Polymer Art Doll Head Solid Hollow or Wrapped Around Foil ?

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Ball jointed dolls are fully-articulated dolls made from urethane resin. The original dolls were made past Volks in Nippon, but other companies in China and South korea have begun making them besides. Although making your ain ball jointed doll tin get expensive subsequently you add the price of all the materials together, information technology is a great way to make the doll of your dreams.

1. one

   Larn as much every bit you can most ball jointed dolls. Read online articles about bjds (ball jointed dolls). Familiarize yourself with how they are constructed and strung together. If possible, try to handle a bjd in person. Lastly, be familiar with the metric system, especially if you lot plan to sell your sculpt.

   • Brawl jointed dolls are ever measured in centimeters. Their optics are always measured in millimeters. If you plan to sell your sculpt, use these every bit your primary measurements.
   • Ball jointed doll forums and social media groups are dandy places learn more than about these dolls.

2. two

   Cull the size of doll you want to make. There are three main sizes of bjds: yoSD, MSD, and SD. SDs are typically 55 to 57 cm (22 to 22 in) tall. They are sometimes called SD10. SD13 are typically 57 to 60 cm (22 to 24 in) tall. You can likewise get them larger: 65 to 72 cm (26 to 28 in). MSDs are typically 42 to 44 cm (17 to 17 in) alpine. Yo-SDs are typically 26.5 cm (10.four in) alpine.^[1]

   • SD stands for "Super Dollfie," MSD stands for "Mini Super Dollfie," and "Yo SD" stands for "Yo Super Dollfie."^[two]
   • The larger your doll is, the more expensive it will be to cast.

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3. 3

   Decide whether you lot desire a child-similar or mature-looking doll. Most SD dolls tend to have mature proportions with full breasts or defined muscles. Some of them tin have softer, more kid-like bodies, such every bit the dolls made past Volks. MSD dolls tend to accept child-like, merely you can go mature ones too, like the Fairyland MiniFee. Well-nigh yoSD dolls have childlike features, but you tin make one that is more mature and slender.

   • Mature yoSDs are unremarkably known as mature tinies.

4. 4

   Make up one's mind betwixt a realistic or stylistic mode. Bjds are closely related to Dollfie Dreams, which look similar anime characters. As such, even realistic bjds take slightly longer legs, bigger busts, and narrower waists than the boilerplate human. Some sculptors similar to make their dolls fifty-fifty more than stylized, with long, slender, willowy bodies. A keen example are Dollzone and Doll Chateau dolls.

   • Consider making an anthro or animal doll. They tend to exist yoSD sized with childlike proportions. Cats and rabbits are the well-nigh popular.

5. 5

   Draw a full-sized, anatomical sketch of your doll from the front and side. I of the things that makes a bjd different from other dolls is that they are anatomically correct. This means that male dolls have penises and female person dolls accept vaginal slits.^[iii]

   • The sketch needs to lucifer the size of the doll you are making in centimeters/inches.
   • The genitals do not take to exist realistic or highly-detailed. They tin be a simple bulge or slit.

6. 6

   Add the joints in the arms, legs, and caput. A basic bjd will accept joints in the following expanse: ankles, knees, thighs/hips, wrists, elbows, and arms/shoulders. Information technology volition also accept one or 2 joints in the torso, as well equally a joint in the cervix/base of head.

   • A trunk articulation is typically in 1 of the following areas: ribcage/waist, under-bust, or hips (underwear line).
   • Some dolls are double-jointed in the elbows and knees. This means that the articulation is a carve up piece that fits into the knee and elbow sockets.
   • The thighs fit into sockets in the hips, and accept a vertical slit for the elastic so that the doll can sit down.
   • Some dolls accept a divide joint in the upper thigh. This joint is a clean, horizontal line.

7. seven

   Add together a sketch for the core, if desired. You don't have to do this, just you lot can if you desire to. The cadre will merely help you effigy out how large to make the hollow parts of the doll. Y'all can depict the cadre on tracing paper, then record it over your sketch, or you can dry the core directly onto your sketch.

8. 8

   Ensure that your doll will fit other companies' eyes, wigs, and shoes. Bjds come up bald and without eyes. While y'all tin make wigs and eyes yourself, these tin be time consuming, difficult, and expensive. Virtually people simply buy the eyes, wigs, and shoes from various bjd companies. To make your shopping easier, ensure that your doll fits the standard sizes.

   • BJD optics are sold in fifty-fifty sized numbers ranging from half dozen mm to 24 mm.
   • BJD wigs are sold in inches based on the caput circumference. A vii.5 wig volition fit a doll with a vii ¹⁄_two  in (19 cm) head.
   • BDS shoes are sold in mm sizes. Your doll's foot needs to exist modest enough to fit inside the shoe.

