Hello, I am taking advanced ceramics next semester and part of my semester I want to slip cast a ball jointed doll. Does anyone have any suggestions for books to buy on the subject? I sort of know the basics of making a BJD but i know NOTHING about casting one. I really need this information ASAP so i can be studying. Thank you.
I have "Creating Original Porcelain Dolls" by Hildegard Günzel, other books might be better, but are very difficult/expensive to get hold of. It mostly goes into the sculpting and mould making aspects of doll making, but it does have a few pages on casting a large head in porcelain slip. Lots of big photographs and simple explanations, but it is a quite outdated. I found it useful particularly for making plaster moulds for doll heads, unfortunately the casting chapter is very short, and details a dry cleaning technique of bone dry green ware, which is not the recommended method today. There are other books that detail slip casting and mould making, but for random objects not for doll parts. I would suggest that the plaster mould making is the most important part to get right. If the mould is good enough the casting process should be relatively simple and results will be repeatable. The above book has a few examples, one of which is a 4 part head mould, but there are Mould specific books that go into greater detail and theory. I use "Plaster Mold and Model Making" by Chaney and Skee which goes into detail about multi-part moulds, but not into casting. Alternatively "The Essential Guide to Mold Making & Slip Casting" by Andrew Martin, seems like a good buy for both plaster mould making and casting information, but I do not have a copy myself and cannot give a comparison. As always I would say read the reviews and check the related books section on Amazon. Amazon might not have the best deal though so shop around. And don't forget there are blogs and websites dedicated to porcelain doll making that could give you more specific information for free. Good luck in your course!
Hers is another good book that I picked up on ebay really cheap, it's called MOLD MAKING for the Doll Maker, here's a link http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOLD-MAKING...22?pt=US_Dolls_Bears_Toys&hash=item5894c4794a I would also like to point out this post Making A Plaster Mold Using A Hard Boiled Egg and Molding Design over at Atelier de Poupée . They are very informative and great resources for plaster mold making. I know they helped me alot when I first made my own molds. You can also go here Making Molds for Porcelain Slip Casting Good Luck!
