It's nice to find current content on making bjd from air dry clay, and from scratch! The information about carving dry clay makes sense... This is awesome! Thanks for posting!!
I am amazed by the level of detail and realism in your doll and puppet creations. They look like they could come to life any moment. You have a remarkable talent and skill!
I have a video about knee joints on my Patreon. You can also find a free article on my blog at nymphaidolls.com But thank you for suggestion, I think I can make one in the future. 👏
This was incredibly helpful. Thank you so much! 👍🏻 i've only just started with sculpting dolls, but it's a lot of fun and i always feel like i'm bringing a little creature to life haha 😀
can you tell me how you leave them to dry without cracking? mine always cracks after i put a lot of hours into them, this would be so helpfull thank you
Hello, I’m one of your students with a question! 😅 I’m making a doll right now with your masterclass and I’m about to start on the hip joints… my question is should I use two of the same exact size balls or one bigger and one smaller? I couldn’t tell in the videos or the blueprint if the balls you made for the peanut double joint hip were slightly different size or the same. I have the same question referring to the knees?
It depends on your design. They can be the same size or different sizes. If you want to make the doll's hips wider, you make the upper ball larger, and vice versa. For the knees, they will look better if they're the same size, but depending on the design of the doll all the variations are possible.
@@Nymphaidolls Thank you so much! In the future it would be super awesome for a more detailed look into joints and the possibilities with them. I only mention because you had said to let you know in the comments that kind of stuff. Have a wonderful day. :)
This video is such a god send! I always come back to reference your super helpful tips! I'm trying out the la doll clay myself and I noticed that even after a few days of the clay being dried out, I'm still able to leave a nail dent? Is that normal and will it go away when varnished/ sealed? I've tried adding a primer as well and after that stage it didn't do much to "harden" the clay to make it no longer dent-able. The exact type of clay I'm using is the La Doll Satin smooth natural stone clay.
Some dents are definitely possible, but after spraying with primer it shouldn’t be the case anymore. Unless you use force to leave a dent. Maybe the layer of clay is too thin? Or you’re not waiting enough time for the primer to dry? Usually primer is touch-dry after a few hours, but it takes up to 24h to really dry. I feel that my prototypes are quite resistant, because I sculpt in many thin layers and use grey primer in a few thin layers as well. This helps to form a good structure. In the end, the air-dry clay won’t be as strong as resin, porcelain or even air-dry casting slips.
I still sculpt all my dolls from air-dry clay but cast them in porcelain later. For me, it elevates the doll to another level and it becomes this precious art piece. Another factor is longevity. Porcelain can last for hundreds of years if cared for properly. I love the look and feel of porcelain, but still sculpt with air-dry clay every day. ☺️
hi, i'm a 3d artist and i've done a lot of digital sculpting but now i'm thinking of trying to sculpt a doll in real life. how much clay would you say is needed for one doll? wondering how much to buy :D (i understand that would depend on the doll's size but a general estimate would be great to have) p.s. your videos are so nice and informative, and you sound so charming
Thank you for such a beautiful video. I am just starting to get into air dry clay and sculpting. I was wondering if you had any advice for the layering part. Most people say that the layers of air dry clay have to be the same level of wetness to adhere. Your sculptures seem to be proving them wrong but I'm not sure if there's a trick to it. When I've watched some other people try to work in layers they ended up with clay that wouldn't stick together well once dried. They even used water, slip, and did scoring but still had problems with keeping it all together. How do you avoid this problem?
Use stone clay like La Doll and always use water when sculpting. I wet the area before adding fresh clay and use additional water to smooth the clay out. Also, sculpt in thin layers. These are the main tips. I never had any problem sculpting like this and get good results. Sculpting in layers gives more control when handling the clay, so I can be more precise when sculpting small details. ☺️
@@Nymphaidolls Thank you so much for the response and advise. Is there a certain level of dryness beyond which you wouldn't add more wet clay? Have you ever layered over fully dried clay by just rewetting? I appreciate you helping this newbie out with your knowledge.
@@nutmeg9892 Yes, I always add more clay on fully dry sculptures! It takes me weeks and sometimes months to sculpt one doll, so it’s really dry by then. This wouldn’t work when sculpting with traditional clay, so I think this is why it’s a strange concept. But La Doll clay is great for that. 👌
1. Use good quality clay 2. Sculpt in thin layers 3. Wait for inner layers to dry before adding more clay 4. When sculpting use water to smooth the clay out 5. Make sure your sculpture dries evenly, if you’re in a very dry environment, cover the sculpture with plastic bag to slow the drying process
It’s a very slight difference. I like both. Premix (blue package) is a mix of La Doll and Premier clays. So it’s a little bit smoother and more pliable. But the difference is quite small.
