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THE MAKING PROCESS - COLLECTION 1
Each doll takes about 65* hours to make.The body of the doll takes me up to 35 hours of work to complete, the making of its clothes takes up to 30 hours. *Not including the 35 hours of making the swing.
All the dolls have been made with Cernit polymer clay, except for Genevieve and Konstantin, for which I used Fimo polymer clay.
Polymer clay is a sculptable material based on the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It is only called "clay" because its texture and working properties resemble those of mineral clay. Once baked it becomes very hard plastic.
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Below is a complete summary of the stages I have gone through to make each art doll currently presented on this website.
STAGE ONE:
I start by making the face of the doll. The core of the head consists of aluminium foil which is scrunched into a scull shaped ball and then covered with masking tape. Using polymer clay, the face is then sculpted on the front part of the scull with the glass eyes inserted during the process. The face is then baked in the oven. Once it has cooled down completely, the back of the head and ears are added and the whole head is baked once more.
STAGE TWO:
With the head done, I create an individual mobile brass skeleton for it. Once I have inserted the aluminium wires for the fingers into the arms of the skeleton, I cover the structure with layers of aluminium foil and then masking tape. (For small dolls I don’t add the layers of aluminium foil).
STAGE THREE:
With the head put to one side for now, the process of creating the body of polymer clay around the skeleton begins. Each part is sculpted around the skeleton after the previous part has been baked in the oven. I first do the torso, following with the legs, then feet and fingers together, and ultimately, the arms. Following each baking the doll needs to stay in the oven until it cools down completely. I usually do each bake in the evenings so I can leave the doll to cool down in the oven over night.
STAGE FOUR:
Once the body is completed, the head is fitted onto the brass rod which becomes the neck once polymer clay is built around it; this creates a very strong connection between the body and the head. The complete doll is then ready for one last bake.
STAGE FIVE:
Once the doll has cooled down, I decide on which colour mohair suits its features best, and then glue it onto the head followed by the eyelashes, also made from mohair. For the hair to glue properly, I leave the doll to rest for 24 hours. Then I add the acrylic varnish, mixed with other acrylic colours, to the lips and nails of the doll. In the case of the male characters, I usually remove the varnish after a couple of days; this leaves them with just a faint permanent stain of colour on lips and nails - a natural effect which I prefer.
STAGE SIX:
At this stage, the character is ready to be dressed. All the bits of fabric I have acquired over the years are brought out, and the design of the clothes for the doll is decided upon.
And while the clothes are being made, I take the measurements of the doll to create a personal brass swing with a name tag. Each swing takes me about 35 hours of work to complete, and is made to measure for each doll. Once it is ready, I oxidise it with an oxidising solution to give it that aged antique like look.
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