Alabama Baby-inspired Dolls

I'm revisiting my modern take ("Viola Ruth") on antique Alabama Baby dolls. I made one this past March for the ODACA Day Sales Room in New Orleans. She sold almost immediately. 

This is a cloth doll with a baked polymer clay face and occiput, air-dry clay that fills the gaps, covered with a knit fabric, then painted. The pattern is available on my website, but I'm running quite low on the pressmolds used to form the face.

I've started two more dolls as I want to write an article describing my process for "antiquing" painted dolls for the upcoming issue of Expressions, ODACA's quarterly newsletter issued to Artist and Patron members. You can become a Patron HERE. 

So let's begin:
(the following seven photos are from my pattern instructions)

The body is very simple. Darts front and back define the neck, and the bottom is boxed. Because the polymer clay can make the doll top-heavy, I add a basic wire armature while stuffing to strengthen the neck.

The baked polymer clay is glued to the cloth head, allowing the glue to dry completely.

I apply white tacky glue to the exposed fabric head and upper chest/back. Air-dry clay is added to fill the gaps. This extends beyond the neck, which strengthens the neck and creates a sort of shoulder plate. This usually requires sanding, smoothing, and adding more paperclay. I use the drying time to sew her clothing.  

Knit fabric is adhered with white tacky glue and covers the entire head, neck and shoulder plate. After the glue has dried, I paint two layers of gesso to the knit.  

Gesso also covers the ears, then they are glued to the head.

Paint the head, shoulder plate, arms and legs with flesh-colored acrylic paint. I like this light neutral color (Jo Sonja's Artists' Colours in unbleached titanium). 

The shoes/stockings are painted with a color that complements the clothing.

The first step in antiquing the dolls to use a ONE-STEP crackle. There are other brands available, but I've only used DecoArt (note: product label may vary) or Jo Sonja's. Do NOT use a 2-step crackle. Apply the crackle to the painted areas quickly, and don't over-work it. A thin coat will produce small crackled effects. A thick coat will produce larger crackled effects. Allow to dry thoroughly - roughly 2-4 hours depending on thickness of application.

The following photos are from my current project:

Painting has been completed and shading and details have been added. I use soft pastels for the shading, applied with a small stiff brush.

Quickly apply the crackle medium with a soft brush. Don't overwork it, and don't touch it while it's drying!

*Note: I use the last of my bottle of DecoArt, so used the Jo Sonja crackle medium on one set of arms. I was not happy with this so gently sanded it off and used the medium from a new bottle of DecorArt.

The next day: crackle is completely dry.

Apply a dilute wash of brown acrylic paint (I used burnt umber) and water. You can also dilute the paint with a thin acrylic medium instead of water. 

Wipe off the dilute paint, some of which will remain in the minute cracks.

The brown wash has not yet been applied to the leg on the left. The effect can be subtle or more pronounced, depending on your taste. When the antiquing wash has dried, spray the parts lightly with a workable fixative or varnish.

Arms have been sewn on and lace has been applied to the edge of the shoulder plate for a finished look. When the glue is dry, the legs will be sewn in place.

The girls are dressed and getting ready for their official photo shoot.

Emmaline Trio is Finished!

I'm done! I've just finished my trio of vintage-style dolls, wearing dresses made from reproduction civil war fabrics. This gives me a total of six of this style doll to take to Washington DC for ODACA Day.

 

Visit this webpage for more photos (click on thumbnails):

http://www.blueherondolls.com/Gallery12.htm

 

Tomorrow I'll think about which doll I'll make next. If I manage my time well, I may be able to get two more dolls done in time for the Convention.

One down, two to go...

I've just finished one of three dolls. Now I'm changing thread on the machine to sew the buttonholes on the second doll.

Stay tuned for the final photos!

I might just finish something today!

I might just get something done today! I just added a one-step crackle, and am waiting for it to dry before adding a wash of dark brown to age them a little. This may take a little time today, as it's pretty wet and dreary outside. After that, the dolls will be assembled.



Meanwhile, I'm stuffing the legs. The clothing is nearly done (just need buttons, buttonholes, and felt slippers). Their bloomers are already done. I've found that if I get the clothing done earlier in the process, the dolls are more likely to be complete.

Bit by bit...

