So, a couple of weeks ago...

I told you I was working on a couple more of the art dolls like the "Ode to Kate", and I have been. One of the nice folks over on Craftsy asked if I had a tutorial for the original, and, while I don't, now I have one for a similar doll, and, of course, I'm going to share.

So... if you want to make your own art doll, similar to the "Ode to Kate", here it is!*


What you will need:


White polymer clay (I used Sculpey)

Book pages (I used a vintage book that I just liked the pages from)

Acrylic paints, your choice of colors
Brass wire, or color of your choice, somewhere around a 20 gauge

Permanent markers with a very fine tip, you favorite brand

White glue (like Elmer's)

Small wire cutters and jewelry pliers

And, this is the most important part... a sense of fun and adventure

Difficulty rating: No harder than you make it.

Where do we begin? I start with the clay because... well, because until you have that finished, you really can't do much else. Begin by kneading your clay to condition it and make it more pliable.



I use molds for my faces and wings. Yes, I know... the easy way out, but sometimes that's ok. I absolutely adore both of these molds, love them, love them, love them... and, lucky for you, if you can't find them, I did a search for you and found some links. My wings come from a mold you can find on this page, it has both the butterfly and angel wings in it, along with a face (with hair). The faces I use come from this mold.




These are both pretty simple to use. The really important part here is that you MUST remember to dust them with something so that they will release the clay. I use basic talcum powder (you know, good old fashioned baby powder), and a paint brush to make sure it gets into the crevices. Roll a ball of the clay, and push it in. Very gently tug at the edge to loosen it, and remove it from the mold. You can smooth the clay if you'd like, I often do this using a relatively soft paint brush, dusted in the baby powder.


The wings are a shade more difficult, not just because there is so darn much more detail, but because this is a hard mold, not a flexible one. You definitely want to be certain that you have that talc in every one of those details too so that the wings can release. I like my wings sorta thin, so I don't use too much clay, just enough to come even with the top of the wing indentation in the mold.







Since this mold is not flexible, you have to gently loosen an edge of a wing, and ever so gently lift it. Once it is out of the mold, you can trim away any excess clay that may interfere with the design.











When I make the angel wings I tend to do a bit more...Once they are out of the mold, I use a single sided razor blade to "slice" into the wing, where the feathers meet each other, and gently bend and shape them just a bit to add more "interest" to them.

Enough for today... tomorrow we'll tackle more of the work with clay...







*Please note, in regard to the copyright, all of the directions and photographs in this tutorial are mine, you may not copy or reproduce them without my consent. These instructions are for you to use for PERSONAL use only, not for profit.