TUTORIAL

One of the nice things about being a dollmaker is that I can share tips and tricks I have learned with other dollmakers and we can learn from each other.

When I first started making dolls I had no idea that the internet was home to such a huge range of tutorials and help for miniaturists.

I would  like to contribute to this and hope to start here on my tutorials page.

BASIC HAND TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS

This is a simple basic tutorial . Novice doll makers often struggle with hands and its amazing the difference a good pair of hands can make to a doll.

This is how I started out making hands , its very easy to follow

1. Right , lets get started ! You should have a clean flat surface to work on. I usually work on glass and its easy to wipe over. You could start with any clean surface, even a sheet of clean paper makes a great makeshift surface to work on and you can simply throw it away when you are finished :0)

I keep a supply of babywipes nearby and wipe my hands frequently as I work.

First condition your clay by kneading until pliable and soft.I use prosculpt clay as it take very little kneading but you can use any brand of polymer clay.

Once your clay is workable roll it into a long sausage the width you would like your lower arms to be then cut two log shapes. I use a size chart for my hands but for the average 12th scale lady doll the logs are approximately 30mm long and 6mm wide.

2.Round the ends of the logs then take each log and roll between your index fingers about 10 mm from the end to give a waisted effect.

3. Lay your clay arms on your work surface and flatten each hand slightly

4.Now cut a shallow elongated v shape from each hand.You now have your basic hand shape ! Take each hand and shape with your fingers rounding off the finger area and thinning out a little at the top. Then roll your thumb to give a good shape

5. Now lay your hands back on the board and make 3 cuts in each hand to the half way point. This is the start of your fingers. Make sure you cut right through the clay.

6. This is where it gets a bit tricky ! Very gently take each finger in turn and roll between yiur forefinger and thumb ever so gently elongating it and tapering it towards the end. Go carefully as if your clay isnt soft enough it can snap. If you snap a finger dont panic, simply use your smoothing tool to attach it again.

7. This is what it should look like, a bit like Edward Scissorhands !

8. Now take your blade again and cut the fingers to the size you want.

The lovely thing about making hands is you have two of your own so use your own hand as a guide for the finger length !

9. Now its time to add some detail and make these look like hands !

First of all round off the fingertips gently so they are nicely tapered. Then take your smoothing tool and gently push down between each finger to make a little groove , it should look like this :

10. now press down on the back of each hand with your smoothing tool to flatten slightly.

11. This forms knuckles, your hand should already be looking more realistic.

12. With the flat end of your darning needle gently indent the end of each finger to make nails, then with your sharp blade very carefully press down either side of the nail.

This gives a lovely nail effect but do be careful not to slice right through the finger tip !

13. Very gently pinch the finger tips a little to keep their shape

 14. Now its time to turn the hands over and put some detail there too. First make a rounded indentation in the centre of the palm. I use my wooden tool for this as its the perfect shape. Then press down slightly under the palm to flatten the underside of the wrist.

15. Using your pin or a sharp ended tool draw in the lines of the palm, as many or as few as you choose.

16. Then draw in the three sections of each finger. Again use your own hands for guidance here.

 17. Now gently push the thumb side of the hand down and under a little to give a realistic shape to the hand.

 18. Your hand should look something like this

19.To attach the hand to your doll you will need to insert your wire. I use a 2mm knitting needle to make my wire hole. Cut your arm to the desired length and then push the knitting needle into the end. Once your hand is on the needle you can shape your arm and pose your hand.

20. This is when I add any creases to the wrists and take my filbert brush to smooth the hands. If you brush gently between the fingers and over the backs of the hands you get a lovely effect.

This is your basic ladies hand !

ADAPTING THE HAND

Now to adapt this for a mans hand and an old hand. I will show you how I add the extra details to make the hand look more male. I make the hand slightly larger than the female then follow the steps as above. I use a slightly larger roll of clay and give the hand a more squared shape. It doesnt take a lot of effort to alter the look of a hand in this scale.

First I take the hand palm up and press down with my wooden smoothing tool and indent firmly under the palm to give the effect of tendons in the wrist.

Now turn the hand over and deepen the indentations between each finger.

Then flatten the hand slightly just underneath the knuckle area to give a pronounced knuckle effect.

Lay the hand palm down and using your needle or pointed tool carefully draw in a few lines where each finger joint would be. 3 or 4 lines is sufficient at each joint and give a nice male look to the hand.

I tap the end of each finger a little to square it off and you can then take your blade and slice very carefully into the top edge of each nail. You should now have a nice manly looking hand.

To age the hand is quite simple and works the same on a male or female hand.

First lay your hands palm up.

Take your needle tool and start to add lines to the palm. Use your own hand for guidance if needed and draw in as many lines as you like, add a few more lines at each finger joint to see an immediate ageing effect.

Using your smoothing tool indent further at the wrist . Press down on either side of the indent you already have there. THis gives a really good aged effect.

Now turn your hand over and deepen the indentations between each finger running down the hands.

Smooth over with your brush or smoothing tool to give the effect of gentle folds of skin.

Now take your tool between each finger and gently pull it over to one side to give the effect of loose skin between each finger.

Add as much detail as you like around the knuckles , the more lines the older your hand will look.Now take your tool  between each finger

You now have an old hand !

Your hands are now complete and ready to be posed. Use your own hands to practice posing. if you pose your clay fingers from each joint you will find the indentations you have made there allow the fingers to fall easily into a natural position.

Your hands are now ready to bake. I always bake for at least 30 minutes for a strong hand and often bake for twice that long !

Fairy and lady doll makers might like to take a little 3D gloss and add a drop to each finger nail when the hand has cooled to give a beautiful fingernail effect.

This is a very basic tutorial but also a great starting point.

As  you practise you will want to make your hands look more and more realistic and start adding extra details such as knuckle bones and wrist bones. You will have fun adapting the way you work and creating more and more lifelike hands.

Have fun !

 
Copyright © 2007 Julie Campbell. All Rights Reserved