How to Create a Modern Heirloom

Dollmaking approached Dyan and me to write this series because of our varied backgrounds. I have been the author of the “Dressmaker’s Forum” column for Dollmaking for the past year (I hope you’re enjoying my musings!). Dyan Lee’s work has been featured several times in Dollmaking. She’s a wonderful artist whose background is in fine as well as commercial art. She studied at Parsons School of Design in New York City, and sculpture at Universidad de las Americas in Mexico City. Dyan has also earned the designation of “Master Dollmaker” through the Doll Artisan Guild School of Dollmaking. Currently she is sculpting original dolls and has a thriving doll studio in Naperville, IL.

Dyan and I met through doll making, became fast friends and are having a marvelous time team writing this six part series of articles to guide the novice doll maker with a step-by-step procedure on how doll making is done – from selecting your doll to the final details of displaying your finished masterpiece. We will try to answer as many questions as we had when we first started making dolls. Dyan will start this chapter by introducing you to our project doll and showing how to pour the molds properly. From time to time, I will interrupt her with my own comments.

GETTING STARTED
The very first step is, of course, selecting the doll you wish to make. Are you thinking of a girl or a boy, a cuddly baby doll, an exquisitely dressed French lady doll reproduction, a happy-go-lucky kid of the ‘90s, or maybe an authentically dressed doll representing her native culture? I think you get my drift. You are only limited by your imagination when creating porcelain dolls. Just about any doll you select can be created into the character you imagine.

When I begin a new doll I have a vision in my minds eye of whom I am bringing to life. Sometimes this is a very detailed picture including the style of her hair, how she’ll be dressed and even how she’ll be posed when completed. However, it is usually just a vague outline of how she will look. As I paint the features, the doll and I together create her personality, which then tells me how she should be dressed and posed. At this time I start getting ideas as to what color eyes and hair I plan to use. My choices will be affected by the color of slip that I select. The paint colors I use will definitely determine the color of hair.

For this project, we both wanted to work on a modern girl doll; one with a sweet face. We also wanted to find a doll that was versatile; one that could be done as a Caucasian or ethnic doll. We also had a size limitation – we both have small houses with lots of dolls so we wanted to keep the doll to about 18” or less.

We looked through many back issues of Dollmaking and catalogs, picking out the dolls we liked best. In a planning session we narrowed the field. Finally, we selected “Poppette” and “Sparrow” by Rose Pinkul Originals.

Rose Pinkul is a fascinating person who grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada. As a child, her three favorite activities were drawing, painting and making clothes for her dolls. In 1985, she was introduced to doll making by a friend, and after several years of making reproductions, she felt comfortable enough with the porcelain to begin sculpting her own original dolls. The combination of her fine art talent and her skill at making dolls has given us many beautifully sculpted, original porcelain dolls.

Poppette and Sparrow are 14” dolls (falling within our selection criteria), have sweet faces and cute names. From the look of them, there were plenty of clothing options and many coloring and painting options as well. We decided to focus on Poppette for most of our work and make Sparrow in a variety of ethnic colors; maybe not what Rose had in mind, but the beauty of modern doll making is that you can paint and dress the dolls you make as you like them.

For Poppette, we decided to pour her in Seeley’s French Bisque Extended Range slip. French Bisque is a pale, lightly tinted flesh tone which tends to contribute to natural-looking body washes. There are a wide selection of slip colors available to individualize your doll. Now, let’s really get started and pour the greenware.

Wait a minute, Dyan. Poppette’s mold is brand new and never been poured. When I cut the straps off I couldn’t open the two halves. Shall I get a crowbar? A screwdriver? How do I get it open???

Wait!! A “virgin” mold must be treated with respect and prepared for use. The nylon shipping straps or tape will not be reused and can be cut off with scissors or a cutting knife. It is not uncommon for the mold halves to not want to separate. Do not use force to open the mold. The plaster is fragile and you may accidentally crack or chip the mold. If I have trouble separating mold pieces I will first “tweak” the corners with a plastic mold cleaning tool. This is a length of plastic with tapered edges used to scrape your molds clean after use and it is soft enough to twist or tweak the corners of the mold without causing damage. If you are still unsuccessful, try running a bead of water around the outside seam line where the two halves meet. Let the mold sit for a while to absorb the water and try again.

