How to Make Porcelain Face Dolls
- 1). Decide if you want to paint your own doll pieces or use painted doll parts. Painted doll parts are fired at kiln temperatures high enough to vitrify the clay casts into true porcelain. Beautiful finished pieces are available and are an excellent choice if you don't have access to a kiln. Unpainted doll parts, called soft-fire greenware or bisque, have been fired once to create an insoluble body that is ready to paint. They can be painted and not fired; however, these dolls are fragile and not meant to be handled.
- 2). Paint your porcelain doll parts. Skip to Step 3 if using finished pieces. Paint greenware with acrylics followed by a coat of shellac if the doll parts will not be fired. Use china paints if you can fire the doll parts. Many suppliers offer paint kits with appropriate colors for skin, eyebrows, cheeks, lips and fingernails. Apply just a hint of color for the first firing. Colors will mature during firing, and mistakes cannot be undone. Be subtle when applying china paint to avoid seeing a garish clown doll when the kiln is opened. Build color as needed over a maximum of six firings.
- 3). Fire the doll parts to 2232 F (self-supporting cone six) over six hours each time.
- 4). Glue glass eyes in place. The realistic eyes available from doll making suppliers create stunning effects. Glue eyelash hairs on one at a time. Remember that most babies have fine eyelashes spaced well apart. Glue doll hair or a doll wig in place.
- 5). Assemble the doll. Using a custom soft-body doll torso with instructions for attaching limbs is recommended until you have experience with doll proportions and assembly. This can be purchased with your porcelain pieces.
- 6). Dress the doll. Let your imagination run wild. Patterns and ready-to-wear clothing of all types and vintages abound, and many companies specialize in doll clothing exclusively. If you have made a life-size doll, you can have fun with real baby clothes.