66cm+ Dolls The making of the Minotaur

Earlier this year, I made a new year’s thread where I mentioned one of my project plans was to make a Minotaur head for my male Dollshe body. Ancient Greece, and specifically the Minotaur myth/Mycenaean Crete are some of my biggest special interests. I’m in the process of writing a novel retelling of the Minotaur myth. He has a very, very special place in my heart. So, naturally, I needed a doll of him. After an unsuccessful search to find a head, I embarked on the journey to make my own. There is a shocking lack of Minotaur dolls!

I promise pictures are included, I just need to ramble a bit first!

I have never sculpted a doll head, I’m impatient, and inexperienced. So I had to explore my options!

Firstly, I knew I wanted him to have 2 heads. One of these heads, I wanted to be the “bull’s head rhyton”, as seen in The Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Greece. I like the historical accuracy, the shapes, the humanity of the sculpture, so on and so forth. I also knew, given the shape, this would be an easier place to start.



He’ll be receiving a second head as well, of a more realistic bull. The most common breed at the time was the Greek steppe cattle, and I had a 3D print commissioned after one, since I was struggling to find a model I liked. I’m still unsure on what the final model will be, but that’s a problem for later. For now, the rhyton. I wanted this head to be interchangeable, and for the rhyton head to be more prestigious- like how he might be represented in the afterlife. Fancy, refined, noble, etc.

I knew 3D printing would be the easiest way for me to manage all of this. I lucked out with this link: Bull's head rhyton at The Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Greece H002904 file stl free download 3D Model for CNC and 3d printer of a free 3D print file modeled after the actual sculpture.

I had someone on r/3dprintmything print me this head (twice, since I just guesstimated the measurements the first time. The head is 4 inches from the top of the head to the bottom of the print, without horns). The print was only about $25! I’m broke, so we’re doing this as budget friendly as we can manage.

Here is a picture of a quick fitting once I removed the interior support material. I just got him printed in basic black PLA since I knew I’d be modifying the print, and didn’t want to go all in on resin when I didn’t know what I was doing.



Modifications begin in the next post!

 

The head fit well on the body, but after some fiddling, I didn’t like the posture he was sitting at, so I trimmed the outside to make him fit comfortably. I was a little bummed sacrificing the 100% accuracy to ensure a good fit, but I think the face is the most important part for me, and I didn’t want him looking awkward lol.

I used apoxie sculpt to block off the head cavity inside to give me a smooth surface. I situated the head over plastic wrap with some tin foil for shape, and flattened out a sheet of apoxie sculpt. I would’ve loved to use polymer clay for the base, but the head is plastic, so… I tried to not feel too guilty, since I’ve had these apoxie containers for like 2 years lol.

The plan was to bulk out a really basic pass of apoxie to get the head situated. I wanted it to sit sort of like a “helm”, pretty clearly disconnected and almost like an ornament.

This is where I ended up…


Eek. Lol. It was late, I was tired (I was starting all of this at around 9:30pm after a work day.. for some reason…), I said screw it, it’s fine, I’ll refine the shape tomorrow, etc etc. And, of course, in typical fashion after getting comfy in bed, I said oh my god I really can’t stand looking at that LOL.

So I peeled off all of the apoxie and hacked at the sculpt a little bit more.


Much, much flatter side profile. Here’s the before, for reference.


That shoulder bump looks great on a sculpture, not so much on a doll.

I did a super sloppy pass of apoxie sculpt just to get things pieced together, and I’ll pass over it again to refine the shape, smooth things out, etc



Literally just blobs holding things together because I was tired LOL. I pinky swear I’m at least a little bit artistically inclined, and I’ll get this all situated when I’m more conscious.

My updates will likely be a little sporadic since I work full time and am very sleepy the rest of the time! Currently, the plan is to get the shape built up, separate the head from the neck once shapes are refined, so I can build up a neck joint and add magnets, and then using priming spray and sanding to smooth the shape out before painting to resemble the sculpture. The horns will get gold leafed as well!

Head 2 will start once this one is all done. Other plans for this doll include period appropriate attire, and a miniature Lutherios lyre to match my own


All in all, it shouldn’t be a massive undertaking. A little bit of sculpting, troubleshooting and refining, and then doing it all over again. Clothes should be easy. I haven’t decided how I’ll be doing the lyre just yet.

The next update will likely be a much more refined head shape and hopefully a fitting without plastic wrap in the way.

Thanks for coming by!

 

Hi friends!! Glad to see some of you are sticking around for the ride!
No major updates, but I’ll post a few progress shots. I work full time and have been pretty busy so I haven’t had a full sit down day to work, but I’m really just bulking the shape out, and it takes a while for the apoxie to cure.
I’ve established a little more of a shape and I’m starting to get a better idea of how I want things to look.

apologies for the worlds messiest desk lol. I think I’m pretty happy with the proportions right now, but I can’t tell if it looks absolutely massive on him or not please feel free to leave any feedback. I’m not opposed to getting a smaller print and doing the process over once I know what I want everything to look like, but I also feel like this head is a pretty good size. I have no clue. lol.
Here is a forward facing shot:

The only thing I’m really struggling with is the bulk of the neck. I love it on the sculpture, but it’s looking a little funky here. I think what I might do is dremel everything down/take the material back so there’s gaps, and fill it back in to be a more appropriate size.
i also feel like the head might be sitting a little high. Too high, too big? Please let me know your thoughts lol. I feel like everything looks a little awkward right now

 

Gahhh after staring at him I do think it’s the height of the head- I think his neck is much too long right now and looks a little funky. I’m hoping I can break away the apoxie without breaking the print, but I might also try to shape the apoxie with the dremel and just carve away at it :•P I think the head size is okay, but I do wonder if smaller would be better. Sigh! Much to ponder.

 

Hello friends!! Long time no see!
My poor Minotaur has been sitting neglected on my desk since my last post, but the extra light from summer hours has been very helpful these past few days. I finally got around to sanding and refining the bulk of apoxie I put on last time. Although thoughtfully sculpting apoxie would certainly use less material, I do like having the o option to get in and debulk/carve out the shape that I like. This gave me a good reference to how I want him to look in his final iteration! Here are some pictures after today’s Dremel session:




Still rough and wonky, but I do think I’m happy with the proportions. Although I do still wonder if maybe a smaller head would look better. Eek, I’m not sure! Does he look silly?? I’m so used to looking at him it’s hard to tell. It’s tough, because in all of the art of the Minotaur, he has a gigantic noggin. So do I want to be accurate, or aesthetically pleasing?? Who knows.
Regardless, I’m going to do a little more sculpting tonight to blend his neck together nicer and give him a bit more of a cowl around his neck. Pictures to be uploaded when all is said and done!