A lot of people have been emailing me asking which brand of clay I use etc.  I am not a professional by any means, but I think it’s because in such a secretive world of dollmaking I am eager to teach and share ideas.

Well, anyways. I thought it would be easier to put it all in one place for people to look at.   I will update this post if need be.

For my babies, I only use Prosculpt- baby shade. I have tried Super Sculpey, and some other brands of clay (except for living doll) and have not found anything else that works the same.  I kept getting moonies from Super Sculpey clay, and I don’t really like their flesh color.   It’s a bit too orange for me.

I am going to try other shades of prosculpt as well- caucasian and fairy and ethnic to make different shades of babies.  After all, people come in all colors and sizes!

For armature: I have found that armature is SO important if not THE most important part of a sculpt.  It helps the start of the sculpt to be balanced and for all the rest of the sculpt to be  in the correct proportions.   Some day when I have time I will create a free tutorial on my  blog.

Currently I use foil armature wrapped in masking tape.   Take the extra time to shape the armature correctly. Not only will it save you time  later on when you add the placement for the features of the faces- but it will leave a strong foundation for the clay to harden on.  Why use masking tape?   The foil leaves dirty spots in the clay. Masking tape hides the color of the foil clay and prevents the discoloration.

The correct armature size will let you only use the 1/4 inch of clay that Prosculpt recommends.  Sooo… You size the armature 1/4 inch less than the baby size that you want.   I have used smaller armatures and put them in the oven for a longer time to bake, but according to Jack Johnston (the inventor of Prosculpt)- he says that is an incorrect method.  I say try both and see which you are happier with.

I have NOT used Styrofoam armatures because I have read that baking Styrofoam is hazardous for your respiratory tract.  The resin armatures cause moonies for me. Perhaps the temperature of the sculpt and the clay?  I don’t know.  All I know is that the most important thing about buying a doll is as little moonies as possible- and my foil armatures achieve this.

Proportion: The most important part of making a realistic baby.

I studied anatomy photographs of babies so that they look realistic.  On a newborn’s head for example- the EYEBROWS lie in the halfway point on the babies head, the eyes immediately underneath, and the nose again halfway between the eyes and the mouth.  The mouth halfway between the nose and the chin. Does that make sense?

I hope this helps someone who is learning to sculpt a baby.  It took me a long time to figure out this info. 🙂

-Jennie