Over the
summer, I made a doll out of a glass iced tea bottle. This started a deep
interest in building other dolls out of bottles of all kinds. Lately, beer
bottles and root beer bottles are my favorite body armatures. I am currently
working on a series of holiday inspired dolls. Here’s a tutorial on how to
build a doll with Creative Paperclay and a glass bottle.
What You’ll Need
Creative
Paperclay
Cup of water
for sculpting
Beer Bottle
or Root Beer Bottle…or any glass bottle you like!
1.5 inch or
2 inch Styrofoam ball
20 gauge
jewelry wire
Wire cutters
Needle nose
pliers
Pottery
sharp tool or long wooden skewer or toothpick
Acrylic
paint (not pictured)
Cup of tea for sipping!
What To Do
11. If you are using a bottle with a label on it,
you may soak the bottle and remove the label. I prefer not to as it makes it
easier for costuming later.
22. Cover the Styrofoam ball in a layer
of Creative Paperclay.
33. Place the ball on the bottle top and
press slightly to help the ball stick.
44. Take a small lump of clay, roll it
out a bit in your hand, and flatten in. Place this clay directly below the ball
on the bottle neck. Blend in with your fingers…use dabs of water to help you
sculpt. Make this nice and smooth. Add more clay to the neck if necessary.
55. Continue to cover the bottle neck in
Creative Paperclay. Creative Paperclay adheres remarkable well to glass.
66. Take a quarter-size ball of clay, cut
in half with a butter knife or pottery sharp tool. Add one half to either side
of the bottle neck…these lumps of clay will become the doll’s shoulders.
77. You made need to make slip to fill in
crevices and cracks and to also adhere the clay to itself. To make slip, take a
small bit of clay, dip it in water so that it is paste-like.
88. Once your shoulders are applied, feel
free to use your fingers to sculpt the body shape you desire. Don’t be afraid
to add many layers of Creative Paperclay!!!
99. Take your sharp tool or toothpick and
make holes from the top of the shoulders to the bottom in a diagonal fashion
from front to back. Dip the tool in a bit of water and twist the tool inside
the hole to make it smooth.
110. Take your wire and measure out two
10-12 inch lengths. Fold each wire in half, hold the loose ends with your
fingers or needle nose pliers and twist the loop end with your hand. Do this
until the entire length of the wire is twisted to your liking.
111. Place these wires into the holes you
made through the shoulders. Keep the wire straight for now. Determine how long
you want your doll’s arms to be and cut off any excess with the wire cutter.
112. Roll out a snake of Creative
Paperclay…about 10 inches long. Fold in half and cut. Make one end of each
snake a hand, round the other end for a shoulder. Let dry for 10 minutes and
then place over wire you’ve placed through the shoulder holes.
113. I always shape my arms in a round
fashion…sculpt your arms in any way it suits you!
114. Add facial features and hair to your
doll. I use my thumbs to make eye socket, a lump for the nose with a couple
little nostrils, round bits of clay for cheek bones, leaf shaped lump of clay
for lips, and twisted strips of clay for hair.
115. Allow your newly sculpted doll to dry
for one to two days depending on your climate. It takes at least two days here
in New England!
116. Once dry, paint your doll and have a
blast. Visit my blog (http://marissartdolls.blogspot.com) Sunday, December 11th for a tutorial on how to
dress your doll! Or feel free to figure out your own technique!!! (Decoupage
perhaps?!?)
Wishing everyone very HAPPY AND HEALTHY HOLIDAYS!!! Thanks
for reading my tutorial!!!