If you are still stuck, gently tap all around the outside seam with a rubber mallet. By repeating one or all of the above, I know you’ll have success in opening the mold. Try to never run water inside your mold. This will soften the plaster and erode the mold’s detail.

When your new mold has been opened, you will most likely find a residue of fine dust and powder still inside. Use a very soft bristle brush to dust the interior of the mold, taking great care not to chip or scratch the details of the sculpture. All marks in the mold will be reflected in your greenware.

If the mold was packed and shipped immediately after manufacture, it may still be damp. If so, put the mold back together, band it, and allow it to dry for one or several days until it feels dry to the touch. On the other hand, if your mold was sitting on a shelf in a stock room for some time, it may be overly dry. If it feels dry and dusty, open the mold and, after dusting, lightly spritz the inside of the mold to add a degree of moisture to the plaster. I want my mold to be only slightly damp. A mold that is too damp or too dry can give you problems when pouring.

Dyan, what kinds of problems does pouring create?

If the mold is too damp, the plaster will be unable to absorb additional water from the slip and the casting will take forever to set up (or may not set up at all). Also, the definition in your sculpture can be melted away.

If it’s too dry, the slip still stick to the mold walls as it is poured and cause excess pouring lines. These show up as grid lines on your greenware. It may be impossible to prevent all pouring lines due to the shape of the various body parts being poured; however, it helps to take the extra effort to avoid excess lines when possible.

Now your mold is ready for work. If you do not have a specified pouring area, cover your work table with newspaper or a disposable tablecloth to assist with the cleanup. Wear an apron to protect your clothes and wear surgical gloves if you’d like. Casting greenware is a MESSY job.

Place mold halves together and bind with the appropriate size rubber bands. These rubber bands are heavy duty and specifically designed to bind plaster molds. Replace them as they wear out. Some suggested suppliers are listed at the end of this article or ask for them at your local doll studio. Always use at least two bands on a mold to ensure that slip does not leak out while pouring.

Using a Master Mixer paddle (by Master Eye Beveler), a dowel rod or an electric mixer, stir your slip carefully and well. If this is a brand new bottle, invert it on it’s lid for a time and roll on the floor or table top to thoroughly loosen the settled slip from sides and bottom of the jug. When the slip has been mixed to an even consistency of heavy cream, gently tap the bottom of the jug on the table top to force air bubbles to the top and let stand for 10-15 minutes to settle. Before pouring, gently swirl the jug to eliminate any marbleizing in the slip. Pour slip into the prepared mold at a consistently steady rate, down the side of the mold opening. If you pour too slow, or the slip is too thick, you will create “hesitation” lines (another name for pouring lines) caused by the slip sticking to the mold walls as it is poured.

The “set up” time is a variable. When I cast a head mold with a circumference of 10-12” under ideal conditions, that is, a warm, dry room with slip the consistency of heavy cream, I usually let the slip sit in the mold for about 5 minutes. However, this time period is definitely affected by the consistency of the slip and the weather. If your slip is thicker, less time is needed; thinner, more time. If your pouring room is too hot and/or too dry, less time; cool temperatures and/or high humidity calls for more time. Measure the thickness of the casting at the pour hole. I aim for a thickness of 3 to 4 mm (about the thickness of a nickel). For this project, I let the head mold sit for 4 minutes; the shoulder plate is more fragile and should be heavier – 6 minutes. The arms and legs only needed 2 minutes each.

Dyan, this all sounds ridiculously complicated and impossible to achieve! There has to be an easier way.

I don’t want to scare anyone off. There is an art to casting good greenware, and it really can be learned by anyone. Practice, practice, practice. Cast a few pieces under different conditions and play with your greenware. You will soon discover what works best for you and what results you are striving to achieve. When practicing, take notes regarding your setup times and room temperatures. When you hit a winner, you’ll know what you did so that you can repeat it!

