Creating Polymer Clay Artist Dolls

Anyone can start off working toward making detailed sculptures right off the bat. It does help to have some experience with this sneaky medium and its quirks if you've never used it before.

The different brands have different issues. I'll focus on Sculpey here because it's the one I've used the most. Plain white Sculpey is very easy to work with but seems to be the most fragile. It also scorches the most easily. I place an aluminum foil tent over all of my pieces to protect them from the heat element in the toaster oven. I love the feeling of their Terra Cotta - not the one that comes in the two-ounce package but the one that comes in the one or two pound box. For some reason, there's a difference between the two. It feels like a more natural potter's clay and the pieces I've made are very resilient. The small block behaves like most of the other varieties and doesn't have that texture.

Sculpey colors are fun and can be a real help to the lazy, like me. I have poor eyesight and arthritis in my hands, so painting delicate areas is a challenge for me. Some of Sculpey's colors are absolutely gorgeous and each seems to have its individual issues. The pearl clays are beautiful but tend to react the most to the heat of your hands and "go gumby," my term for the clay getting so soft and pliable that you can't do a blessed thing with it. If this happens, no matter what type you are using, set it down and let it "rest." The pearl colors often need to rest overnight, and some went gumby again the minute I picked them back up. I've found these best for pieces that don't require a lot of handling. There's also a process called "leeching," where you place the clay between two pieces of white paper for a while. You can leave it for a day or two but be careful not to let it dry out.

Sculpey Premo is supposed to be more durable. I've seen little difference between Sculpey, Sculpey III and Premo except the price. I will buy Premo if it's on sale.

Super Sculpey is supposed to be the most durable and is more expensive. I've heard good feedback from other clayers, but I received a piece as a gift that chipped easily.

Prosculpt, developed by artist Jack Johnston, has a wonderful reputation among artists. I have not had the opportunity to try it yet but I plan to when my supply of Sculpey is depleted. Other artists have told me that it is extremely easy to work with and doesn't gumby out like Sculpey.

Fimo and Cernit are both considered superior in durability. I've used Fimo classic and it was like kneading bricks. I've tried the Fimo soft and it seems to be as durable as Sculpey. I have not used Cernit, which is not readily available in my area. Someone once commented to me that Fimo and Cernit are supposed to be "better because they come from Europe."

Whichever one you use, kneading is very important. I kneaded with my hands for a long time and had problems with air bubbles, which can cause your piece to crack in the oven. I have not had this happen since I started using a pasta machine. They're a great investment and very versatile, especially if you plan to use clay for costuming. For clothing, it's best to use the medium thickness. The very thin setting is too thin and the piece will likely chip very quickly. And of course, pasta machines are the answer for very hard clay and if you have problems with your hands or if they tire easily.

For baking, follow the manufacturer's instructions but remember that most ovens are not 100% accurate. You can check it with a thermometer or just learn by experience, as I did. My toaster oven set at 250 for most projects works very well, and I use 200 for my faux glass eyes and only fire them for ten minutes.

You can use your regular cooking oven, but it must be kept very clean. Most artists prefer a toaster or convection oven. Any kind will do, but you might want to look for the largest one you can find so that most of your pieces will fit in it. Again, an aluminum foil tent or other protection can do a lot to save your work. In a toaster oven, the piece can be very close to the heating element. Toaster ovens tend to get hotter and cook faster. I started using the tent and the leeching process after reading Maureen Carlson's newest book, Fairies, Gnomes and Trolls, two things I wish I had learned a lot sooner!

Photo: 2008 Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Fairy by Parthena Black

More than a year ago, Polyform introduced a new line of polymer clay, Studio by Sculpey. Here's the description from the website:

"Studio by Sculpey® is opening the door to a new world of creating with oven-bake clay. Specially formulated to capture and build upon the best qualities of today's oven-bake clays, Studio by Sculpey oven-bake clay is easy to condition by hand and extremely durable after baking. It is the only oven bake clay that will hold its shape perfectly during modeling and will not break or crack when baking large pieces. It is available in 34 rich, home décor colors and bakes to a luxurious, suede-like finish."

