To stiffen the fabric to prepare for painting:
Materials needed:
Doll body with sewing finished except for attaching arms and legs
1 inch width stiff bristled brush (or smaller for smaller dolls)
1 inch Sable brush or fine haired brush
Liquitex modeling paste (a pint will do many dolls)
Liquitex Gel medium (a pint will do many dolls also)
Liquitex Gesso (I use white but colored is okay)
(I use only Liquitex products for the preparation!! The others that I have tried get really chalky and/or crack!! They are available at any art supply store....and Walmart in some areas. I get mine from Michael's craft store. I am sure there are cheaper ones, but don't skimp here! For one doll, the smaller quantity will do. I buy it by the gallon!!)
Quilting thread or heavy thread (color doesn't matter)
Paper clips or Safety Pins
Clothes Hanger
Masking Tape (get the good stuff!)
Plastic wrap or large plastic bags big enough for the doll
Fine sandpaper
A water mister if you are doing it in a dry area
Directions:
This is your end result: (These two are the same doll pattern)
Wash the fabric you are using for the doll to remove any sizing or dust. (I heard that argh!!!)
The doll pattern I use is my own. It is a one piece body with the head attached but without the arms and legs sewn on.....yet. Any pattern will do! I was thinking that Elinor Peace Bailey's, "Anne of the Celtic Mist" ( or similar patterns) would be cute done this way! Make sure that all of your body (ears, noses, breasts....etc.), fingers, toes and joints are finished!
Note* If you have never painted a doll before and you are not confident enough to paint right on the doll, start with a 'pancake' type doll. (a two piece doll like a raggedy ann or basic rag doll) Trace the head on fabric, prepare the fabric like these directions tell you, and paint that. You can use an old embroidery hoop that is bigger than the head to keep it tight if you want to, this just makes it easier to paint. Then sew the face on when you are finished painting and sealing it. Make sure you use masking tape where you are going to sew. It is very difficult to sew through the painted part.
Now Get Brave!!
I mask off the doll body with masking tape and plastic wrap on the areas I don't want to get the messy mixture on! This leaves the areas I want to prepare for painting exposed. I mask it like you would see on a bisque doll head with the squared off shoulders. Then I sew a cord to the bottom of the doll and tie it to a paper clip for hanging on a clothes hanger later for drying.
You can do the arms and legs the same way. Mask off the ends that are going to be sewn to the body. I mask off about 1 1/2 inches on the top of the arms (leaving the hand and forearm exposed) and about a 1/2 inch from the knee up (leaving the shin and foot exposed) You want to leave the masked areas as just plain fabric so you can attach them to the body!!
Sew a 3 inch or so doubled quilting thread to the bottom of each. Attach a paper clip or safety pin to the end of the thread.
I use the paper clip to hang them from a clothes hanger later when they are drying. Then, I put them in a closet or a place that is not being used often...it looks kind of gruesome with all of those bodies, arms and legs hanging upside down....he he he. Or you can put them in a coffee can, weight it with rocks or marbles or something so it doesn't tip over.
Here we go!
I mix a 50:50 blend of modeling paste (a marble dust mixed in a latex base) and gel medium. I use a well cleaned plastic butter tub with a lid to mix it in. That way you can leave it over night and it won't dry out.
Using a 1 inch width brush, I apply the first coat heavy enough to not see too much fabric showing through. Try not to get large built up areas but you don't have to worry about brush strokes at this stage. Use your brush to remove excessive mixture from creases, like around the ears and nose. If it starts to dry too fast, mist it with water. Let it dry over night in an undisturbed area, upside down hanging from its paper clip.
Apply the second coat in the same manner. Let dry overnight.
At this stage, you shouldn't be able to see any fabric. Lightly sand out any brushstrokes. Don't sand too hard or you will go down and damage the fabric! Use a slightly damp soft cloth to remove the dust.
Apply the third coat. Let dry overnight.
The surface should be now hard and warm. If it is white all over, lightly sand out any brushstrokes. Use a slightly damp soft cloth to remove the dust. (If it is cool and splotchy with gray spots, it is not dry yet! Also, If it is not hard all over when you tap with a fingernail, you will need to apply another coat and sand it.)
I mix my Gesso with the gel medium: two parts gesso to one part gel medium. Apply two coats of this mix allowing to dry completely between coats. Sand if it needs it.
If at this point you have any 'craters' that you are not happy with, you can let the modeling paste get thick by letting some air dry a little and fill in the craters.
[I wrote to Liquitex and they said that you can glue (using the gel medium) on top of this. I had asked this because I decided to put ears on her after I was at this stage. This would be great for clay parts too.]
All Right!! You are ready to paint!! It looks cool now huh? A face waiting to happen!!
I leave the masking tape, plastic, and the paper clip on until I am finished painting. Take care when removing the masking tape after you have painted it so that you don't chip the paint.
You can use either oil or latex paint on this. It is whatever you prefer! The traditional method is using oils with linseed oil to give the face depth and easy blending abilities, but for those of you that can't use oils because of health reasons, latex is just great! Oils take longer to dry though, but the effect is worth it! From doing research and from experience, using cobalt or Japanese dryers to make the oils dry faster, allows cracking and peeling over time! Always use oils in a well ventilated place!
Enjoy!! I would love to see your dolls when you are finished with them, or tell me how your experience was. Please email me at: mailto:Dolls@heirlooms4tomorrow.com
Please do not use my email address for spam advertising!!
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