Looking for doll carving plans

[MikeMandaville]

Hello. I am looking for plans for carving dolls. Does anyone know where I can find some? Thanks.

Michael Mandaville

[GJP]

[e-mail] (MikeMandaville) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Haven't got the url handy but do a google search for Dolls and Jean Lotz...she has a very informative site on doll carving...not sure about plans though. Also if yoiu want to carve a doll...you might want to check out older books on Marionettes or Puppetry...even check out eBay, you can get lucky and see a picture of a marionette or puppet pattern being sold.(G)

GJP

[MikeMandaville]

Hello, GP, and thank you for answering my post. I personally consider Jean Lotz to have the best dollmaking site on the internet, and I believe that I am not alone in having this opinion. Unfortunately, the only reason why the Lotz plans are the best ones on the internet is because right now they are the only ones on the internet:

suppose that I must have become spoiled by reading such a large number of books, each one of which included several dozen plans for building wooden boats, with sections, take-offs, and so on. Right now I am getting ready to cut a Barbie fashion head into sections, because it seems to be the only way in which I can get started. I will let you folks know how it goes.

Michael Mandaville

[Charlie Self]

Mike Mandaville notes:

Do you get Wood Carving Illustrated? If not, try

Small publisher, 2 magazines--above and one on scroll sawing--plus a lot of carving books. There might be something there for you.

My connection to them is a book I just finished, not on woodcarving, but on woodworking reference material, that will be out early next year. Good outfit, pays on or before time, which is astounding in the DIY publishing world, IME.

Charlie Self "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right." Thomas Paine

[GJP]

[e-mail] (MikeMandaville) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Well Michael don't want to argue but there are other web sites out there on make dolls, I just used the Lotz site as it was the first that came to mind. Why would you want to cut a Barbie Fashion head into sections, if you want to learn how to carve a head and get the features correct(not like me I carve caricatures) then buy a carving book, Ivan Whillock has a book on head proportions and another book on carving a head, there are numerous books out there on just carving the human head, Ian Norbury also has books on these subjects. Again I say look at the Marionette or Puppetry books or sites. I'm not sure what you really are looking for now since you started with a request for help carving dolls now you seem to want to understand the proportions of a Barbie head...carving a likeness of a head is not something anyone can do at the drop of a hat...usually.(G) BTW there is a NG for woodcarving, also there are a number of woodcarving mailing list, maybe you could look there for further help.

GJP .

[GJP]

[e-mail] (Charlie Self) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Ahhhh...what kind of reference material and are you a woodworker, carver or a consulting researcher ? Inquiring minds want to know.(G)

GJP

[Charlie Self]

GJP asks:

You'll note that I said it was NOT a book on woodcarving. Woodworking reference? General woodworking.

I'm a woodworker, of sorts. If I ever get home again, I'll be a real one.

But I make most of my living writing about woodworking, and other DIY sports.

Charlie Self "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right." Thomas Paine

[MikeMandaville]

Hello again, GP, and thank you for continuing.

make dolls, I just used the Lotz site as it was the first that came to mind.

Again, Jean's site is the only one which has a plan. I am still looking for plans.

Because then I will be able to draw the sections, enlarge them, make templates, and carve.

like me I carve caricatures) then buy a carving book, Ivan Whillock has a book on head proportions and another book on carving a head

Well, it looks like I need to reverse myself now. I found a couple of doll plans on Ivan's site also. These are not labeled doll plans specifically, though they are human figures, both of them male. I am only interested in female figures.

Norbury also has books on these subjects.

Well, now we are getting somewhere. In all seriousness, I was beginning to wonder if I had any competition out there at all. I haven't done any carving at all yet, though I do know what my intentions are, of course. I consider Ian's work to be excellent. This is the quality of work which I am aiming at.

what you really are looking for now since you started with a request for help carving dolls now you seem to want to understand the proportions of a Barbie head

What I am interested in is carving figures from models which interest me, and if this qualifies me as a student of proportion, then I am.

hat...usually.(G) BTW there is a NG for woodcarving, also there are a number of woodcarving mailing list, maybe you could look there for further help.

