How to Make Antique Dolls

Antique dolls are a classic collector's item. They are quite valuable and, consequently, quite expensive as well. Most antique dolls are made from porcelain and adorned in Victorian, medieval and vintage clothing from past eras. To create your own doll, you can create a porcelain doll and design it in antique styles. Your porcelain doll will become more valuable as it ages. Moreover, it will be more valuable because it is unique and created by you, which will make it one of a kind.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Porcelain slip
• Doll mold
• Kiln
• Sandpaper
• Fine-tip paintbrush
• Rose paint
• Flesh-toned paints (optional)
• Glass eyes
• False lashes
• Super glue
• Doll wig
• Historical clothing

How to Make Antique Dolls

1. Choose a porcelain slip and purchase a doll mold the size you would like your porcelain doll to be. Antique white is an ideal porcelain slip color to use to create an antique doll.

2. Fill the doll mold with the porcelain slip, making sure to fill the mold completely so that your doll is completely formed.

3. Fire the mold in a kiln for approximately eight hours to cause the porcelain slip to harden.

4. Allow the porcelain figure to cool completely and carefully remove it from the doll mold.

5. Use sandpaper to sand down any rough edges of porcelain on the doll.

6. Use a fine-tip paintbrush to paint the doll's cheeks and lips a rosy color. Use flesh-toned paints to enhance the doll's eyes if you wish.

7. Pop the glass eyes into the eye socket holes of the porcelain. They should fit snugly within the form.

8. Glue false eyelashes above the glass eyes using super glue. Use fewer lashes for a younger doll, such as a baby, and more lashes for an older doll, such as a young lady.

9. Use the super glue to glue the doll wig to the top of the doll's head. Make sure you position the wig correctly before you press down on it, securing the glue.

10. Dress your doll in a full-skirted dress adorned with trimmings, lace and feathers to depict the Victorian era, or dress your doll in a dress adorned with bows, patterns and plaid to create a Southern belle.

Tips & Warnings

• Add decorative doll accessories, such as hats, purses and props to your antique porcelain doll to make it even more valuable. Preserve your antique doll behind a glass casing to make it even more valuable.
• Dust your doll occasionally to prevent dust from accumulating on its hair and clothing, possibly damaging it.

References

• Regal Slip
• Antique Dolls

[yancar]

on 11/9/2009 How to make an antique doll? You can if you have a hundred years to wait for the doll to age. Better settle for an antique reproduction. I have been working with pottery, ceramics and porcelain for 40 plus years. How long has this author been working with clay of any kind? 2 minutes? I hope no one wastes their money or time trying to make a doll from these directions. I could not believe I was reading "fire the mold" Have you ever subjected plaster of paris to 2300 degrees?