Customer Reviews

How to Make Perfect Dollhouse Figures

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

In How To Make Perfect Dollhouse Figures, "Dollhouse Miniatures" magazine associate editor Kitty Mackey shows how to make polymer clay and cloth-body dolls to enhance miniature scenes and displays. Profusely illustrated, Mackey provides step-by-step instructions for shaping and posing an armature, making hands and fingers, sculpting eyes, mouths, and noses. How To Make Perfect Dollhouse Figures also shows how to use polymer clay-sculpting tools, how to maintain body and facial proportions, and how to paint a the figure for realistic result. Also highly recommended for miniaturists are Kalmbach's The ABC's Of Dollhouse Finishing; Kit Renderings; How To Build Miniature Furniture & Room Setting; Finishing Touches; and Workshop Wisdom: Dollhouse Crafting Tips from "Nutshell News".

This book is small - not even 50 pages - and most of the pictures are small B&W (yet clear and easy to see), but this has been one of the most useful sculpting guides I've ever owned. Used in conjunction with a good anatomy book or Katherine Dewey's "Sculpting Life-Like Figures," beautiful results can be achieved.

In the book, the author shows you step-by-step how to sculpt a full bodied clay figure as well as a mixed clay & cloth figure. However, the things that I found most useful were: the detailed description for making armatures, which I find some sculpting books skimp on and which is so important, and the number of scale charts of front, side, and back views, which can be used to check you figure against to help keep it proportional. Also the charts are for a range of figures: adult male and female, 14 year old male and female, six year old male and female, and a 2 year old toddler. With practice, an entire family can be made. As a beginner in sculpting, these things have been very helpful for me.

The author also details how to make a smiling figure, which some books treat as if it's an advanced skill. I used her technique successfully on one of my first figures, and even though I made one eye too small and one shoulder too big, I was overall pleased with the result, and what I think looks like a very natural looking smile.

I think this title is out of print or at least it use to be. My copy is from 1998. I wouldn't pay a scandalous OOP price for it, but if you can find it cheap like the current used rate of [...]or less, it certainly is worth owning.

I gave it 4 stars because of the B&W photos, which makes it outdated in look compared to other sculpting titles, but don't let that deter you. I wish someone would republish it in color.