Clown Doll Tutorial - Head

So this is how I made the Raggedy Clown Doll.  This is one of the ways I make my dolls although I have refined my technique since making this a year ago.

Begin with a large wad of tin foil for the head armature.

Scrumple it into a tight ball shape.

Cover the foil ball with masking tape or white floral tape.

Roll out a sheet of clay and cover your ball with the clay.  Roll it around on a flat surface so that all air bubbles are removed and smooth away any joins.  I am using porcelain coloured Fimo Puppen here.  

These are the tools I used for sculpting this doll.  A wooden tool and two small plastic sculpting tools. I also have my craft knife for removing any bits that get in the clay.

Once you have enough clay to make the ball into an egg shape, mark out where the eyes, nose and mouth will sit.

Use the large wooden tool to push two holes into the clay where you will put your eyeballs.

Insert your eyeballs into the holes and push them in about half way.  I have used clear glass beads here as this was all I could get at the time.  You can use other beads or pre baked clay balls or pre made eyes.

Push the clay in around the edge of the eyes to secure the beads in place to stop them wandering as you sculpt.

Make two balls of clay the same size (about the size of your beads) and roll them into discs.

Cut each disc in half.

Cover your beads about half way down with one half of the disc.

Put the other half of the disc on the lower half of the eyes.

Press your tool into the clay around the eye balls (they look a bit like bags now).

And begin to blend the clay into the head, pushing upwards on the upper lid and down on the lower lid to open the eyes up a bit.

Keep blending til they look like this.

Place a blob of clay where the nose will go.  (Looks like Squidward).

Blend outwards and into the face.

Keep blending.

Roll out two large balls of clay and flatten theme out into elongated circles.

Place them over the nose and mouth area and overlap them.

Blend into the lower eye area, sides of face, jaw and nose.  Use your fingers to push the clay down to flatten out the face either side of the nose and under the nose.

Should look like this.

Add a small ball of clay to the end of the nose.

Like this.

Blend

Blend

Add a flattened ball of clay under the nose.

Blend up and out, leaving a little shelf underneath.

Use your tool to create the lip shape and the philtrum. 

Pull the upper lip outwards slightly to allow the lower lip to slot in underneath.

Slot in another blob of clay for the bottom lip and push up under the top lip, shape the bottom lip.  Use a tool to push in at the corners of the mouth.

Roll out a large ball of clay and flatten it.  Place it over the brow area and cover the upper eyelids slightly.

Use the tool to create the bridge of the nose.  Push the clay around the eyelids to create the brow bones.

Blend the clay over the head, down the sides and create your eyelid area.

Place a couple of fat balls of clay onto the cheek area and blend them in around the mouth/chin area, under the eyes and round the sides of the head.

Should look like this when you are done. Chubby cheeks.  Mark in some nostrils too.  Use your tool to insert into the clay where you marked and then gently pull out sideways and up slightly.

Add a ball of clay to the chin, and blend in by rolling your tool to make a rounded area under the lower lip.

Check your profile, smooth out any dodgy/lumpy bits.  Leave it be and return to it in a couple of hours and look for any odd things you might have missed, or things you want to change.  

Make sure to push a hole at the base of the skull to insert the neck.

When ready you can bake the head.

Find out how to make the body and ears in Part Two