- 1). Decide what pose the doll will be in. Starting out, choose something simple such as a figure standing with arms at the side with a long, draping robe. Place the 12-by-12-inch canvas-covered board on a work surface. Take a 1-lb. ball of white earthenware sculpting clay and shape it into a 12-inch tall figure in a vertical position. Make a general shape of the legs and torso. Put extra clay at the base so the clay column will stand upright.
- 2). Take a thin, flat-edged sculpture tool and press it horizontally into the clay at what will be the waistline of the doll. This is only a reference mark for now to get the proportions of the doll correct. Use various sculpture tools to shape the torso. At the shoulders, add more clay to bring them out in proportion to the hips of the figure. Keep turning the canvas board so the doll is being sculpted from all sides simultaneously.
- 3). Roll out two coils for the arms. The coil should have more mass where it will be attached to the upper torso under the shoulders. Put the first arm in its position. Flatten the end of the arm in the shape of a small fan to create a sense of the hand. Take the craft knife and model in the fingers and the thumbs. Use a needle tool for more detailed areas. Repeat with the second arm.
- 4). Give the figure a flowing robe. Roll out thin, flat slabs of clay on the canvas board. Cut these into strips of varying widths of the clay and lay them on and over the figure. Sculpt them into place using assorted sculpture tools.
- 5). Take a small clump of clay and roll it into a ball for the head. Hold it up to the draped torso to judge if the head is in proportion to the rest of the body. If it's too big, pinch some of the clay off and re-roll the clay into a ball. Add more clay if the ball is too small.
- 6). Take a small, fine-pointed sculpture tool and press it into the ball to indicate the brow line. Add a small coil of clay for the nose. Sculpt the clay into a nose shape. Put two tiny balls of clay where the eyes will be. Carefully render the eyes and eyelids.
- 7). Add pads of clay to the head for cheeks and smooth those into the rest of the head. Do the same for the chin. Make two little flat pads in the shape of ears. Attach one to each side of the head and render the clay into believable-looking ears.
- 8). Create hair by rolling out a number of miniature clay coils and laying them on the head. Carefully render the coils into fine lines or curls, so they give the impression of hair. Before attaching the finished head to the body, make sure the head is well rendered and complete.
- 9). Roll a small ball of clay into a solid cylinder to form the neck, Take a needle tool and score the top and bottom of the clay. Set the head lightly on the neck to see where it will be touching the head. Lift the head off and make score marks with the needle tool. Dip the painter's brush in water and work water into the scored marks creating a wet slurry of clay. Repeat this procedure for the top of the scored neck piece. Gently press the neck into the bottom of the head. Use a sculpting tool to fuse the head to the neck. Blend the clay together well.
- 10
Repeat the scoring technique from Step 8 to attach the neck to the torso. Make sure the head will sit on the torso without leaning and falling off. Work the overall sculpture some more to make sure all the elements of the figure are working together visually. Drape a piece of thin plastic over the figure to start the very slow drying process. - 11
Bisque fire the sculpture in a kiln when the clay is bone dry. After the kiln has cooled, remove the doll and set it on the work table to be painted. In the tradition of hakata dolls, paint the costume in bright primary colors, adding metallic gold accents to replicate the gold leaf used on Japanese-made dolls. Take particular care when painting the expression on the face of the hakata doll. Traditionally, it is the painting of the expression on the face that brings the hakata doll to life. Hakata dolls can have expressions ranging from a lovely, demure look to a frightening Samurai warrior's scowl.
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