How do push molds work?
Easy. You fill both cavities with
polymer clay . . .
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Watch a You Tube Video
of the process right
here! |
. . . and then
you push the mold together - gently- and when you open the mold,
the doll
sticks to itself and creates a whole doll.
You smooth the edges of the doll, and following the directions of the pattern
that comes with the molds, you pose the doll one quarter inch at a time until
you have it posed as you like.
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You can work with the doll all in one piece
as shown to
the right . . .
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. . . or you can cut the doll and go off in your own
original direction, changing any feature or shape that you choose, as
shown to the left . . . |
Either way, you might just enter a world that you never want to leave -- the
world of polymer clay dollmaking.
Many OOAK doll artists have learned
dollmaking by using push molds as training wheels. Once they have made 10
- 20 dolls, they are off on their own journey sculpting their own original
dolls. Push Molds take the drudgery out of learning to
sculpt. They teach you simple doll anatomy and doll sculpting, at
the same time as teaching you the basics of polymer clay dollmaking.
There are no text books -- only fun and easy projects!
Be sure to see the
Galleries to see the various dolls, as well as
the Catalogue pages
to purchase one or more of the push molds
FAQ
Question: What
is translucent powder?
Answer: Translucent powder is color-less face powder for women that
is found at any cosmetic counter. If you cannot easily find the
translucent powder, choose a color powder that matches the clay.
This replaces the cornstarch and baby powder used by other doll artists
and polymer clay artists.
I have grown to like to use a fine mist of water as a release agent as
well. You can pick up a spray bottle that has a fine mist setting
and spray once into your molds and this will also act as a nice release.
****
Question: My
dolls don't come out of the mold looking like yours.
Answer:
My dolls don't come out of the mold looking like my dolls either. I
am the doll designer and mold maker and I need to use the mold about 5
times before I am satisfied with the look of the dolls as well.
The usual outcome is that the first doll looks like an alien because you
are just learning the process and have no mastery of it. The second,
third and fourth dolls will be about 1000 percent improvement between each
doll so long as you do not give up. By the 5th doll, you will have
mastered the process and be able to focus on pose and small enough detail
for the doll to begin to look normal and even pretty.
By the
6th, 7th and 8th doll, your own sculpting skills and creativity will
emerge and the dolls will no longer look like mine. Your own path
will be its own journey.
By the
9th doll, you will be using the mold as merely "part formers" and you will
be sculpting your own faces and changing the size and shape of the body
parts as well.
By the
10th doll, you will be ready to try your hand at
sculpting your own doll.
***
Question: I
notice people selling dolls on Ebay swear they don't use molds, but the
faces are all the same. It seems obvious that they are using
molds. What is behind this?
Answer:
When I created the first fairy doll push mold back in 1998 or 1999 and
listed it on Ebay, it sold in about 2 minutes. There were bidding
wars I never dreamed were even possible. I have sold my molds and
training to thousands and thousands of doll artists, crafters, polymer
clay artists and basic crafters since then. This whole craze, in my
opinion, grew up around the push molds. It is the quickest and funnest way
to learn dollmaking.
When the
dolls were selling on Ebay for quite a bit of money, artists began to list
"no molds used" as a selling feature, as a way of competing against one
another. Somehow, the "newbies" thought this was crucial to selling
dolls, and now this unfortunate deceit has arisen in the polymer clay doll
industry.
I invite
everyone to watch which dolls sell. They are always the prettiest,
most unique, and/or best dolls. There are also doll artists who have
put their time in at Ebay and generated their own following. They
are selling to a waiting audience.
***
Question: What
is wrong with using molds?
Answer:
Nothing. Porcelain doll artists have used molds for years. All
of the famous Figurine artists use molds. Making the best product
you can, as efficiently as possible, packing it with the most value, and
doing it all for a competitive price is the bedrock of all business
ventures. Why anyone would want to advertise they they work for
hours and hours and don't expect to get paid for it is bewildering to me.
One explanation is that many of the "artists" who do this are women who
are not supporting themselves with their art. If you search the
internet for male sculptors, you will not see them bragging about starting
each project from scratch. They follow the basics of business.
Many of these female artists are someone's "muse" and have lots of
daddy-money or hubby-money behind them. I have had to make the rent
all of these years and I need to be paid for my time.
So if
you are not comfortable with the lying that obviously goes on in this "no
molds used" controversy, focus the purchasers attention on your doll
itself. You are under no obligation to explain your whole process of
working. Most artists in other mediums never reveal their
techniques. Just practice and make beautiful work, be willing to
stick around Ebay and other auction houses long enough to build a
following.
***
Question: I am
overwhelmed. I want to learn polymer clay dollmaking, but which mold
should I start with?
Answer:
I recommend the following pathway and you will build your skills and learn
the techniques to build one upon the other.