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1. i

   Build an armature and core out of foam or aluminum foil. Carve foam into shapes for the head, torso, and limbs. Make the head, limbs, and torso dissever pieces, but don't add whatsoever joints yet. Wrap foam with plastic wrap, and aluminum foil with masking record.^[4]

   • Exit two to 5mm between the core and the outline of your anatomical sketch.^[5]
   • You tin employ straws for the artillery and legs. Regular drinking straws volition work for yoSD and MSD dolls. Large or "boba" drinking straws volition work improve for SD dolls.

2. ii

   Cover your cadre with clay and add crude hip and shoulder sockets. Use paper clay to build over each of your core pieces (torso, head, arms, and legs). Do non include any details, but do add together sockets into the torso for the shoulder and hips.^{[half dozen]}

   • Add 2 round assurance to the head to make room for the center sockets. Make certain that they match the size of the eyes yous want your doll to wear.

3. 3

   Permit the clay dry, then cut information technology apart and remove the core. Allow the newspaper clay to dry completely. In one case it has dried, use a dremel rotary tool or a craft blade to slice the torso and limb pieces along the sides. Cut the head autonomously forth the crown. Remove the core from inside the newspaper dirt beat.^[7]

   • The head will be in two separate pieces: a head and head cap. The cut should get effectually the forehead, above the ears, and the back of the nape.
   • If the middle socket balls remained in the head, exist sure to pull those out likewise.
   • Salve the core pieces for casting.

4. iv

   Reassemble the torso and limb shells with gum and more clay. Use super gum to reassemble the cutting pieces, sans core. Smoothen over the seams with more paper clay to brand them dainty and strong. Do not reassemble the caput and head cap. These will remain separate.

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1. 1

   Add more newspaper dirt onto the doll's body and refine information technology. Utilise more newspaper clay to sculpt over the doll's torso, limbs, and head. This fourth dimension, pay attention to the details, such as muscles, facial features, and genitals. Reference anatomical draws as much as possible.^[8]

2. 2

   Sculpt the hands and feet with rounded tops. You tin build these from scratch or work over an armature. BJD easily and feet at solid through, and so yous don't need to cutting these autonomously. Make the tops of the wrists and ankles rounded so that they can fit into the ankle and wrist sockets.^[nine]

3. 3

   Cut the doll apart forth the joints, making them angled. Use a dremel or arts and crafts blade to slice the doll apart at the torso, knees, and elbow. Adjacent, cut the tops of the lower arms and legs off at a slight angle. Do the aforementioned for the bottoms of the upper arms and thighs. This will let the doll to move their arms and knees more freely.

   • The angles need to slant abroad from the elbows and knees.

4. 4

   Sculpt new joints and sockets. Add assurance to the tops of the lower arms and legs, and so cover them with plastic wrap. Add together some clay to the bottoms of the upper arms and thighs, then squish the assurance against them to create sockets.^[10]

   • Add together some balls to the tops of the upper artillery. Make them perpendicular to the arm rather than right on top. This will allow the arms to hang straight down.
   • Make the summit of the bottom torso slice taper in a fiddling, and so soften the inside edge of the upper torso slice. This allows them to fit together like stacked bowls.

5. v

   Add stringing holes to the assurance and sockets. Add a stringing hole to the acme of the shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee balls. Add a hole to the top of the cervix too, if it got covered up. Make sure that the holes are the same size as the channels inside the limbs.

   • Work while the clay is withal wet. If the clay dried, use a dremel to brand the holes.

6. half-dozen

   Cutting stringing slits into the balls, including the talocrural joint and wrist assurance. The slits need to run from the stringing hole to the bottom edge of the ball where it touches the limb. Make the slits run in the following directions:

   • Upper thighs: center-forepart of the thigh ball. The slit needs to be long enough so that the doll can sit while strung.
   • Knees: back-center of the genu balls
   • Shoulders: within the arm, where the ball fits into the socket.
   • Elbow: center-front of the within arm.
   • Feet: across the unabridged ball, running parallel to the length of the feet.
   • Hands: across the entire brawl, from palm to the top of the paw.

7. vii

   Add magnet and stringing holes to the head and head cap. When you pull the caput cap (peak of the head) abroad, you'll come across a set of magnets: one above the forehead and ane above the nape. You lot should use a dremel to drill like holes into your doll's head and head cap so that you can insert magnets.

