Jennie's Blog Posts
pacify me.
You ever have some days when you just feel exhausted, tired, and out of breath?
And then this little boy looks up at you and tells you that you are his best friend. (he is three)! Sigh. Sometimes that its all it takes!
I digress, anyhow, I have mentioned one of my favorite forums is dollfan. There is a ton of info on there. To join costs $12 for six months- but if you don’t want to post and just browse and read it is free!! It’s a great place to chat, buy and sell all types of dolls; vinyl, silicone, OOAK’S and resins!
My two favorite places are the sculpting forum for sculpting tips-TONS of free information by some lovely people. Learn to sculpt hands and feet, and best of all, get opinions from other sculptors before you bake!! My other fave is the OOAK’s for sale. I love looking at other artists work. It inspires me to sculpt better!
My latest find on dollfan is a FREE tutorial from the lovely Elisabeth Townsley on making those little pacifiers you see on minis all of the time. Here is one of her babies wearing one:
Baby by Elisabeth Townsley wearing custom mini paci!
Adorable!! These usually sell for $18 for four on ebay, so save some money and make your own!! Her tutorial is HERE!
While you are there, check out her adorable mini babies!!
fetal skull
Let me preface this post to apologize to the readers who do not sculpt!! 😉 there will be more baby OOAK photos soon enough!
Found this illustration via google images while searching for images of a fetal skull.
Of course since it is an illustration it is exaggerated, however- I myself keep forgetting that in a fetal skull the top portion of the fetal skull is the widest part of the newborn head. I have been told that that is what makes a baby look like an actual baby and not an old man. Looking back at some of my baby heads sitting next to my bed, I need to correct quite a few of them!
Anyhow, here is another more accurate illustration of a fetal skull profile that shows the fontanels.
I hope this helps someone out there!
Off topic: I apologize to those who have been commenting on posts and have not received a response. I get a TON of junk comments a day selling Viagra and such.. Need to figure out how to filter the real comments from the fake ones!!
baby proportions
It has been a while since I have added some information on baby proportions, and some lovely people have been asking about them.
One of the best books I have invested in on human proportions is Tom Richardson’s “Art Student’s Guide on Porportion of the Human Form”. This book Is the modern reproduction of Johann Gottfried Shadow’s work on human proportion. Note: it is full of copies of his original plates and translations into English. Very little text except for the beginning. This book is invaluable if you only want to know the proportional measurements of the size of a newborn up to adult sizes (both men and women).
Now, it doesn’t show any photographs of newborns- instead there are illustrations; but photos you can find online doing a simple google search. The book is excellent for exact measurements of everything- for those of us who sculpt babies it shows the exact measurements from head, arms, legs, torso, even eye placement, nose placement, length of forearms, calves etc. from newborn, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years and on and on.
Now if you are doing a mini, divide the measurements by how many inches your sculpt is supposed to be (such as six inches). Easy Peasy!! Now I know that all babies are not the same size. Boys are usually longer than girls, however, these illustrations are and measurements are just averages and are invaluable for those of us whom haven’t had a baby to measure!!
I bought my copy from amazon for $29.95. I understand this is a hefty investment, but I cannot stress how important it is for an accurate looking sculpt!! I visit ebay religiously watching prices of OOAK sculpts, and those whom have studied proportions and put time into their craft sell for hundreds more than those who don’t!
One of my favorite sculptors for example is Sugarbabies Creations. Here are a couple adorable photos from one of her more recent ebay auctions:
Take a look at those hands and feet!! The detail is impeccable! This baby sold for almost $900 if I remember correctly. Now I know not everyone can sculpt like her, but it is the effort that she puts in to make her babies look real that shows. I will bet that she studies proportions with every sculpt.
Which comes to my next point: if you are just beginning to learn, do not get discouraged if your first few sculpts don’t sell, or don’t sell well. Even artists like Tina Kewy admit that for years she only sold her dolls for enough to cover her supplies. Keep your head up and keep practicing!
Anyhow, excuse my ranting because I’ll be the first to admit that I am a newish sculptor, and my sculpting is far from perfect, but I do believe that by studying and learning when I can-especially in the beginning when you are building your foundation is how my sculpting will improve! What do you think?
wee little cotton rabbits
When creating a new baby, the best part is when you are finished and begin dressing up the new baby and making his or her new look for his mommy. For me, of the things this includes is little lovies for them on the journey home to his/her new mommy.
I have been couped up in bed more often lately, and have been knitting these adorable miniature bunnies and bears for my lil clay babies (which btw are just waiting for some hair).
Includes the pattern for a mini cake too!!
They are fast and super cute! I find that even human babies and grown ups like them!
Best of all, this pattern is free from Littlecottonrabbits.
While you are there, check out the patterns that are available for purchase at her etsy shop! The little hedgehog is my favorite!! The best part is that the pattern is only $1.53!! Can’t beat that!
Preemies
First off, Happy New Year! Best wishes to all, I hope we all stick to our resolutions at least until February. 😉
I have been eagerly anticipating the amazing doll artist Tina Kewy’s first sculpting book coming out hopefully this month. So much so that I have been diligently checking her blog every day since December!! Why? Take a look at this sneak peek!
The book walks you through the steps of sculpting a life size 30 week gestation preemie! She is also working on a full term baby sculpting book, but the date for that is still in the wind.
Ack!! I cannot wait!! If you are as eager for her new book as I am, come join me in stalking her blog here: www.sculptorsdiaries.blogspot.com!!
