Eye sockets for the doll and eye balls

I finally got her eye sockets to fit her 8mm eyes better. I even considered getting some 6mm eyes. But I found some really creative doll eyes that I could paint myself and then glue them together like Blythe eyes. The thing is, the smallest ones I could find are 8mm. I ordered some smaller bungee cord for her arms. The one I have is too thick to fold. I think I might start polishing her head and give her some color and eyelashes. I worry that I will get carried away and bore all the way through her head and have to start over. I got some extra eyes to practice too.  3M putty holds the eyes in well with stone also. It took a week for the glue to cure around her magnets. They kept coming out every time I opened her head. 

Waiting for paint and glue to dry is the hardest part. I realized that if I use Tung oil to polish her, that means I can use oil based paint on her if I want. I still like the translucency of the water based products. But it's more possibilities. 

Topaz with golden eyes.

Made a Pointy Witch Hat for the Doll

 I did get some more of my crochet for my doll done.

This time I used Make It Mine doll by Goodreau to model the outfit. I wanted to make sure it fits several 1/4 scale dolls.

 No witchy outfit is complete without a pointy hat. So I made her one. I put a big red button on it with some jingle bells. I made little loops like belt loops around it so it could be threaded with a ribbon. That way the ribbon can be tied to loosen or tighten the hat if needed. I made the hat to fit my alabaster doll head with her wig on, so it just barely fits MIM doll. The MIM doll is more like a size 7/8 wig. My doll is about a size 6. I just loved the silly buttons bells and ribbons for her. They are cute and help pull the outfit together.

 This is the side view. I also found out that the dye on the jingle bells is not fast. So I will have to be careful when I wash and size this. This thread has a lot of lint too. When I took the dress off the doll, she had black lint all over her body. I bought the name brand Red Heart too. I am looking around for new threads now. This is just not the thread I remember ever using. 

I put bows and jingle bells on the pockets too. The bells are so small they sound like sand shifting and don't really jingle but maybe in the doll's world the sound is jingling along. 

 This is the back view of her hat.

I hope to make her some matching jewelry to complete her look soon. But for now I need to get back to making her arms and legs.

4-22-18

I didn't get as much done this weekend as I had planned but I worked on the doll for a few minutes this week when possible. I finished the little joint I made for her waist that I call the key. I was dying to know if it would work. It seems to be working okay. I got some stringing elastic from Amazon so I could try different ways to string the doll. I painted her eyes during the week. I worked on her dress I am making her.

Here's what I ended up making. It's thick because I wanted it to be strong and not break. I could only make the stringing channel so big for the same reason. So I looped a thinner elastic through the leg's much thicker elastic. That's okay for now.

 I don't think the key will be too visible underneath her clothes. But it has to stick out enough to maneuver it with my fingers, so I can pose her. The bungee cord is 1/8th thickness which is about the maximum size of my Dremel bits. So it will work except where it needs doubling.

 This is a leaning sideways pose.

 Leaning sideways pose from the back.

  The key doesn't show at all from the front.

I had to bore out the leg holes more, because the cord wouldn't go through both at once. They crossed over at one point. I hadn't thought of that till I got some cord.

 Another view of the key.

I used Delilah Noir as the dress model, because I kept getting rock dust on my work. The dress fits my doll but her shoulders are currently too wide. I will be shaping the shoulders soon. Also I used Red Heart size 10 thread for the dress. I remember when the rolls seemed to have more on them. I fortunately bought a lot of 3 together. I used a #6 hook, even though the labels says to use 7. My work is usually very tight. 

 I tried to use what I have on hand for buttons and lace. I got a lot of buttons years ago when I was trading off my old VHS tapes. I'm still using them to this day. So I found some interesting reds that work together for me.I had to plan the buttons before I could do the button holes. Then I started the sleeves.

 I turned up her collar a little bit. I still think it is too low cut but it is. That's a lot of time I have in it and I wouldn't unravel it at this point.

 She has ruffles on the bottom. I used to always put ruffles on everything. It was because I made doilies a long time ago. People liked them though. 

I hope to get photos of her eyes soon.

