Wood Doll Carving
~ Overview ~

By Jean Lotz

Let's start this discussion with the definition of a wooden doll as set by UFDC (United Federation of Doll Clubs): Because so many types of materials and fibers are used in the making of any typical single doll, UFDC decided that the best way to categorize dolls is to group them by the major material the head is made from, so therefore a wooden doll MUST have a wooden head. Even though a doll with a wooden body and a china head actually has more wood than it does china, it is still NOT a wooden doll. It is a china doll with a wooden body. This is a picky but important distinction especially for when dolls are placed into competition.

Inconsistency and uniqueness of raw materials is a major challenge in all forms of carving. As Pat Tyber notes below, each carving is a challenge because each piece of wood has unique qualities. No two pieces of wood are exactly the same. A carver may thrill with the ease of working with one piece of basswood, then curse the very next piece for being obstinate, grainy, or grabby.

What does the term "carving" mean?

Carving is a very exciting process for those who like to sculpt in a totally negative / subtractive method. It is destructive and yet creative at the same time: the carver is cutting away at a substance while creating something more meaningful and beautiful.

Sadly, the term "carving" is being abused today by many people who have no idea what the term really means. Many people are using it as a synonym for the terms "modeling" or "sculpting". It is becoming more common today to hear statements such as, "I carved my doll out of polymer clay" which is totally wrong and shows this person's ignorance but yet this mis-use of the term is spreading!

Carving is a totally subtractive method of sculpting - you can not add more marble, wood, or ivory after you've lopped it off! Whereas, other methods of sculpting are both additive and negative. Yes, some sculptors may carve some details into clay, but then they can VERY easily add more material here and there as well as push and pull the material around and easily smooth it. The process I've just described is "modeling". Most modern doll materials are modeled and sculpted - they are not carved.

For example: In emulating the look of a cameo on porcelain, a sculptor may use the Pate Sur Pate method of brushing slip on top of clay, then carefully carve and model this new clay into shape. They would then add more slip and carve and model again. In contrast, a cameo carver working in stone must carefully carve away only what must be removed and desperately try to minimize any mistakes because he can NOT add more stone.

There is a constant "I'm one slip from a serious mistake or injury" tension while carving that some people can not deal with. It is this tension that makes carving so intense because it forces a carver to be careful at all times and to concentrate all energy and all thought to his work while sculpting.

Steps in Creating An Original Wooden Doll

Idea for a Doll

An artist first gets an idea to make a doll. They may have been inspired by a doll they can't afford, or a beautiful child they have seen or a dream. The artist plays with the idea in his/her head but evenually he/she will sketch out more concrete ideas on paper.

Draw the doll / Draft the doll

At this point the artist must decide on the doll's size and how it will be constructed. Will it be a solid wooden doll with some jointed parts or will it have a soft cloth body with a wooden head, hands and feet? At this time, perhaps the artist will also collect appropriate reference photos for the age of the subject. But then, as the drawing gets more detailed, and technicalities are figured out, then a pattern must be drafted.

A pattern is totally different from a sketch which is just used to structure an idea. The pattern is a tool from which the actual wooden doll will be made. The artist will draw the front view and side view in perfect alignment to each other. The pattern should have reference lines drawn from one view exactly correlating the same positon on the next view. These lines are an aid to placing the 2 pattern views on the wood in perfect registration to each other. In addition, this pattern should show the construction details of all joints.

Making the Doll

Once a pattern is drafted, then it needs to be carefully transferred to wood and the wood cut to the pattern's lines. At this point, the resultant wood cut-outs are called "blanks". The carver then starts shaping all of these wooden blanks into doll parts. First the carver rounds off each piece, shapes it, sands it, and then finally carves any delicate details.

Wood must have a protective finish to stabilize it, so it is applied and then all of the doll's featured are painted. Dolls generally get another protective layer applied over the painted features.

The finished doll parts are assembled and is then outfitted with a wig (if the hair has not been carved) and clothes.

More details of the carving process are available in pages 2 and 3.

Wood Used In Wood Dolls

By Jean Lotz

In the past, the wood used by a carver was totally dictated by local availability of workable wood. A carver might have gone out into the woods to cut down some good carving or whittling wood or the carver might have reused an old broken bed post or an old broken broom handle.

Now, carvers are only limited by Internet searches for the wood species they are curious about carving. New carving wood will be on the way to their door with just a few clicks and electronic payment. As a result, the list of wood used in wood doll making that follows is limited to those species that have been used in the recent past of for which I want to make some comment.

Finishes on Wood Dolls

By Jean Lotz

I've seen all kinds of finishes on wood carvings. Never leave a wood doll without a protective finish. If you don't like the color of the wood with a finish (it will darken or yellow the wood), then plan on painting the wood or use a colored stain.

Test out different finishes on misc. wood species. I did a small set of shallow relief carvings from some waste wood and played with finishes on these.

Sample of some wood finishes used on dolls

• Oil finishes: Tung oil, linseed oil, or Danish oil
• wax
• solvent based varnishes, lacquer, & polyurethane
• water based paints, stains and varnishes
• transparent stains applied under a clear finish
• transparent or opaque paint directly on the wood
• gesso under painting to hide all wood grain painted on top
• heavy layer of gofun (ground oyster shell paste) for a traditional Japanese look