How Do I Make Them? - How I Start.....

Thank you for all the notes and comments about Belle. I learn something new with each doll I make.

I had many people ask how I make them and thought I'd do a series of blog posts about the process. I'm happy to answer and questions you may have. So - here goes:

Q1:  What are the doll bodies made of?
A1:  They are poured porcelain.

Q2:  Do you pour the dolls yourself?
A2:  No - for several reasons. First, pouring porcelain slip is a whole other art in and of itself. I don't have the molds, nor the slip - and really don't want to. I'd rather spend my time in other creative ways.

Q3:  Do you paint the dolls' faces yourself?
A3:  I probably could.....but I've discovered the multi-talented Dana Burton who is a master at pouring and painting 1:12 scale dolls. They're not only elegant, but each and every one seem to radiate a spirit I can't resist.

Q4:  Do they come already assembled?
A4: No - they come in pieces and I put them together. Here's one I purchased off Ebay when I first got started. It's poured and painted by Jan Hughes, another masterful doll artist. NOTE: The squares she's laying on are 1 inch squares.

Q5:  Do you make up the dress patterns?
A5:  I can and have - once. It was FUN, FUN, FUN. Here's Angela, another doll poured and painted by Jan Hughes. The dress and hairpiece were designed by me.

Q6:  If you don't design the clothes for each doll, how do you do it?
A6:  I purchase a kit from Dana. It comes with enough material and viscose (i.e., hair) to dress and wig one doll. I don't HAVE to use the material provided, but usually choose to. Inside the package is an outline of the pattern pieces. Here's what one looks like:

One of the things I love about this art form is I have the freedom to follow the pattern exactly or do my own thing. More often than not, as I get more experience, I find I have more - er - intestinal fortitude <G> to add my own twist to each lady.

OK - so that's how I begin.  I'm going to start Lizzy (the kit I showed you above) this afternoon. I'll snap pictures as I go along and share the process.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. PLUS, I'd encourage you to give this a try. Trust me - it's addicting.