Description
How I Art Doll
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3. Armature
How strong your armature needs to be will depend on the size of your doll, how tightly you wrap the stuffing, how tightly the fabric is sewn on, and how flexible the fabric is. I can give you an idea of where to start, but as you create your own dolls, you will find what works best for you.
The armature of my large 3 foot long dragon next to the armature of my tiny cat otter.
For every doll, I make a life-size sketch to use as a reference for size and proportions, I also use it to measure my wire. I generally use 2 wires twisted together for every part including the tail, with even more wires for larger dolls. I sometimes use pipe cleaners for some small dolls, fingers, and ears, it’s less stressful on clay parts, as well as easier to pose. You’ll definitely want to at least double up the pipe cleaner.
I like to add thermoplastic “bones”, to me it feels more sturdy, helps with posing, helps the straight parts of the legs stay straight, and hides and merges the ends of wires. If you do add bones, leave plenty of room in between for the joints to bend without extra stress, and to have more space for range of motion. I don’t put bones on small dolls, because there just isn’t enough space. More information on thermoplastic parts in section 10. Thermoplastic.
I make my clay pieces separate from the armature. After baking the head, I attach it to the armature with a good amount of hot glue, which bonds well to the aluminum core. Tip: curl over the end of any wire you’re attaching to clay parts to give it more grip. I attach feet to the armature with epoxy, since I make my feet without an aluminum core.
If you’re twisting together some really long wire, attaching it in an electric drill while holding the opposite end of the wire with pliers makes for quick, easy, clean work! Just be careful not to let the sharp ends loose while it’s spinning. Actually, be careful of the cut ends of wires all the time!
Adding the limb wires in as you’re twisting up the spine wire interlocks them for quicker, cleaner attachment. After the limb ends are wrapped up around the spine wire, I fill the gaps between with hot glue and it gets rid of any wobble.
If you’re going to twist wires together, you’ll lose some length, and be sure to account for extra length needed for connecting to other parts.
The shorter a neck is, the less it will be able to pose. When the doll is completely finished - if the neck is too long, you can push it into an S shape making it appear shorter, but if the neck is too short, well you're kinda stuck with it.
If the doll’s head is too heavy, counter weight it with some heavy things glued or sewn in a pouch to the hips or thighs.
An example of soft wired ears on my jackalope doll.
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Comments: 30
EeveeandMe [2024-07-11 22:49:13 +0000 UTC]
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AlceonDaze [2019-04-27 22:20:11 +0000 UTC]
Hey! My first art doll, a Dragon, has a head that seems to be far too heavy for her armature to keep up- Due to her snout making the weight unbalanced. What should I do in this occasion? I'm thinking of reinforcing the wire with, well, more wire, but I'm not certain this will work.
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AlceonDaze In reply to AlceonDaze [2019-04-27 22:28:05 +0000 UTC]
Whoops, I just found my answer by re-checking your materials post! I think I'll be good. If anything else would work though do let me know!
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maryssoftmounts [2018-06-18 13:51:33 +0000 UTC]
Hi there! I want to say thanks for the 'twisting wire with a power drill' idea. I will be mounting a wolf, and I don't think my usual 10 gauge wire will be strong enough. Then, I remembered you mentioning this method for making wires stronger!
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StorybookCreatures In reply to maryssoftmounts [2018-06-19 15:11:03 +0000 UTC]
Oooooo, you got a lot of wire to be twisting then! lol It was a huge pain to twist just 3 feet of wire by hand. You using aluminum wire? I'd try a combination of aluminum and steel wires, with aluminum in the core. Good luck!
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maryssoftmounts In reply to StorybookCreatures [2018-06-20 16:29:31 +0000 UTC]
I buy a 100' roll of Industrial wire from Home Depot. It simply says 'metal'! Thanks for the good luck. I'm really studying my references on this wolf. Left to my own devices with the Critter Clay, I'd end up making the head look like that of a giant fox!
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StorybookCreatures In reply to maryssoftmounts [2018-06-21 15:06:59 +0000 UTC]
Haha! Probably steel then. Lol! Yeah you are used to fox faces, wolves are a different story.
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maryssoftmounts In reply to StorybookCreatures [2018-06-21 23:24:34 +0000 UTC]
I got the wolf headform today, and its like 1' long! I am feeling a little bit intimidated by the size and scope of this project, like maybe I 'bit off more than I can chew'. But,I think I'm up to it. Thank GOD I'm not doing this on commission!
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StorybookCreatures In reply to maryssoftmounts [2018-06-25 02:25:05 +0000 UTC]
Wow!!! I'm sure you'll do a great job. (: Same concept, different shape. Definitely a good thing it's not a commission though, so you can feel free to learn!
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CatAssasin [2017-09-03 00:06:35 +0000 UTC]
Hi it's me again! I am know shopping for my polymer clay and am wondering how much should I get to do the face and paws would a one poundpack work or more about how much do you think I would need for a small 3 and 1/2 inch face and 1 inch paws about 1 and 1/4 inch long? I am doing a cat if that helps? Thanks for your help. If you don't know the general amount Needed please let me know how much you think you use for one of your doll. Thanks again!
