First time trying to sculpt a doll, what are some newbie mistakes I should avoid? + casual discussio

I sculpted with polymer clay for almost a decade (mostly miniatures) before taking the dive into dolls. I actually started with some 4" figures that are not poseable to get a feel for paper clay. I learned a ton just by making a bunch of little dudes, from tools to techniques. It's pretty fun, and relaxing if you remind yourself that it's normal to take a lot of time to do one piece.

I would share pictures but my flickr is being a butt. I have a few posted on my IG though.

 

Good luck! I tried my hand at making a doll a few years ago and it turned into a lumpy little ogre (but she's my lumpy little ogre so that's fine). I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that your fist attempt won't be as pretty and perfect as all those beautiful dolls you see out there. So get ready to either embrace the imperfections or just redo and redo and redo parts until they finally are the way you want them to be.

Don't give up, keep going and you will have your very own doll in no time

 

I'd say make mistakes, Tis the only way to truly learn.

My advice is this to a new artist, try everything, different kinds of tools, different kinds of materials. See which ones work best for you. It may be expensive at first but as your skill grows, you will find yourself using those materials and tools.

 

As someone who has tried once and is currently working through trying a second time, I’d recommend doing most of the sculpting prior to cutting apart to add articulation, and ensure you think deeply about articulation before you sculpt as you don’t want to throw away hard work (as I did :<)

 

It seems really challenging at first, and it is.
My first dolls were actually art dolls--cloth body with clay appendages. I didn't know about BJD's then, but now that I sculpt BJD's, they are DEFINITELY harder! so many moving parts, so much perfecting to do. with an art doll, you can throw together a cloth body, make some clothes and call it a day--you'll never have to see the body again. BJD's--everything needs to look great because that's part of the art! One of the big reasons I started sculpting BJD's is so I could 'use' them, not something that would sit on my shelf for eternity and never be handled--a doll that would be able to hold up to love and use and look good all over. I am so much happier now that I sculpt them.
What I do to get better is DRAW--from all angles! draw realism, cartoon, stylized, faces, bodies, movements. eventually, you'll have the human face and body down pat and it will be so much easier to sculpt better.
Study anatomy! lifesaver really.
Take into account that I am by NO MEANS a professional yet, but I do consider my ten years of work to add up to some experience.
And look--some projects you are going to hate--you're gonna wanna give up and THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE--so do it! throw it in a box and never look at it again. That's okay. Just start another project, keep on working because you'll get to a point that you love your doll.
So basically, just experiment, and if you end up really loving sculpting BJD's, you won't give up.
Hope this helps!