Have you ever think to sculpt (even just once)?

I spent about a year and a half trying to sculpt a BJD. I was less than successful stylistically, though at least the doll could stand up!

But I've learned a lot about how they're put together in the last three years. I've been tempted to give it another go. Fresh eyes and all that.

 

I would really love to, but the last time I sculpted anything was about 4th grade (I'm out of college now ^__^;; ) There are so many fantasy pieces and specific facial features that I want and just don't see. Even a basic mature woman or chubby man would be something fun to make.

 

I'd love to sculpt heads for my various characters but I have prosopamnesia (a type of face-blindness) and that makes doing something like sculpting a face... difficult to say the least for me. I can't see faces as a whole when I look at them so to try to arrange the features in the right proportions is very frustrating (I have tried sculpting before in a pottery class). Doesn't stop me from getting the itch to try though.

 

I have thought about it but don't think I have the talent and am too chicken to just go for it. Lol. I do sew for my dolls and try my hand at some other artsy adventures but have not attempted this as of yet.

Dani

 

Yes, and I tried, and I failed miserably D: though, to be honest, I haven't tried that hard. It would be lovely to know how to make my own dollies, but I don't love the idea enough to actually go and invest time and money in trying to learn.
Sculpting seems such a complex hability! I really admire those who are talented (and dedicated) enough to excel in it.

 

Yes i have thought about it even before getting my doll. I was so worked up! (I'll do this!). And then I was able research and read on how
I can sculpt my own doll. But the more I read the less and less enthusiastic I became xD I think its because of the time it will cost me
( It take months to finish it), some of the materials would be hard for me to find, plus the effort,attention,and patience that I need to give
it.And of course you also need to spend money. I know you can save money in making your own doll but you can just save a little bit
more and then buy a new doll. Saves you time, effort and patience xD.

 

I've always thought about it. Having something of my creation that no one else could achieve themselves always intrigued me, but then I realized how much hard work went into it. Unfortunately, I don't have the patience, time, or money to do it all by myself. The research itself wore me down. I think in the futrure I may be able to do it, but probably not anytime soon for me.

 

To be honest, if you want to cast it in resin too, making dolls is a lot more expensive than just collecting them. The silicone used to make molds is very expensive and you often have to make a test-cast to check how the joints work, meaning you have to make molds twice - one time for testing, and the second time for the 'real thing'. You'll need $3000 easily for those two runs.

Sculpting is something you do because you love doing it, not because you want to save money .

 

Wow I never knew its more expensive to make a doll than to buy one. Sculpting is a form of art. You're right artists do it because they have the passion for it.
But some artists make a living out of what they love to do. So BJD companies sell their sculpts. I guess its more cheaper to buy materials for a large quantity of dolls for you to sculpt and sell it, so you can have a margin for profit. I mean companies don't sell it just like that. At least they need to get something out of it right? So that's why i think its cheaper to sculpt one because if I'm going to make a doll worth 3000 dollars, then i will just want to buy one. Wew i guess I'm not thinking in a passionate way about sculpting that's why i never pursued my plans of sculpting a doll.

 

Yep. Mine's named Drake. He has a dragonish head, bird-like feet, is made of polymer clay and is about 6 inches tall. His arms are too long and pose terribly, but he can stand on his own! Thanks to big feet and tight enough stringing. I don't have an interest as going as far as casting in resin. Sounds like way too much work, especially when there are so many well made dolls available.

 

I might try my luck once at creating a doll head as I have trouble finding one with finned ears that isn't a limited edition. Blue skinned dolls might be possible to find, but then the question becomes if I can get the head the same color as the body.

 

That's right, which is why companies sell dolls in larger quantities. One silicone mold is able to produce 40 casts. If they'd sell a OOAK mold, it would be worth thousands of dollars, but because they cast several copies of their original, they are able to divide the production cost and as such get a small profit.