It feels like it's taking FOREVER to finish these dolls. Next I need to add the face shading and highlights (I use pastels to do that), then apply the one-step crackle, and then the antique wash. Only then can I assemble their bits and get them dressed.

 

I've got their dresses done (except for buttons and buttonholes), and their bloomers as well. They'll have felt slippers, which I'll start on when everything else is done.  

 

Progress on three Emmaline dolls

It's been a productive day. I've cut out three dresses (see fabric, previous post), and have started painting. I got three sets of bloomers done on Thursday.

 

After the face painting is done, I'll be using a one-step crackle, then an antique wash like the finished dolls have. Then I'll sew the dresses and finish each doll (one at a time). Only two more days of "vacation," then I'm back to work. I hope to finish all three before then.

Starting a trio of dolls

I've taken a few days off this week, and plan to sew as much as possible. I bought some repro fabrics (Penny Rose Fabrics, "Civil War Times" by Erin Turner for PR Gallery), and plan to make three more "Emmaline" vintage-style dolls to take to Washington DC this summer.

 

Off to do some stuffing now...

No more... for a while

I just finished my fifth Emmaline doll since August (or whenever I started them). I feel like I need to switch gears for now. I'm not sure what doll I'll make next. I guess a Santa might be in order - Christmas will be here before long. And there's always those art journal pages I need to catch up on (just got a package from Dick Blick yesterday).

One more Emmaline?

Today I'm working on another Emmaline doll, started earlier this week. I wanted talk about how great Tombow pens work for sketching a face onto a painted surface (no affiliation, btw). By picking a color that's just a little darker than the skin tone, I can tweak the features with no visible marks later. In the past I've tried using air or water-soluble pens intended for fabric/sewing, but those marks often disappear before I can begin painting. Colored pencils work, too, but can leave marks sometimes.

Tombow pens are water-soluble, so I can wet the marks with a little water and they essentially disappear. I've rarely had to add a touch of the skin-color paint.

I've got her dress mostly done. All it needs is a snap at the waistband and hem, which I can do while the eventual crackle is drying. I've already made her bloomers, too.

Next doll will be something different. My goal: an adequate number of dolls to take to Washington DC next summer.

Emmaline #4 done

This morning I finished the fourth of a series of four dolls, experimenting with the stretch direction of the fabric used to make the doll. I also wanted to give the crackle/antique wash another try.

 

This doll is about 17 inches tall. I'm pleased that I stuck to my guns and finished all four of these dolls without flitting off to another project.

 

Now I'm in the mood to make something Halloweenish.

Crackle...the bane of my existence

I just finished another vintage-inspired doll, and wanted to try the one-step crackle again. I can't say I'm completely pleased with the way this one turned out. I'm talking about the forehead/nose area. It turned out darker than I'd intended (in a blotchy sort of way), and messing with it just made it worse - so I stopped. See what I mean? I think part of the problem was not thinning the brown paint wash sufficiently.

 

This is the third of the four dolls I've been doing assembly line style. This one has a vertical stretch direction (fabric) for both the head and the body, so she's about 17 inches tall. I like the general shape of the head, but notice a better chin area when the fabric stretch direction is horizontal.

 

 

Today I sewed the dress for doll number four. I may be too pooped to start painting the facial features.

"Emmaline" number 2 of 4 done

Today I completed a couple finishing touches on my prototype doll "Emmaline." I took a chance and tried crackling and antiquing my doll's face and arms, using DecoArt One Step Crackle and a wash of diluted raw umber paint. It turned out ok. I had some concerns because the product was so shiny, but the application of the antiquing was knocked down some.

Before the wash, waiting for the crackle to dry completely.

 

After the wash:

 

Emmaline stands about 16 1/2 inches tall.  

A Doll Done

Or should I say a prototype. This is doll 1 of 4, finished last night. She's made of inexpensive muslin (she is a prototype, after all), and I like the subtle give of the fabric. Her face, bust, and arms have about six coats of Messy Mix, then a couple coats of gesso, then skin tone acrylic paint. I wish I were more skilled at painting hair.

Tweaking a new doll design...

I've been working on creating a vintage inspired doll, with the added benefit of honing a design that can be produced for the ODACA Day sales room next summer. While I've got four doll bodies sewn and stuffed (with heads and busts painted with 5-6 coats of "Messy Mix), I'm working on completing just this one for now. Assembly line work may be efficient, but it's kind of boring.

