A Baby Is Born

A Tutorial For Beginners

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Hand Sculpted Babies

I like to use a combination of clays when I work and there are several types available for doll makers.  I use a ratio of 1 to 1

Prosculpt and Cernit.

There are so many ways to begin working on a sculpt.  I am showing you one way to get you started.  After you've made a few you will see you own style begin to develop and you'll find ways of doing things you may like better.

There are many right ways to sculpt...not just one.

JMOriginals

• Begin by wrapping a foam type head armature in foil or you can  make one completely out of foil.  Reshape the foam form as needed.
  

• Next cover over the foil with tape. Masking tape, floral tape, athletic tape etc. Most tapes will work.
  

• Smooth out tape with an acrylic roller as smooth as you can.
  

• I always wear a white cotton shirt (men's are comfortable and big) to work in because they have less lint to get on the clay. 
  

• Grate or chop the clay in a food processor or a hand cheese grater. 
  

• Begin conditioning the clay by softening it up with your warm hands. 
  

• Once it pliable cut it into pieces and flatten a little so you can make a few preliminary passes through the pasta machine.
  

• Five or six passes is good.  You should decrease the thickness each time to make them thinner. 
  

• You are removing any air that might have been introduced during the conditioning process.  This also smoothes the clay at the same time.
  

• Eliminating as many air bubbles as possible in the clay will help prevent surface imperfections in the baked clay.
  

• Once the air is removed, you can gradually work your way back up through the settings for a thicker sheet of clay to start making the sculpt.
  

• I keep a ball of Blue Tack handy.
  

• Blue Tack is a putty for sticking things to the walls. It's softer and stickier than a lot of other putties.
  

• I use it to roll  between my hands when I change tools, use the pasta machine, etc. It picks up lint, dust, etc from my fingers before it gets onto the clay.
  

You will have to decide if you will have a closed or open eyed baby.

• Beginners might want to start with a sleeping baby.
  

• For a sleeping baby make eyeballs out of foil and cover with clay.  This is how you will build up the eye area. Cover them with a clay mask to hold them in place.
  

• If you decide to have eyes, this is the time to set them in place. You'll have to carve out the eye area to insert them.
  

• Make a clay mask  as shown to hold the eyes in place.
  

• Between the eyes add a piece if clay for the  nose foundation.
  

• hold in place with a strip of clay across the cheeks and nose.
  

• Begin adding fat pads and building the cheeks and lower face.
  

• You are beginning to build the foundation and underlying fat & muscles first.
  

• Don't worry about detail at this time.
  

• Begin smoothing the clay as you go with your finger tips and a large knitting needle or acrylic roller.
  

• Dip your fingers in baby powder or cornstarch to help smooth the clay.
  

• Continue to add clay and smooth as you work.
  

• It's easier to keep it smooth from the beginning than to try and do it all at the end.
  

Continue to page 2

Tips & Information

Sculpting Supplies

Sculpting Links & Info

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Carve a hole in the bottom of the head so it fits on a sculpting pole.  I made mine out of a paper towel holder.

Wrap tape on the end of the pole.  I cut a hole in a plastic lid to use as a stopper.  It let you know where to place the neck flange.

• The face will not look very cute at this stage but you are building the foundation. 
  

• Add sections to cover the face and head. 
  

• You can begin baking the head in sections for more stability.
  

• Once you have a good foundation and it is baked it is easier to add layers.
  

• When I first started I tried sculpting the entire head before baking.  It was very difficult to keep its shape. 
  

• Now I bake in sections.
  

• Give both ways a try and see what works best for you.