A 1/12 scale bjd step by step (updated 08/01/2015)

I have finally finished my first ever 1/12 scale ball jointed doll! It took a lot of time, adjustments and research to find the right combination of materials & tools but I am quite pleased with the results and will be making more!! It changed so much in the process that I tought it would be nice to show it step by step. 

Following a comment I received I tought I could update this post and start by showing a picture of the materials I used so here goes:

The material to do the body:

 Pasta machine, Ladoll clay, styrofoam block and balls of various sizes.

 The material to do the base sketch and structure of the doll:

 Yoshida style book, tracing paper and graph & layout pad.


The materials to sculpt:

 Pretty much everything you use with clay. I really loved using the miniature metal files to roughtly sculpt and the miniature drills that were very usefull for the ball joints.

The material for stringing the doll:

 A fine wire for the hand core, a bigger wire to make the s-hooks, elastic and good pliers.

This shows the size of the wire. I dont remember the gauge but it was very hard to bend without pliers. It's important because you don't want the s-hook to unravel because of the elastic's tension.

The material for painting:

 Make-up, gesso and a matte varnish spray.


The finishing touches:

 Viscose, a quick dry glue for the wig and my miniature eyes from my previous tutorial.


Now that the materials have been introduced, here is my ball jointed doll's step by step progress. 

Step 1: The styrofoam core based on a sketch

 This is my base sketch with tracing paper to define how to cut the styrofoam core.

Doing the styrofoam core is important, it allows you to have hollow parts so you can string the elastic through. This stage was very fun and fast, I wanted to make a whole bunch after that... But I only ended up doing two... The hat worn by one of the dolls is not by me, it was done by another miniaturist. I love it very much but it is too small for an adult head so I will be making a little girl that will be very happy to wear it!

Step 2: Sculpting the arms, legs and body

Then I added Ladoll clay to the styrofoam and sculpt the body.
After many adjustments and by always going back to the sketch, I was finally ready for the ball joints. Next time, I will sculpt the arms and legs longer than what I want because when you cut the knees and elbows, you loose 1/8 approximatly. Won't make that mistake twice...

Step 3: The ball joints

This is another fun part. I took small styrofoam balls and roll clay on top, keeping the clay to an even thickness (This is super easy If you have a pasta machine). I chose balls that are smaller than what I needed so that it will fit once the clay is added on the ball. I drilled a bunch of holes in the balls once they dried (knees and elbows) to create a vertical slot on the top part of the balls. I cut it open with a sharp tool. I use sharp rasps for miniature work. Then I drilled a larger hole on the bottom of the ball (knees and elbows). I ended up with 4 balls with a hole on the botom and a vertical slot on top.

Good tools means less energy wasted. I found small tiny drills in a wholesale jewelery store... It works like a charm.

The balls for the shoulders should have a hole on the side going into the doll's body and a hole going down the arm. As for the wrists and ankles, they are easier to make because you don't need the stryrofoam. I Just rolled the amount of clay that I needed than made a vertical slot on top after connecting it to the feet and hands (I cut the slot once the ball and the part were well attached and dried). For the ankles and wrists, I created a tiny hole on each side of the slot and glued a metal wire in between. You can add clay on the sides of the ball after that to make it stronger. For the head, I drilled two holes on top, bent the wire to form a hook and then made it go trough the first hole from inside the head and out. I then bent the wire again so it can go trough the other hole, securing the hook to the head.  Now I was ready to string!

For details on how to do the joints and full instructions and tips on making a bjd, I strongly recommend reading the book Yoshida Style. It is in japanese but offers a lot of images making it easy to understand.

Step 4: String the parts.

I used three elastics. One for the arms and one for each legs. The ones for the legs are held by an s-hook connected to the ankle and attached to the s-hook in the head. The arms are attached from one s-hook on the right hand going to the next s-hook on the left hand. Then I had to test to see if I had the right lenght... Many times...

I cut the torso to give her more flexibility. I also thought her legs were too short so I had to find a solution. Yeah, double joints!

The hardest part in the process was to make tiny beautifull feet so that the doll can wear the gorgeous shoes made by Judy Blondell. Victory!!!
If you simply adore those gorgeous white pumps that my doll is wearing, you will looooove browsing her website. Here is the link to this amazingly talented artist: http://jbminidreams.com/

Step 6: Making the eyes

I cut holes for her eyes and used the technique from my previous tuttorial that you can see by clicking this link: How to make 1/12 scale miniature eyes tutorial

Then I made her a cute dress. :D 

Step 5: Adjustments (this takes forever)

Sand here, add clay there, test elastics... Notice how she slimed down? :)
I had to make double joints for the knees because the single joints made her to short. I am glad I did so because now she can have more natural poses.
I added viscose lashes to her face and painted the body with a mix of make-up and gesso. Works great and gives her a very natural skin tone.

Step 6: Varnish and final assembly

Here I used a metal hanger to hang the doll's parts so the varnish can be sprayed evenly. And I let it dry waiting anxiously. I could not wait to see this doll finished!

Step 7: Make the wig

And it is finally done!!! Here she is, dressed and ready for a walk with her dogs.

If you want to see more pictures of her, click here: my first bjd!

Hope you enjoyed this post!