I haven’t tried it, but Padico makes La Doll stone clays as well, and they’re my favorite to sculpt with. So I’d think other stuff from them is good quality too.
Mabey I wasn’t listening good enough but how do I make it hollow? U said something about foam but I don’t really understand how I’m supposed to use it?. ❤
There’s a video on my channel about sculpting ball-jointed dolls from air-dry clay, watch it ☺️ You’ll see a section where I show that I cut biggest parts in half and remove the core. For small parts like arms, you can use paper straws.
This sounds really nice and all, but what about people who cannot afford the air dry clay to make their own lil dolls or the classes, do they search somewhere else or learn doing the whole thing by themselves without lessons?...
I have a lot of free resources on my two blogs, you can find them in the description. There you’ll find articles about best practices for sculpting, proportions, etc. Also, everyone learns best by just sculpting a lot. Courses are only a shortcut, but you still need to train your sculpting skills by yourself. 🫶
Beautiful doll hands! I love how you get paper clay to stick to the armature wire smoothly. Thank you!
I love sculpting hands! Hands convey so much character.
It's nice to find current content on making bjd from air dry clay, and from scratch! The information about carving dry clay makes sense... This is awesome! Thanks for posting!!
I am amazed by the level of detail and realism in your doll and puppet creations. They look like they could come to life any moment. You have a remarkable talent and skill!
Thank you so much 🫶
I also love using air dry clay, just wanted to say you are incredibly talented and love when you post a new video!
could you make a video about your ball joints?
Thank you! ☺️
I have a video about knee joints on my Patreon. You can also find a free article on my blog at nymphaidolls.com But thank you for suggestion, I think I can make one in the future. 👏
Thanks! Your English is so easy listening for a foreigner. That was very useful. ❤
It's been so hard for me to find a good tutorial on doll making with air dry clay! Thank you so much, this was brilliant! And I love your dolls. ❤
Thank you for watching! 🫶
This was incredibly helpful. Thank you so much! 👍🏻 i've only just started with sculpting dolls, but it's a lot of fun and i always feel like i'm bringing a little creature to life haha 😀
thank you so much!! I follow your dolls since a lot of years, you are an really good artist! good luck and kisses from Spain
Thank you so much! 🫶
You´ve got a great talent there, thanks for the tips im suscribed from now and its my first video.
Welcome aboard! ☺️
can you tell me how you leave them to dry without cracking? mine always cracks after i put a lot of hours into them, this would be so helpfull thank you
Magnificent 😍
Hello, I’m one of your students with a question! 😅 I’m making a doll right now with your masterclass and I’m about to start on the hip joints… my question is should I use two of the same exact size balls or one bigger and one smaller? I couldn’t tell in the videos or the blueprint if the balls you made for the peanut double joint hip were slightly different size or the same.
I have the same question referring to the knees?
PS your accent is so pretty sounding! Thank you so much for your masterclass and videos!
It depends on your design. They can be the same size or different sizes. If you want to make the doll's hips wider, you make the upper ball larger, and vice versa.
For the knees, they will look better if they're the same size, but depending on the design of the doll all the variations are possible.
@@Nymphaidolls Thank you so much! In the future it would be super awesome for a more detailed look into joints and the possibilities with them. I only mention because you had said to let you know in the comments that kind of stuff.
Have a wonderful day. :)
This video is such a god send! I always come back to reference your super helpful tips! I'm trying out the la doll clay myself and I noticed that even after a few days of the clay being dried out, I'm still able to leave a nail dent? Is that normal and will it go away when varnished/ sealed? I've tried adding a primer as well and after that stage it didn't do much to "harden" the clay to make it no longer dent-able. The exact type of clay I'm using is the La Doll Satin smooth natural stone clay.
Some dents are definitely possible, but after spraying with primer it shouldn’t be the case anymore. Unless you use force to leave a dent. Maybe the layer of clay is too thin? Or you’re not waiting enough time for the primer to dry? Usually primer is touch-dry after a few hours, but it takes up to 24h to really dry. I feel that my prototypes are quite resistant, because I sculpt in many thin layers and use grey primer in a few thin layers as well. This helps to form a good structure. In the end, the air-dry clay won’t be as strong as resin, porcelain or even air-dry casting slips.
Thank you
Hi, thank you very much for the video! Do I understand it right that you prefer porcelain over air dry clay for your dolls? Can you tell why?
