I have updated this tutorial page because very soon I will be adding a new tutorial on how to sculpt a mermaid , fairy or a male fantasy sculpture. I haven't decided yet on what I will teach you to sculpt.

Meanwhile , here are some tips that works for me.

• Buy sculpting videos , they are helpful.

• Always work on a window glass or polished tile.

• Always sculpt your dolls face on a stick . Wood is best. I use the end of a ribbon tool.

• Use 22 gauge wire. To make an even stronger armature I use double wire and twist it.

• Do not use plain wire for your armature. It gets your clay dirty and is a lot harder to manage when you are posing the doll. It gets out of the doll's body too easy.

• Use white floral tape and wrap your armature entirely. It makes the clay grip to the armature.

• Do  not use tin foil on your dolls unless you are sculpting a really big doll.

• Do not use molds. Use them to learn the anatomy and then discard them or give them to your kids. I find a lot more rewarding to see a piece completely done my myself.

• Do NOT use super sculpey , man that clay is the worst. It's ugly , brittle and the doll might brake by simply displaying on your cabinet.

• If you have no other choice than sculpey , then add a small ball of cernit to change color a bit.

• If you are using prosculpt clay , do not use pure prosculpt light to your fairies. It looks opaque and chalky. Use it only to mix , unless you like it that way. I personally don't like it since it looks fake.

• If you want to sculpt a dark skin doll , Do not use pure ethnic prosculpt . Oh my Gosh , that is so ugly clay. Mix a small portion in to Caucasian clay and that will do.

• Prosculpt clay is good but not the best. And now with the rise on their price I don't think I will be using it anymore.

• None of the prosculpt colors look nice without mixing. I always mix it up with a little bit of other brand clays such as fimo  or cernit.

• Do not buy your clay on ebay unless you ask the seller for fresh clay. Buy it on www.ooakdollart.com sellers on this auction sell fresh clay. I have purchased them !

• Do not sculpt your doll entirely and then pose. You will end re sculpting everything again unless you are doing a very simple pose like standing or walking. For more complex dolls I sculpt a basic body , pose it and then detail it. It is hard but that is how it must be done if you want to make her look natural.

• Sculpt your doll as complete as possible. Unless you are doing a very simple pose , do not leave the hand and feet for later. I find them a lot more harder to sculpt once the doll is cured. I like to sculpt them along with everything else. This way you can do very neat poses .

• I like  males to be anatomically correct. But keeping in mind that It must subtle.

• Make them sexy , attractive , tasteful to the eye. Do not over exaggerate anything .

• Try to work clean ! Use a small old clay lump to clean your hands. Wipes are good too.

• Keep the doll as clean as possible. You don't want to scrape it later and loose all the fine detail on it.

• If you still need to scrape the doll this is how you do it. Use a xacto knife and eliminate all the dirt then use a q-tip with a tiny bit of acetone and that will do. Sometimes I just rub acetone on to the doll without having to scrape.

• Use a regular conventional oven to cure your dolls. I bake mine from 225 to 250 for about 40 minutes.

• To prevent moonies cover your dolls with a small piece of polyfill batting.

• Do not bake them on a metal plate. I bake mine on a polished floor tile.

• Do not spend that much money on many tools. I work with 4 tools . The best tool is your hands.

• Tools I use , a ribbon tool , a stylus , a wood tool and a small brush.

• Do not use metal tools , they get the clay pretty dirty

• Do not use acrylic paints to paint your dolls face. Use genesis paints instead.

• Do not over do her make up. A very subtle make up will do.

• Use Gallery glass to give a little 3 dimentional look to the eyes

• Use gallery glass for the lips and nails too.

• Do not spent that much money on paints , 5 colors will do. Red , Blue , Yellow , Green and White . A little sampler will last long.

• Use genesis thinning gel to thin your paints. They are oil based so water won't thin them.

• Gently blush your dolls with a small bit of red thinned with glaze.

• Use tibetan lamb skins for your doll's hair.

• To wig your doll , cut a hole on the back on her head while the clay is soft. Once the doll is cured , make a very big hair plug and glue it in to the hole of the doll's head.

• Use fabritac to glue the hair.

• When costuming your dolls  , always try to make it simple. I have seen some dolls that looks like a Christmas tree and that is not professional.

• I tend not to dress my dolls. I like them plain nude. But that is just my style.

• If you are planning on attaching wings , while the clay is soft poke her in the back with a small wire rod. Do not carve a hole in to her back once she is cured. That looks ugly and you will not be able to detach the wings later on