   • Don't add together the magnets yet. Yous volition add together them afterward you cast the doll.
   • A bjd's head will also accept a minor hole in the bottom where the cervix joint is. This pigsty is the same size as the cervix hole. It besides has a vertical slit that is wide enough for the rubberband and S-hook.

8. 8

   Add hook confined to the ankle and wrist balls. Yous can do this by inserting a piece of wire perpendicular to the slit, or you lot can add some clay to the summit of the slit. This volition permit the hook to latch onto the hands and feet.

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1. i

   Allow the clay dry, so prime and sand the doll. Coat the doll with a few layers of surface primer. Allow it dry out, so sand it with fine-grit sandpaper. Do this a few times until y'all get the finish that you similar and you can no longer see the clay.^[eleven]

2. two

   Examination the stringing and work out whatsoever kinks. While not completely necessary, this will relieve you lot a lot of grief in the future. Cord your doll using the last method or an online tutorial. Make sure that the joints fit and move properly. The doll should be able to stand on its own.

   • Use loose stringing for this role. If you make information technology too tight, you risk breaking the clay.

3. three

   Build the mold box out of Lego bricks, and fill the bottom with dirt. You will need one mold box for each slice that y'all cast, but smaller pieces, similar yoSD dolls, easily, and feet can fit into a single mold box. Make the walls taller than the slice when it is laying downward on its side. Fill the bottom of each mold box with rock or ceramic clay (not paper clay) to prevent leaks.

   • Don't permit the clay dry.

4. 4

   Set the pieces into the mold boxes. Press the pieces halfway into the clay. Feet should be placed on their sides, and easily should be placed flat and so that all fingers are visible. The caput and head cap need to sit down apartment on the dirt.

   • BJDs have seams running down the sides of each piece, and so prepare them into the clay appropriately.
   • Identify different sized marbles into the corners of the box. This will allow you to align the mold pieces during casting.

5. 5

   Make full the mold boxes with silicone and allow information technology set. Buy loftier-quality casting silicone from a casting store or an online shop. Mix together Parts A and B, then pour them into the mold. Let the silicone prepare.

   • Use a good-quality silicone from a casting supply store. Do non use cheap silicone from the home comeback shop.

6. 6

   Remove the silicone, reverse it, and make full the second half. Take everything out of the mold box. Fix the silicone mold into the box with the cavity facing upwards. Place the piece back into the silicone mold. Coat the top of the mold with mold release, then fill up the remainder of the mold with more silicone. Permit the silicone set.

7. 7

   Insert the core into the molds. Accept everything out of the molds. Insert your straw cores into the molds. When y'all get to the torso and head molds, insert straws into the cores where the stringing holes are, then set them into the molds. Secure the molds with rubber bands.

   • Cover Styrofoam core pieces with plastic wrap or masking tape, or the resin volition sink into them.

8. viii

   Cast the doll in urethane resin. Bjds come up in all sizes, shapes, and colors, but there is one thing that they all accept in common: they are made from urethane resin. Purchase the resin from a casting supply store, so tint it the color you lot desire using resin dye.

   • If you want the doll to be made from "French" resin, purchase a semi-translucent urethane resin.
   • Well-nigh dolls are skin-toned, ranging from off-white to tan to night, simply some are white. Y'all can also endeavour a fantasy color, such every bit greyness or purple.

9. 9

   Let the resin cure, then de-mold the pieces. How long the resin takes to cure depends on the type that you used. This tin can be a few minutes to a few hours. Once the resin has cured, remove the pieces from the molds, then have out the core pieces. If a piece came out warped, yous may have to re-cast it.

10. 10

    Ask a casting company to cast your doll for you if you can't practice information technology yourself. Most bjd companies won't cast dolls for other people, just there are lots of other companies that volition. Visit some bjd sculpting communities, and research what casting companies are willing to cast bjds.

    • Be enlightened that casting companies typically accept a minimum requirement of 10 dolls. If yous are serious about this, consider doing a pre-gild.
    • A pre-order is where other people purchase the doll from you. Once the company casts the dolls and ships them to you, you volition take to ship the dolls to your customers.

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1. i

   Sand the doll's seams and do whatever extra drilling. Be sure that you wear a respirator mask for fine dust particles when you lot sand the pieces. You can sand the pieces with a dremel or sandpaper. Starting time off with a crude grit, and cease with a finer grit.

   • If a stringing hole got filled, you lot will have to drill it with a dremel. Cheque the Southward-hook confined in the ankle and wrist bars to ensure that they haven't been filled in.

2. 2

   Add argent neodymium magnets into the doll's caput cap. Buy these magnets online in a size that matches the holes that you made. Glue the magnets into the holes with super glue. Make sure that the polarities are correct.

