*Alice – Part 2 – Head

Morezmore OOAK Doll #30

Scale: 1/6, Size: 10.6″ (27 cm)

Continued from Part 1 – Armature

I found a wonderful face for my Alice. This is Camilla Christensen, a Danish model.

I will try to make my Alice look like her, not sure if I succeed, portraits are difficult, but it does not have to be a real portrait, just a general idea of what my Alice should look like. Having this face in front of me will help me in any case.

Collected some reference photos.

Tools and Materials:

– polymer clay (I am using Cernit)
– needle compass divider (***)
– glass eyes (I am using 5 mm blue)
– ruler
– ball-point stylus tools in different sizes
– mini palette knife
– Fabritac glue
– mini g-tips
– needle tool
– fine point dental rubber tool
– silicone color shaper, size 0, firm
– flat clay smoothing brush
– forceps
– X-Acto knife
– scalpel

Head planes images.

Camila’s photos and head plane images printed to scale. I am taking this to the studio.

Lightly rubbing the ball in circular motion against your palm makes the ball smooth

Approximate ball size.

View from the top – the back of the head is wider than the face. The tool is mini palette knife, but any flat surface tool will work.

Make eye sockets with a ball stylus

Inserting glass eyes. Glass eyes are small and slippery. They do not go into the head easily and nicely.

Here is a trick. Glue the eye to some stick with Fabritac glue (mini g-tip is shown here in place of a stick). Fabritac sticks to glass temporarily and can be easily removed, but provides enough sticking to position the eye inside the socket.

 

I was making heads for the last 3 days.

First I made a “skull”, and baked it. Not a new idea, but I have never done this.

Skull is made and baked. If you are not using glass eyes, skip the next section.

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Glass eyes section
Inserted the eyes and baked again.

Here is what I have at this point.

End of Glass eyes section.
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I was able to create an quick “ok” head with this “scull” method, so it was worthwhile to make a better scull and a more detailed step-by-step. Here it is – FROM SCRATCH:

Neck wire plus head module tube

To prevent rotation of the clay on the tube: a) roughen up the module tube

b) wrap it up with wire

The eyes are 5 mm. Same width 5 mm – between the inner eye corners

To make sure the eyes stay in the clay:

Make sure the eyes are on the same depth in the head

Scull baked. We came in peace.

 

Checking for symmetry:

 

You can add clay any time. Put a small ball of clay, “seam” it with a ball stylus – small “stitches”, then smooth it with a brush

Bring up the upper lip with end of flat knife. Insert the knife into the mouth, slightly turn the handle upward. Same for the lower lip. Insert knife into the mouth, rotate handle downward. The bottom of the lower lip is done by pushing the clay in with a ball stylus

Form the chin with your fingers. Remove double chin.

Lightly smooth the cheeks back with your thumbs.

Form the jaw line and find the place where it ends (under the ear).

The ear canals are halfway between eye line and nose line. To make the ears on the same line, mark the first hole (ear canal with pins)

Put 2 small sausages for ears and remove clay from the place behind the ear lobes

I need to finish ears and correct some small details and smooth everything with a brush and polymer oil. And she will be done.

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By the way, if you need to reread the chapter you need – here is:
ALICE’S ADVENTURES
IN WONDERLAND By Lewis Carroll

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Finally, Alice got her head. That was hard. Still not quite what I had in mind, but I have to accept my current level of expertise and move on to the completion of the project. Overall – not bad, I almost like it.

Well, I made another head for Alice. I really like it – much better than what I usually make. I think my instructions helped to clear things out in my own head.

End of Part 2