Instructions and Supplies Needed To Begin Your Dollmaking Hobby!
Basic colors:
- Black
- Eyebrow Color Dark Brown
- Cheek Blush
- Bisq-tone #1 & #2
- Eyebrow Color #1 Toffee
- Palette Knife
- Area Media
- Line Media
- Good brushes of all sizes, including: liner brushes, cheek blushers, angled brush, eyelash brush, shader brush, stippler, small blender; all in a good quality brush
- Brush cleaner
- A floor tile or something to mix your paint on
The colors listed above are by Seeley but other vendors are available such as Virginia Lavorgna who has such colors as "First Kiss" for lip color and "Rose Mirage" for blushing. These are just a few basic colors but I would have on hand extra colors for mixing with the darker ones or just to have a good selection on hand.
I would make sure to have plenty of pinks, rose and browns for cheeks, lips and eyebrows.
Basic Cleaning Tools:
- Scalpel
- Doll Eye Sizer tools
- Green Clean Pad
- Pink Scrubber
- Small Piece of Discarded Stocking
- Eye placement tool
- Good Lighting
Various fabrics and laces for the clothing or a good supplier for costumes. The sort of fabric you use depends on the style of doll you have made. For instance if it is a country doll you would probably use gingham, denin or a related fabric. If it is a reproduction doll you would want to use satins, brocade, lace or something that would make the costume look authentic.
Shoes are sized differently, depending on the supplier you use such as Tallina's. The same rule applies to socks. The way to measure a dolls foot is to stand the doll on a piece of paper and trace the foot if you are not sure of the size from the vendor. You may then send the drawing or measure it to compare with the vendor sizes.
Supplies for finishing the doll:
- Eyes sized to fit the doll eye openings
- Eyelashes, brown, black, or blond, depending on the coloring of the doll.
- Neck connectors
- Pate covering
- Cording to string the doll if a full porcelain body
- Wire or armatures to make the doll bendable
- Polyester stuffing for the body, arms and legs if not a full porcelain body
- Cement for the eyes. I use a product from the hardware store called rock hard.
- Eye wax to hold the eyes in place until you can cement them
- Tongs for pulling the cord tight
- Scissors for cutting the cord
- Wig of your choice
- Doll stand to stand your finished doll on
You will also need a local doll maker or ceramicist to fire the greenware for you if you don't own a kiln. This will take several firings because every time you apply new china paint you must fire again to keep from smearing what you have just completed. I usually fire in the following manner:
- First I soft fire to a cone 19 then after the kiln has cooled completely (twice as long as it took to fire) I immerse the doll in warm water for 1/2 hr to an hour and then clean the seams, cut out the eyes, and the hole in the head through which you will set the eyes. The reason for "soft fired cleaning" is that is keeps the dust to a minimum and is safer for you.
- When the doll is thoroughly cleaned using the stocking piece and the pink scrubber, I fire to a cone 7 and fully mature the greenware.
- Then you must polish the doll to make sure all the impurities that are clinging to it are removed after which you will rinse all the pieces.
- Then you use China Paint Media to oil the areas you are going to paint. Rub this in thoroughly and wipe off any excess.
- Now you are ready to paint. Start with the eyebrows and eyes (lining or shadow) I usually make a shadow line as a base for the eyebrows.
- You may also paint either the lips or cheeks at this time as they shouldn't interfere with the other.
- Fire the doll to a cone .017 or .018
- Next blush the cheeks.
- Add another coat of paint to the eyebrows. This time making hairs on the eyebrow.
- Add another coat of liner to the eyes if needed, if not paint the bottom eyelashes.
- Add a second coat of blush to the cheeks, they will probably need it.
- Fire again.
- Add a second coat of paint to the lips and/or line the lips with a slightly darker color than you use for the lips.
- If a second coat of blush is needed..do this now and fire a final time.
- You will also be blushing the knees, hands, fingernails and toenails when you apply the first coat of paint to the dolls face in order to fire more than one piece at a time. Usually once is enough but if not you must do it a second time and refire.
- Check the color on all the pieces and if any need deeper color do this now and fire for the final time. After all the painting you can start the assembly. The best thing to do if you are a first timer is go to a ceramic/doll shop and take a class to make your first doll. All the supplies needed will be included in the price of the doll and someone will be with you every step of the way to instruct you as to the best method of painting and assembly.
The list of supplies is quite extensive if you plan to do this at home. This is why handmade dolls are so expensive. We have to recoup the cost of all of our supplies to say nothing of the labor which you usually don't recover completely.
I have made my dolls because I enjoy it and I enjoy being able to take my time and do it at home. I have made mistakes, had broken, legs, heads, arms, etc. but I have just aquired a replacement piece and continued on, hopefully learning from my mistakes.
I hope I have helped you in your quest to make your own doll. If not and it seems too great a task, email me and I will make one for you.
These instructions are not meant for any one particular doll. They are meant to be general instructions to help you decide if you want to be a dollmaker and to give you an idea of what you will need if you decide to go for it.
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Copyright © 1998 - 2001 Theda Fritz