   • Practise not use regular magnets. They are not strong enough.

3. iii

   Hook small S-hooks over the bars on the wrist and talocrural joint assurance. Buy some small S-hooks from an online bjd store or a hardware store. Make sure that they are small enough to fit inside the stringing channels, and so hook them over the wrists and ankles. Accept a large South hook ready for the caput.

4. four

   Cutting and tie circular, white elastic for the arms and legs. Measure out the distance from the left wrist to the center of the breast, double it, and so cut a slice of elastic according to that measurement. Next, measure the doll from the top of the cervix to the bottom of the torso, double it, and cut another piece of elastic. Tie both pieces of elastic into loops.

   • The thickness of the elastic depends on the size of the doll and the stringing channels. The bigger your doll is, the thicker the elastic needs to exist.
   • Bjds utilise round (not flat) elastic that is white in color, which y'all tin find in online bjd stores.

5. 5

   String your doll with the elastic. Thread the shorter slice through the arms and latch it onto the S-hooks. Fold the larger loop in half. Latch information technology onto the large S-hook, then pull it down through the cervix and torso. Pull each one-half through each leg, and then latch it onto the S-hooks too.

   • Utilise a pipe cleaner or a bjd stringing tool to string your doll. You can find bjd stringing tools in online bjd stores.
   • If y'all are confused nearly stringing your bjd, look up video tutorials online or enquire a fellow hobbyist to assist you.

6. 6

   Give your doll a faceup, eyes, wig, and vesture. You can give the doll a faceup using an online tutorial, or you tin can commission a fellow hobbyist to do it for you. Purchase article of clothing, shoes, eyes, and a wig for your doll from a bjd supply. The wig should fit comfortably over your doll's head, merely yous will need to insert the optics using poster tack or silicone ear putty.

   • A faceup refers to the blushing, lip colour, lashes, and eyebrows practical to a doll's face.
   • Practice not utilise polymer clay to set the optics, or you will stain the resin.
   • Be careful what supplies you use for your doll'due south faceup. Specific brands are recommended for a reason; other brands may cook the resin.
   • If you know how to run up, yous can make your doll's clothes yourself. Some people sell bjd patterns, but they may non fit your doll.

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Add New Question

• Question

  What are brawl jointed dolls made of?

  

  This respond was written past one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  The original sculpt is typically made out of polymer clay, while the finished production is fabricated of polyurethane resin, a type of plastic with a porcelain-like stop.

• Question

  Why are brawl jointed dolls so expensive?

  

  This answer was written by one of our trained squad of researchers who validated information technology for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Reply

  It's a combination of the materials they're fabricated of and the skill and endeavor it takes to brand ane. Sculpting, casting, and stringing the doll is a complicated process, and loftier-quality resins and doll parts (like eyes and wigs) can get pricey.

• Question

  How do you sculpt a ball jointed doll's face?

  

  This respond was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  In that location are several means to do it, but it helps to create an "infill" over which to sculpt the confront, such as a brawl of aluminum foil or clay wrapped in cling wrap. You tin can also cutting out a slice of cardboard in the shape of the graphic symbol's facial profile and slide that over your infill. And so, build the face over the infill, using the cardboard profile to guide your placement of the features, such as the nose and lips. If yous plan to put in glass optics, you lot'll need to go out openings so they can peek through from inside the finished head.

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• Your first cast may not come up out perfect. Consider practicing with cheaper resin to get the hang of it.

• High humidity can cause casting and curing issues. If information technology is boiling where you live, wait until the weather is more dry.

• Take some sculpting classes or watch tutorials on how to sculpt man bodies and faces. Everyone learns differently, so you'll have to find what works for you.

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

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• Do non let your doll out in sunlight, or the resin will yellow.

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Things You'll Need

• Styrofoam or aluminum foil
• Plastic wrap or masking tape
• Wire
• Silicone
• Casting urethane
• Legos
• Straws
• Bjd rubberband
• 4 pocket-size S-hooks
• 1 large S-claw
• Paper clay
• Sculpting tools
• Dremel rotary tool
• Crafting blade
• Sandpaper

About This Article

Article Summary 10

To make a brawl-jointed doll, you lot'll first need to make a prototype out of foam or foil. Embrace it in paper dirt and sculpt its features to make it more realistic. Make the limbs, torso, and head separately, and cut holes for every joint where the balls will go. Call up to cleave tracts for the elastic to go inside, which volition hold your doll together. Once you've finished your epitome, use it to make a bandage out of silicone. After you've pressed your mold, assemble the pieces and balls past threading elastic through them. For more tips, including how to style your doll's facial features, read on!

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