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This is a gust post by Natasha Nagornaya who is a polymer clay artist. I hope you will enjoy her DIY and find it helpful!
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In this guest post I am going to show you how to make a polymer clay doll with this step-by-step instruction. I took the pictures while creating this delicate and refined faerie Margareta.
You will need:
1. polymer clay (I had Fimo)
2. carving tools
3. rouge and a fine brush.
4. scraps of fabric, suede and faux fur
5. doll hair
6. doll eyelashes
7. beads, rhinestones and pins
8. a stand for the future doll
9. transparent craft glue
10 synthetic thread, needle and scissors.
Polymer clay gets dirty very easily so you need to keep your hands, tools and the work surface very clean. I use wet wipes during work. You can also wash the work that is not baked yet with the liquid soap and cool water.
I sculpted all the doll's parts separately since it was made without a wire "skeleton". I made: the upper part of the body and the head together, the legs and the arms. That made it easier to put the doll together. It makes it easier to dress up the doll too.
Take a small piece of polymer clay and mash it well with your hands before you start shaping the head and the torso.
Gently pull the clay to make a nose, then push on the eyes area to create the eyebrows.
Attach a small piece of clay to make the lips. Use your fingers and the carvers to smooth out the edges. Make a thin cut in the middle.
Take your time to work on the lips. Do not forget a dimple under the nose.
The eyes are going to be closed, so just use a thin carver to engrave a half-round cuts to show the eyelash line. Show the nostrils and the dimples on the sides of the nose by pressing a ball point carver into them.
Cut a small piece of clay into the halves (this way you are making sure that they are the same size) to make the ears. Attach them to the head, trying to follow the symmetry (it is better to look from all the directions, do not forget to look from the top of the head too). Smooth out the edges with the carvers.
Make a dimple in the middle of each ear and the grooves on the inside edge of the ears.
Form a body curve according to the designed posture. Start working on the neck and the shoulders. At this stage I dyed the lips and the cheeks with the rouge to give it a realistic color. It is easy to remove the excess of the rouge with the wet wipes or a wet q-tip. Note that the rouge color will look pailer after you bake the doll. I also added some pearl shadows on the eyelids.
You can bake the head and body when they are ready (follow the baking instruction on your polymer clay package).
Roll a long "sausage" and fold it to make the legs. It is easier to make them identical this way.
Sculpt the feet and the knees.
Make the arms and the hands. Make three cuts on the ends of the "sausages" and form 4 fingers (attach the thumbs later). I form the fingers with my hands (no tools). Let the clay cool down if it gets too warm from handing it.
Attach the thumbs when you are finished with the other fingers. Note that they are thicker at the base. The fingers should not touch each other. Use a thin carver to separate them if needed.
Give each hand a desired position.
Make sure that all the parts are proportionally correct by placing them by each other. Then you can bake them.
Now you can start working on the cloths. You can use any materials for this. I like fabrics that do not require the edge work. The stitches look rough when the cloths are so tiny. I use glue and really thin nylon threads.
Cut out a piece of fabric for the top and glue it to the body. Place glue on the doll's body, not on the fabric.
Use a thin strip of the same fabric for the wrists to show the "sleeves" of the top.
I used a piece of suede to make a jacket with the sleeves. I usually cut a piece that is a little bit bigger than I need, then I adjust it while attaching it to the doll. Bend the edges of the sleeves inwards at the doll's shoulders to hide them.
Use the same fabric to make the jacket.
Take a piece of mesh (tulle fabric or hosiery) to make the tights. Place the fabric and carefully glue the edges. Use your carvers to place tiny amounts of glue if needed.
I also used the suede to make a short skirt. Make the fabric joint on the back side. Cut the excess of the fabric at the top and bend the edges inwards.
I used baby blue suede to make the shoes. Bend the edges inwards while you are gluing them in place.
I used thin translucent fabric to make the second skirt. Put one edge on a thread, make neat folds and glue the skirt to the doll's bottom part.
Glue all the parts together.
The next stage is the decoration of your faerie.
I like to use natural doll hair. I carefully cut the seam off and glued the tresses by the small portions starting at the back of the head. Dip the roots of the hair in a drop of glue and then press them to the head.
Give your doll a feminine and sophisticated look by adding the eyelashes. It is not an easy task, but it's worth it!
I also gave a faux fur hat decorated with the beads to my faerie.
I needed to give her a magical wand. I used a piece of a wire pin and glued a pink pearl on its end, then glued the pin in place.
I also made a beaded belt. You can use rhinestones or beads to decorate the shoes or even make a finger ring.
Now glue your faerie to a tiny stand and you're done!
I hope that this DIY will inspire you to create your little faerie!
Thank you very much for your attention!
Natasha Nagornaya
