I've been interested in BJDs (ball jointed dolls) for a while now, but have yet to buy one as they are really expensive (my Pullip doesn't count, I'm talking about dolls like
these) I've been doing research on how to make my own BJD from clay, and because they look fairly complicated, I decided to start with a simplified version.
I started by drawing out some designs, as I knew it would be hard to sculpt a figure without a reference. As I drew I looked at other pictures of dolls online for a guide.
This is the final design I went with for my doll.
I bought a load of beige Super Sculpey from ebay as I needed a lot of skin colour for my dolls. I didn't use a lot for my first one, but if I want to make a bigger BJD I'll need a lot xD
I didn't take many progress shots or filmed me making her, because I didn't know how she would turn out, or if she would be any good at all. After I managed a good looking head and torso, I was excited to continue. I forgot to do her ears however, although they will be covered by her hair.
The hands were one of the hardest parts of making her, and at one point I made two left hands by accident! They still don't look perfect and feel kind of fragile, but I like them.
The feet were also really hard to make. I used a needle tool to define the toes.
You can see here the set up for her body. For the joints, instead of being ball jointed, I added gold eyepins to each joint, and after baking, opened up the eyepins to attach them together.
And this is how she turned out! Since she's not ball jointed or strung up with elastic like BJDs, she moves more like a rag doll, and can't hold a pose or sit down or anything. But I still like how she turned out.
I found that Monster High skirts fit her well, but I can't get the tops to go over her hands. I'll have to try my hand at making her some clothes. I also need to give her a face and hair, but I'll do that in time.
I hope you enjoyed this post, I'll be sure to do others when I give her a faceup, or any updates with making dolls!