1st
- Baby Fairy Beginners Kit
2nd - Fairy Beginners Kit or the 7 Inch Figurine (which comes w/ 2 extra
faces) or Family Special or the other Kits or Specials. Most of them
come with an extra mold or extra faces or at least one oneline course.
3rd
- 8 Inch Lady Doll
4th - 5.5 inch Fairy Doll
After these molds, you can tackle any of them. The Itsy Bitsy is a
little harder because it is meant to be cut and reshaped which requires a
few sculpting skills.
***
Question: Do I
need the Doll Eye Mold?
Answer:
No, you do not. The larger Doll Eye Mold is really designed for
Porcelain doll artists and also for polymer clay doll artists who
sculpting larger dolls with no molds. The small doll eye mold can be
used with the doll molds but it is not necessary. The push molds
form their own eyes.
The
small doll eye mold is the one you would want to order if you want to make
insertable hand-painted doll eyes.
Question: What is polymer clay?
Answer: Polymer clay is a polymer clay-like
material that is malliable while using the clay but bakes to a hard
plastic like substance in your home oven.
Question: How do the
molds work?
Answer: The push molds, or press molds, as
some people like to call them, are filled with clay on both sides, the
molds are closed and very gently pressed together and when you open the
mold, the pieces stick together like puzzle pieces. The body parts come
out with the facial features, including the eyes, molded and fingers and
toes molded as well.
Once the doll artist or crafter becomes
familiar with the dollmaking process, the dolls take on an individual look
to them. Just as every person has an individual handwriting, the push mold
dolls only look similar until the person developes a certain proficiency
in making them.
Question: Can a beginner
learn this type of dollmaking?
Answer: Yes, they can. The molds as well as
the instructions are designed for use by beginner polymer clay enthusiasts
and beginner dollmakers. I have taught thousands of dollmakers this type
of dollmaking and many of them have moved into one of a kind dollmaking.
They have learned sculpting by using the push molds and they all reach a
point where they no longer need them. Many artists still use my molds as
"part formers" so they can reduce the time it takes them to make an
original one of a kind creation.
Question: Your designs
are copyrighted. What does that mean?
Answer: The copyright protects someone from
copying the molds, the designs, making molds of my dolls and then claiming
them as their own. The molds are designed for people to use and they do
sell their dolls and there is no infringement in selling dolls
individually or at craft and art shows or on the internet. As long as the
user does not claim the design as their own, it’s not a problem,
especially if the molds are being used as part formers.
Question: Which mold
should a beginner start with?
Answer: The easiest one is the Baby Fairy. The
Baby Fairy Mold can be purchased alone and comes with an instructional
pattern; or you can purchase the Baby Fairy Mold with the DVD and it shows
the whole process. The DVD was dedicated to brand new beginners and is
geared for that level. It begins with cleaning the mold, blending and
leeching the clay to make the clay more manageable for beginners, and
shows each step up close so the beginner can see the entire process.
The Baby Fairy also comes in a Baby Fairy
Beginners Package where you get the mold, enough clay to make about 10
Baby Fairies, the dvd, your sculpting tools, doll hair, and a sheet of
butterfly wings that can be scanned and saved to print out on labels over
and over again.
QUESTION: Suppose I am a
beginner and want to start with a larger fairy, which would would you
recommend?
ANSWER: I would recommend the Fairy Maiden.
She is molded in one piece and her arms are bent so you will not have to
worry about elbows. She has a small breast, is rather slim and comes with
a Highlight Sheet with an online course that teaches the whole process.
Her eyes are already molded so you can add your own glass eyes, if you
want to, or you can paint the ones the mold makes.
I would also recommend the Lady Fairy mold.
She is a rather thin fairy, she has small breasts, and this mold (when
purchased using Buy It Now or from my Ebay store) comes with two small
face molds that fit the Lady Fairy Push Mold.
I still have a few of the Angel/Ballerina Push
Molds available, which is a similar mold to the Lady Fairy but without
breasts and the face is slightly different. The Face Molds also fit this
mold. This mold has to be specially ordered. I tried to discontinue this
mold, but I still get people begging for just one more, so I still have
it, but it has to be specifically ordered via email to me at
fairy111@bellsouth.net.
I usually have a couple available.
QUESTION: How are the
smaller dolls different from each other?
