Meet New and Improved Paper Clay Doll Maddy

Some of you may remember my original "Meet Maddy" post in March 2018.  Maddy was my first paper clay doll.  I liked her little girl look, but she was not something I would be proud to post for sale.  I made two more paper clay dolls during the year, Libby and Ivy.  I am always re-using and up-cycling items, so decided to update Maddy using lessons learned.  

Here are a few pictures comparing the new Maddy with the old.  The original post follows in case you are interested in learning what not to do!

New Maddy

Old Maddy

New Maddy's face is a bit more oval.  Old Maddy's face was too flat and gave her a scary "Chucky" look.  I added a second color of yarn to her hair and applied false eyelashes.  

The original beaded joints were shaped to accommodate the bead.  As it turns out, that limited the range of motion.  The new beaded joints are more round.  Although this makes the joints very loose, they can be posed in almost any position in which they can be propped.  

I liked the sport shoes old Maddy was wearing, but wanted new Maddy to look more vintage, so switched to Mary Jane shoes.  

I struggled with smoothing the skin on the original doll and eventually added a layer of tissue paper over the clay to give it the wrinkled look.  All of that was sanded away for new Maddy, and a new layer of clay was smoothed over.  I used chalk and acrylic paints to exaggerate and emphasize the clay surface irregularities to give her the look of an old doll.  The 10mm tumbled jasper gemstone beads enhance her vintage look.

I am much happier with new Maddy.  She is available in my Etsy Shop.  For a video slideshow, visit my Urban Stitcher ® YouTube Channel:  Paper Clay Art Doll Maddy.  

Original Meet Maddy Post

I have been making dolls of all shapes and sizes for years, but Maddy is my first paper clay doll.  I have used paper clay for other projects and chose to stay with it for this doll.  Although happy with the final form, Maddy and I struggled through three different skin colors, two outfits, and three wigs.  There were times when I was sure this would be my last clay doll, but now that she is done, I think I may try it again using some of the lessons learned.        

Maddy is 16 inches tall.  Blue beads serve as elbow and knee joints.  Her head, shoulders and hips are attached to a soft body.  Clothes are permanently affixed.  

Gentle Heart

"A gentle heart is tied with an easy thread."

George Herbert's words inspired the design of this clay and fabric sculpture.  The woman, and the heart she has captured, are both entwined with thread.  Here is the meandering creation in pictures and a few words.    

I enjoyed my first experience with paper clay at Christmas making small gifts for our grandchildren.  No heat or fumes to harden.... just time and patience.  While shaping the gifts, I started toying with the idea to create a paper clay doll.

I was only minutes into the project when, for reasons I no longer remember, I deviated from the plan for a doll.  An armature was formed and I was on my way to a figurine.  I worked on this figure for four weeks, trying different media and techniques.  The paper clay is very forgiving.  It can be shaped, carved and sanded with each new idea or mood.  At 17 inches tall, the figure is larger than intended.  It is a good thing I had only one package of paper clay..... who knows how this project may have grown!