RUSH CREEK STUDIO
SARAH NIEMELA | FINE DOLL ART
MATERIALS
CERNIT DOLL CLAY
This clay has a lovely sheen and is very strong after baking. Usually a solid color mixed with a tiny amount of white opaque achieves a desired translucency.
GENESIS PAINTS
These paints need to be heat-set to become permanent, and give each face a beautiful depth and softness.
ACCENTS + FRAMEWORK
Glass eyes - these are chosen with great care and scrutiny from only the finest hand-blown selections.
Strong wire armature - covered with foil, plaster cloth, cloth fabric
TEXTILES + HAIR
Clothing - many materials are used for clothing, including silk, lace, leather, cotton, velour, etc.
Mohair and fleece from goats and sheep are used for each wig, exceptionally mimicking real hair
Making Dolls
When a doll is called an OOAK that means it is one-of-a-kind. It is made completely “from scratch” and there is only one exactly like it! All of my large dolls are OOAK and I have done all of the work on them.
Each doll begins with a basic face shape, then the glass eyes are the first to get set in place. Everything else comes after the eyes! I am very particular about the eyes as they speak so much in each doll. The face is sculpted and baked in my home oven at 275 degrees for about a half hour per 1/4” of thickness. It is very important to follow that instruction to get a perfectly cured product.
I then construct the body with a strong wire armature covered with foil and plaster cloth. A cloth fabric covers that, which is followed by adding clothing. The doll’s clothing is not intended to be removed and becomes a part of each doll!
After all of the clay pieces are cured, I paint with Genesis paints. I sometimes use different clays along with different techniques to complete the doll… usually the pose and the clothing determine which direction I will go!
Mohair and fleece are used for each wig. I love the way they mimic real hair and I am always amazed they come from goats and sheep!
Once each doll is finished I fall in love with it… and wonder how I can part ways! However, there is always another one waiting to be created. When I look back at my early dolls I can only marvel how they have evolved over the years.