Has anyone had success with papier-mache?

Do you intend to make a one of a kind art doll, make several copies in papier mache or do you plan to later cast it in another material?
*If you intend to make an original art doll, most paper clays are essentially a firm paper pulp (with some addatives to make it easier to work) and many tutorials and tips can be used for home made paper clay as well.
*If you intend to make several dolls you may want to look into using paper strips or pulp in plaster molds. That is a classical way to make dolls and has been in use for centuries. I have done it myself for heads for art dolls and it's fun, but very different from casting plastics. Jointed bodies from papier mache often use wood for ball joints.
*If you want to make an original to later cast in polyuretane you don't have to worry about anything but the finished surface (inside and out) and the joints only need to hold up for test stringing, not for long time wear. When I made Basil i used a papier mace core to bulk out the shape and polymer clay on top of that. Some people will use paper clay for bodies and polymer or epoxy for fine detail parts such as hands.

Not sure if this hepled. I may have some youtube recommendations depending on what it is you want to do, but some of them would be completely useless if that is not what you are after.

 

I really like the youtube channel Ultimate Paper Mache for basics. She has several recipies for clay and a lot of good methods for planning projects and bulking out shapes. She makes mostly sculptures and masks, but the techniques are the same regadless of what you are making.

For more doll-specific tips, there is this: How to Make Noah's Doll [English]
This tutorial uses a combination of materials, such as saw dust, glue, epoxy and stone clay, but the idea is the same and as it uses mostly air dry materials and work in thin layers is could easily be adapted to paper clay.

As for what would be "professional quality" I have no idea. Most papier mache artists seem to have their own recipies. I buy bags of ground up paper and use a mix of that, PVA glue and water, but I can hardly claim to be more than a happy hobbyist. I know some peole get good results with newspaper that has been soaked and then run though a blender, giving a somewhat lumpy, but very strong material.
Papier mache can be carved and sanded to a pretty nice finish and some people use fillers as well to get a good surface.