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StorybookCreatures In reply to CatAssasin [2017-09-03 02:28:30 +0000 UTC]
I think I have this information on my Materials journal, it's been a while since I looked at it. I use about 2oz for a doll that size, if you don't want left over clay get a 2oz package(maybe 2 packages to be safe, especially if the ears are big). A 1lb block is 16oz, enough for about 6 to 8 dolls. No problem! (:
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CatAssasin [2017-08-30 01:54:18 +0000 UTC]
I wanted to know how much wire I will need? I'm assuming you won't need more then ten yards also I want to know if there's one brand you would recommend? Do you think artistic wire would work? I thinking of the 18guage stainless steel found on Amazon?! What do you think? Thanks for helping me I know I have a lot of questions on the one topi I just don't want to buy the wrong stuff!!! Thanks again
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StorybookCreatures In reply to CatAssasin [2017-08-30 06:58:13 +0000 UTC]
Hmm... I'd say I used about 10 feet of wire in my kitsune doll, but he's got rediculously large tails with doubled up wire in each. So 10 yards would be enough for a couple of dolls! I'm not sure if artistic wire is any different than hardware wire. Brand shouldn't matter either. Just make sure you get 18 gauge or lower, lower number means thicker wire. I tried 19 and 20, even if it's copper it breaks after several bends. Save the tiny wire for accessories. (: Do you mean galvanized steel? That means it's resistant to rusting which is good. I have a journal all about materials I use, have you seen it? I'm going to be updating it soon, adding photos and cleaning it up. fav.me/d92zi0a
I don't mind all the questions, I agree I want to be sure I get the right tools for a project! (:
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CatAssasin In reply to StorybookCreatures [2017-08-30 17:20:12 +0000 UTC]
Thanks that's really helpful!! Where did you get the eyes ? Any brands you recommend? Thanks
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StorybookCreatures In reply to CatAssasin [2017-08-30 20:30:44 +0000 UTC]
You're welcome! Any kind of cabochon should do, just make sure it's the type you want, dome or half ball/sphere and the right size. This is the actual one that I ordered: www.ebay.com/itm/100-Transpare… I got a few larger sizes too, but the only ones I've used in dolls so far is the 10mm.
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CatAssasin In reply to CatAssasin [2017-08-30 17:21:08 +0000 UTC]
Nvm found out on the post!!!
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Samy144 [2017-01-16 18:07:56 +0000 UTC]
I also have another question: When baking the head and feet, would the tape and foil underneath the clay melt? And, would the wires melt too?
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StorybookCreatures In reply to Samy144 [2017-01-17 05:25:06 +0000 UTC]
Nope! Metals melt at extremely high temperatures, WAY higher than a kitchen oven can achieve so no need to worry! I have not had anything happen to the tape either! Most plastic will also not melt at the low temperatures that polymer clay bakes at, so you can include beads and charms in your clay. You can always test out any plastic pieces by baking them on some baking paper or aluminum foil(in case it does melt it will be easy clean up) at the temperature your clay calls for.
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StorybookCreatures In reply to Samy144 [2017-01-19 01:54:28 +0000 UTC]
Haha, yeah I really didn't know what to expect the first time I baked my clay too.
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brisi123 [2016-12-30 08:46:45 +0000 UTC]
This is very inciteful though I do have a question: Is baking the head with the eyes in it a safe thing to do? Would the eyes likely be affected in any way?
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StorybookCreatures In reply to brisi123 [2017-01-01 03:23:17 +0000 UTC]
I've only heard of glass breaking at temperatures of 400+ so I'm really not worried about baking mine at 275. The only effect I have ever seen on the glass, was actually on the paint stuck to the glass. I'm guessing parts of the paint warped from the heat and created little air pockets between it and the glass. Take a look at this photo:
The top two pictures are before it went into the oven, and the bottom picture is after it was baked. You can see there's spots where the paint lifted from the glass creating a reflective mosaic pattern. That's the only eye that has happened on so far. I wouldn't worry about baking glass at low temperatures, especially if you put it in the oven before it preheats so it warms up slowly. It is the shock in change of temperature that causes glass to break in high heat.
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NotAstounding [2015-07-27 21:24:19 +0000 UTC]
OOoooo this is so incredibly fun to read XD I can't wait for the next part OuO
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StorybookCreatures In reply to NotAstounding [2015-07-31 03:44:05 +0000 UTC]
xD I'm glad you enjoyed reading it even if you don't plan on making an art doll~
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NotAstounding In reply to StorybookCreatures [2015-08-03 20:46:13 +0000 UTC]
Maybe not me but my mom used to make dolls as part of her school education when she was a teenager lol She might make do so again someday and she'd love to try out these techniques XD
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StorybookCreatures In reply to NotAstounding [2015-08-05 04:26:17 +0000 UTC]
Ahh~ Really? That's cool! xD I'm glad if I can help her in any way. c:
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StorybookCreatures In reply to NotAstounding [2015-08-11 02:18:42 +0000 UTC]
I'd love to see it if you make one!!!! It'd be so much fun to do a class but it'd take several classes, maybe more if I really need to be hands on with each student. I'm sure most people wouldn't want to do all the sewing either lol. You need a lot of patience and time for a project like this, makes me wonder if a class could even work at all. Hopefully some people will learn from my guide and be able to do it on their own time, at their own pace.
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