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How to Make Dolls Hands and Feet From Paper Clay

Use paper clay, which is similar to papier-mâché, to make sturdy lightweight dolls hands and feet of almost any size. The clay is suitable for doll making, particularly for larger dolls. Hands and feet made from paper clay add a finishing touch to a doll with a body of fabric that has a sculpted or purchased doll head.

Things You'll Need

Six sheets of newspaper
Saucepan
Blender
Plastic bowl
3 tbsp. white glue
1 tsp. linseed oil
2 tsp. plaster of Paris
Wooden spoon
Cardboard
Scissors
Fine sandpaper
Primer
Fine sable paintbrushes
White acrylic paint
Red acrylic paint

Instructions

- 1
  Rip the newspaper into 1-inch squares with your hands. Cover the newspaper with water in the saucepan and boil it on the stove for 30 minutes.
- 2
  Pour the mixture into a blender and liquidize it. Transfer the mixture to a plastic bowl and add 3 tbsp. of glue, 1 tsp. of linseed oil and 2 tsp. of plaster of Paris. Mix thoroughly with the wooden spoon.
- 3
  Draw the hands and feet to the appropriate size for the body of the doll on the cardboard. Cut out the cardboard hands and feet with scissors.
- 4
  Build up the cardboard hands and feet with the paper clay. Let the hands and feet dry overnight.
- 5
  Apply 1-inch strips of newspaper dipped in white glue over the hands and feet, cover them completely and smooth the newspaper. Let the newspaper dry for two hours and sand it smooth with the sandpaper.
- 6
  Apply primer all over the hands and feet with a paintbrush and let dry one hour. Mix the white and red acrylic paint to achieve the desired flesh tone and paint the completed hands and feet.

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