How to Make Paper Clay Dolls
- 1). Pull a section of paper clay and work it in your hands to soften it, then form it into a ball. Determine how much clay to use based on how tall you want your doll to be; a round ball of clay will make a doll about one-third taller than the height of the ball.
- 2). Form the clay into a rough five-pointed star shape. Slightly flatten the ball by pressing it between your palms. Lay your finger lengthways against edge of the disk and press it in toward the center of the ball, forming a groove. Do this at four evenly spaced points around the outside of the circle, creating five equal "arms" of clay.
- 3). Mold the five-point shape into a basic body shape. Push down and round one of the arms into a ball for the head. Pull the two arms opposite the head straight down and parallel to each other to form legs.
- 4). Refine the doll shape. Make it look more like a human shape by adjusting the amounts of clay in each section; take a little from the arms and add it to the legs. Squeeze the torso to make it longer. Pinch the front bottom of the head to form a chin. Smooth the entire shape with your fingers and experiment with pushing clay around and rolling and pinching in different places until you get the shape you want.
- 5). Stand the doll up. If you want the doll to be able to stand on its own, press its feet flat on a counter or tabletop and press it down until it stays up on its own. If it falls over, add more clay to the legs and feet.
- 6). Add details. Create eye sockets by pressing the round head of the large pin into the face. Form basic foot shapes and "mitten" hand shapes. (The course texture of paper clay makes it difficult to sculpt fine detail).
- 7). Let the doll dry. The time this takes depends on the brand of paper clay you're using, but it's usually a few hours. The doll is fully cured when it's dry to the touch and lighter in weight.
- 8). Apply fixative. Spray or paint the doll with a water-resistant clay fixative or polyurethane varnish; this will prevent the paper pulp from breaking down if the doll gets wet.
- 9). Decorate your doll and add accessories. Paint facial features with acrylic paint and fine paintbrushes and give your doll accessories like clothing made from fabric scraps and hair made from yarn or craft doll hair. Attach the items with hot glue or tacky craft glue.