Spring and Doll Making

 4-14-18

I accidentally cut through the stringing hole on the waist but it turned out it was better than what I had. At first all I wanted was the doll to turn at the waist left and right. I realized I would still need a bead in the waist to make the 2 halves work as one and not completely slide apart. So I bored out a bead size hole and put a wooden bead in for stringing. Then I was trimming the waist and exposed the bead with a little notch in the back. So I put a match stick in the bead and twirl it around, realizing that I have a little trigger I can use to raise one part and lower the other and pose the doll a little more at the waist. The match stick was just the idea and too thin. So I go outside (in the beautiful weather in NC) and start cutting a key for the waist. The key will be hidden so there is just enough to move it with my fingers and will act like a lever to lean the doll into different poses. It will rest in the accidental notch I made.

 This is how I estimate the fit by eye. Draw something on the rock and hold it to where I'm going to use the part.

I move the match stick around, deciding how much I want the doll to lean in all directions. And should I have more notches. It won't be visible once the doll is dressed.

 My phone pics are blue but I use my phone to take notes of my idea.

 I can see the wooden bead and wanted to make a bead from matching alabaster. 

 The leftover chunks of rock are used for small parts.

Next I drilled out some of the shoulder joints to fit the upper arm I am working on. I am going to use a slanted joint in the arm holes so I can maneuver her arms to go in front of her and hold things. And not just raise and lower like any doll. It may not be as attractive but hey, she's a little old lady and isn't going to go for a bikini contest.

So many hours go into just studying the pieces and working with anything I got to make her pose, look like a human form, stay on the scale I am targeting. I have been making her dress already and am determined to keep her shaped to fit the dress, without removing too much of the rock. 

Friday 13th was a great day to be outside carving my art doll

This afternoon I sliced up my rock like a canned ham. I cut slabs for the upper arms, lower arms and upper legs, lower legs. It was pretty apparent using an old hack saw my dad gave me that 1/4 scale dolls is all I have the tools for. I also had a nice chunk left, which I am saving in case I make a mistake and need a new slab. If not, I'll have a piece to make another head or extra hands.

I finally got her magnets in and realize she will need 4 sets of magnets instead of 2. Her head holds together but when I was holding her upside down working on the best way to string her, the cap falls off. So back to the grind, literally. 

 It is hot today in NC (in the 70's). After a break and some flavored water, I went back to cutting the arms out. I used my round cup shaped bits to make a shoulder joint and then trimmed any excess around the round joint. That was difficult with a hacksaw, because I had to keep changing the angle of the saw blade as I circled around the joint. The channels and stringing  are going to be the difficult part for sure with that angle. But I felt it would work at the time. I think I might be able to thread it with a wire twisted like a bead needle. I will soon find out. It is coming along better than I thought. Knock on stone, ha!  Now I got to drill those holes and fit the joints, and shape her arms.

I uploaded this video of how it sounds when I am sawing. I like how it sounds. It's addicting me.

Alabaster Carving My Own Handmade Ball-Jointed Doll Update

I ran into some rainy and cold weather this weekend. But I did get some things done on the nice days. I found some wire that was about to be thrown away. I decided to put my doll together with this wire it works so well for the weight of stone. I don't know what it's called but it looks kind of like the bread sack ties on a loaf of bread.

When I put her head on her shoulders I noticed she had limited ability to turn her head. So I decided to make a neck joint extra, kind of like Doll Chateau. Only mine has a slant to it so she can raise and lower her head by turning the joint. I just came up with the idea in the middle of the night and went aha, I will try this tomorrow after work. I picked one of my circle cutters that was closest to her neck size and then just drilled out a plug. 

I also cut her out a torso but I think it is much too large for her. I drew lines on it where I will be trimming it down with a neat waist. I used tacky glue to temporarily hold the magnets in before I use the cyanoacrylate type of glue. I want to make sure they are in just right, so I don't end up carving them out. 

You can see in this picture that I rounded her shoulders to make her look elderly. But the neck had very limited mobility, because of her chin. She still wants her eyes painted. 