ANSWER: All of the dolls are slightly
different from each other and sometimes their patterns teach something
different. Below is a chart showing how each doll is different.
|
Mold Name |
Mold Features |
What it comes
with |
|
Baby Fairy |
Baby is 3 inches
tall laying down. Sitting, she is about 2 inches. |
Mold only -
pattern with full instructions.
|
|
Baby Fairy & DVD |
Same as above |
Mold and DVD
that explains the entire process. |
|
Baby Fairy
Beginner Kit
(*On special -
it comes with a small mold that makes 2 other baby fairy faces) |
Same as above |
Mold, DVD,
sculpting tools, clay and hair (for 10 babies) 5 Fairy Wings (that can
be copied over and over) |
|
Lady Fairy |
Mold makes the entire fairy. The body is
very, thin. The body has breasts but the body is very thin. |
This mold comes with a pattern that
teaches how to use it, how to make the crown she wears, and the face
molds fit onto the original push mold. |
|
* Old Figurine Mold |
Mold makes
entire body and is very thin like the Lady Fairy, but is flat-chested,
more teen-like
It comes with
the two face molds that fit onto the mold. |
This mold comes with the online course
which shows how to make a Fairy, the Ballerina and an Angel. I tried
to discontinue this mold, but my customers won’t have it! But it
does have to be specially-ordered. The face molds also fit onto
this mold. |
|
8 Inch Lady Doll - Boudoir |
Doll is molded in pieces. Head/torso, arms
and legs. |
It comes with an online tutorial that
shows the entire process. The course teaches how to make the
stockings, how to sculpt panties, form nipples, and how to attach the
body parts and pose the doll in one process. |
|
8 inch Mermaid One |
Doll is molded in parts. The
head/torso/tail/fin are all one piece and the arms are separated.
|
Comes with a pattern that teaches the
entire process. |
|
8 Inch Mermaid Two |
Doll is molded in 3 pieces. The
head/torso/tail, the arms and fin are separate. |
Comes with pattern that teaches the entire
process and how to give the tail expression. |
|
7 Inch. Fairy Maiden |
Doll molded all in one piece with arms
bent for beginners - has breasts |
Comes with a highlight sheet and link to
the online courses. |
|
7 Inch Fairy Gwen |
Doll is molded all in one piece, arms
straight. Womanly body. |
Comes with highlight sheet and link to the
online courses. |
|
Fairy Temptress
*On BUY IT NOW,
this mold comes with 2 face molds.
|
Doll is molded in one piece, more womanly
body, and her eyes are designed to have glass eyes inserted. |
This mold replaces the old "Figurine" mold
and has been renamed to Fairy Temptress. She comes with an online
tutorial on how to insert eyes, either handmade eyes or glass eyes;
she also comes with an online course, with the old ballerina, angel
and fairy patterns, with butterfly wings in pdf format that can be
printed over and over again. There are also Face Molds that are sized
to fit this mold. |
|
5.5 Inch Lady/Dollhouse Doll |
Molds the doll in 3 pieces; the
head/torso/legs are one unit and the arms are molded separately. |
She comes with an online course that
teaches the entire process, along with an animal loin cloth lesson on
how to make a loin cloth outfit for the fairy. |
|
Doll Eye Push Mold |
Mold makes doll
eyes from 8mm to 26 mm
(This mold is
for larger dolls and porcelain dollmakers) |
This mold comes with an online course on
how to make the eyes using the doll eye mold, how to insert them,
paint them, etc. |
|
Small Doll Eye Mold |
Mold makes eyes
from 2 mm to 8 mm and "Bratz-styled eyes)
(This is the
mold that makes the tiniest eyes that can fit the push molds or be
used by one of a kind doll artists to get even-sized eyes) |
This mold comes with an online course on
how to make the eyes using the eye mold, how to insert them, paint
them, etc. |
|
9 Inch man Mold |
Mold makes the man in 7 pieces. The legs,
upper arms, lower arms, head/torso. The mold makes shoes. |
This mold comes with a pattern to make the
Basketball player, the uniform, the basketball and the sneakers.
|
|
Cherub- 3.5 inches |
Forms the doll in 3 parts;
head/torso/legs, and two arms. Comes with a cavity to mold tiny wings
and roses. |
This mold comes with a pattern to make the
little Cupids as part of a card display. |
|
Fairy Urchin - 4 inches |
Forms the doll all in one piece.
|
Comes with an online tutorial showing how
to make the doll, how to insert eyes. |
|
Fairy Waif - 4 inches |
Forms the doll in 3 pieces;
head/torso/legs and two arms. This body is very thin. |
Comes with an online course on how to make
the doll. |
|
Fairy Toddler |
Forms the doll in 3 pieces;
head/torso/legs and two arms. Think body, smaller than the waif, head
is rounder and can be tweaked into an infant in a blanket.
|
Comes with a pattern to make the child
with a clay outfit sitting down with a clay hat. |
QUESTION: What kind of clay do you use?
ANSWER: I use a blend of Super Sculpey and
Sculpey III in the color white. In the Baby Fairy DVD, I show the formula
and how to blend it using a pasta machine. But you can use your hands to
blend it too. I use 1/4 box of Super Sculpey to 1/8 block of the Sculpey
III.
QUESTION: If I
have another question that does not appear here, an I email you for my
additional questions?
ANSWER: I would be happy to answer any
questions you have before your purchase or after purchase.
Please feel free to email me for
help.
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