Materials resources for sculpting with polymer clay?

Kori Leppart on Etsy has a good tutorial. I think she goes by Turtle Child Studio...If you can't find her, let me know & I can check for you. Ive worked on both Polymer and Premier Clay, they definitely both have pro's & con's. I too, work with Polymer primarily, so it felt it easier to carry over to BJD's.

Smiles,
Lori

 

I usually work in polymer clay for my BJD-sculpting projects. I have done a number of art dolls as well.
I don't have any tutorials for the entire process, but if you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to help if I can.

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. In most dolls the upper arm end in an off center ball shape and the corresponding socket is a part of the upper torso piece, but some dolls have additional parts in their soulders as well.

If you are just starting out I would suggest making a simple joint for your first doll. The workflow would depend on the size of your parts, but the general idea is to build up the shape you want from the core out. You can use someting like drinking straws or cardboard tubes to get a cannel that you can later use for test stringing. You can use something like tin foil to bulk out thick parts. After that you put a layer of clay, shape it., bake, let cool, add the next layer of clay... and so on. It's the same for all parts.

Some prefer to make limbs, or even the entire doll, in one piece first and then devide it up into parts later and finally make the joints. The process is much the same. Make the "skeleton", bulk out, add clay in layers until the shape is right. Then saw or cut the doll apart, remove core material where needed, add additional clay to make joint surfaces, bake again. I theory, the doll is then ready for test stringing.

If you need reference photos of what different shoulders looks like when taken apart, try looking for restringing tutorails.

 

What do you use for your cores? I've read that aluminum foil causes air bubbles inside the clay when baking. Newspaper? I don't want to be putting plastic bags in my oven...

 

You need to leave a place for the air to escape. Depending on your process you can either leave the opening where the core will later be pulled out an that will also act as a vent. If you are making a piece that will be cut apart later you can leave a small hole or two in some area that can be easily filled later, once the part is cut and the core removed.

 

Thank so much for the info! Sorry to pester you, but I have more questions....

So do you recommend cutting parts open after baking (and not before)? For example, if I intend to make a torso and split it in half, I should cut it apart after baking and not before, correct? How is cutting? Does the baked clay cut pretty cleanly? Do you use a dremel, or an art knife?

Also - how is polymer clay as far as shrinkage during baking? I chose polymer clay for one very simple reason - it isn't supposed to dry out as easily. As a certifiable perfectionist (tm), I know I'm going to want to re-do a sculpt over and over and over... but how will it turn out after I finally get a product I'm happy enough to throw in the oven?

Also - how bad does polymer clay stink when you're baking it? Should I have all the windows open, fans blasting, and cats hidden away?

 

When to cut is a matter of preference and also depends a bit on the part itself. I'd suggest you do a few test pieces that you can experiment with, without the preassure of risking hours of work. Test pieces are you friends.

The short answer to what tools to use for cutting would be: Yes.
Personally I use anything that will get the job done. Thin bladed craft knifes, dremel with a cutting disk, wedge shaped files, hack saw blades... Anything that will get the resaults you are after for that specific cut. There are probably as many methods as there are doll artists.

One thing to keep in mind with polymer clay, especcially since you describe yourself as a perfectionist, is that you probably wont finish a pice to perfection in one go. To bake properly you can't have too thick or uneaven layers, so if you work on anything but the tiniest of dolls you are going to have to build it up in several bakes, too thick and the inside won't bake properly. Use this to your advantage!

Polymer calys can be carved and sanded after baking. They can also be added to a rebaked many times, as long as you pay attention and don't over bake. Don't feel you have to do all the work in one go. If the mouth is perfect, but the nose is bad; bake it to preserve the mouth, carv off the nose, add more clay, sculpt a new nose, rebake and then sand out any line remaining between the pieces. If you make an original to be cast later, this join will be invisible once the primer goes on.

Some clay will shrink slightly, but normally not enough to be noticeable or cause issues with the fit between pieces.
Cracks will usually only appear if you bake incorrectly, such as overbaking, or baking a piece too thick to properly cure. Some clays will have a maximum thickness stated on the package (I think super sculpey is 6mm, but I could remember that wrong).

Fumes are only dagerous if you over bake. Don't do that. Seriously. Those fumes are very toxic.
As long as you work in an appropriate area and use an oven that is not used for food and that you have a good grasp of how to use (the temperature, specifically, most ovens don't really keep an even temperature and may go both well above and well below the teperature you dial in) you will be fine.
If you are unsure, or are experimenting with a new clay, new oven, new cores or anything else like that, err on the side on caution. If you underbake you can put it back in the oven and give it some more time, but if the clay burns it is ruined and develope toxic gasses (benzene, to be specific).
Should that happen, make sure to turn you oven off, open all available vents and windows and the then open the door to the oven and leave the area as quickly as possible. Return after things have aired out and cooled down, cry a bit over your ruined piece and then roll up ypu sleeves and make a new one.

 

@Lillith - Thank you so much! Would you believe I didn't know you could add to an already baked piece?

And I need a second oven now, eh? Le sigh... Do you think a larger toaster oven would work? That should be okay, right? They have ones that are like little mini ovens with temperatures and stuff (more than toast levels).

I am so glad you provided all of this information - and that I asked you before I started. Otherwise, I would probably have a toxic, cracked, unevenly baked mess - and be in need of a new oven...

 

Well, you did ask, so no harm done.
A mini oven will work well, that is what I use myself. I have one of those with two hot plates on top, great for melting wax and other hobby stuff. It wasn't too expensive and is small enough that it doesn't take up the entire hobby room.

 

How does polymer clay hold up to stringing with hooks and elastic? I'm working on a head to attach to a resin body and am cautious about the tension placed on it by the elastic & hook. I'm worried it may crack the polymer, as it is much less rigid than resin.

 

Polymer clay is nowhere near as strong as polyurethane plastic. It holds up fine for light test stringing and even for one off art dolls that will mostly sit and look pretty, but it can't take the tight elastic of a regular BJD.

 

Ah, thank you for confirming! I'll have to make a mold and cast it in something different. I have plenty of ceramic experience but resins are new to me. I was checking out your resin casting work and the process seems much more intense, what with all the pressurization.

 

We are getting a bit off topic for this thread, but the short summary is that it depends.
If you have a good source of resin, if you have a good way to control humidity in your workshop, if you plan and make your molds with bubbles in mind and if you are ok with the occasional micro bubble, you can cast polyurethane without a pressure pot. I did it for a decade before I got mine.
And that specifically applies to polyurethane. There are other plastics with other properties that you can look into. Acrylic resins are usually considered beginner friendly, for example.

Feel free to start your own thread if you want to discuss casting materials and techniques!