Doll Making with Polymer Clay

Polymer clay is an ideal medium for creating lifelike dolls of all kinds - from baby dolls and full size dolls to fairies and miniature dolls. Beginners find polymer clay easy to use because it does not dry out as you work so you can take your time to develop your skills. Polymer clay is used all over the world by professional doll makers and is ideal for one-of-a-kind dolls (OOAK) art dolls or for creating a prototype to mould and duplicate.

There are a number of clays formulated specifically for making dolls which come is a choice of skin tone colours. These include FIMO Puppen, FIMO Puppen Miniature, Cernit Doll Collection and Sculpey Living Doll.

For larger dolls that are 12 inches (30cm) tall or more, it is best to make just the head, forearms and lower legs out of polymer clay and create a soft body from fabric and polyester stuffing. If the head is more than about 25mm thick, you should use an armature (internal core or support) to prevent the clay cracking. This can be a rolled ball of foil or a ball of baked Sculpey Ultra Light clay.

These images (left) from Maureen Carlson’s book “Fairies, Gnomes and Trolls” show just one technique on how to build a dolls face with polymer clay. ©North Light Books

Miniature dolls for a dolls house are great fun to make and can be made entirely in polymer clay or with soft bodies. If you are a beginner, then a kit is a good way to start. The miniature doll kits contain moulds for the head and hands (the hardest part to sculpt), illustrated instructions and everything you need to make your doll except the paint for the face and the fabric for the clothes.

The image (top left) shows a partly constructed doll taken from Sue Heaser’s book “Making Miniature Dolls with Polymer Clay”, ©Cassell & Co

1:12 scale Moulds

Using a mould simplifies the process of making a doll. Our selection of moulds are hand made from Sue Heaser original dolls. They are made in resin which gives extremely detailed results. Each mould can be used hundreds of times.

The 1:12 scale moulds come with an illustrated instruction sheet on how to complete the doll by making simple feet from polymer clay and how to make a body from pipe cleaners and quilt wadding. Sue Heaser's doll making kits include a dolls head mould, hands and forearms mould, pipe cleaners, wadding, a hank of dolls hair, and step-by-step instructions on how to construct the doll.

The Sculpey Doll Moulds offer options for making slightly larger dolls as well as a variety of art doll faces.

Painting the Clay

After baking, you will need to paint the dolls’ faces - use good quality acrylic paints and a fine paintbrush. Paint the face with a coat of matt varnish first as a barrier to prevent the paint bleeding into the clay over time. Allow to dry, then brush with methylated spirits to de-grease before painting the features. A second coat of varnish when the paint is completely dry will protect the paint.

The Hair

The fine viscose dolls hair is remarkably life-like and can be easily styled. To curl the hair, dampen a narrow length and wrap tightly around a thin knitting needle. Place in a cool oven (100°C/210°F) for about 30 minutes until dry. This technique gives excellent ringlets that can be cut to length as required, or teased out to make curls. The hair can then be attached to the dolls head with Tacky glue.

The Body & Clothes

The body of a miniature 1:12 scale doll can be made either in polymer clay or using pipe cleaners wrapped in quilt wadding. Ask for our free leaflet on making miniature dolls which has all the measurements you will need to make men, women and child dolls to scale.

To make the clothes and ensure a realistic drape, choose finely woven fabrics, knits and delicate lace.