Hello everyone! I'm going to begin the journey of sculpting with none other than the 1/12 scale :XD Not very smart but it is the size I'm more inspired by at the moment and I'm willing to take the challenge. As of right now, I have only been reading about sculpting and doing research, so this is where more information will definitely help me out before I start to sculpt. I already have most of the materials with me, just need to ask a few questions ^^ I would also like to point out that I currently do not own any tiny dolls with me (Smallest is YoSD size) and so I'm not able to compare sizing or dimensions at all, that is where I hope other owners and sculptors like you can help out 1) Is there any good reliable source of info that you know of explaining the 1/12 size exactly? I would like for the doll to fit the criteria very well so it can be compatible with dollhouses and miniature furniture in that scale, so this is quite important. All I know is the basic height measurements which I can gather from existing 1/12 BJDs, but that doesn't help a lot. 2) Any suggestions for armature/skeleton for such a tiny size? 3) If you sculpted or own a tiny doll, what size elastic do they use? 4) A little early for this question, but good to keep in mind. How does one go about sanding such tiny crevices and spaces of a 1/12 doll? Sandpaper? (Foam or paper?) 5) And finally, any tips and advice for a first time sculptor especially is this size? Any primer recommendations, casting companies, tools etc. Anything you can think of! Thank you all in advance!!
I started my first dolls in 1/12 scale because the ratio of one foot to one inch seemed really convenient. It's been a lot tougher than I anticipated, especially with the fine details/eyelids. Of course I'm also going towards a realistic/mature look, so if you're doing stylized chibis it should be a bit easier. You definitely want to use fine grit sand paper and small pieces for the details, and needle files have been a life saver. I started out sculpting things on a pretty small scale, working little sculpey models with a mechanical pencil as my only tool. As with anything, make sure you have a lot of different references and make sure to look at it from every angle and use a mirror and take breaks to rest your eyes. Get a desk mounted magnifying glass if you can, eye strain is no fun.
Great topic! 1) Good rule of thumb is take the height of your sculpt as it would stand in real life (say 5 feet 5 inches tall) and divide it by 12 to get the height of your sculpt (=5.5 inches.) That will guarantee that your sculpt will fit to scale. I don't know if that answers your question exactly but that's what I do. 2) If you're using a clay that gets very hard when cured, then make hollow tubes out of that clay for your armature. For 1/12 scale it's much harder to find premade tubes that are small enough so personally, I find it much easier just to make the tubes myself. 3) My Iphigenia uses 1mm elastic, from here (no affiliation, they are just a good store.) 4) Sandpaper is better for maintaining details-- foam tends to soften it all out and is better for large surfaces IME. 5) Word of advice, go with Haru for your casting service... they are much better than any other company I've worked with or seen. Although, they do require that you don't use a urethane-based primer (such as Krylon.) Keep that in mind when you get to that stage! I'm having to reprime a bunch of stuff now with different primer, and it sucks. Also, Apoxie Sculpt is awesome and is durable enough to make tiny things out of. As for tools, you really don't need a bunch of fancy stuff. Stick with the basics, like an x-acto knife and a toothpick and sandpaper, and you'll be fine.
Oh- I'm about to contradict myself (lol) BUT for tools, specifically for 1/12 sculpting, I've found this set of sphere dremel bits to be really really useful in making the joints and joint balls perfect. 1/12 scale might be one of the more difficult scales to work with, but fortunately there are more tools that fit the size!
