymer clay right now so that they'll be stronger. Pics to come when I get a chance and/or when their done. I don't like taking half-assed pics. Wish me luck~
