Read all of this section before proceeding. I sometimes change my mind about the mouth color in "mid paint". I also often add a couple more coats of paint on the lips while doing this mouth finalizing. The mouths on the dolls in the lesson are a pinker shade, (more red and white, less yellow) because I have some fuscia clothing plans…but…I may change my mind, and change the mouth color to co-ordinate.

If I am making a doll with an open mouth, I like for the lips to be out farther (thicker) than the inner mouth, another reason for the optional, extra coats on the lips only.
 

16. To mix a color for the little "lip lines and for the inner mouth, add a little brown and red to the lip color and paint the dividing line, between the top and bottom lip, curving the line up a little at the corners.
NOTE*** Draw the line on with a colored pencil before painting.

The dividing line can be painted down near the string, for a closed mouth, or higher up, which will open Whatever’s mouth.

You can also mark another dividing line down on the bottom lip, depending on how big you have made the mouth. This will make the mouth more open. You will fill the inner mouth with the darker paint color. The sculpting string won’t even show on the finished mouth.

The following drawings show some of the shapes the lips can take, all starting with the basic template shapes.

Image 2-33.1 The upper lip dividing line is shaped like this. It goes right over the sculpting string.  eyelids will be painted. A closed mouth.

Image 2-33.2  Upper and lower lip dividing lines for an open mouth. The sculpting thread s the bottom lip line. It has been pulled down in a curve, by pulling stuffing over it with a needle.

The sculpting thread is in the middle.

The drawings above are on paper, with no actual sculpting strings. They are just for the purpose of showing you the "shapes" for the lips.

Remember, after the painting is done, the sculpting thread won’t show.

If you are making an open mouth, you will fill the open part with the darker paint.

With the darker shade, also paint a few fine, thin lines from the center, to the edge of the lips. Do both the top and bottom lip. VERY CAREFULLY extend the darker paint out into the corners and up, to make the mouth smile more if desired. I usually do this for this doll especially.

Image 2-35.1 The fine lines painted on both the top and bottom lips. eyelids will be painted. A closed mouth.

Image 2-35.2 The fine lines painted on both the top and bottom lips. eyelids will be colored pencil. An open mouth. The center filled in with the darker paint.

I did this really big, on flat fabric, because they are so faint and understated in the smaller size for an actual doll that they didn’t show up well on the dolls.

Always let everything dry between going on to the next step when painting. It is so easy to get your hand in wet paint, and mess up a face. Aim a blow dryer on the face to hurry up the drying process.

17. For the final touch with the paint, add teeth if desired. They are very small, and the paint shouldn’t be real thick. A hint of teeth is more what they are.

Image 2-36

They are also shown in the picture of one of the dolls I am working on for class.

OOP"S, I almost forgot. With white paint, add a little "lite" to the lips too. On the top lip add the lite" in the same upper quadrant as you did for the eyes. On the bottom lip, add it in the center.

Image 2-37
The "lites" on the lips.

18. To blush your dolls face, simply whisk the brush that came with the blush across the blush and apply the blush to your doll the same way you would do for yourself. Darker on the "cheekbones". A light dusting across the nose. Dust lightly on the lower cheeks and ears.

I usually dust a bit across the chin and forehead too.

Image 2-38.1 Face done except for gloss and eyelashes. The large mouth. Open, with teeth.

Image 2-38.2 Face done except for gloss and eyelashes. The small mouth, closed.

Remember…We will do the eyelashes, the gloss on the eyes and lips, and the glitter towards the very end of making this doll. She doesn’t look like a Monkey now…but…there is still more to be done to make her really GREAT!

It ain’t over, til it’s over!

Every step is a small bit of progress towards a finished product.

If you stopped way back when she looked like a monkey, start over and keep at it, til you have a great face!

A fun question??? How many of you took one look at the Big Mouth version and said " Yikes, that mouth is HUGE?" it’s not so huge once it is completed is it?

The small mouth version can have the open mouth too. You can also change the mouth shape some with the Gesso and paint. Start with the basic and go from that.

Perhaps you might like to bring the "bow" of the top lip up to sharper points.

Perhaps you would like to make the bottom lip wider, instead of U shaped.

There are many ways to change the "look". Sometimes it will be by accident!

You may accidentally paint one "bow" up higher and need to make the other "bow" match.

You may make a smudge outside the lines on the bottom lip. And to "fix" it you have to make the mouth bigger. All do-able and sometimes the results make a better face than what you had originally planned.
 

This face is very Pixy like and cute. Fast and easy too. You may decide to make Whatever! Whatever! into an elf or pixy, especially if you are making her in a small size.

First, lightly seal the head and face with Krylon clear Acrylic Spray. 2 very light coats is best. This will keep the pen from running if you choose to use pens.

This face is done with button eyes and colored pencil and/or pens for the rest.

I used 1/2" buttons with a shank on the back for the eyes for the full sized doll head. You would need to use smaller buttons for a smaller doll. The buttons are spaced a little more than a button width apart.

Tie the shank buttons in behind the ears. Pull them in tightly so they indent the eye sockets.

I pulled the mouth up just the same as before, but didn’t draw any lips on first. You can see where the mouth goes by locating the "bumps" in the front seam.

You can make the mouth wider or narrower as you desire. The mouth on the doll who is pictured is about 3/4" wide. Hmmmm. Now I have made 4 heads, not 2!

After you pull the mouth up, pull some stuffing into the top lip just like before.

With colored pencil, color the bottom lip area, making a little "half moon" shape.

Also with colored pencil, draw in the nostrils and nostril flares just like before.

Draw in the eyebrows with brown colored pencil. Color eye shadow above the eyes with colored pencil.

Draw a few eyelashes out to the sides with black colored pencil too…or…test your doll pens on the back of your doll’s head to be sure they won’t bleed, and do the eyelashes in pen. You can do the mouth and eyebrows in pen too, if your pens don’t bleed.

Add a few colored pencil freckles if desired. This makes a "cute", fast face. And really does have a "pixy" like quality to it.
 

Image 2-39.1 Without freckles.

Image 2-39.2 With freckles.

Do things a step at a time. Be sure the stuffing goes in, in large pieces, not little balled up bits. Shape as you stuff, always pushing the stuffing in from the back which forces the stuffing already there to go forward and fill out the face. Stuff down into that little chin, and out to the sides of it too, into the jaw-line, so the chin isn’t "witchy". You can continue to "finesse" the stuffing right up until we put the turning head onto the body.

It ain’t done, til it’s done!

A final thing to do the head, after you love the shape. Hold the head in your hand, face against your fingers and the nose between your first and second finger.

With your screwdriver, push straight in, very hard to compact the stuffing away from the opening. You may find that you need to add more stuffing!

Do this all around the opening, making sure there is an area up in the back of the head for the neck.

Now, rub some Glue Stick Glue on the inside of the "tabs" and press them into the stuffing in the opening. This gluing isn’t really necessary, but will make you feel better when you put the head on. You won’t have that weird feeling like "Oh Dear! The tabs are going to come out and look yucky!

When the head is tied on tightly, the tabs stay inside, but the glue makes sure of that!
 

Image 2-40.1 Rub some Glue Stick Glue on the tabs.

Image 2-40.2 Press the tabs against the stuffing.

Let dry.

The next chapter won’t be so "picture intensive" which will preserve your ink cartridge!

I thought the face chapter needed to be really "picture intensive" though.

The next chapter will be the Legs and Arms.

REMEMBER! It Ain’t Done, til it’s Done.

Judi Ward
Judi's Dolls
http://JudisDolls.com

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