I shy away from ordering clay online due to the higher shipping rates due to its weight and live 60 miles from the nearest city with a decent craft supplies store. I was disappointed that Studio has only appeared at Hobby Lobby sometime during the last two or three months and Michael's still doesn't carry it. When I spied the display at Hobby Lobby, I eagerly snatched up a block and couldn't wait to try it on one of my art dolls. That night I began work on a new fairy and was very pleased with Studio's performance on a small piece, the head.

Well......that's where my positive impression of this clay stopped. The finished head is beautiful, but the problems started immediately when I began to form the body. In this process, I found that the only truth to the claims made on the website is that Studio is extremely easy to condition by hand. In fact, it was easier to condition by hand than it was to put it through the pasta machine, where the edges split and appeared to be dangerously close to crumbling! Studio's working time is no better than regular Sculpey. It didn't take long for it to "Gumby-out" and become far too soft to work with, causing me to set the piece down to rest after only about ten minutes of work. This clay also seemed to attract a lot more dirt than Sculpey and Premo.

Although it was fairly easy to smooth out, the fired piece looks rather lumpy but I had a chance to fix that when I had to repair my poor kneeling fairy's knees - which both cracked wide open in the oven! They literally broke completely and my fairy would have fallen over without the wire armature inside. I've made several kneeling figures and must say that I have never had this happen with Sculpey or Premo, which make no claims that their clay "will not break or crack when baking large pieces."

In the process of repairing her knees, I added an extra layer of clay to her legs in hopes of smoothing them out. There wasn't much improvement, and by the time I finished her arms I'd noticed that her neck had also cracked.

Desert Sand was the closest color to a flesh tone and it reminds me of jaundice yellow when used on a lifelike figure. Given my dissatisfaction with Studio, I didn't really want to purchase another block when I was just a tiny bit short of enough to finish the piece. I went through my stock and found that Sculpey Premo Ecru is an exact match. Ecru for a flesh tone? I had it on hand because I blend it with beige, tan and brown shades to create more realistic flesh tones but until now, had never used it alone.

I'm not noticing anything resembling a "suede-like finish," either. Perhaps this is because I used one of the light colors, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt there.

Despite the problems, I chose to finish my fairy and add the experience to the top of my compost pile of repair skills. She now sits naked patiently waiting for her hair and outfit. I'll post her photo as soon as she's dressed.

Until I can get my hands on some ProSculpt, I'm sticking to Super Sculpey.

Photo: Early work. Fire Goddess by Parthena Black

The majority of artists I've spoken with admit that learning to sculpt faces was the most difficult part of the journey. I've heard more than once (and have experienced) that many early attempts look like aliens, trolls or little old men! It has taken me more than a year of practice to create pretty faces. Just prior to the wonderful day that miracle finally occurred, I was seriously considering giving up and using molds!

Many artists and collectors feel that if a mold was used to create or cast from a piece, it is disqualified from being truly OOAK (one of a kind). Molds in flexible, easy-release materials can be purchased as well as easily made with scrap clay from an existing piece. "Pure Sculpt" means that the artist created the piece without the aid of any mold whatsoever.

For artists who want to create dolls and can not invest months of practice into their faces, using molds can be a great help. Molds are an especially good method for practicing faces because they can save time and can help teach you the proper placement of facial features. As Katherine Dewey says in her book,Creating Lifelike Figures In Polymer Clay, "the ears are part of the cranium and not the face!" The molded face can easily be manipulated and changed into something that is more your own. "Pure Sculpt" artists will likely agree that manipulating the piece doesn't make it a pure sculpt and I agree with that opinion to an extent. I feel that if one starts with a mold as a base and completely changes it, it's still an original, but that would depend upon the degree of change.

Once you have created a good face, you can make a mold to save time in improving upon it. I found this to be a great help when I finally sculpted a face that I was happy with. Some artists create an original face and then cast a mold for future work. I've seen some that claim that molds are not used, yet all of the faces in their galleries are identical. In my opinion, if they created the original face and that mold is not sold to anyone else, I would still consider it an original but some don't agree. Artist Patricia Rose states on her site (you'll find her site in the links section) that if you change a mold by at least 30 percent you can legally call it yours and sell it on E-bay.

