June Goodnow
Mrs. Pugsley and Pugette
c. 1998

From The Art Room
of Annie Wahl
Baking Doll Parts

I use thick darning needles to stick up into the legs of my dolls before I bake the clay. I also put small pins into each finger that sticks out - or any digit that would appear vulnerable to breakage. Yes, the pin has to be bent to the shape of the finger. Just use a needle nose pliers to insert the pin and touch up the tip of the finger to hide the hole. I have a lot of good tips and points, but so does a porcupine-- more later. Find more information about Annie Wahl on the Contact A NIADA Member Page.

Annie Wahl
The Witches Make-Over
c. 1998

The Importance of Eye Placement
by June Goodnow

I have proudly been an artist member of NIADA since 1976. Everything I know I've learned the hard way, by time consuming trial and error. Ten years ago, I decided to combine my love of dollmaking with the joy I get from sharing what I have learned. In my 3-day sculpting seminars, I teach students the absolute necessity of symmetry in facial features.

The first day of each seminar is devoted to sculpting the doll head. Each student is provided with the tools and armatures necessary to build and shape their heads. The shoulder armature is made from a block of wood, with a hole drilled in the middle to accommodate the neck dowel. The armature is then completely covered with aluminum foil by wrapping the shoulder and neck, and then carefully shaping the foil over the dowel to approximate the basic shape of a skull.

Next the foil is covered with an even layer of prepared clay. What we have done so far has been the easy part as now the real work (and fun) begins. My students learn that I place great emphasis on the importance of symmetry. Students hear that word many, many times. The head and skull must be as symmetrical as possible. A lopsided head creates an optical illusion when it comes to the placement of facial features - especially the eyes!

Placing the eyes: Draw a temporary shallow vertical line on the face from chin to forehead with a toothpick. Then draw another line horizontally, halfway from the chin to the top of head for the eye placement line. Mark the clay where the eyes should go on either side of the vertical line, right on the horizontal line leaving a space for one eye in between.

After marking the eye placement, use a wooden eye-sizing tool to gently push the sockets into the clay as evenly as possible and try to avoid pushing one socket in deeper that the other. Naturally both eyes must be set at the same depth. If one socket does get deeper than the other, then just remove one eye and add more clay to even it out.

Checking for depth: Look over the top of the forehead to see if both eyes pop into view at the same time. If they do, they are probably set correctly. Another way to check this is to look at the doll face from the chin up. Tilt the head so you are looking up the neck and over the chin, roll the head until you can see the eyes. This rock and roll method is a good measure of depth.

The eyes must be on the same horizontal plane with both eyes looking in the same direction. If one eye is even slightly off, the head will never look right. If you want the doll to be looking to the side or flirty, then you would want to tilt both eyes to the side so both iris's are again facing the same direction.

Good luck to all of you with your
doll making!
June Goodnow
http://www.JuneGoodnow.com

Excerpt from a student letter:
"Dear June: Thanks so much for a wonderful first class in doll sculpting. I believe the most important lesson I learned was the emphasis on making the head symmetrical, checking from top and bottom,sides, ad infinitum. I plan on remembering that lesson for all time. Thanks again."

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