OOAK Babies
How they are made

All of the sculptures that you see are created using ProSculpt, a professional dollmakers' clay. They are all one-of-a-kind (OOAK) and they are made without the use of molds. I use my only hands and a couple of simple tools to form the figure and all of its miniature details. The open-eyed babies have hand-blown glass eyes. The hair  is a very fine mohair, dyed especially to order and placed hair-by-hair onto the scalp and then baked in for permanency.

Every sculpture undergoes many steps on its way to completion. The sculpting of the head and body and limbs takes place over a couple of days. During this process the tiny sculpture undergoes several bakings in a convection oven, where the heat can be carefully monitored and controlled.

After each baking, I sand and polish and refine the features. Once I am satisfied with the shape and form of the figure, I paint it, using the thinnest washes of water-mixable oils and heat-set Genesis paints to achieve realistic, translucent skin tones. Each tiny fingernail and toenail is individually crafted and painted with a subtle sheen. The lips and eyes are painted with a clear gloss to create a wet look. Finally, I add the hair and do a final bake to set it in.

Once the baby is finished, I have fun sewing little clothes and making miniature hats to fit. They each have a small basket to sleep in, lined with a soft blanket.

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