 I worked on her a silver wig also. I won't bore anyone with the basic wig making. There are plenty of tutorials available online about making your own doll wigs. I make a crocheted cap and then blind stitch the wefts to the cap.

 It is actually still too young looking. I am going to press it down on top and do some styling to make it look like it belongs to her.

I just cut her a 6" waist and 8" hips, which will be smaller when I round her off. I drilled some more channels.

Happy Easter!

4-1-18

Happy Easter Holiday! I had a nice reclusive day working on my own witch doll, which I am carving from alabaster. Her name is Topaz and she is turned into Topaz from Alabaster. She is becoming a fully customizable doll. I have carved her eye sockets to take 8mm eyes, which I am painting probably this week. She has pierced ears too, so she can get decked out in her most precious of jewels. Warning: this is a very long post.

 Her head cap is a bit lop sided but that is probably because the stone was lop sided and I cut from one side with my dominant hand. I did that to keep the cap flush so I could add magnets to hold her head together. It won't show once she gets her very own wig.

 Her ears need more detailing. But I had to work in the pierced ears first. I like to work from the outside in and then the inside out, back and forth. That way I don't take away too much material. 

 I made some magnet holes the exact depth of some I have on hand. Then I marked around them heavily with chalk so I could transfer the circles to the matching side.

 I gave her wrinkles because she is elderly. I really went with what I saw in the rock, so as not to waste the material. 

 I am going to blush her with my Conte chalk. I already found that if I rub enough the chalk will take. She is a bit dusty right now, because I worked on her today and haven't cleaned her off yet. She is actually orange or tangerine alabaster. 

 This is how her head cap will go on with the magnets. I wanted to go ahead and put them in but they are so strong they pull on my tools while I am carving and I will have to wait till the very last detail is in place. 

 She said to me "hurry up with them eyes. I can't see too well."

I took notes since I started carving. I wasn't even sure I could get this far. I began on 3-23-18 with my alabaster I've had since 2014. So I had been wishing for this for a very long time.  I took pictures of my rock before I cut the block out.  I think it came from Utah. It was called Tangerine Alabaster, but I think it looks like flesh tone to me. That's what made me think to turn it into a doll of some sort. 

 I used some round and half round files I had in my toolbox to get started on my chunk.

 I have carved faces into soap stone before, but this is my first ever head. I have carved alabaster before and won a prize my very first try. Next I photographed my rock when it is windy and cold. I put the photo in Corel Paint and draw where I would like to eliminate stone. These next pictures show somewhere close to what I want for the head. 

 3-27-18

After a few minutes outside I got deeper eye sockets and a little bit more symmetry to the face.  I started with a corner that looked like an easy place to start a nose. I studied a few videos of woodworkers carving spirits from wood. I keep looking at my piece and see myself Bringing a Witch from the Stone. I don't want too much symmetry. I do think I would like nasolabial folds and wrinkles. My doll is an old person. This just feels right, making my own, Witch. Sunken eyes and cheeks start to appear to me, making me think my figure is very ancient and wise. 

Next I show pictures of my very old tools. I have this vintage Dremel, which is slow enough speed I have time to think about what I am doing. The other tools are heavy even though I have attachments they have cords to watch after. I just grab a bit to work with. I don't think I really want to memorize how I did it. Each carving is as different as the tools used to do this. I like the experience of how each bit works and feels with different materials. The batteries on these old Dremels last about 30 minutes with non-stop use. I have 2 so I can charge while working. All my other tools are either hand tools or 120V. I wear a dust mask too.

 3-29-18

Today I finally, cut the shape of the head out of the alabaster piece I am doing.  It is dark when I finally come in so the flash on my camera makes the face look a bit shallow. It is still a work in progress. I just go with what I see and hope for the best.  I washed off some dust and found an inclusion in the brow. I believe I can work with it. I kind of like it. So far my witch looks kind of like Frankenwitch. I think I will go ahead and pull out some ears so I won't grind down the head too deeply to leave space for ears. I'm grinding the head to a rounder form. 

Profile of one side. No undercuts yet. I'm saving the more delicate cuts till the end to keep from breaking off the nose or mouth. Ears will be added when I get the head rounded better.

