20–39cm Dolls Strawberry Dolls - Tiny Mouse BJD

So I've been playing with the thought for a really long time, since I absolutely adore Beatrix Potter: to make a tiny mouse bjd. And yesterday when I watched the Tales ballet - lika I do every Christmas - I decided to go ahead.

This little mouse still has no name, but I might go for Melanie or Belinda. We'll see which way she goes. She'll be about 15 cm tall, but it's hard to tell exactly before I've made her hind legs. The thighs are ready, but not the lower half of the leg.

 

Thanks, I will! It was pretty funny to make an animal instead of a human for a change, but you have to think differently...

 

mousetail: Excellent! That's just the kind of image I want. Thank you so much!

 

I've continued working on her a bit, and split her torso. I haven't yet decided exactly how she'll be strung, but she won't have a head cap. ^.^ I'm figuring since she won't have hair, a head cap seam wouldn't look very attractive... I've mostly been working on evening her out so she's not wonky, and made her mouth a bit cuter.

 

I realised her ears were facing too much forward, so I removed them and made new ones. Just the raw sculpt right now, the clay isn't even dry.

 

A better picture with a temporary eye.

 

She now has a raw sculpt of a neck, arm joints and leg joints. I've made raw sculpts of her hind legs as well, and made the ball joints (but they're not much to take photos of yet). I've added onto the back of her head as well. I'm still thinking about what I should do about the head. I don't really want a regular head cap...but I'm not sure what else I could do, because the head will need to be possible to open somehow. I'm having loose thoughts around making the actual neck hole a separate part, but I'm not sure yet.

 

Thank you so much!

 

Thank you, you are so sweet! I had to look up Puddle Lane - and I know just what you mean about Miranda, Devilfloss. I didn't know about her - thank you for the tip.

 

Aww, they must have left quite an impression, then! I've always, always loved the Beatrix Potter ballet, and their gorgeous dresses, so I wanted a mouse that I could dress up in cute empire dresses...

 

Awww, thank you so much!

Here's it finally - an update! (Her eye broke, but I'm fixing that up... I just wanted to test string her.)



I've been meaning to get a move on with tiny Bell - I've decided to drop Belinda for Bell - because I had an offer to send her away for casting, and I would so much like to see this little one in resin...

Changes since last time: Leg with loose joint (will keep tweaking the joint), and I've cut her head open, because it was too difficult and fiddly to string and change eyes if I didn't. ^.^ I've also started on the tail.

 

Awww, thank you!

 

*giggles* Thank you! I've loved Beatrix Potter since I was a kid, especially the mice, so I just had to make one! It's great how a nostalgic memory can bring people together!

 

It's been a long time since I updated, but I'm currently on winter holidays and decided to really try finish this doll before I return to work. I've put down quite a few hours on this little one, making new legs for her (that are already cast but unpainted) and completing the upper and lower torso. Next up is arms and then I will decide what to do with the tail... I'm not sure how many pieces it should be yet, I have to draw the line somewhere. ^.^;

Today I cast her head, experimenting a bit with the moulds since I was terrified I'd ruin the ears of the original... I also painted that first junk cast just to see what she will eventually look like.

First picture is the clay original, next the junk cast and lastly two shots of the painted head.

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Awww ;_; That is the sweetest think, thank you so much! I will!!

 

Thank you so much! I'm working on it. I've poured five new moulds today and I've only got her elbow joint and the tail left to sculpt. Will post update pictures soon!

 

Oh dear, I'm really awful with updates, am I not? ^.^;; I'm really sorry. >.< I had some problems with a couple of moulds that didn't really work and it put me off for a while... Anyways, I'm working on her again now!

Fresh from the moulds: here's a junk cast of her legs and full torso! Just cast one leg to see if the moulds were good, will do the other one next. And then...because I can't help myself...some paint!

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Thank you! I loved her ears, too, but I realised the ears on Beatrix Potter's mice were facing more outwards, and well...

It's a bit unconventional, casting before she's completely finished, isn't it? The thing with this girl is that I'm using the moulding and casting a bit differently than people usually do. She isn't my first doll, but she's one I'm making entirely for myself so she doesn't need to be perfect. I have her clay parts done, but all of them aren't sanded and prettied up yet. Once I finish a part, I cast it and piece her together without having to do doubles (like her hip joints for example) but only need to make one and cast one (and if that works I cast a second). If that makes any sense? I found it more rewarding since making the doll completely finished before you start casting can easily make you feel like you'll never, ever get there...

I used DAS airdry clay to sculpt her, with plastiline clay and plastic wrap as the base. I've found this far easier than any other method since the plastiline clay doesn't dry and you can scoop it out later without damaging the sculpt. I have to prime the clay since it dissolves quite quickly if wet, so three or four layer primer usually do the trick. To get a smooth finish, I mix the primer with thinner or water so it's not too thick. (Losing details from too thick gesso isn't fun... T_T )

For casting I use silicone moulds, and I don't use the most common technique I've seen around here, with channels, airholes and stuff. I did try it, but this technique just never worked for me. :/ 3 out of 10 casts came out bad. So I'm using the push-casting technique instead with a much higher success ratio. So much easier! Although I've never heard of anyone using it for dolls. o.o I'm using a French resin for casting. It doesn't have a name where I get it, though, just a number. (141) It's really smooth and a translucent white that's very pretty.

I hope that answered all your questions.

 

Thank you so much! When I read that, I went back to browse as well and I realised that I've completely forgotten to say I completely revamped her leg joint... :'D

When I say push-casting, I mean that I have a complete mould in silicon - mostly just one piece and sometimes two if the part is complicated (like the head), and then I have a part (usually the piece that makes the part hollow) that I put to the side as I pour resin into the mould. Last thing I do is push the final piece of the silicon mould in place. This causes some resin overflow - but like I said, the success rate is much higher than anything else I've tried. It does require fairly soft silicon and keeping a level head when the originals don't want to come out of the moulds at the casting... Nerve-wracking, I tell you! But so far no piece has broken.

 

Soo...I've been quite productive the last few days... xD And for the first time, she's standing! I test strung her with all her parts except the tail - all cast in resin. I do need to get some better elastics for the arms but...well. I'll see what I can manage.

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Happy to help! Awww, thank you! She's soooo close to finished now... I'm hoping to get a full sculpt up today and paint her.

 

Tail is in place! Now just a couple of magnets and some paint. Then it's time to make tiny clothes for her.

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Aaaaand she's FINISHED! *victory dance* Now she'll just need clothes but as that's not really part of the doll...

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