Make Dollhouse Dolls and Figures from Polymer Clay, Epoxy Putty and Air Dry Clay

Miniature/dollhouse dolls are constructed of many materials and assembled in many different ways, making it difficult to choose between them. The majority of dolls are chosen for their costume and pose not their features. Here are some suggestions about how to choose one that suits your needs.

Figure proportions are important as they will help determine the age and character of your doll. The average person is measured by artists and sculptors based on the proportions of the head. You can adapt the age and appearance of your figure by giving them a larger or smaller head than normal for their height (then they may appear as an adolescent or a child or as more of a caricature). If you want dolls that are not all the same height and age range, you need to study proportion.

The head is the place to start learning to customize dolls. Once you can make a basic head, you can create entire families, make characters of particular ages, or caricature your friends. Sculpting a head is much easier than you think.

Hands can add expression or hold props for a scene. If you can make miniature hands, you can avoid trying to rebuild plastic and resin cast figures to make them more lifelike.

Sometimes you need more than a head on a stick. Sculpting torsos lets you show off jewelry, or create a head in a different pose.

You may need a leg, a shapely ankle, or a roughened bare foot for a particular scene. Feet are easier than hands to sculpt, and if you don't like the idea of toes, just sculpt a shoe on the bottom of a leg.

Three easy ways to pad the armature on a miniature doll.