3-30-18

I decided to plan for ears. I cut out some ear shapes and cut around them for depth. I take the pictures to study what needs to be done before I put in delicate details that could be damaged during the process.

 I cut up under the nose a little bit more but hesitated because I am still planning the larger part of shaping the head a bit more. I want her to have temples and skin folds around the mouth . I keep thinking that every doll has its very own expression. This will be my doll's expression. She looks kind of like she's chewing the fat or considering the facts. As if to say hmm my little pretty where goes you? I found a jaw line.

 I am still saving the plate underneath her chin. It seems to be a harder material. I think it might help with support when I add a body to the doll. In the picture it is the white line where her neck is. 

 I can see here where she needs a little bit of smoothing out. I am going to try that with a wet dry sanding sponge.

 The ears have good depth but now her head is sort of like a triangle again. I am switching to a very fine carving bit on my old slow Dremel next so I can do just a bit of details. Just a little bit. I know this isn't where I want the entire piece yet.

 I noticed one side of her face is always a bit rougher than the other. But I started on the corner and one side of the corner was more concave. I don't like to waste one inch of my rock so I went with that. I like to let the rock tell me what it is becoming. 

 She kind of looks like a little old man. I almost want her to be a wizard, but the story is better if she is a little old lady. It's like men are from Mars. I wouldn't have as rich a story, if my doll was a  male spirt from the stone.

Same thing with the ear. This side of the head is a bit rough. I like the jaw line I pulled out for her. She's beginning to speak to me. She's saying "stop hesitating and just draw me a face please". 

 I can see why dolls have exaggerated features. She really looks like she has no face hardly at all from the front. I even gave her a wrinkle in the front of her forehead but it isn't showing up in the photos--probably because of the flash.

 The bottom of the head shows the ears I put in. It really needs rounding up some too. 

 The top of the head is coming along nicely. I am going to make her a wig. I want her to be completely my doing with no help from anyone.

Cutting line to open the head for custom glass eyes and ball-jointed neck.

 Drawing in some ideas about how I want her to look.

 Getting ready to detail ears. One thing I noticed looking at portraits of older people is they don't seem as symmetrical as the young. The can have shorter chins and longer upper lip to the nose area. They can have fallen noses versus perky noses. 

 I'm going to cut her open and scoop out the innards of her head so she can be customized like a bjd. I don’t think she should be painted ever but I may use some blend of pastel chalk and water color to give her some blush. She will have sealant first but not the art type. I might use carnauba wax and Tung oil first. She definitely needs a fine sanding. 

 I am running into problems with details because the fine dust makes it hard to hold a fine line. I'm thinking I may have to use water to keep dust out of my view.

3-31-18

Today I put in a few more details. Found out my sanding sponge works well for smoothing out tool marks. I am going to color some scrap pieces with my Conte chalks and find a way to blush my doll. I am having problems with ears. She wears about a size 6 wig. I was aiming for that scale of doll. I cut her head open. 

 But first I bored holes where her eyes will be. It helps to plan how deeply I will carve out the head for the eyeballs and neck joint. Plus I used my late dad's old drill and it is heavy and powerful. I was thinking the pressure of the drill might fracture all the work I have already done.

Now I will be able to work from the inside a way and then the outside so I won't cut too much away. 

 I used a series of circle bits meant for stone cutting to bore out the head. I started with the largest one I could use and then decreased to the smallest one I needed. Then I used a grinding bit to clean up any leftover lines. I can see where the holes are that came through the eyes. That was my guide to keep me from cutting through to her face. Those bits don't fit my Dremel so I don’t have any speed control with my Dad's drill. That thing is fast and powerful. It's meant for doing work like carpentry.

 The third hole is where I will be working with some type of neck joint. It got too dark to see outside, and my battery operated Dremel is charging now, so I have to wait till tomorrow to continue. Then back to work I will go. The days are longer now, so I will be able to do something in the afternoons. I hope to get some magnets in this weekend and the eyes finished. I have a wig that I made myself but it needs a little bit of silver hair added to it, since she's elderly.