 

Those zigzag lines on the heads and bodies below indicate the stretch direction (cross grain) of the fabric. 

 

I did, however, sew four sets of bloomers last night - that way I didn't have to change thread color repeatedly, and I can put that fabric and lace away... like that's going to make my studio any less cluttered!

 

Next step: painting the face and hair

Anyone know?

I'm working on a Life Book lesson from earlier in the year ~ drawing knick knacks using my non-dominant hand.

So I picked a couple old figures I bought on eBay years ago. Not much information was included in the auction description as I recall, so I was hoping someone out there would know something about these dolls. They're not very big, the faces are sculpted, and the bodies are pipe cleaners. I fell in love with them.

 

Oh, and here's the drawing (each figure done separately). I'm definitely right handed!

 

More Art Journaling Explorations HERE

More Paperclay

Thank goodness I'm working on multiple projects simultaneously, because I keep adding paperclay to my project. This way I can allow ample time for the clay to dry, without feeling like I'm idle.

I've just started sanding a little, but can see where I need to fill in the low spots with more clay. It's easier for me to sand the head without ears getting in the way, so I'll add those later. It's important to make the surface as smooth as possible, because the cloth-over will not hide the flaws in the sculpt.

The doll still seems to want to be a little boy, and I'm fine with that. At this point I'm undecided if I'm painting his hair or gluing some sort of fiber to his head. I'm also thinking about costume options. The name will come last.

It's a...Boy?

I'm making some progress on my DIP, and at this point, I think It wants to be a Boy. Up to this point, I've done no sanding and all the sculpting has been done with my fingers. I'm still adding to and refining features. There's still some asymetry to the face, but that's fixable. When the sculpt is done, I'll add a cloth-over to make the doll a bit more durable. Besides, I like the texture of the cloth-over.

See how the torso seems a bit long? I placed the stuffed parts on top of the pattern pieces, and everything matched. It's just the nature of this particular pattern, I guess. The fact that this doll is barefoot also points me in the direction of a male doll. He'll get some ears eventually.

But I can always change my mind at make It a Girl in the end.

Dipping into DIPs

For those who don't make dolls, a "DIP" is a doll-in-progress.  I posted a photo of a basket of DIPs quite some time ago, and sadly, the basket hasn't gotten any emptier (and in fact, there are about six DIPs who never made it into the basket).

Within the next couple days I need to send a doll for the ODACA Day Luncheon Raffle. The Luncheon is in Anaheim on July 24th, and as I won't be attending this year, I need to hurry.

I had the brilliant idea of making a new doll for the Luncheon, so I picked a doll out of the basket (the one marked with a red arrow) and have been working on it. She/he needed some significant work on the face, so I've been applying layer after layer of paperclay to build up the features and hide that horrible little puckered face.

Now I can see that there's no way I'll get the doll done in time to get it mailed, so I'll be sending an already-completed doll tomorrow. I haven't decided which one will go, but it must go.

I'll continue to work on this doll, though. The pattern I used is a very old one - Butterick No. 331, patented in 1898 (or 1899?). My stuffed doll seems disproportionately long in the torso, which may be due to the natural stretch of the cross grain of muslin I used, but other dolls of the same era seem to have that characteristic, too. I used this 16-inch doll pattern (my doll ended up being 18 inches tall after stuffing and assembly), but I've also got the pattern in the 24 inch size.

July 16 update: I just had a chance to check out Adele Sciortino's latest newsletter, and guess what? She's announced a "UFO Challenge" that I think will be a good incentive to get this DIP done (a UFO is an UnFinished Object, for those who've never experienced the concept). Just click on "Newletter" at the top of her home page to register for this free newletter that's just packed with great doll information! The deadline for this challenge is October 15, 2011. Submissions will be published in the Winter issue of Creative Costuming Newsletter.

Fiona's Dolly

I've finally finished Fiona's birthday doll, made from a vintage pattern. Took long enough! Here she is in her diaper. I decided to paint (instead of embroider) her face.

The pattern had several outfits from which to choose, so I made the romper, bonnet, and shoes - all of which are removable. I don't like how her arms stick out (they were pinned down in the top photo), but maybe they'll loosen up as time goes by and she's played with.