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How to Make a Jointed Doll Out of Sculpey

Jointed dolls, often referred to as ball-jointed dolls, are a highly collectible type of posable toy built with joints. In the collector's hobby, these dolls are generally made from resin and are fairly expensive to purchase. The expense and difficulty associated with resin casting have prompted some hobbyists to make their own dolls out of baked Sculpey clay. The Sculpey versions of the dolls, while more fragile, pose just as well and have the same level of possible customization as their resin counterparts.

Things You'll Need

Sketchpad and pencil
Tracing paper
Scissors
Super Sculpey
Sculpting tools
Cookie sheet
Oven
Sandpaper
Drill and small bits
Acrylic paints
Small paintbrushes
Clear sealer
Small S-hooks
Elastic string

Instructions

Create the Jointed Doll Pattern
- 1
  Sketch out an in-scale version of your overall doll body design on a sheet of paper, using a head-on view. Sketch another version in profile.
- 2
  Lay a sheet of tracing paper over your drawings. Trace the outlines of each of the body parts, making separate drawings of the head, upper arms, forearms, hands, neck with attached torso, thighs, calves, feet and skull cap.
- 3
  Take the traced drawings of the upper arms and torso. Draw a ball shape at the top of each arm, creating shoulders. Draw a matching concave socket on each side of the torso.
- 4
  Add ball-and-socket joints to the elbows, knees, hips, wrists and ankles.
- 5
  Take the neck and torso drawing and the head drawing. Extend the neck slightly and add a rounded top to it. Create a concave space at the base of the head that the neck can fit into.
- 6
  Cut each of the pattern pieces from the tracing paper.
Sculpt the Jointed Doll
- 7
  Lay out the pattern pieces on a flat work surface. Mold a rough version of each body part in Super Sculpey, using the pattern pieces as guides for the size and shape.
- 8
  Find the head piece. Scoop out the bulk of the clay from the inside of the head, creating a hollow space large enough to fit an S-hook and the neck piece. If you plan on adding acrylic eyes to this Sculpey doll, also make sure you have access to the eye areas.
- 9
  Take the torso piece. Scoop out the bulk of the clay from the inside with your sculpting tools, opening up the space between the sockets so that you can place strings there later. Do the same on the leg and arm pieces.
- 10
  Pick up the skull cap. Add a small piece of clay to the inside top that protrudes downward enough to drill a hole through later. Do the same to the foot and hand pieces, adding the extra clay at the top of the ball joints.
- 11
  Perform all of your detail sculpting, finishing the doll design.
Finish the Jointed Sculpey Doll
- 12
  Place each body piece on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven according to the packaging directions. Remove the cookie sheet and let the doll pieces cool completely.
- 13
  Drill holes into the ball side of each joint, allowing access to the hollow cavities inside the body pieces. Drill holes through the protrusions on top of the hand and foot joints, as well as the skull cap protrusion.
- 14
  Sand the doll pieces to get rid of any rough surfaces, starting with a rough sandpaper and working down to a fine grit.
- 15
  Paint the jointed doll's face as desired, using acrylic paints and small paintbrushes. Spray the makeup job with a clear sealer when finished.
- 16
  Thread elastic string through the doll's limbs, into the torso, and up through the neck into the head, connecting all of the body parts. Use the S-hooks to attach the string to the skull cap, hands and feet. You can find several different methods of doll stringing in the Resources section.

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