I agree that it will be necessary for me to invest time in my carving, and this is why I want to work only from the models which interest me the most. Fortunately, my local Toys R Us stocks about a half dozen different types of toy "fashion heads", all of which I find to be very attractive. I haven't yet checked out my local book store and libreary, but I plan to do that also.

By the way, I cut Barbie's hair off, and pulled out the roots, in preparation for cutting her into sections. The next step will be for me to build a miter box, since none of the four boxes which my local Home Depot sells is deep enough. I have a small band saw, though I haven't set it up yet, and it would be too small to cut the next head anyway.

[GJP]

[e-mail] (Charlie Self) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Geez I must be sounding like an argumentive type...Not my intention. I did note that you said woodworking, that's why I asked "are you a woodworker, carver or consulting researcher". My interest is more toward carving and I am a long time subscriber to the carving magazine published by the publisher you were doing the book for, hence the inquisitive mind. I won't make any further comments as anything I say might or could offend you unintentionally and besides you have basically answered my question. If you want to continue this discussion further, please let me know here with an e-mail address and I will contact you via direct e-mail rather than in the NG. Thankyou for your reply.

GJP

[GJP]

[e-mail] (MikeMandaville) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Don't be offended, but IMHO I think you are going at this the wrong way. You might consider joing one of the Yahoo groups that "sculpt" small figures, there you will get all the basics of creating a human body with clay, and this is what you really will need to carve wooden figures. Many woodcarvers make models of what they want to carve first and again there books out there by woodcarvers that show how and why they do this. I don't model in clay, I have enough problems learning one hobby without learning two...that's one of the reasons I don't do Birds/Decoys lots of carving and then too much woodburning to put in feathers and then FAR too much painting of multiple coats etc.(G) If you like we can take this out of the Woodworking NG and go e-mail, is that your correct e-mail address shown here, if so I can most likely help you with access to what want...or at least give it a good try.(G) Let me know here in the NG and I will contact you.

GJP

[MikeMandaville]

Hello again, GP, and thank you for hanging in there.

GP, please inform me in regards to the reason why you are speculating that I might somehow be finding your remarks to be offensive. I must confess that your reasoning has actually escaped me completely here. In fact, quite to the contrary, I am indeed finding your remarks to be increasingly amusing.

To those of you who are new to the internet, IMHO means "in my humble opinion"

humble: Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful

Humility is the singular virtue which I have found to be universal among experienced craftsmen, and an insufficiency of humility is the singular vice which I have found to be universal among those who are _attempting to be_ craftsman.

GP, please inform me in regards to why you think that I am going at "this" the wrong way, and by "this", by the way, are you by happenstance somehow referring to the matter of being a craftsman? Or perhaps to the matter of becoming a craftsman? Or perhaps to the matter of one imagining oneself as being a craftsman? DETAILS! I NEED DETAILS!

Well, as you can see, I have started to loose patience already, so I will need to address the matter of GP attempting to defeat the purpose of this newsgroup for later.

Michael Mandaville

figures, there you will get all the basics of creating a human body with clay, and this is what you really will need to carve wooden figures. Many woodcarvers make models of what they want to carve first and again there books out there by woodcarvers that show how and why they do this. I don't model in clay, I have enough problems learning one hobby without learning two...that's one of the reasons I don't do Birds/Decoys lots of carving and then too much woodburning to put in feathers and then FAR too much painting of multiple coats etc.(G) If you like we can take this out of the Woodworking NG and go e-mail, is that your correct e-mail address shown here, if so I can most likely help you with access to what want...or at least give it a good try.(G) Let me know here in the NG and I will contact you.

GJP

[GJP]

[e-mail] (MikeMandaville) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

You win Pal...PLONK.

[MikeMandaville]

GP, your refusal to continue with this discussion means that we have _all_ lost. I am still here, if you change your mind.