Helpful hints when pouring:
• Between pourings, remember to wipe the lip of the jug to keep slip buildup and flakes from falling back into the jug and possibly marring your future castings.
• Don’t forget to set a timer for each piece – do not rely on your memory for set-up times!
• When working with a large mold containing two arms or legs, I find it easier to pour one arm or leg at a time. This makes it much easier to drain back into the jug.
• Use a length of plastic tubing to blow air into small pour holes, forcing out the slip. If the slip is unable to drain, or drains with excessive “glugging,” you may end up with a solid piece of greenware or a collapsed piece. Solid pieces have a tendency to explode when soft fired, so this is something you may wish to avoid!

Note: Total pouring time for Poppette was only 15 minutes – the process definitely sounds worse than it really is.

When your mold has set for the desired period of time, drain the slip back into the jug through a piece of cheese cloth or a slip strainer and set inverted and tilted on a table to allow for total drainage and drying. Ideally, you will have a separate table and/or room for pouring; however, most of us do not live in an ideal world. Therefore, instead of trying to store a draining tub I prop my molds on lids from old slip jars and drain everything onto newspaper. Cleanup is a snap!

Once again, your drying time will vary with weather conditions. I usually allow 30 minutes for small molds and one to two hours for larger pieces.

Dyan, I’ve heard other doll makers say that you can save money on slip by rehydrating the spare from mold castings and mixing it back in with your slip stock. Is this a good idea?
NO!! One never wants to reuse spare. This is the dried piece of slip cut off and discarded from your casting. It will be lumpy and grainy and will not mix to the same consistency as fresh slip. The resulting poor quality greenware is definitely not worth the few pennies you may save. I recommend using a piece of cheesecloth or a slip strainer when returning slip to the jug to avoid this problem of having pieces of dried spare falling into the slip and consequently getting caught up in my casting. When I am going to all the trouble to make a beautiful, hand painted porcelain doll I don’t want to risk marring my creation with discoloration in the bisque.

Dyan, what happens when you open the mold too soon?

When you are ready to release your piece from the mold DO NOT force the mold halves apart. If the mold will not separate, wait another 15 minutes and try again. If you try to force it open you stand a good chance of tearing your casting. When the mold will separate easily, gently lift your casting out, removing the back half first (or invert the mold half and drop the piece into your other hand) and set aside to air dry. If the casting will not easily release from the mold, wait again until it is drier, and then remove it. Lift the greenware straight up to avoid nicking it with the mold edge – or your fingernails. As you’ve probably figured out by now, patience is a key word in casting greenware.

When the casting is dry enough to hold without leaving finger impressions, cut out rough eye, arm and leg openings and pierce the ears using the pointed end of a lace draping tool or a large needle. Cut a hole in the flat part of the head, leaving a rim about ½” thick. Poppette’s mouth is closed and does not need to be opened; however, I like to gently score the line separating her top and bottom lip with the tip of a feather knife. This scoring is softened during the cleaning stage and helps to add definition to her mouth.

Because of its shape, the shoulder plate is usually very fragile and must be handled with care. Be sure to cut the neck connector hole large enough, and trim the excess spare carefully with a feather knife. Using either a feather knife, or a cocktail straw, make sew holes to use when attaching to the cloth body. If necessary, use a sculpting tool or large nail to deepen ridges on body parts where the cloth body will later be attached. Now is also the time to gently smooth out any pinholes. Smooth any rough edges by running your finger around them.

Allow the greenware to air dry for approximately 24 hours and then soft fire. In my kiln, I use a 019 sitter cone, set the temperature to medium, and fire until it shuts off (usually 3 hours).

Molds are quite fragile, but if treated well should provide you with 30-40 castings each. After using, always clean any excess slip off the mold pieces and reband the parts together. If a mold section is left to dry unbanded, it could warp. I store my molds pour hole up – to allow the interior to air dry. Some people prefer to air dry for a day or two before storing them pour hole down (to keep creepy-crawlies out). Either way, molds can be stored almost anywhere as long as they are kept dry.

Supplies provided by:
• Rose Pinkul Originals
370 Plantation Drive
Marion, NC 28752
828-652-7430
http://www.pinkul.com

• Seeley’s
PO Box 669
Oneonta, NY 13820
800-433-1191

• Master Eye Beveler
P.O. Box 924, Dept. DA
Enfield, CT 06083-0924
860-749-0465

Please contact your local doll studio for all these materials and more. DM