Original doll head
I made a polymer clay mold from this old doll head (omitting the ears). I haven't been able to find any markings on the mold to identify the maker.
'Polymer clay mold',
Using Super Sculpey , I covered the original doll head and baked it in the oven. I did not use a release. The clay was easily removed from the original head after baking. The small lump of clay you see behind the face mold is a mold of the back of the head - not really needed, but helpful
Basic Body
Simple muslin pancake-style body with vertical darts at the neck front and back. Twisted wire armature inside to support the head, centered within the stuffing
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/245577042.jpg
Polymer clay face
Polymer clay face made from mold (used vintage doll head to create), baked, and glued to the fabric head. I use a white tacky glue.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/245577020.jpg
Clay head back
The back of the head is baked polymer clay. I used the same head to make this mold, but you could probably make it free-form. '
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/245577010.jpg
Filled with Paper Clay
Filled and smoothed gaps with multiple layers of paper clay, each layer allowed to dry. There\'s also paper clay around the neck, adding strength and making it appear more uniform - like it's part of a complete head/shoulder plate. The paper clay was sanded smooth.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/245577003.jpg
Covering with cloth
Applied white tacky glue to clay face and neck/upper chest. Pressed cotton knit fabric into place
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/245577191.jpg
Cloth covering
Head, neck and upper chest covered with one piece of cotton knit.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/245577219.jpg
'Cloth covering',
Cotton knit glued and fitted carefully around head
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/245577208.jpg
Cloth covering
Seam at the back of the head, glued. Next, the cotton knit covering was whip-stitched to the body (not shown)
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/245577199.jpg
Seams at the top of the head
Excess cotton knit brought to the top of the head, trimmed and glued
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/246312448.jpg'
Gessoed, cloth ears added
'The head was gessoed twice (sanding between coats) before adding the muslin ears. The ears were glued in place, then gessoed (or were they gessoed then glued? I can\'t remember). Next time I\'d make the ears just a little bit smaller. The eyes and eyebrows were sketched in roughly to assist in the placement of the ears. I would NOT use the blue pen again, because the disappearing ink kept reappearing. I\'d use colored pencil. You can also see the whip stitch around the bottom of the knit fabric at the upper chest.'
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/246364005.jpg
Painted skin tone
'Painted with two coats of flesh-tone acrylic paint. Color added to cheeks with powder blush after the paint was dry. Apply a small amount of blush to a cotton ball and rub it onto the cheeks.'
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/246364016.jpg
Painted hair
Using three different colors of acrylic paint, added hair with a coarse brush. Had to be careful around the ears, and even had to touch those up with flesh paint.'
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/246364011.jpg
Facial features
Painted facial features with acrylic paint. Sprayed with a clear acrylic matte finish when the paint was dry.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/247343120.jpg
Gessoed hands
Finger divisions are hand-stitched, and two coats of gesso are applied
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'http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/247343126.jpg',
Naked
Arms have been painted with two coats of skin-tone acrylic paint. Legs are painted, too...two coats of gesso, two to three coats of skin-tone and boot colors. Had to custom mix the boot color to approximate the original Alabama Baby color - so be sure to mix enough. I\'m not happy with the size of her arms and hands - too big for this doll. Will correct this with the next doll. I think her feet are also a little too small. Will fix this, too.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/247343124.jpg
Dressed
Finally dressed. If I make another AB doll, I have need to make some adjustments to the apron and dress lengths. I also need to find some ribbon to tie around the sleeve cuffs - or insert some elastic
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/248676818.jpg
Starting 2nd Alabama Baby (Cloth-over Tutorial)
Here is the polymer clay mask, glued to the cloth head. Any gaps are filled with multiple layers of paper clay, and each layer is allowed to dry. Sanded smooth. There is also paperclay around the neck to add strength.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/248676815.jpg
Applying glue
Apply a layer of tacky glue to the face using an old stiff-bristle paint brush. Don\'t put any glue in the neck area yet. This glue was moderately thick, so I didn\'t have to allow it to dry \'til tacky before applying fabric. You might think about letting your glue rest for a few minutes if it\'s particularly thin and runny.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/248676812.jpg
Applying cotton knit to face
Make sure you have enough fabric - lay the fabric over the face without stretching it at all. Use a stiff-bristle dry paint brush to pounce the fabric into the details and contours. The stretch direction of the fabric goes ear to ear; the grain of the fabric is vertical.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/248676822.jpg
The face is covered
'Don\'t glue the knit fabric to the neck or chest yet, just under the chin a little.'
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/248676820.jpg
Work the chin and neck
Use the dry brush to work the fabric under the chin and neck. Apply small areas of glue at a time with a separate brush. Don't glue the upper chest yet.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/248676912.jpg
Covering the sides of the head
'Flip the doll on her side.'
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/248676911.jpg
Apply glue to the side
Pull the knit fabric back and apply glue to the side of the head. Use the dry brush to smooth the fabric.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/248676915.jpg
'The side is glued
Smooth the fabric over the side of the head. Repeat for the other side.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/248676914.jpg
Glue the upper chest
Apply glue to the upper chest in a shallow U shape. You will be trimming the fabric along that U shape after the glue is dry. If you need to, lightly draw a guide line for your glue. Bring the glue up toward the shoulder seam.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/248676913.jpg
The upper chest
The upper chest is glued in a shallow U shape. The fabric will be trimmed soon. Begin to apply glue to the sides of the neck and tops of the shoulders.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1581/7902320/16071321/248676999.jpg
