I had some Sculpey lying around my studio, so I decided to test out sculpting with polymer clay as opposed to the oil-based Claytoon. With lots of referencing my current doll collection and my own hands, I think I’m finally understanding how to manipulate the clay to make recognizable body parts. The paler pieces below are the newer Sculpey hands, which I’ve been refining along with some feet.
I neglected to take photos of the feet yesterday, as well as Pashmina’s preliminary work-in-progress head (oops). However, I finally have a roughly-accurate turnaround for her (below)! I’m aiming for her final size to be around 30cm tall.
In further news, I formulated an outline/week-by-week schedule for progress goals and production to stay on task. I’m expecting some new supplies to practice making wigs and eyes, as well as more Sculpey and tools, within the next couple weeks, so that should keep things running smoothly.
On top of the hip/leg joints (which confuse me), the faceplate system is tricky to figure out, since each face will need to fit on a generic headback to be seamlessly interchangeable with embedded magnets. My current headback is on the larger-than-intended size and needs some intense sanding to clean up some lumps/cracks. It’s a learning process, for sure.
Questions that have been on my mind for the past couple weeks:
- Why do I want to make toys? Especially of these characters (Izumi & Pashmina)?
- Why do I hesitate to say “I want to make toys/dolls as a product line/series?”
- Is there pressure to create something aligning with “fine art”?
- Why is this a prominent anxiety for me?
- Can my products (these dolls) be more accessible to others by being toys?
- What does it mean for these characters to become toys?
- How might their stories change when someone unfamiliar with their characters engages in play?
Kayleigh Fogle 