If you prefer to use a mold to create a beautiful artist doll, I'd say to go for it as long as you present your piece honestly. You're still going to add your own touches in the pose, costume and embellishment, which still makes your doll unique.

Photo: The Wizard of Eggs by Parthena Black

Fearless Friday - Designer Raquel Roysdon

Fantasy Art Woman

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Current Works In Progress

Handmade Chain and Free Wire Jewelry Patterns

First, it's critical to take good, detailed photos of your work for websites and online auctions. You'll find some helpful tips and resources here as well as instructions on how to make your own light box:

Lights, Cameras, Auctions! Photographing Jewelry and Art For Online Auctions

Now on to exciting new developments for the self-representing artist and crafter:

FuzzB, originally Blue Fuzzy Slippers, began in response to what fairy and fantasy artists on The Fairy Society Business and Social Networking site and entrepreneurs at Divapreneur wanted in an auction site. At the time, eBay was again steeped in controversy about hiking fees and other policies detrimental to the earnings of its angry and frustrated members.

I've been out of pocket and offline for a few months and just getting back into resuming my online activity. Although I joined the site back in May 2008, I haven't been back to take a look until this afternoon. I am blown away by what I saw! The admin, Sherri Forrester Baldy and the FuzzB team have truly outdone themselves.

In additiion to its original purpose of being an auction and shopping venue for buyers and sellers, the site has evolved into a social networking site with all of the usual perks and complete with magazine publications from The Fairy Society and Divapreneur.

Members get their own profile and store and are allowed to earn even more money by sell advertising space and placing Google ads on their profiles. Revenue sharing through the social networking piece is also a goal. It is my understanding that members will also be able to earn from referrals in the near future. If you make and sell - or love to shop for and collect - one of a kind, handmade quality items, FuzzB is the perfect venue with benefits that you won't find on other auction sites! Get on this one early so that you can keep up with all of the exciting developments!

Another brand new site has also sprouted from the artisans at The Fairy Society. Fairy and fantasy sculptress Kendra Marie Gilbert has recently launched FaeBae.com The site offers free customizable stores, affiliate pages and more:

FaeBae Features

FaeBae is currently looking to add items to its wide variety of merchandise categories, especially jewelry and bath and body products. Get on over there and earn your wings!

Both are going strong and are expected to continue to take root and bloom, bearing much fruit for the self-representing artist.

I ran across SmartFlix.com How-To DVDs while searching for some do it yourself instructions on repairing my clothes dryer. Just for the thrill of it, I entered "polymer clay" into the site search. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found that they not only carry basic tutorials but that they also have DVD's from some of the most famous and admired artists in the medium.

Donna Kato, Patricia Rose, Wendy Froud, Jack Johnston, Sue Heaser and White Gothic Studios are just a few among the artists and experts in the category.

These DVD's can be expensive to purchase. I know that it would take me quite a while to be able to buy all of the ones on my wish list. With SmartFlix, you can have an entire library at your fingertips! You can study up on personal finance and real estate as well as train your dog or learn to fly a plane!

The site also runs holiday specials. For Father's Day, they offered 10% off rentals. Join today and open up a whole new world!

I've always wanted to own an art supply store and now I do! thanks to MisterArt.com Discount Arts and Crafts Supplies! I've hand-picked a selection of essential polymer clay supplies, sculpting and wire jewelry making tools. Save up to 75% off and save gas, too!

Parthena's Big Little Art Supply Store

Be sure to check out my Freebies page for fun free stuff and useful business resources:

Freebies

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The Isle of Squid is maintained by a group of lensmasters that want to see Squidoo become a better place. Their time, effort, hosting, and bandwidth is freely given. All of the submissions are hand-reviewed for quality. There's also a feature where visitors can review your lens, but it doesn't seem to be working at present. I'll be back with that link when it is.

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