It's the same reason why I am unable to sell my newest girl in tan if I only have enough funds to produce 10. The production costs are too high. When I'm selling 20, I can lower the asking price. It's the silicone needed for the molds that is so costly, resin in itself is relatively cheap.

Still, profits are small. If I sell 10 dolls, I've earned about €1500. That's all the money I get for 5 months of fulltime sculpting. For something like sculpting dolls to be lucrative, you have to think in larger quantities and that highly depends on how many customers you're able to attract.

Yes, usually. It's also possible to do a teststring without first doing a test cast, but that really depends on the clay you're using (and how strong it is). Test casting is really useful if you want your doll to become as smooth as baby-skin, because resin is a very nice material to sand. It's hard, but not too much.

Shrinkage is a possibility, but this really depends on the type of silicone and resin you use. I could go in detail, but this isn't really the place for it. If you're interested, take a look at The Joint. They have a lot of info on resin and silicone.
Also, don't be discouraged about the pricing. Remember that sculpting dolls is time-consuming and you won't spend all in one go. And if casting dolls is not your thing, you could always turn to a casting service and let them handle that side of making dolls .

 

Not really, I've tried sculpting relatively simple things a few times and the art just eludes me, I would however like to learn how to do face-ups!

 

I've had fleeting thoughts-- I'm in a ceramics/sculpting class right now, which is what brought most of those thoughts on.

I don't think I will ever attempt sculpting my own BJD-- I don't think it's where my talents really lie, and I am happy with the ones I buy. But I would love to build the skills to sculpt still figures, and to sculpt accessories/props for the dolls that I buy!

 

@twinage: It helps to take it a step at a time. When I decided I wanted to sculpt a doll, I had no experience with sculpting whatsoever. So, the first step for me was to figure out what clay works for me and to learn anatomy. Then, I gave myself a long, LONG time to sculpt the doll, constantly reworking bits I wasn't happy about. In the mean time I saved up for silicones and resin.

And even when I was casting, it was trial and error. But still, all that effort paid off, because when I was done, Puck was born.

Don't worry to much about shrinkage. All parts will shrink the same, so even if your doll turns out a little smaller than expected, all individual parts should work great together.

 

I made porcelain reproduction dolls for many years then decided to start making my own originals. I took two classes from a NIADA (National Institute of American Doll Artists) member, June Goodnow and began making OOAK dolls after that and sold a quite few. Some even to famous people. Once I was in Contemporary Dolls Magazine. Then I discovered bjds. So I have over 23. I still have my kiln, sculpting tools. etc so have been giving some very serious thought to attempting a bjd. My original dolls had sculpted heads, hands, legs and feet with stuffed bodies. Their clothing was highly researched to be as true to real as possible down to their underclothes. Many were in hand beaded leather or silk I ordered from Tibet, India, and China. They are poseable. Most were ethnic peoples. I have collected a lot of reference material on bjds and am going to give it a go. My motivation is that I want a doll with the esthetics of an Enchanted Doll (Marina Bychkova) but without the abused haunted look so many of her dolls have. Anyway, we shall see.

I am posting a photo of one of my originals but it may get deleted by the Admins. But I am only posting it as an example. It is a portrait of my grandfather, who was a Native American. If so I apologize up front.

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It really is not all that expensive! All you need is a block of some clay. I recommend Super Sculpey but you can use others. I have not had much luck with air dry clays because they are too mushy to get good definition. The Super Sculpey is easy to blend but will hold a shape nicely. And I have dolls over 20 years old I made with it that are still perfect. Just bake it properly!!!!! I use baby oil on a soft brush to remove fingerprints. It bakes off in the oven. Make your own tools from toothpicks and skewers, sanded of course. Some stripped scrap electrical wire and aluminum foil can be used as an armature. Look at Junky Spot or You Tube for suggestions or pm me. All in all you can get into it for about $50 USD and have at it!

 

Yes. But since I'm not very skilled at drawing, there is almost no chance it'd turn decent. I still would like to try it though.