In Less Than Two Hours
You Can Be Sculpting "Signature" Dolls

All artists, regardless of their level of expertise, take pride in their work. Evelyn Lenz Flook is no exception. This Master Dollmaker and teacher knows the value of taking credit for your creativity, and telling the world, in a very subtle way, that you are unique.

Now you can learn her techniques for sculpting miniature dolls and creating your own one-of-a-kind masterpieces in Volume 7 of The Master Dollmakers Video Instructional Series, "Sculpting Miniature Dolls, Part 1: Head, Hands & Feet."

Evelyn begins by gathering the materials and tools you'll need to follow along with the instructions. Styrofoam block, Friendly Clay, Mix Quick, a simple oven timer, and scissors are among the things you'll need to get started. You'll also need a size chart which is included free with the purchase of this video.

Next you'll prepare the work area, beginning with the most important tool of all. "The one thing you must prepare first is your hands," says Evelyn. "So, go in and wash a nice, big load of dishes in some hot, soapy water. This will remove the excess oils from your hands and prevents dirt from getting onto your clay."

From there you'll learn how to use a food processor to mix clay, Fimo, and Mix Quick in their correct proportions. Then you'll blend it all together using that all important tool. "Use your hands for blending," Evelyn says. "This creates friction which makes the clay warm and easier to work with."

Your next step will be to create an armature which will serve as the doll's skeleton. Once the skeleton is complete, Evelyn shows you how to apply and mold the clay to create first the head, then the arms and hands, followed by the legs and feet.

Camera close-ups let you witness every move in sharp detail, leaving no doubt as to how it's done. You'll watch as Evelyn shows you how to divide the doll's face into sections to determine where to place the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and chin.

Then you'll watch these facial features come to life in Evelyn's skilled hands. This is by far the most detailed and time consuming section. Here, patience and time are your greatest requirements. And Evelyn coaches you every step of the way. "Go slowly," she advises. "If you move too quickly you'll find that the clay will crack. Take your time. Caress your clay."

Once the face is completed, the rest will seem easy. You'll move on to create the neck, shoulders, arms, hands, feet, and legs. It's here that you'll also learn Evelyn's secret for adding your unique "signature" to your doll.

After the face, creating the doll's hands will be the most detailed part of the process. But Evelyn's step-by-step instructions will show you exactly how it's done. "It's important not to use too much clay when doing hands," she says. "It's also important that you work on both hands together, back and forth, so that you can keep them the same size."

The final step will be to check your doll against the size chart before baking to make sure it's the correct size and proportion. Once you've mastered the techniques on this video, you'll want to study "Sculpting Miniature Dolls Part 2: Painting & Assembly." In Part 2, Evelyn Lenz Flook will show you how to paint the pieces you assembled in Part 1, how to soft sculpt the body, arms, and legs, and then put the doll together.