I still sculpt all my dolls from air-dry clay but cast them in porcelain later. For me, it elevates the doll to another level and it becomes this precious art piece. Another factor is longevity. Porcelain can last for hundreds of years if cared for properly. I love the look and feel of porcelain, but still sculpt with air-dry clay every day. ☺️
@@Nymphaidolls thank you :)
Meravigliosa❤
best video ever,
sorry i am late but i wanna know is activia la natural stone clay good and i really love your dolls
Thank you! It should be good, but I never tried it. La Doll is from Activia brand and is stone clay as well.
hi, i'm a 3d artist and i've done a lot of digital sculpting but now i'm thinking of trying to sculpt a doll in real life. how much clay would you say is needed for one doll? wondering how much to buy :D (i understand that would depend on the doll's size but a general estimate would be great to have)
p.s. your videos are so nice and informative, and you sound so charming
@@shiroishatsu Thank you! I use up about one pack of La Doll, but I recommend getting two, to leave some room for mistakes. ☺️
Thank you for such a beautiful video. I am just starting to get into air dry clay and sculpting. I was wondering if you had any advice for the layering part. Most people say that the layers of air dry clay have to be the same level of wetness to adhere. Your sculptures seem to be proving them wrong but I'm not sure if there's a trick to it. When I've watched some other people try to work in layers they ended up with clay that wouldn't stick together well once dried. They even used water, slip, and did scoring but still had problems with keeping it all together. How do you avoid this problem?
Use stone clay like La Doll and always use water when sculpting. I wet the area before adding fresh clay and use additional water to smooth the clay out. Also, sculpt in thin layers. These are the main tips. I never had any problem sculpting like this and get good results. Sculpting in layers gives more control when handling the clay, so I can be more precise when sculpting small details. ☺️
@@Nymphaidolls Thank you so much for the response and advise. Is there a certain level of dryness beyond which you wouldn't add more wet clay? Have you ever layered over fully dried clay by just rewetting? I appreciate you helping this newbie out with your knowledge.
@@nutmeg9892 Yes, I always add more clay on fully dry sculptures! It takes me weeks and sometimes months to sculpt one doll, so it’s really dry by then. This wouldn’t work when sculpting with traditional clay, so I think this is why it’s a strange concept. But La Doll clay is great for that. 👌
@@Nymphaidolls So good to know. I will definitely give this brand of clay a try. Thank you so much again for taking the time to help me figure it out.
Wow😮
How to avoid cracking in air dry clay dear? ❤
1. Use good quality clay
2. Sculpt in thin layers
3. Wait for inner layers to dry before adding more clay
4. When sculpting use water to smooth the clay out
5. Make sure your sculpture dries evenly, if you’re in a very dry environment, cover the sculpture with plastic bag to slow the drying process
How do you paint a doll
i love it its so detailed and amazing! i have a question tho.. how do you connect them together? is it after they dry or do you glue them in somehow
Like any other ball-jointed doll you connect it with elastic string or steel springs. For air-dry clay dolls it’s usually the elastic string. ☺️
Do you happen to know the difference between ladoll red vs. ladoll blue (premix)?
It’s a very slight difference. I like both. Premix (blue package) is a mix of La Doll and Premier clays. So it’s a little bit smoother and more pliable. But the difference is quite small.
What kind of primer is it? Acrylic?
You can see in the description. The particulate is acrylic, but the carrier is usually lacquer based.
How do you connect the ball joints together?
Using elastic string or if it’s a porcelain doll - steel springs.
Hi do you know anything about padico stone paper clay?
I haven’t tried it, but Padico makes La Doll stone clays as well, and they’re my favorite to sculpt with. So I’d think other stuff from them is good quality too.
for the more intricate shapes like the (bottom & top part of the legs) do u shape them naturally?
Can you elaborate? I’m not sure I know what do you mean.
@@NymphaidollsI'm wondering if she means the ball part of the joints...?
@@kilodeltawhisky1504 If that’s so, then yes, I sculpt them myself. I show how I do it in one of the BJD sculpting videos.
Mabey I wasn’t listening good enough but how do I make it hollow? U said something about foam but I don’t really understand how I’m supposed to use it?. ❤
There’s a video on my channel about sculpting ball-jointed dolls from air-dry clay, watch it ☺️ You’ll see a section where I show that I cut biggest parts in half and remove the core. For small parts like arms, you can use paper straws.
@@Nymphaidolls thank you so much I’ll go cheek it out!
Those hands are so cute
Thank you! 🫶
🎉
Hello, how can we get porcelain doll materials?
I get most of my materials online. Check out The Porcelain Place, they have a lot of stuff for porcelain doll making.
@@Nymphaidolls thank you 😊
This sounds really nice and all, but what about people who cannot afford the air dry clay to make their own lil dolls or the classes, do they search somewhere else or learn doing the whole thing by themselves without lessons?...
I have a lot of free resources on my two blogs, you can find them in the description. There you’ll find articles about best practices for sculpting, proportions, etc. Also, everyone learns best by just sculpting a lot. Courses are only a shortcut, but you still need to train your sculpting skills by yourself. 🫶