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Sandra Thomas Oglesby
Brother
of The Leaf
C.
2000, polymer clay, 14.5"
Sandra Thomas Oglesby
The Law of Perfect Balance
C.
1999, polymer clay, 14"
Pleating Tip
by Nancy Walters, NIADA Artist If you're using a wonderful fabric that's a little heavy for the gathered skirt you're making for a doll and can't pull it in enough to fit the waist using a running stitch, try pleating before gathering. This also works well if the skirt will fit the waist but looks bulky. If your machine has a gathering foot that makes small pleats, you can pleat it that way and then making a running stitch with a heavy thread to adjust it to fit the waist. If you can't do it on your machine, you can pleat by hand. For more information about Nancy Walters visit the Artist Member Contact page of this web site. 
Nancy Walters
La Lune
c. 1996, Polymer clay
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Weird Hair
by
Sandra Thomas Oglesby, NIADA Artist
Recently,
a friend looked at the hair on my latest creation and said,"Does
this mean you are never going to use mohair again?" My answer,
since I know better than to say never,"I hope not, that stuff
sticks to every thing!" There it is - my primary motivation
for trying any number of different materials for doll hair. I've
used various furs, yarns and threads from fine silk to bulky chenille,
hats instead of hair, and most recently, tiny strings of beads,
anything to avoid mohair.
Of my experiments, the technique that has caused the most interest,
is the use of fine cotton warp thread inserted strand by strand
into the doll's scalp prior to curing. The perfect tool for this
job can be made by snipping the end from the eye of the needle
creating a tiny fork. Cut the thread to twice the desired length
and fold it in half. I use the needle fork to hook it at the loop
of the fold and embed it deep into the scalp smoothing over the
resulting hole with fingers or a tool.
Usually I start at the back of the scalp and work my way forward
in rows. Sometimes I know what I want the hair to be doing at
this point so I can plan for things like parts or hair growth
pattern. When I get to the front I push the thread in at an angle
to create a more subtle hairline. I also use the needle to draw
hair texture into the clay so it almost blends with the clay and
makes a less startling transition between the two. Sometime after
the major costuming is don I cut and wrap and glue and sew the
hairstyle into position.
The last step if the piece is hatless is to paint the hair with
acrylic paint. This is a delicate procedure since the cotton is
very absorbent and it's easy to make an unwanted commitment too
soon. I've found it works better for me if I water down the paint
and follow strands of hair throughout the hairstyle, building
up subtle layers of different colors. Special attention has to
be paid to the visible hairlines since I paint the polymer clay.
If I don't paint tiny strands of hair to blend the hair and the
face together I'll end up with a division line between the two.
It can be a little tedious to grow hair using this method but
once I get started I find myself working in a rhythm. It usually
takes me two or three evenings to work hair into a scalp since
I don't leave blank areas where the hairstyle will cover things
up. And, of course, once I do this I have the immense satisfaction
of having avoided mohair once again.
Sandra
Thomas Oglesby
Just Within Reach
C. 2001, polymer clay, 15.5"
To see Sandra
demonstrate her hair technique, attend the 2002
NIADA Conference in Bethesda, MD.
For more
information about Sandra
Thomas Oglesby,
visit the Artist Member Contact page
of this web site.
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